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Cristina Maza

@cmaza.bsky.social
1.7K followers 2.4K following 565 posts

Foreign affairs journalist. www.cristinamaza.com Write: lazoletters.substack.com/welcome emails: c.maza@protonmail.com cristina.maza@rapporteur.com

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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Countries such as Montenegro and Albania could send a commissioner to Brussels before formally joining the EU, under new plans the European Commission is considering. www.rapporteur.com/news/exclusi...
rapporteur.com
EXCLUSIVE: Candidates could get a commissioner before joining EU | Rapporteur
Ursula von der Leyen, who is touring the Western Balkans, will announce a new enlargement strategy on 6 October
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A recently agreed EU-UK treaty on Gibraltar brought the Rock effectively into the EU’s Schengen free-movement area. But Spanish environmentalists have claimed the deal is not specific enough to prevent potential damage to protected maritime ecosystems. www.rapporteur.com/news/intervi...
rapporteur.com
INTERVIEW: Gibraltar will clean up on ship refuelling when Spain does | Rapporteur
Gibraltar defends EU-UK deal and its maritime environment record against Spanish criticism
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Poland and Lithuania are jointly working on an international evacuation plan that would allow Lithuanian civilians to enter Poland in the event of a security threat. www.rapporteur.com/news/from-uk...
rapporteur.com
From Ukraine to the Baltics: Poland prepares for a new refugee crisis | Rapporteur
One scenario under consideration is the evacuation of people from the Baltic states
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Last night in Brussels, Euractiv officially rebranded as Rapporteur. That means you can now reach me at: cristina.maza@rapporteur.com Welcome to the new era #rapporteur www.rapporteur.com/welcome-to-r... www.semafor.com/article/09/2...
rapporteur.com
Welcome to Rapporteur: We bring news. Not noise. | Rapporteur
With the support of Mediahuis, we've built a serious, independent newsroom equipped to cover European politics
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Serbia is also considering running for the 2027 OSCE chairmanship, a top diplomat told Rapporteur. www.rapporteur.com/news/georgia...
rapporteur.com
Georgia pushes for OSCE chair but EU closes ranks against bid | Rapporteur
Tbilisi sees an opening as the OSCE remains deadlocked over its 2027 chairmanship
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Last night in Brussels, Euractiv officially rebranded as Rapporteur. That means you can now reach me at: cristina.maza@rapporteur.com Welcome to the new era #rapporteur www.rapporteur.com/welcome-to-r... www.semafor.com/article/09/2...
rapporteur.com
Welcome to Rapporteur: We bring news. Not noise. | Rapporteur
With the support of Mediahuis, we've built a serious, independent newsroom equipped to cover European politics
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Can't believe I have to say this, but Lazo Magazine only commissions stories written by humans.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Here to announce that Lazo Magazine has a new #callforpitches open. We're looking for quirky international stories and essays w/a multicultural angle. Rates range from $300 to $200, depending on length. Pitch: lazomag@proton.me. And please share this post widely! lazomagazine.com
lazomagazine.com
Home - Lazo Magazine
skip render: ucaddon_post_slider_homepage // Latest Articles See all skip render: ucaddon_post_grid Subscribe to Lazo Magazine // Most popular See all skip render: ucaddon_post_grid // Keep reading In...
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
EU envoys have bought themselves seven more days to keep sanctions on Russia alive after Slovakia refused to drop its demand that oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman be removed from the bloc’s blacklist. www.euractiv.com/news/eu-coun...
euractiv.com
EU countries extend Russia sanctions amid latest oligarch stand-off | Euractiv
Slovakia refused to back down from its demand to delist two Russian oligarchs
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Here to announce that Lazo Magazine has a new #callforpitches open. We're looking for quirky international stories and essays w/a multicultural angle. Rates range from $300 to $200, depending on length. Pitch: lazomag@proton.me. And please share this post widely! lazomagazine.com
lazomagazine.com
Home - Lazo Magazine
skip render: ucaddon_post_slider_homepage // Latest Articles See all skip render: ucaddon_post_grid Subscribe to Lazo Magazine // Most popular See all skip render: ucaddon_post_grid // Keep reading In...
