"In the Labyrinth of the Caliph"

Cover story: The case of Metin Kaplan is turning into a test for the state of our democracy. It demonstrates how difficult it is to turn Islamists or criminals out of the country - even men who are far more dangerous than the "Caliph of Cologne". Often long-winded legal procedures and patient judges are to blame.

"The Chancellor Turns Green"

Energy: Fear of an oil crisis has put Gerhard Schröder in an ecological mood. Renewable energy sources are to make the world a safer place – but nuclear power could also experience a comeback.

"The United Nations Failed Abysmally"

Interview with historian Niall Ferguson about the world power politics of the United States, the historic example of the British Empire and the responsibilities of an occupying power:

"The United States behaved like an empire during the invasion, without recognising that an empire, too, needs friends. In its alliances, the British Empire always tried to avoid that form of isolation. ... The United Nations needs the USA more than the USA needs the United Nations. Who ultimately put a stop to the genocide of Bosnians and Kosovo Albanians? In both cases, the United Nations failed abysmally. It was the United States and Nato that stopped the killing. ... The United States has only ever been successful when it made a long-term commitment in a country it wanted to transform. That was the case in Japan, in Germany and in South Korea."

"Defending Prosperity"

Interview with financial manager Leonhard Fischer. He demands radical reforms, less consensus and massive immigration:

"Abroad, the fear of a strong German nation that existed after reunification has long given way to the fear of a weak Germany, because an economically weak Germany is a burden to Europe. ... Beyond this, I believe the overemphasis on consensus in society is hampering growth and change enormously. ... Germany has got to change its structures, not Americanise them. It is striking that the countries that are economically successful right now are the ones which permit quick decisions to be made. ... Either the demographic problem will no longer exist in 30 years' time, because we have solved it by means of aggressive immigration. Or else it will be far greater that we can even imagine today, because young, skilled people will leave the country in droves. ... In a globalised world, the term nation needs to be redefined. Germany is more than the sum of those people who have always held a German passport."

"The Coolies of Globalisation"

Shipping: No industry is profiting more enormously from global trade than container shipping. Cargo and charter prices have reached unprecedented levels, shipping companies are presenting record results. At the same time, the dependence on the Chinese economic miracle is increasing. How long will the boom still last?

"Rusty Guns"

Columbia: After 40 years of civil war, President Uribe has at last been making progress with disarming the paramilitary groups. In return, the latter are demanding an amnesty for all crimes, and the protection of their bosses, charged with drug trafficking, from being extradited to the USA.

"We Don't Want Any Americans Here"

Having reached an arrangement with the US military forces, former officers of Saddam Hussein are securing peace in the fortress of Sunni rebellion Fallujah. The Americans pay the captain 200 dollars a month to ensure, together with the 800 men in his brigade, that things remain quiet in Fallujah. The Sunnite stronghold harassed the US occupying troops in April with a civil uprising that lasted for weeks and cost hundreds of lives. In most districts of Fallujah, life has returned to normal. The shops are open, the markets are well stocked, and there are electricity and water blackouts, like in Baghdad. The American demand that the rebels be disarmed was met by handing over a few crates of old carbines, mortars and hand grenades. But there are probably enough weapons left in the city to continue the fight again at any time.

"Perfidious Dual Strategy"

Russia: President Putin enjoys being celebrated as a front-line fighter against corruption. But bribe-taking and nepotism continue to flourish in the government and the civil service machinery. Although the public prosecutor's office and the auditor general are investigating the abuse of public offices and funds in a number of regions, key sections of the government and state-controlled economy continue to be in the hands of criminal clans.

"Alliance of Silence"

Denmark: Civilian death squads made up of Danish SS volunteers liquidated their own fellow countrymen. The truth about the collaborators is only now coming to light.

"Guardians of the World"

France: Hysteria about the continued dying of bees in the neighbouring country - the German chemical industry is said to be responsible for the genocide. The valiant defenders of bees have now received backing from the highest level: head of state Jacques Chirac. The week before last, the president pushed through an "Environmental Charter" at the National Assembly, which is to assume constitutional force similar to the declaration of human and civil rights.

"Architects Instead of Masons"

Computers: A Spanish-German company has invented a machine which writes software completely automatically - far quicker than human programmers. The principle is quite simple: first customers are briefed in the use of the system during a two-day introductory seminar. During this process they learn to express their concrete needs with the help of flow charts, which determine what the program must be capable of doing. This material is then fed into a high-performance computer in Valencia, and after a few hours the computer spits out the finished software which it assembles out of prefabricated building-blocks of computer code.

"Massacre under the Skin"

Medicine: A study by doctors in Bochum has revealed a frightening level of malpractice with regard to liposuction. Every year, dozens of patients die in Germany as a result of the supposedly harmless cosmetic surgical intervention. Poor hygiene and poor workmanship on the part of the surgeons are to blame. As in most Western countries, sucking off fat from the thighs, stomach and hips are among the most frequently performed operations in aesthetic plastic surgery in Germany. The risk of complications increases disproportionately when several problem areas are attacked with a suction tube at the same time. Most life-threatening complications only occur after the patients have returned home following out-patient surgery, having been lulled into a false sense of security.

"High Pressure in the Tank"

Cars: The fear of terrorism and the rapidly increasing price of petrol are fuelling the desire to liberate cars from the petroleum drip. At the moment, natural gas displays the best prospects. It is available in huge quantities and at more and more petrol stations, it is far less harmful to the environment and by the far the cheapest type of fuel. But natural gas has its disadvantages too: it has to be highly compressed in order to store adequate amounts, and it requires a complex infrastructure. Northern Italy serves as a shining example for the German gas guild, with a close-meshed network of filling stations that has already persuaded 400,000 drivers to switch to gas. In most other countries in Europe there are neither cars that drive on natural gas, nor the necessary filling stations.

"Disappear Honourably"

Architecture: Werner Sobek, a master of daring glass buildings, is being celebrated as Germany's new avant-garde star. His latest project is a residential tent made of plastic. Once again, it is a residential building in an experimental sense. The bubble-like casing is only separated from the outside world by a light sheet of transparent synthetic material. There will be no rooms in the classical sense; furniture can, if you wish, be lowered into the ground. This man, who is in fact known more as an engineer than an architect, is setting out to revolutionise the construction of residential housing, a field otherwise scorned as philistine.

"I Was the Crazy Woman with the Dog"

Interview with French singer Helena, 35, about her experiences as a television presenter, the legacy of Serge Gainsbourg and the new fame of French pop musicians abroad:

"Serge Gainsbourg, like Jane Birkin, kept making films alongside his music; she even wrote a play. And since then, that kind of diversity has been quite common. ... My co-presenter was a dog, rather an ugly creature with short legs which kept farting during the show and had terribly bad breath. I did the show for a couple of years. ... It's wonderful that many musicians from the former underground scene have now become really popular. Daft Punk and Air have opened doors for other musicians, including myself - even though our music sounds different, of course."

"Little Angels in Oranje"

Netherlands: A new generation of players has reconciled Dutch fans with their team. The cheeky young stars around Rafael van der Vaart are strengthening their morale before the duel with Germany.

"The Hated Hero"

German national soccer team: No member of the national football team is the object of more fault-finding by former stars and officials than Michael Ballack. At the same time, he enjoys enormous respect among his colleagues. Ever since Oliver Kahn made himself an outsider within the team, Ballack has been its secret captain. In the somewhat harmless and terribly nice national team which will be flying to Faro on Wednesday, to play its first game in the European Cup against the Netherlands on 15 June, Ballack is the only true star.