NATO allies German, Turkey attempt a thaw

Can Dundar, the former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, one of Turkey's main newspapers, discussed the press freedom situation in his native country during an interview with FRANCE 24. "If you are challenging the government's interests, you are branded a terrorist or a traitor," he said. Dundar added that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was trying to create chaos in a bid to win the next elections, scheduled for June 2023.

After a raid on members of a plot to violently overthrow the German state, questions are being asked about the links between the "Reichsbürger" movement the plotters belonged to, and the far-right populist AfD.

The German government has been given the go-ahead by the European Commission to nationalize ailing gas importer Uniper, as well as Sefe (formerly Gazprom Germania).

Media organizations and the German Foreign Office have demanded an explanation over the bans while the EU has threatened sanctions. Elon Musk said the suspensions were due to the tracking of private jets.

One small hospital closes every month in Germany. Politicians say there are too many, and the health care system can't afford to keep them all open. But their critics say patients may die due to closures.

Germany is urgently seeking workers from abroad — at least 400,000 each year. But is it an attractive destination for highly qualified foreigners? For some, it seems, having to learn the German language puts them off.

Germany's child protection agency has criticized a shortage of hospital beds for youngsters hit by a severe respiratory virus. Lockdowns kept the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at bay but it's now circulating widely.

German investigators have closed three Internet forums on the "darknet" with depictions of the sexual abuse of children. Four suspects were arrested.

NATO member Turkey welcomes Russians and Ukrainians. Refugee Ukrainians meet Russian tourists in Turkish holiday resorts and big cities. This also leads to tensions. DW’s Julia Hahn reports from Istanbul.

People in Iran are taking to the streets, fighting back against religious clothing restrictions for women and challenging the country’s autocrat rulers. The protests cast a long shadow around the world, reaching people who have left Iran in the past and now live in exile. Two Iranian Taekwondo athletes living in Berlin are fully consumed by the demonstrations back home.

Germany has joined the chorus of disapproval over Iran-supplied drones Russia uses to "terrorize Ukrainian civilians." The West has been pressuring the UN to investigate. DW has the latest.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Germans are not using as much heating as the prior year, despite the cold winter.