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Reposted by Cristina Maza
Paula Erizanu @paulaerizanu.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Chilling polls in Romania: far right AUR scores 39,7%, centre left PSD: 18,7%, centre right PNL: 16,3%, centre right USR: 9% in opinion polls amp.dw.com/ro/aur-e-la-...
amp.dw.com
Sondaj INSCOP: AUR e la 40%. PSD și PNL nu au împreună atât
AUR conduce detașat în preferințele românilor pentru parlamentare, cu aproape 40% din voturi, potrivit celui mai recent Barometru INSCOP Research. PSD și PNL ocupă următoarele poziții, la mică distanț...
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Where do all the freelance journalists out there find calls for pitches on Bluesky? Are there lists like the old place?
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
During the election, a Russian-linked disinformation campaign spread fabricated stories attacking the CDU, Greens and SPD. AfD and BSW were spared the smears, and Russian media promoted both parties. Eastern Germany is receptive ground for pro-Russian sentiment. www.euractiv.com/opinion/the-...
euractiv.com
The Saxony-Anhalt election is a win for Russia’s Army, and 'Ostalgie' | Euractiv
The AfD has long cultivated Soviet ideological conditioning; now it's reaping the rewards
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Candidate countries must sever links with Donald Trump’s ‘MAGA’ movement in order to join the EU, the European Commission’s enlargement chief has said. www.euractiv.com/news/cut-tie...
euractiv.com
Cut ties with MAGA to join EU, says Brussels | Euractiv
Marta Kos warns 'we have adversaries’ including Trump’s ‘ideologists’
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Imagine suing a poor person because they can't pay their medical bills www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...
nytimes.com
Roger Marshall Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator.
Patients sued by Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas were routinely charged 18 percent interest, The Times found. Some had bank accounts garnished.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Absolutely mind-boggling that a U.S. envoy is visiting a country that has been waging a hybrid war against NATO and has invaded its neighbour, and waxing lyrical about all the beautiful memories he's making with the leaders of a murderous regime. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvHJ...
youtube.com
“Yours Will Be Right at the Top”: Witkoff Tells Putin About His “Incredible” Memories | APT
YouTube video by APT
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Marta Kos, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, announced on Friday that she had cancelled a planned visit to Serbia, citing what she described as the “glorification” surrounding the death of Bosnian Serb commander and war criminal Ratko Mladić. www.euractiv.com/news/kos-can...
euractiv.com
Kos cancels Serbia visit over Mladić funeral | Euractiv
Serbia’s EU membership bid is facing growing resistance among national capitals
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, by contrast, is said to have long pushed for publicly naming Russia as the perpetrator behind the attacks.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Spain will request that its North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla be recognised as the EU's outermost regions, including the cities in the European financial and security architecture. www.euractiv.com/news/spain-s...
euractiv.com
Spain seeks Ceuta and Melilla's full integration into the EU | Euractiv
Amid a deepening political crisis, Pedro Sánchez insists the Spanish city enclave in North Africa remains a top priority on his agenda
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Reposted by Cristina Maza
Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Serbian prosecutors confirmed Thursday that four people have been detained as part of an investigation into an “organised group” suspected of moving explosives and drones into European Union countries. www.euractiv.com/news/serbia-...
euractiv.com
Serbia probes 'organised group' moving explosives, drones into EU | Euractiv
The group is suspected of obtaining explosives and drones in Serbia before moving them inside the bloc
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Serbian prosecutors confirmed Thursday that four people have been detained as part of an investigation into an “organised group” suspected of moving explosives and drones into European Union countries. www.euractiv.com/news/serbia-...
euractiv.com
Serbia probes 'organised group' moving explosives, drones into EU | Euractiv
The group is suspected of obtaining explosives and drones in Serbia before moving them inside the bloc
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Spain will request that its North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla be recognised as the EU's outermost regions, including the cities in the European financial and security architecture. www.euractiv.com/news/spain-s...
euractiv.com
Spain seeks Ceuta and Melilla's full integration into the EU | Euractiv
Amid a deepening political crisis, Pedro Sánchez insists the Spanish city enclave in North Africa remains a top priority on his agenda
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Serbian activists and opposition figures on Wednesday said their phones had been infected with advanced spyware ahead of an expected snap poll sought by protesters denouncing state corruption. www.euractiv.com/news/serbian...
