“The Taliban and the Martyr”

Terrorism: After spending almost three years held in isolation in Guantanamo, Murat Kurnaz from Bremen has finally heard why the Americans think he is an Al Qaeda warrior. He allegedly is friends with a suicide bomber. However, the supposed martyr is alive and free in Bremen. It is not surprising that the Americans did not believe Kurnaz’s protestations of innocence – who would bet a penny on the credibility of a Guantanamo prisoner? But the Americans could have known, and should have known, that the friend from Bremen was not basking in paradise with 70 virgins – they would only have had to ask the authorities in Bremen.

“Explosive Mixture”

Islamists: In their battle against terrorism, investigators are penetrating further and further into the underworld. Many religious warriors began their careers as worldly crooks, new members are recruited in prisons. Many Islamic fighters have no qualms about the world of crime, because here they receive what they need for their terrorist lives: money, weapons, false passports. And sometimes even new comrades-in-arms. In international terror, especially in Iraq and Chechnya, a impenetrable network of organised crime and terrorism has emerged. Terrorism is financed by means of hostage-taking and drug trafficking, while dubious sources supply weapons and explosives.

“Racy Time Schedule”

Arms: The German armed forces are to buy a new antimissile defence system. The cost is unforeseeable, its utility doubtful. The weapon, which Germany, Italy and the United States are developing together, goes by the unwieldy name of “Medium Extended Air Defence System” (Meads). The capabilities of Meads are not necessary in order to defend the homeland, however. Consequently the only task for Meads is to afford cover to intervention troops all over the world. The economic beneficiaries are a consortium made up of the US arms giant Lockheed-Martin, the Italian company Finmeccanica and several subsidiaries of the EADS Group based in Bavaria.

“Marching Orders to the Ballot Box”

US presidential elections: US civilians in Germany have found it almost impossible to register for the elections. Bush-friendly soldiers, on the other hand, receive every assistance from the Pentagon. The US Department of Defense is responsible for the error-ridden registration procedure, and many a voter who has been kicked off the website is voicing suspicions of manipulation. Is the Pentagon deliberately obstructing civilian voters living abroad? It is a well-known fact that this group of voters tends to back the Democrats. To thwart them would be to George W. Bush’s advantage. The fact is that the Internet blockade was not ended until the American Congress intervened. But by then the delays were already so considerable that many votes will arrive in the United States too late. This will please the incumbent President. Because his overseas supporters are mainly to be found in barracks – where they have been receiving devoted attention.

“A Stronger EU Is a Better Partner”

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Brussels’ High Representative for Foreign Policy, Javier Solana, about his role as the European Union’s first foreign minister, his battle for more influence and the bigger role in the international community that Europe is to play in future:

“The European foreign minister is responsible for the coordination and all the issues of foreign policy, even if he doesn’t see in detail every day how much money is spent by the EU in country X. The foreign minister describes the policies and decides where the money is to go, of course always in agreement with the Council. … The European Union is becoming an international player. For this it needs enormous capabilities, which we are now bringing together for the first time. … In South America, Africa, India and China people are just waiting for Europe to become a player. And they are actually looking forward to it. … A stronger European Union will be a better partner for the United States.”

“Simply Embarrassing Now”

Ukraine: Was Kiev’s most promising presidential candidate to be put out of the running by means of a poison attack? Political disturbances threaten to upset Sunday’s elections. A lot is at stake in Kiev on Sunday. The elections here are about far more than those in Moscow or Minsk: they are about whether, 13 years after achieving independence, a pro-Western opposition politician will for the first time claim the Presidential seat. October 31 will see a choice of direction. This is the only way of comprehending the incredible heights reached by the Ukrainian election campaign: circumstantial evidence clearly indicates that someone tried to poison the head of the opposition Victor Yushchenko.

“Lamborghini in the Field”

Poland: Farmers are collecting Brussels’ subsidies and turning into EU supporters. Barely half a year after Poland joined the European Union, a step that was the subject of much domestic controversy, it is becoming clear that the fiercest opponents of membership, the farmers, stand to profit most by it. Out in the countryside, where many people still go out to work in their fields with horses, an undreamed-of upswing is in the offing. The demand for Polish meat and dairy products has increased since customs borders fell. Poland’s beef exports have doubled. No wonder that more and more German, French and Italian supermarket chains and food suppliers are stocking up in the east.

“God of Good Fortune Underground”

India: Delhi is fighting its greatest evil, the anarchic traffic conditions, by means of a new underground service, which is also to eliminate the problems of smog. The underground will not only decrease travel times but also help reduce the clouds of exhaust fumes emitted by motor vehicles. According to one study, the air in the 14 above-ground, air-conditioned trains is the cleanest in Delhi. The Delhi Metro is the second local transport system in the world, after the New York Subway, to be certified in accordance with the environmental standard ISO 14001, the criteria for which are extremely strict.

“Flight from the Neo-Nazis”

Justice: An unusual court ruling in the United States has become the cause of transatlantic ill feeling: a German-Afghan woman has been granted asylum in the USA on account of being threatened by right-wing terrorism in Germany. The American judges considered the testimony given by the 39-year-old woman to be believable and to prove that the German government is “unable or unwilling to put a stop to xenophobic violence”. Last week, officials in Hamburg began trying to check up on Zakia Mashari’s story, and of course welcome any findings that cast doubt on the family’s credibility. In fact the police officers have so far been unable to corroborate a single one of the alleged attacks, though at least some of the claimed events ought to be on record. However no one has ever heard of the family, either with the national security authorities or at the local police station.

“The Imagined Cure”

Medicine: The largest studies on acupuncture carried out by Germany’s statutory health insurance companies have revealed a sensational result: pricking does indeed have an effect – but it makes no difference where the therapist places the needles. Are the healing successes of Traditional Chinese Medicine simply the result of a huge placebo effect? The first results, dealing with the treatment of chronic backache and chronic pain through arthrosis of the knee, were presented last Thursday at the orthopaedic surgeons’ congress in Berlin. The result must be disturbing both to sceptics and to devout believers in acupuncture: acupuncture is effective, much better even than standard conventional medical approaches – but bogus acupuncture is just as effective as the Chinese original. The results of the study will have far-reaching consequences. By next spring at the latest the Federal Committee of Doctors and Health Insurance Companies will have to decide whether or not the cost of acupuncture will be covered by statutory health insurance in Germany.

“Sludge in the Electricity Tank”

Cars: Depleted batteries have become the most frequent cause of breakdowns. Despite more and more sophisticated on-board electronics, the necessary power is still supplied using prehistoric technology. Present-day cars, overloaded with electric equipment, force the car battery to switch constantly between charging and discharging. However this puts a fatal strain on conventional lead acid batteries: the acid separates into layers (water on top, highly concentrated sulphuric acid beneath), the lead plates corrode, a sludge forms and the battery is unable to store any more charge.

“Forest of Igneous Marbles”

Astronomy: Did a huge comet fall on Bavaria 2200 years ago? Geophysicists have discovered craters and exotic metal compounds in the Chiemgau region - indications of a projectile from outer space.

“The Kings of the Draw”

Chess: Only when the world championship duel appeared to be lost, did title holder Vladimir Karmic start playing top-class chess. Experts have been complaining about an increasing trend towards boring defensive manoeuvrings. These days the elite regards its real work as being the computer-assisted preparations for a match. The players’ seconds tap into databases holding three million games, every month some 10,000 new ones are added. Games can be analysed in shorter and shorter spaces of time. There are no secrets any more, and therefore no surprises. To break the wave of draws, some competitions have recently started awarding three points for a win.