German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder stands accused of defending Russian Premier Putin at all costs - a stance that could harm him in view of Putin's defence of the dubious Ukrainian election results.

How widespread is the abuse of recruits in the Bundeswehr? After revelation of the application of electric shocks during basic training at Coesfeld last week, more cases of inappropriate - to say the least - training methods have come to light.

"The Name's Bond, Gold Bond"

Speculators: In the late 1920s the government of the German Reich secured foreign capital by means of bonds. Not all of them were paid back. The remaining certificates would be worth several billion today. Now adventurers, speculators and renowned legal chambers are preparing to attack Germany. Attorneys in the United States are hoping for billion dollar deals. The legal proceedings could well pose a threat to Germany, because experts estimate that the amount nominally outstanding may come to some 1.2 million dollars, in which case the certificates would now be worth about 600 billion dollars. The unclear legal situation is attracting both honest investors and dubious businessmen, who are hoping to make their fortunes here and now by exploiting the investors' hopes of billion-dollar profits in the future.

"Swarm Out!"

China: Western automobile manufacturers compete as to who will be allowed to cooperate with Shanghai Automotive. But the Chinese are intending to build their own cars soon - and to export them. Until now, Shanghai Automotive has only been a household name to experts. The Chinese state-run company, in which the city fathers of Shanghai hold a majority share, has until now been content with its role as a holding, as profitable as it is inconspicuous, cooperating with Western companies whenever possible. This brings money and expertise into the country. Although it is rather early yet for speculation, the aim of the Chinese is clear: the anticipated take-over of Rover is an important step in China's strategically planned expansion overseas.

"Pitiful Bottom Line"

Social issues: An as yet secret report by the German government reveals that social discrepancies within Germany are on the increase. Six years of Red-Green government have made the rich richer and the poor poorer. With merciless frankness, the report lists how the government has failed to accomplish virtually every one of its redistribution goals since taking office in September 1998. No wonder the government would like to hide away the embarrassing report at the bottom of some drawer.

"Disrupted Peace"

Unemployment: Five weeks before the new unemployment benefit scheme is to be introduced, there is an increasing fear of violent riots. Job agencies and the police are drawing up plans for responding in the event of an emergency. While the German government is still warning people not to conjure up "horror scenarios" and considers it "irresponsible" even to mention possible violence, the forces on the ground are being armed: police presence, private security services, martial arts training for staff members and new alarm systems are to reduce the risks. Already, the security situation in job agencies and social security offices around the country is anything but relaxed. Over recent weeks several job agencies have received bomb threats; in Bergen, on the island of Rügen, a murder threat was received; fire bombs were thrown at agencies in the Brandenburg towns of Rathenow and Königs Wusterhausen; and at the end of August, a 52-year-old secretary with the Labour Agency was attacked by a client with a kitchen knife.

"The Father of Europe"

Napoleon: With a flood of proud, historical commemorative events, the French are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the coronation of their legendary military commander as emperor. They are not only honouring the saviour of revolutionary ideals, but also paying tribute to the man who dreamt of a united continent.

"Welcome Home!"

National pride: The wide acclaim for the movie "The Downfall", the renewed interest in the generation of the perpetrators, and the success of painters, authors and pop musicians focussing on pride in their home country, are arousing suspicion. Left behind internationally, the Germans are striving for a "normalised" national identity. Liberated from the burden of educational duties, the film and television industry are using the past more and more freely as a quarry from which to draw melodramatic entertainment. German painters such as Tim Eitel and Neo Rauch are instilling new life into the histrionic use of shapes, of a type that had been thought historically finished with - and are being celebrated by the international art circuit as stars. Pop songs, such as those by the Berlin band Mia, have recently begun to display a cultural pride that seems predestined to console people about the economic failures of the Germans. In the view of German history and the German identity taken by fiction and non-fiction authors, the image of eternal national damnation is beginning to crack: bomb victims, people killed and displaced by the war are more than the just punishment for Auschwitz, they now say; the tragedies of these people also constitute German post-war history.

"Light for the Microworld"

Physics: Engine lubricants, high-tech nappies and nanopharmaceuticals - in order to test the materials of the future, scientists examine them with the help of neutron beams. A research reactor near Munich now holds the promise of producing images of previously unparalleled sharpness from within matter. About 200 neutron sources are available for research purposes around the world, and almost all of them work according to the same principle: uranium nuclei are split in a chain reaction, releasing a constant stream of neutrons in the process. The Garching reactor is so prolific a producer of particles that few can rival it; at the same time it only generates 20 megawatts of heat. The particles that come shooting out of the nucleus are, however, much too fast for most measuring apparatuses; so the neutrons are slowed down, channelled and otherwise tweaked along the way. They are forced down corridors of tautly stretched foils and chased through crystal prisms which spread out the beam depending on its wavelength - until each researcher receives just the particles he needs for his samples.

"Flocks on Crash Courses"

Wildlife: An Israeli biologist is monitoring migratory birds using radar: his warnings are to prevent collisions. Such incidents pose a constant threat to air traffic. Over the past three decades the Israeli airforce has lost more planes to bird collisions than to any other enemy. Nowadays many countries have bird warning systems in place. But the Israeli radar system is unique in the world: it not only serves to protect planes against the feathered hazard, but at the same time aids research and international understanding.

"Big Mouth, Big Hit"

Soccer: José Mourinho, the high-flyer among Europe's club coaches, has the trickiest job in the business; he is supposed to help FC Chelsea, owned by billionaire Roman Abramovich, to win championship titles. During his two and a half years with FC Porto, he demonstrated impressively that he can go about his job more single-mindedly than anyone else. In addition to the Champions League title, he also helped the club secure the UEFA Cup, two championships and a cup victory. Now the high-flyer is pursuing his mission on behalf of FC Chelsea, apparently without the slightest break in his flow. Mourinho's unparalleled success story is the supreme attraction of the season in the Premier League, which has no lack of colourful stories as it is.