"We're Not That Much Cleverer"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with CDU party leader Angela Merkel about reforms in Germany, the criticism of her health premium model and the loss in public confidence suffered by the popular parties:

"Because we have a majority in the Bundesrat, we are not just an opposition party, as was the case in 1999. In the eyes of the people, we share responsibility. Our aim is therefore to work constructively as an opposition. However there is always a risk that some of the displeasure about the government will rub off on us. ... New developments never carve out a new road without facing resistance. Persistent voices can also save one from throwing too much overboard in one's enthusiasm for change."

"Rather a Good Story"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with former US President Bill Clinton about the work on his memoirs, the feud of the religious right with the new democratic movement in America, and the Bush administration's disaster with the war in Iraq.

"Now Europe Must Act"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Teheran's negotiator Hassan Rohani about his country's controversial nuclear programme, the conflict with Washington, and the Middle East initiative of US President George W. Bush:

"We have done everything to refute the allegations that our nuclear activities do not serve peaceful purposes. ... If a country wants to manufacture fuel for its power stations, it needs centrifuges. We have every right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes. No one can reprimand us for that. ... The American standards for democracy have never been very clear to me. We, for one, wish Iraq a democracy which reflects the voice of its people and its national values, and which all the different groups take part in. ... For America, building a democracy is just a blind. The Americans are only interested in the region's oil and in their own influence and that of their ally Israel. ... All countries that maintain good relations with Israel and keep drawing up new peace plans have had to learn that Israel has not adhered to any of these proposals."

"Too Hot"

Judiciary: Ever since 11 September 2001, whenever Americans start talking about the German rule of law, their tone has become tinged with malice and accusations. The attacks in America? They were, after all, planned in Hamburg. The release of Atta's friend Abdelghani Mzoudi? Disappointing. Fortunately, they say, the United States enjoys a different legal system. The German government therefore reacted with the gravest suspicion to the latest letter from Washington, which arrived in Berlin in the middle of May, and once again dealt with Germany's role in connection with September 11. The Karlsruhe Federal Attorney Matthias Krauss was requested to appear in Washington to testify as a witness before the central committee which is currently investigating the background of the terrorist plot. Krauss was to answer 35 questions. The report which the non-governmental committee is due to present in July, is to be a document for eternity. Whoever is denounced in the final draft will be considered guilty, to contradict it would be futile. The American secret services will not come off well in the report - so the German government at least wants to spare its own authorities a possible disgrace.

"Allah, Love and Death"

Terrorism: A US committee is investigating the events leading up to the 9/11 attacks and has revealed a dispute within Al Qaida: one of the pilot assassins was too fond of his girlfriend. "We separated and made up again. Over and over again. I don't know how often," Aysel S. recollects. She was the temptation he was supposed to resist. He was the danger that she did not recognise. Back in 1999 he revealed to Aysel that he wanted to join the jihad. "It's an honour to die for Allah." When Jarrah actually disappeared to an Afghan terrorist camp, she hoped he was planning their joint future in Lebanon - and had a premonition of worse. Back in Germany, he gave Aysel jewellery made of 16 carat gold from a duty free shop in Dubai. But his girlfriend was not allowed to know where he had disappeared to for many weeks.

"Proud Chest"

Austria: The desire of its citizens for medals and titles is undiminished. In Europe - if not beyond - the Republic of Austria is the unrivalled champion when it comes to conferring state honours. Last year, Dr. Thomas Klestil handed out exactly 1610 medals with such resounding names as the "Grand Gold Decoration with Sash" or the "Honorary Cross for Science and Art, First Class". What is striking is that decorations of every kind have increased sharply since Chancellor Dr. jur. Wolfgang Schüssel has been governing at Vienna's Ballhausplatz - in a right-wing conservative alliance with the FPÖ of Jörg Haider, who also has a PhD in law. The historian Gerhard Jagschitz notes that "we are an old-style authoritarian state which has survived even in the republic".

"Longing for Silence"

Medicine: Aeropiesotherapy, perfusion-enhancing infusions, magnetic waves, acupuncture - virtually all treatments for tinnitus have one thing in common: they do no good. For the increasing number of sufferers, there is only one solution: they have to learn to live with the constant ringing in their ears.

"Feathered Cocaine"

Animal trafficking: Professional smuggling rings deliver thousands of hawks from Central Asia to Arab oil sheikhs every year. The luxury sport of hawking is threatening the survival of these birds of prey. Wildlife conservationists warn that the illegal trade with falcons between Central Asia and the Middle East is assuming dangerous proportions. Politicians in Central Asia, sheikhs and princes in the Middle East, and "corrupt scientists" have allegedly created a black market with a volume of 300 million dollars a year. The sheikhs keep needing new birds to upgrade their collections, some of which include hundreds of birds. Older animals are sorted out, like old Rolex watches, and released into the wild far from their natural breeding and wintering grounds. Many of the imported birds escape while hunting anyway, or they die young because they cannot survive in the unaccustomed desert climate of Arabia. The result of this overexploitation of winged luxury goods is that, particularly in Central Asia, the number of raptors is rapidly declining.

"The Spam King"

Internet: Alan Ralsky became a millionaire by sending out unsolicited advertising e-mails. He talks openly about his tricks. Investigators are hard put to catch him: his computers are located in China. High-performance Internet connections and qualified staff are easy to come by in China, and, in addition, spammers are not troubled there. The Chinese are not interested in US laws and remain similarly unimpressed by the complaints of Internet providers. But in the United States, a law came into force at the beginning of this year which regulates digital advertising and makes violations punishable. Now, with the "Can-Spam Act", even police investigators can take action. The "Can-Spam Act" means that Ralsky's resorting to servers in China is no longer any use: if he molests US citizens with spam, then according to the new law it makes no difference where the computers are located - provided he can be proven to be the originator of the advertising e-mails. That won't be easy.

"Allah in Delmenhorst"

Muslims: From a provincial town in northern Germany, the Özuguz brothers are promoting a strict style of Islam. They are fundamentalists, their hero is Ayatollah Khomeini and the German domestic intelligence service has them under observation. But how dangerous are they really? They cannot be deported. They are German citizens with Turkish names. One could ask them, indeed one must ask them, how they intend to live in this German nation, with its laws, its customs and its system. Cutting themselves off? Proselytising? Or themselves willing to adapt?

"Foggy Invoice"

Art: A lawyer intends to sue the Hamburg Art Gallery because he went empty-handed after helping to recover a stolen painting by Caspar David Friedrich. The painting entitled "Wafts of Mist" has long been returned to the Art Gallery. But so far the lawyer has not seen any money. Should charges indeed be filed, this could create a curious precedent. In 1994, the burglary was regarded as one of the most spectacular art robberies in Germany: apart from "Wafts of Mist", which had been borrowed from Hamburg for the Frankfurt exhibition, two paintings by the British rain-and-mist impressionist William Turner, worth many millions, also went missing. These two works belonged to London's Tate Gallery. In 2002, the Tate Gallery startled the world with the news that its two paintings had been returned. This deal between receivers and the museum had also been arranged by the lawyer, who claims to have been awarded a fee along with five million euros in expenses.