"Forceful Application"

Extremists: Criminal law has proved unwieldy in the battle against Islamists, be they preachers of hatred or the accomplices of terrorists. Now the public authorities are resorting to the revamped laws concerning foreigners, which are proving to be highly effective. Since the Ministry of the Interior has started to use the laws rigorously as a means of ousting Islamists, all sorts of angles have been tried out and experimented with: citizenship is withdrawn here, asylum status revoked there, a student permit is not renewed here, a residence permit there. Particularly the new laws concerning the right of residence, which came into force at the beginning of the year, give interior ministers a means of having suspicious Muslims removed from the country. For instance, in order to kick them out it is now sufficient to present a "risk prognosis" based on facts - in other words a more or less reasoned guess that someone might, at some time or another, start playing with fire here. A further new regulation stipulates that anyone preaching hatred against "infidels" in mosques can also be deported.

"The Hour of the Ideologues"

Compensation: By law, survivors of the Holocaust who worked in a ghetto are eligible for a German pension. But most applications are turned down - in some cases for absurd reasons. The high percentage of rejections is also clouding relations between Germany and Israel, where almost half of the applicants live. The two countries have just been celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations, yet behind the scenes the governments are arguing over compensation for Nazi injustice.

"Intrigues Outside the Salon"

Aviation: The hostilities between Boeing and Airbus are coming to a head. The US corporation, which was in the doldrums for quite a while, has got back on track; while its European competitor is facing increasing problems. But Airbus's management is tied up mainly with itself.

"Our Times Are Too Apolitical"

SPIEGEL interview with film director Fatih Akin, 31, whose film "Head On" was a triumph at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival, about the way in which Turkish culture is torn between the East and the West, and about his new film "Crossing the Bridge":

"When I shoot a feature film, I long for a documentary, because feature films are so exhausting. But there's another motive for making 'Crossing the Bridge' too: I had just set up my own production company 'Corazón International' and needed a manageable project to get started with. One that wouldn't ruin me completely if it failed. ... Istanbul is the true capital of Turkey and reflects the social situation in the country rather well. In the film, I also wanted to investigate the question of whether Turkey is actually European enough for the European Union. And I thought music would be an interesting way of answering that question. ... The question as to whether I feel like a German or a Turk applies in similar terms to Turkey: Is it western, or isn't it? My own personal answer is: it's both."

"We Want Europe, but Not This One"

How resistance to the constitution formed up in the "red" city of Calais.

"Secret Envoys"

Medicine: For years, high-ranking medical scientists from Germany accepted money from the tobacco industry to finance their studies. Internal company documents show how the cigarette corporations instrumentalised researchers to play down the risk of smoking.

"The Strength of Weaklings"

Cosmology: Astrophysicists have long been searching for dark matter, a mysterious, invisible substance that holds together the universe from within. Now Würzburg scientists have found a new lead. Experiments being carried out far below the Earth's surface could soon show whether or not they are on the right track. Based on recent observational data, cosmologists are now convinced that over 80 percent of the universe is made up of the mysterious dark matter. In this model, all visible suns, gas clouds, planets and comets are merely the frothy crests of invisible waves of matter through the cosmos. Dark matter has played a key role on the heavenly stage right from the start: it alone created the necessary conditions for clouds of gas to coagulate into stars and galaxies many billions of years ago - normal matter does not have enough gravitational strength to do this.

"Softener for the Brain"

Brain research: A certain nose spray can turn even sceptics into gullible creatures. Could this discovery be used in everyday situations to manipulate people?

"Focusing on Apes"

Wildlife: Apes too can suffer from depression, phobias or anxiety attacks. Doctors are therefore demanding that animals in zoos should, if necessary, receive psychiatric treatment too. But not all primatologists share the view that apes are subject to human-like emotions. In fact it is uncertain whether behavioural disorders, which are so common in captivity, actually occur in the wild.

The Enigmatic Aesthete

Music: One of the great figures of the century has met his downfall - Alberto Vilar, the American broker and patron of the classical music scene, who is worth millions, was arrested last week. Could the bankruptcy of the benefactor have a lasting detrimental effect on the mood in opera houses and concert halls?

Filigree Queens

Sailing: Two years before the race for the America's Cup, the battle of the engineers has long begun. At a cost of millions, boatbuilders are developing a new generation of yachts which are to be light and swift - and yet have to withstand the huge forces of Nature.

Base Camp for Rowdies

Exhibitions: US artist Paul McCarthy is regarded as the rough diamond of his trade. For a Munich exhibition he has focussed on his home country - creating a bizarre adventure playground for cowboys and pirates. The Munich show is the largest the American artist has ever staged in Europe, and as McCarthy explains, its subject matter is invasion. In his Munich adventure playground, history and international politics appear to mingle with Hollywood. Just like in real life, according to the artist. He doesn't regard his own art as being authentic unless it has a topical reference while at the same time giving you the impression of being a splatter version of Disneyland.