Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be trying to turn his country into a one-man state. Political opponents and press freedom are under fierce pressure. Despite his autocratic ambitions, the European Union continues negotiations over a refugee deal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised concerns over Turkey’s commitment to democracy at a meeting with President Erdogan earlier this week. Merkel wants to see the refugee deal with Turkey in place as soon as possible. But there are increasing signs that it might not come to fruition at all as accusations and counter-accusations fly back and forth between Brussels, Berlin and Ankara. Is the EU betraying its democratic values by dealing with Erdogan?

Since 2013 the European Union and the United States have been locked in complex and highly secretive talks. The aim: to come up with an historic trade pact. But many are asking: will the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP for short, ever be realized? Certainly, time appears to be running short for a deal to be clinched, with supporters and opponents of TTIP as divided as ever.

Voters in three federal German states go to the polls on Sunday.

Will Germany live up to the hopes of those seeking refuge?

There’s no end in sight to Germany’s refugee crisis with 3,000 to 4,000 new migrants arriving in the country every day. About 60 percent of Germans now believe Chancellor Merkel no longer has the situation under control. The New Year’s Eve attacks in Cologne have triggered a bitter public debate.

At least ten German tourists have been killed in a suicide attack in the heart of Istanbul.

The German military will soon be joining efforts to combat the Islamic State.

It was not exactly what the pollsters had predicted. A clear victory for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose AK party won an absolute majority in parliament. Will the president now further tighten his control over Turkish politics?

After beheading yet another western hostage, the Islamic State terrorist organization is now threatening direct attacks on the US and Britain. Documents that have recently come to light allow some insights into the group’s structure, and reveal an extensive finance network and sophisticated logistics systems for weapons and supplies. Is IS more powerful than experts previously believed?