"The Usual Suspects"

Nuclear smuggling: In more than 20 countries, investigators are hunting the dealers believed to have supplied goods for the black market run by Pakistani scientist Abdul Quadeer Khan. German investigators didn't have to look for long: they are dealing with familiar figures who have been playing tricks on them for decades.

"Zero Discrepancies"

World trade: Many small and medium-sized enterprises underestimate the risks of doing business in China: the Chinese have no qualms about copying their products - and then going on to compete with them on the world market. Day after day, about eight SMEs approach the German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. Most of them are in a great hurry to enter the promising growth market. When those who are familiar with the country advise them not to rush into investing in China, some new arrivals are known to leave the office without so much as a goodbye. Only political backing from Berlin or Brussels could help SMEs in the race against copiers. But that doesn't exist.

"The Gold Train from Budapest"

Contemporary history: In May 1945 US officers discovered railway wagons full of treasures that had belonged to Jews - and helped themselves to the spoils. The gold train, onto which the Nazis had loaded the stolen property, was looted by the selfsame occupying forces that had defeated the Nazis and liberated Europe. And the Jews were, so to speak, robbed for the second time running. It wasn't until 1998 that the case was finally reopened. President Bill Clinton set up a commission to investigate how American institutions had handled Jewish property after the Second World War. The gold train was also brought up in this context. In its final report, the commission wrote that the looting had been an "incredible failure of the United States" in the restitution of Jewish property. Based on the commission's report, 33 Holocaust survivors of Hungarian origin have filed actions for damages with the District Court of Miami.

"Flying Blind with Diapers"

Interview with adventurer and multibillionaire Steve Fossett about his daredevil attempt to set a new record by flying solo once round the worlds non-stop in a jet aeroplane:

"I am only taking calculated risks. But it will be one of the most dangerous and most difficult flights in the history of aviation. Particularly during take-off and the ascent I will be very nervous. ... My flight is not so much a test of courage as of staying power. I will probably be in the air for almost three days, without anyone to relieve me. ... I have to drink at least three litres a day, mainly water. Other than that I will live mostly off vanilla and strawberry milkshakes. They are nutritious, tasty and easy to drink."

"The Hitler Brand"

Series about World War II: Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels turned the Führer into a product, and became something akin to the first ever "spin doctor". He resorted to modern communication technologies to prepare the German people for the war and let them continue fighting long after everything was lost.

"Run on the Battlegroups"

Europe: The British are conquering Brussels - at least when it comes to language; a form of immigrant English has stolen in as the EU's working language. Since the founding Treaty of Rome, Europe's linguistic credo has been that all languages are equal. But what was feasible in a Europe of six, later fifteen, members has become a grotesque turmoil of translations since the EU was enlarged to include 25 members. The way out of this chaos seems obvious: the Eurocracy has tacitly settled on the continent's principle foreign language. The hegemony of the English language is not without problems; but since there is no practical alternative to it, the trend towards "bad simple English", as linguists call this Euro Esperanto, will continue - not just in Europe but globally.

"Fairies in Tails"

Wildlife: Are they gay? Or simply misguided? In a zoo in Bremerhaven, two male penguins are living together as a couple, even incubating stones. Now Swedish females are being sent to seduce them. If the birds really are gay, the Swedish females will fail. Because homosexual inclinations in the animal world are in fact as stable as those among human beings - nor for that matter are they particularly rare. Bruce Bagemihl has recorded no less than 471 animal species in which some individuals display same-sex preferences.

The Rebel Who Freed the Beast"

Legends: A Hollywood film and a novel are both celebrating the researcher Alfred Kinsey, whose findings created the basis for the sexual liberation of American society. The moralisers in Bush's America are furious about the fuss being made over the sex educator. America's puritans are always ready to stage a witch-hunt, and the one they are currently engaged in is aimed at the memory of the sexologist. The guardians of public morals are in a panic about a Hollywood production named "Kinsey" - the closing film of this year's Berlin Film Festival - in which Liam Neeson, who starred in "Schindler's List", plays the part of the social educator. To the additional annoyance of the neo-fundamentalists, the writer T.C. Boyle has just released a novel entitled "Dr. Sex."

"Star Pupil with Problems"

Motor racing: Toyota's Formula One project has cost more than a billion euros to date - yet its racing cars are always trailing behind. An extensive overhaul of the team is to change its fortunes in 2005.

"The Chorus of the Mute"

Authors: After 25 years, narrative writer and chronicler Walter Kempowski has completed his epic novel about the World War, "Echolot", consisting almost entirely of quotations - and in a diary he provides some surprising insights into the astonishing genesis of this huge work For quarter of a century, Kempowski, age 75, moved in a cosmos he had created for himself. An annex to his house in Nartum near Bremen holds archives, containing diaries, letters, memorabilia and photographs, which are unparalleled in Germany. And Kempowski is the creator, builder, curator and user all on one. The work that emerged from it and has now reached completion is as unique as it is gargantuan: a carefully arranged chorus of voices that make up "Echolot", a montage of quotations extending over thousands of pages - the fourth and last instalment entitled "Abgesang '45" will be in the book shops this week.