"These are the Crown Jewels"

Secret services: CIA agents have aired one of the biggest secrets of the end of the Cold War: an avaricious KGB officers handed over a list of all the GDR's spies to the Americans.

"From Russia with Love"

Secret services: The Russian consul in Hamburg has been spying on the German army for a long time. This debacle was to be set straight quietly - so as not to impair German-Russian relations. The case documents the unscrupulousness of Russian agents in their quest for secret information, even 15 years after the collapse of the communist system.

"Hookahs and Vodka"

Investigators: German prosecutors are facing setbacks in further anti-terrorism trials. The reason for this is their strategy of early intervention when they suspect Islamist activities. By striking early, the investigators hope to prevent attacks. For this reason they search apartments when suspects merely mutter about "hookahs" or "vodka" over the phone, which might be veiled references to procuring guns, as in the case of the three Alawi suspects. Or else they rely on dubious police contacts who do not even know the suspects personally, as in the Garnaoui case. Hence Kay Nehm's men may often seize the right people, but the wrong pieces of evidence. The paradigm of prevention seems to make sense from a police perspective - but it is of limited value in courts of law.

"The Lessons of Dongchang"

Automotive industry: Last year, the profits of Volkswagen's two joint ventures in China shrunk by more than fifty percent. And this year, according to a study by Goldman Sachs, the Wolfsburg company could even face making a loss of over 400 million euros. Important developments have simply been overslept. The faster the sales market grew, the more competitors set up their own factories. Since China became a member of the WTO in 2001, Volkswagen has been facing more and more aggressive attacks by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and in particular General Motors. The competitors are offering new models which are attractive to private customers. To many Chinese, on the other hand, a Volkswagen is a car for the functionary classes. The situation is made even more difficult for Volkswagen by the fact that its two joint venture partners, SAIC in Shanghai and FAW in Changchun, are caught up in a vicious feud.

"Grit Your Teeth and Proceed"

Europe: The European club will soon be enlarged once again. Two of the poorest countries, Bulgaria and Romania, where mafia gangs and corruption are routine, are to be accepted into the European Union.

"Public Prosecutor on His Tail"

Judiciary: The state authorities are taking action against political fantasts who deny the Federal Republic's right to exist - holding with the German Reich instead. The German Reich did not perish, they say, and the Federal Republic is not its legal successor. Instead, the German Reich continues to exist as an independent political entity. Legal experts regard this as nonsense: "The Federal Republic of Germany is a continuation of the German Reich of 1871 - simply under a different name and with a new constitution. There is no German Reich alongside it," says Rudolf Geiger, professor of state law and author of the textbook "The Constitution and International Law".

"From Prefab to Paradise"

Labour market: Flocks of East Germans are fleeing to the Alps, trying to escape unemployment and the Hartz IV social welfare legislation. In Austria the foreign workers are admired for their flexibility - but at the same time eyed suspiciously.

"Glowing Countryside"

Stock exchange: The booming business with solar energy is producing some strange effects: dubious investment products, inscrutable investors and some rather peculiar flotations are reminiscent of the wild days of the Neuer Markt. Shareholders' protectors are warning of the risks. German companies such as Solarworld, Solon or Sunways have been shining out, with their share prices increasing by up to 973 percent since the beginning of last year. Everyone wants to make hay while the sun shines, before the party is over. Many financial managers have learnt their lesson from the rapid breaking of the spell they saw with the supposed money-maker wind energy: speed is of the essence. And so more and more new companies are mutating virtually overnight to become new solar hopes. They are merged and renamed so busily that it is easy to lose track.

"A Woman Would Be Spectacular"

SPIEGEL interview with Kofi Annan's Chef de Cabinet Mark Malloch Brown, 51, about the crisis of the United Nations Organisation, and Germany's hopes for a permanent seat on the Security Council:

"It stands to reason that the massive allegations have struck right to the heart of the United Nations, raising questions about its effectiveness, but also about Kofi Annan's integrity. Fortunately the committee of inquiry found no deficiencies at all in that respect. ... The fact that the composition of the Security Council is no longer representative, is becoming a real problem. This is why Kofi Annan has made two suggestions for its reform: Model A involves its expansion from 15 to 24 members, including six new permanent seats. Or else Model B, with a sort of semi-permanent membership of about four years. Both proposals expand and strengthen Germany's role."

"Death March to Aleppo"

Genocide: Ninety years after the beginning of the genocide against the Armenians, the first genocide of the 20th century, Turkey is still not facing up to its grim past. Anyone publicly admitting that Turkish special units killed more than a million members of the Christian minority on government orders during deportation marches from Anatolia to the Middle East between 1915 and 1916, still risks being hauled before a court of law today. The murder of the Armenians was perhaps even the key event of the 20th century, a century that was to be characterised by genocide. Because contemporaries were careful to note that most of the crimes against the Armenians were never avenged.

"The Pious Home"

Abuse: For years, children from a Portuguese state orphanage are believed to have been supplied to prominent, wealthy citizens - the crime probably ranks as Europe's biggest case of child abuse. One of the perpetrators has confessed, six defendants deny all charges. It was a secret scandal that has now come to public attention; a trial involving many people, all arguing about their own role and their own version of the truth, but a few on whom public interest has focused. The defendants are not outsiders, not downgraded individuals, not exotic creatures like Michael Jackson, who is currently on trial in California; they come from the middle of society and this is why society is so shocked. Because the fear is that if people like that can do this sort of thing, anyone could.

"The Orphans of Rome"

Vatican: The week preceding the conclave has been filled with the diplomatic manoeuvrings of the cardinals. In secret sessions and backroom meetings they have been mustering their forces and scrutinising papal candidates. Now they want to reach a quick decision. The general congregation of the cardinals met last week on the first floor of the Vatican's audience chamber from nine to twelve in the morning. These were the last meetings before the conclave. 115 cardinals will set about finding their Papa, as the Italians call him, and all that is certain is that he is among them already. This is the phase of the mutterings, the machinations, the deliberate friendliness and the snide remarks. They are discussions about the state of the Church in the world, and that of the Holy See. The meetings are a mixture of getting to know one another, spiritual exercises and election campaigning. With small gestures, considered movement, barely perceptible hints of position.

"Hiding Place in the Rear"

Cars: With its new Croma, Fiat is once again offering a mid-range model. The limousine was the fruit of a hapless liaison with US corporation General Motors.

"Four Lord's Prayers for Ravioli"

SPIEGEL interview with culinary historian Luigi Ballerini about the discovery of thyme, the invention of pasta, and the father of European cuisine, Maestro Martino:

"Martino reinvented cooking and we should be grateful to him for that. Before him, people ate much as they did in Ancient Rome. Everything was stirred up together and mixed with vast quantities of spices. ... Martino put an end to all that. He cut down on the spices and made dishes in which the ingredients could develop their own flavour. ... He used garden herbs which no one was eating yet back then - such as thyme, dill and parsley. ... Pasta is one of the oldest foods made by mankind. The Romans ate pasta, the Greeks and Etruscans did too. Pasta dough has many inventors."