euractiv.com
Serbian activists allege being hit with hi-tech spyware | Euractiv
Experts said some of the spyware was sold only to governments and cost millions of euros
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, by contrast, is said to have long pushed for publicly naming Russia as the perpetrator behind the attacks.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul pushed for restraint within the German government, people involved in the discussions told Euractiv, both in attributing responsibility for the attacks and in subsequently announcing measures against Russia. www.euractiv.com/news/leipzig...
euractiv.com
Leipzig: Merz under fire over response to Russian attack | Euractiv
CDU security expert Kiesewetter says Berlin’s response to the drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport risks being seen in Moscow as a sign of weakness
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Sure, let's all toil away forever so we don't become vapid like Versailles aristocrats asteriskmag.com/issues/15/af...
asteriskmag.com
After Work, We’ll Have Each Other
Once you realize what that means, you’ll be giving two cheers for the American work ethic.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
A leaked report by Spain’s national police claims Moroccan authorities engineered the mass migrant influx into Ceuta in late July to destabilise the Spanish frontier. www.euractiv.com/news/spanish...
euractiv.com
Spanish police point to Morocco’s role in Ceuta crisis | Euractiv
The police report debunks the Spanish government's narrative that Rabat bears no responsibility for the deadly migrant surge
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Absolutely horrified to discover that the fur industry still operates in Europe. I had thought furs were only for vintage markets. Shameful that we're still doing this. www.euractiv.com/news/exclusi...
euractiv.com
EXCLUSIVE: Fur industry fractures as Brussels weighs sector’s future | Euractiv
The sector is facing internal divisions over welfare certifications
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
In my living room on a Sunday, I can hear Balkan Romani music wafting in from the street – a reminder that I do, in fact, have many Roma neighbours. When I'm feeling homesick for Baltimore, which is often, it's nice to be reminded of the beauty of living in such a diverse pocket of Berlin. 💗
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
• Dolly Parton (80) • Ratko Mladić (84) • Péter Nádas (83) • Tim Curry (80) • Norway's King Harald V (89) • Yayoi Kusama (97) It's been a big week for death.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Saxony-Anhalt’s AfD branch has been classified by the state’s domestic intelligence as “confirmed far-right extremist”. This has done little to dent the popularity of its lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, who is sometimes greeted like a pop star at campaign rallies. www.euractiv.com/news/afd-sur...
euractiv.com
AfD surges as Saxony-Anhalt’s economy struggles | Euractiv
The far-right party is polling at up to 43% ahead of a looming election, as voters rank jobs, wages and the economy among their top concerns
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Iranian forces have assessed striking U.S. assets in south-eastern European countries such as Bulgaria and Cyprus in the event of any renewed U.S. offensive, two Iranian sources told the Financial Times. www.ft.com/content/9ea0...
ft.com
Iran eyes military targets in Europe if Donald Trump escalates war, insiders say
Proposals to retaliate against US assets beyond the Middle East come as many in Tehran see renewed conflict as inevitable
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
A Russian plot to kill a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, Poland's PM said, marking the first time in decades that a Western leader has publicly accused Moscow of plotting to kill a U.S. citizen. www.cbsnews.com/news/russian...
cbsnews.com
Russian plot to kill American citizen thwarted by Poland, prime minister says: "First situation of its kind"
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the suspect was allegedly recruited by Russia's secret services.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
"Besides the camp in Serbia, Russian agents ran training programs in Bosnia and Moscow that were designed to turn pro-Russian Moldovans into foot soldiers. Moscow paid hundreds of Orthodox Moldovan priests to recruit voters and to push Russian narratives from the pulpit."
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Russia's military intelligence, the GRU, has established camps in Serbia to train operatives to interfere in Moldova's elections. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/w...
nytimes.com
Inside Russia’s Giant Push to Upend a Tiny Country
In Moldova, Moscow paid Orthodox priests, conducted a vote-buying scheme and set up training camps on election interference — all in an effort to derail the Western-leaning government.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
This is horrifying. www.reuters.com/business/hea...
reuters.com
Gaza cancer patients face rising death rate amid Israeli curbs, doctors say
Gaza cancer patients are dying at two to three ​times the pace they did before the start of the war in the territory, as Israel blocks many from travelling for treatment after destroying the only ‌loc...
