"The Homecoming of the War"

SPIEGEL cover story: The bloodiest armed conflict in human history, which was unleashed by Adolph Hitler and cost some 60 million lives, came to an end 60 years ago. During the last months of World War II, the Germans in the Reich learnt for themselves what it means when a country is conquered and occupied. In a series of articles, DER SPIEGEL will be describing the reasons for the global disaster and the course of events.

"Father and Criminal"

Contemporary history: Margaret Nissen, daughter of the Nazi Minister of Armaments Albert Speer, has written her memoirs. She portrays Hitler's friend as an egocentric father. Margret Nissen does not try to justify her father's actions, she names his crimes. But she also writes that "from the start I sought and saw my father as a 'private' individual", that she wanted "to separate the political and celebrity father from this, to ignore him." Even though she does indeed distinguish between the "private" and the "political" aspects, sometimes even looking at her father sentimentally, the "private individual" bears the eerie, highly ambitious features of the "political" person: even on those rare occasions when he actually had contact with his children, Speer was most concerned with himself, with his effect, his image, his historic legacy.

"The Bad Guys Are Clever Too"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, 49, about the long underrated issue of computer security, the opportunities and risks of his software group's global market power, and the question as to how he lives with the downsides of his own fame:

"I am more worried about whether our general dream will come true. Being able to communicate with each other without distrust, and therefore better and more creatively. For this it is important, for example, that no one should be able to steal your identity on the Web. [...] I don't think that the current difficulties can really jeopardise that though. ... The appeal against the European Commission's decision is now taking its course through the courts. Until the final decision is reached in a few years' time we will implement the conditions that have been imposed in full and immediately, cooperating constructively with the Commission. ... We are successful and now we are facing all the problems that success brings with it. ... These days we are already confronted with thousands of rules and laws in loads of countries, all of which we take seriously. ... Both my role in the software industry and that as the founder of a charity always also provoke envy or jealousy. But I have no problems with the way I'm seen. I do what I do because I think that it is a good contribution."

"Uprising of the Indecent"

Democracy: 60 years after World War II and the annihilation of the Jews, an extreme rightist German party, NPD, wants to stir up the country with its flaming slogans and party rallies. The government and the opposition are alarmed – and at odds with each other. When will the Supreme Constitutional Court step in?

"Clandestine Assent"

Extreme rightists: After the scandal in Dresden during the commemoration of the Holocaust, it has become clear that the Nationalist Party theses about German victims also attract some of middle-of-the-road Germany. The mainstream political parties in Saxon are at a loss as how to react.

"The Holy Warrior from the Rhine"

Terrorism: The Al Qaida suspect arrested in Mainz claims to have acted on Bin Laden's personal instructions - slip-ups by the authorities made it easier for him to travel to Afghanistan. Through his testimony, investigators can for the first time prove that the return of many Afghanistan veterans to their home countries occurred on direct orders from Osama bin Laden. Several dozen such leading officials from the middle management levels of Al Qaida are suspected of being in France, England or Spain, pursuing their own plans now that they have been cut off from their leadership. They are regarded as being the biggest current threat in Europe.

"Give Us Time"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Saudi businessman Prince Walid Ibn Talal about Riad's oil billions, America's mistake in Iraq, and the tricky project of democracy in the Arab world:

"Hardly any Arab money is being invested at the moment, and if anything then into the property market. ... Healing takes time, and this is also true of Saudi Arabia and the United States. We all have the duty to build bridges across the breach torn by 11 September. ... Iraq has been a hive of unrest for 1500 years now, America chose the most difficult of all Arab countries and has opened Pandora's box. ...Our common border is more than 1300 kilometres long, and we have the greatest interest in a stable Iraq. Not least because of that we explicitly advised Washington against disbanding Saddam's army. ... Trying to implant Western models of democracy in the Middle East is a tricky strategy. I'm a strong advocate of freedom of opinion and freedom of the press, but I have my doubts as to whether the German or the American model can be implemented in Saudi Arabia."

"Idle Period for Fighters"

SPIEGEL interview with Mushir al-Masri, spokesman for the radical Islamist Hamas movement, about the new Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and the struggle over a cease-fire with Israel:

"We want a clear commitment by Israel, and international guarantees. ... There is a broad consensus among Palestinians to give Mahmoud Abbas a chance now."

"The Christ of Siberia"

Russia: Former policeman Vissarion is creating a church state in the taiga. His offer to his "dear friend" Putin: to unite the Russian nation with his sect, which also has followers in Germany. Vissarion has done very well in post-communist Russia: since 1991, the year of the coup d'etat and of his own enlightenment, he can look back on a rapid rise from a mere preacher of God's will to a living Christ. He allows himself to be worshipped in half a dozen small wooden churches, from which his crucified predecessor has been banished, and in which only his own likeness is now on display. He is the head of the "Church of the Last Testament"; blender of a syncretistic mix of Christianity, Buddhism, natural religions and esoteric teachings; and has a lease on a few hundred hectares of Russian soil, on which the nucleus of a new world is to be formed: the "City of Sun", also known as the ecological experimental settlement of Tiberkul.

"Allah's White Horses"

Tsunami: The majority of the Internet community responded quickly and level-headedly to the flood disaster - within days an unparalleled network of global solidarity had emerged. But in the backrooms of the Web, religious delusions and abstruse conspiracy theories are flourishing. The range of ideological views posted on the Web is enormous: manic self-promoters suspect a world-wide political conspiracy; religious fundamentalists believe in divine intervention, harmless crackpots go on about extraterrestrial powers, and science freaks surmise that a secret experiment went out of control.

"Conversing between Mountains and Valleys"

Linguistic research: The French scientist Julien Meyer, from the Laboratoire de Dynamique du Langue in Lyon, has studied about a dozen languages from four different continents. They have only one thing in common: words are whistled in them. "In principle, every spoken language can be turned into whistles," Meyer explains. A study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has confirmed that they really are fully fledged languages.

"Almond Dip with the Lentil Stew"

The art of cooking: Spiced wine, locust soup and plenty of garlic - Miriam Feinberg Vamosh has been investigating the cuisine of the Biblical people of Israel. The historian, who lives not far from Jerusalem, has been studying the eating habits of the Jews over a period of some 1000 years, referring back to the Mishnah, a collection of Hebrew writing on traditional Jewish law, and other parts of the Talmud. The tables were seldom overflowing in ancient Israel. Apart from grain, the farmers grew shallots, mangolds and lentils. Cattle could barely find enough to eat in the region. The main domestic animal was the goat, which will nibble away at tree bark in times of need.

"Excesses with a Syringe"

Medicine: Business-minded doctors promise to alleviate the complaints of patients with slipped discs by means of catheters and injections. Possible side effects include paralysis and death. Periradicular therapy is associated with a risk of infection and often does more harm than good. The injections lead to adhesion and scarring of the adipose and connective tissue within the spinal column (epidural cavity), which actually increases the pressure on the nerve roots. A vicious circle begins: further injections become necessary to overcome the problems caused by the previous ones. In the only major survey to be carried out to date, the success rate was lower for patients receiving catheter treatment than if the doctors had not treated them.