"Where to Put All the Money?"

Companies: German corporate groups are disconnecting themselves from the national economy; while the latter is stagnating, the companies listed on the Dax are making record profits. They are paying out billions in dividends to investors, but are very mean when it comes to reinvesting their earnings, particularly at home - a dangerous combination. The corporate groups are shifting their focus abroad, to Eastern Europe and the Far East. Here they can still conquer new markets, here they are building factories and creating new jobs, here they are making a profit. These numbers reflect a dangerous development: investments are the motor that drives an economy, without new plants and machinery a location becomes out-dated and structural change cannot progress. Growth is slowed and there is a lack of innovation. Instead of investing, the managers prefer to court shareholders and pay out billions. If companies do invest nowadays, then usually only in buying new companies. Developing new areas of business and building up their own know-how calls for long-term planning - which is a lot of effort, full of risks and not rewarded by the money market.

"FC Election '06"

Government: German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wants to launch a major offensive for optimism, bankrolled by taxes and donations from manufacturers: "Germany makes it happen". Officially, the image campaign is for the World Soccer Cup in 2006 in Germany, but in fact, it promotes Schröder's re-election. The opposition Christian Democrat Party is on the alert and urging corporate leadership to avoid an unseemly proximity to Schröder's re-election campaign.

"Bearing Down on Preachers of Hate"

Integration: Following the murder of Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, many Germans are now anxious about a cultural conflict. They are particularly concerned over what is preached in mosques. For the first time, Muslim associations are starting to delimit themselves more clearly from their radical brothers in faith. Even politicians are beginning to realise that the more than 3000 sites of Muslim worship in Germany are the key to peaceful coexistence. If the prayer leaders preach reconciliation and distance themselves from terrorism, then this will sideline militant Muslims; at the very least it will become clear who is radical and who isn't. If on the other hand the imams preach hatred, then real conflicts threaten, like in the Netherlands.

"Have Fun in Hell"

German armed forces: At the end of their basic training, German army recruits were subjected to a special training programme at the Coesfeld barracks. In a "torture simulation" the conscripts' hands were tied behind their backs by their commanding officers using cable ties. In true US style the "prisoners" were then hooded and led off for "interrogation", during which the dividing line between make-believe and real life apparently disappeared altogether. Several eye-witnesses have told friends about kicks, electric shocks and screams that could be heard at night in the courtyard of Coesfeld's "Freiherr von Stein Barracks"; about comrades who went to pieces, who tried to attack their tormentors in mortal terror, and about physically and mentally broken men.

"Prairie Wolf and Poor Cousins"

Kazakhstan: For 13 years President Nazarbayev has been ruling the Central Asian country with its rich reserves with an iron hand. But now a corruption trial in New York and allegations of forgery made by his own party are putting the autocrat and his family clan in a tight spot. Kazakhstan would like to be among the top ten producers within just a few years, and in its optimistic plans it even hopes to become one of the five largest oil exporters by the year 2015. Its financial system is regarded by international experts as being progressive, the Kaskommerz Bank even finances steelworks in Siberia; the country has paid back its debts to the International Monetary Fund eight years before they were due. At the same time, Kazakhstan is sliding further and further into the mire on the list of the most corrupt states; according to the index recently introduced by "Transparency International" Kazakhstan is at number 122 of the 145 countries rated.

"Probation Service from Washington"

Libya: The Bush administration has dissuaded head of state Mu'ammer al Gaddafi from pursuing his chemical weapons programme - now medicines are to be manufactured in the Rabita plant. In fact, Rabita should have been destroyed. But the United States now sees itself as Gaddafi's probation officer and is hoping to do very good business with the oil-producing country. Washington is therefore urging the signatory states of the convention on chemical weapons to grant Libya an extension of the deadline for converting the plant.

"Turmoil in the Dwarf Country"

Leisure industry: Miniature Germany has strayed from the straight and narrow. The crisis of Märklin has upset the perfect world of model railway enthusiasts. Now their industry too is struggling with the consequences of globalisation. Fewer and fewer customers are still prepared or able to pay the price of locally manufactured quality produce. 600 euros for a precision-made German locomotive is too much for them - international competitors offer the full package, including an engine, wagons and railway tracks, for a tenth of the price at Aldi supermarkets. These days, two thirds of the world market production come from the Far East. The problems faced by the market leader, which dominates the world of model railways with a turnover of 164 million euros, far ahead of Roco and Fleischmann, have unsettled the entire industry. Since model railway fans have discovered miserliness, only the trade in comparatively cheap accessories has been going well.

"Gates to Heaven"

Archaeology: Cattle horns, astrological gateways, hacked-off human limbs - a 7000-year-old building near Halle contains evidence of a stellar cult. "Circular ditched enclosures" are among the most exciting fields of prehistoric research. Dozens of these huge round structures in the soil have been discovered from the air over recent years. They reach all the way from England to northern Hungary. They were drawn using stakes and ropes between 4800 and 4600 BC, by early agriculturists in Europe who made stroke ornamental pottery and harvested grain using sickles made of flint. The Goseck site is the first to be completely exposed.

"America's Last Righteous Man"

Authors: Hunter S. Thompson is a legend, as a daredevil and as the inventor of "new journalism". These days he lives entrenched in the Rocky Mountains and is valiantly fighting the establishment; on behalf of a young woman convicted of murder, for example. As an eternal rebel and outlaw moralist who is scornful of any form of Puritanism, he has in the past fought against Johnson and Nixon, against Reagan and Bush senior. But now the undogmatic left-wing voice of conscience and the inventor of "new journalism" is really laying into George W. Bush. Despite being 67 years old, it seems as if the disputes and battles are continuing to lend him a young, restless aura.

"Energy from the Alps"

Motor racing: For the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz the purchase of the Jaguar racing team was a real bargain. For crisis-ridden Formula 1, the arrival of entrepreneurs from outside the industry is regarded as a blessing. The rich newcomers don't have to win, but they want to be noticed. Rarely has the future of Formula 1 racing been as uncertain as it is now. The dominance of Ferrari and world champion Michael Schumacher on the racetrack is boring the spectators, while far from the racing track, interest groups are locked in battles that keep entire teams of lawyers on their toes. A new type of racing team owner is entering into the Grand Prix business. They have not started out as mechanics, like McLaren boss Ron Dennis, and worked their way up to becoming wealthy managers. Instead they have made their fortunes in other industries and are perhaps also driven by boredom or personal vanity. Mateschitz is regarded as Austria's most colourful entrepreneurial personality.