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Ukrainian drone units easily spotted and defeated U.S. troops and armoured vehicles during a military exercise in Germany earlier this year. The exercise, held in April and May, tested visiting troops’ ability to operate and defend against smaller, front-line drones. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
wsj.com
Exclusive | U.S. and Ukrainian Forces Went Head-to-Head in an Exercise. Ukraine’s Drones Won.
A battlefield drill this spring showed that the Pentagon hasn’t fully absorbed the lessons of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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Reposted by Cristina Maza
Whitney Curry Wimbish @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Trump just gave a massive contract to Our Rescue to represent unaccompanied immigrant children. That's the group that does international anti-sex-trafficking stings, whose founder was dramatized in Sound of Freedom and who left because he himself was accused of sex trafficking his own employees.
prospect.org
Disgraced Anti-Sex-Trafficking NGO Gets $244 Million to Rep Migrant Kids - The American Prospect
The founder and CEO of Our Rescue resigned in 2023 amid allegations that he had sexually abused and trafficked women himself.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Berlin's nightclubs get only 2% of their income from state cultural funding?! That is outrageous. The city should get its act together before it loses the institutions drawing people here. h/t @20percentberlin.bsky.social
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Six provided medical records that showed they had variously suffered fractured ribs, a fractured vertebra, a broken coccyx, a firearm wound, and a collapsed lung.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The New York Times interviewed 24 activists from a May flotilla intercepted by Israel on its way to Gaza, with most alleging beatings, tasering, sexual humiliation, and other abuse in Israeli custody. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/07/w...
nytimes.com
Seized on Their Way to Gaza, Activists Tell of Abuse in Israeli Custody
In interviews, more than 20 people who tried to break an Israeli blockade described beatings, electric shocks and other abuse after being captured. Israel denied the accusations.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Their new role is strengthening Helsinki’s argument that EU farm subsidies in eastern Finland also serve as an investment in European security.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Along Finland’s 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, farmers have become an informal early-warning network, reporting suspicious activity, unauthorised crossings, and suspected GPS jamming while helping keep sparsely populated border communities alive. www.euractiv.com/news/keeping...
euractiv.com
Keeping watch on Russia with Finland's frontline farmers | Euractiv
As businesses leave, farming on Finland's Russian border takes on new meaning
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Western officials also observed that actors within the Russian disinformation ecosystem reacted “very quickly and on a massive scale” to the events at the Spanish-Moroccan border.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
A Western government source told Euractiv that Morocco is believed to have at least tacitly approved the surge towards Ceuta and that the incident was likely intended as a political warning to Madrid. www.euractiv.com/news/dont-bl...
euractiv.com
Don’t blame Morocco for Ceuta crisis, Spain urges allies | Euractiv
EU steps up fight against disinformation instead of confronting Rabat
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"Kushner did not have to persuade Rama that development could transform a nation...But Kushner’s proposal alone could not explain why it found such an enthusiastic champion in the Prime Minister" Must-read piece on Albania's 🦩 protests by @thencarolsaid.bsky.social newrepublic.com/article/2137...
newrepublic.com
Greetings From Javanka-bania
The Trump clan finds a new place to ruin.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A fringe group of Israeli settlers has been making incursions into southern Syria in an attempt to establish settlements. It is believed to be the first time civilians have tried to settle the area. apnews.com/article/isra...
apnews.com
Fringe Israeli settler group is sneaking into Syria to try to claim land for a Jewish outpost
Right-wing Israeli activists are ramping up their fringe campaign to establish Jewish settlements inside Syria by staging frequent incursions across the border.
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Cristina Maza @cmaza.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Shocking case of a person in the United States getting sentenced to 30 years in prison for having printed "antifa" material.
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Reposted by Cristina Maza
Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 15/07/2026
From Volkswagen to Mercedes, Germany's struggling auto industry is embracing defense production — even as workers question what they're being asked to build. inkstickmedia.com/as-germany-r...
inkstickmedia.com
As Germany Rearms, Carmakers Turn to Defense Contracts
From Volkswagen to Mercedes, the country's struggling auto industry is embracing defense production—even as workers question what they're being asked to build.
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