"Some Resistance"

Europe: Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel would like to prevent widespread debate about Turkey’s possible membership in the European Union in their parties. Is the country on the Bosporus really part of Europe? What benefits could a larger EU entail for Germany? Unrest is brewing within the Social Democrat and Christian Democrat parties.

"There's Only One Aim in the Negotiations"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about full EU membership, the fears of the Europeans and the "globalisation of peace":

"Turkey is on the way to becoming a member of the European Union - and there's no turning back along the way. The negotiations will establish the conditions to be fulfilled, which we do not currently meet, but not the issue of whether or not we are to become full members at all. How long the negotiations will last is something we can discuss. Whether it takes five, seven or ten year is open.... We want to become legal members of the European family and to make a contribution towards European integration. ... Turkey has truly internalised democracy. It combines the values of religion with democracy and laicism. That's why it will contribute to overcoming the psychological differences between the cultures."

"Our Time Has Come"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Indian head of government Manmohan Singh about the strategic partnership with Germany in the battle for a permanent seat on the Security Council, the conflict in Pakistan, and the plague of terrorism:

"We believe that the Security Council needs to be expanded and made more representative and more legitimate. ... The events surrounding Iraq have shown us that a small, exclusive club, however powerful it is, cannot cope with the acute problems on its own. ... Once terrorist activities are under control, there is an enormous potential for Pakistan and us in terms of opportunities for cooperation. With our population of over 1.5 billion people and a common market we could totally alter Southeast Asia. ... Pakistan has problems with terrorism. The terrorists are a threat to the internal order of Pakistan, but they harm us too, not only in economic terms. ... So far, civilised nations are not up to coping with the terrorist forces - because though there is a lot of talk about cooperation, too little is happening in terms of collaboration, also in the exchange of intelligence information."

"Blocked Progress"

Innovations: While Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wants to stop the industrial decline of the country by launching an “innovations offensive”, the ruling Red-Green coalition is retarding the development of genetic and power technologies. Research institutes threaten to leave the country and corporations want to export jobs.

"The Swabian Warrior"

Terrorism: Why does a German youth from a Catholic home convert to Islam and go to war in Chechnya? His parents have spent months trying to find an answer. They have not managed to get any closer to understanding their now dead son.

"Declaration of War from Beijing"

Corporate groups: The head of Lufthansa, Wolfgang Mayrhuber, wants to break the power of the trade unions and shift flights to low-cost carriers. Is a new strike by pilots looming? In recent months, largely unnoticed by the general public, Mayrhuber has already moved numerous peripheral routes that don't touch the air traffic hubs of Frankfurt and Munich to his low-cost carrier Germanwings, and outsourced parts of the cargo business to external suppliers.

"Toxic Treatment without Any Benefit"

Medicine: Severely ill patients with intestinal, breast, lung or prostate cancer are being given more and more sophisticated and expensive cell toxins. Especially in people with metastases, chemotherapy is considered the treatment of choice when the scattered secondary tumours can no longer be reached using radiation and scalpels. For decades ever newer cell toxins have been employed. Pharmaceutical manufacturers often demand astronomical prices for them; in return they promise to prolong patients' lives. But now a Munich epidemiologist has analysed the survival rates and found that despite all the purported advances, patients do not survive a single day longer.

"Revolvers in their Suitcases"

Crime: Foreign gangs are using a new scam to defraud wealthy Germans. People selling a house have to reckon on being given counterfeit money for it. The trick is always the same: the culprits seek out their victims on the Internet, in daily papers and in specialist journals. They calculate that anyone advertising an expensive villa or a yacht for sale must be wealthy. One rip deal in two takes place in Italy. There is a good reason for this: in Italy, unlike in Germany, possession or distribution of counterfeit money is not a punishable offence - provided it is marked accordingly, whether recognisable or not. Rip dealers therefore often deceive their victims using crude colour copies with "falso-falsificate" or something similar printed on them, only that this is always hidden behind the paper band holding the bundles together.

"The Fiery Spirit"

SPIEGEL cover story: Freedom, women and friendship - Friedrich Schiller is much closer to our present times than people often believe. The frequently abused classic German author is being rediscovered. The passion with which he tore apart the "disgraceful chain" of despotism seems as fresh today as it was 200 years ago. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death on 9 May 2005, Friedrich von Schiller is being scrutinised once again, a man plagued by illnesses and industrious to his final breath, who died before his 46th year - and who Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, his Weimar colleague and ten years his senior, survived by almost three decades.

"A Genius of Clarity"

Interview with Rüdiger Safranski, 59, a biographer of Friedrich Schiller, about the underrated importance of the poet as a philosopher:

"Schiller was a powerhouse of ideas. The great figures of idealism - Hegel, Fichte, Hölderlin - were fascinated by Schiller. Back then it was perceived more clearly than today that, notwithstanding his great popularity, he was a philosophical writer."

"Red Gold"

France: Panic in the country of viniculture - wine consumption is dropping, while at the same time unscrupulous overseas competitors are forcing their way into the market. French wine-growers, normally only afraid of hail and frost, threaten to become victims of globalisation. They regard the competition they face from overseas wine producers as being deeply unfair; because the latter are allowed to employ methods which are forbidden by law in France: namely adding sugar, acid and aromas as required.

"The Offhand Hero"

Careers: Michael Schumacher has won the world championship title seven times. He earns 70 million euros a year. He is the most successful German sportsman of all time. But is he suitable as a role model? Schumacher is Germany's last real winner; no one, no athlete, no politician, no business boss is a match for him. Yet many people regard the smoothness of his perfection as a flaw.

"Put a Lid on It"

Cycle racing: Tyler Hamilton, Olympic champion and captain of the Phonak Team, intends to appeal against his positive doping test result. His sponsor is backing him - a schoolbook example of the cynicism in this business. Tyler Hamilton plays a key role for the Phonak team of Swiss businessman Andreas Rihs. A year ago Rihs signed up the cyclist, who was fourth in the 2003 Tour de France, thus essentially buying himself a starting place in this year's event. Until then the organisers had always done without Phonak, and Rihs wanted to see his équipe in its bright green-and-yellow colours at the starting line. Without the star, these ambitious plans are stymied, and Hamilton could face a two-year ban. Rihs is afraid that the Phonak advertising strategy may now fail, because his company's biggest shortcoming is the image of its products.