Wereld

To those who think of misinformation only in terms of troll factories operating from the caverns of dark regimes ­– think again. Disinformation is just as much linked to the legitimate business world in Western countries, working in all subtlety and better organised than ever ­– and there are millions to be made from it. 

Christiaan De Beukelaer would spend three weeks doing fieldwork aboard an old sailing ship. The COVID-19 crisis broke loose and weeks became months. Christiaan wrote down his personal odyssey in “Trade Winds”. Gie Goris spoke to him about the role and impact of shipping on the climate.

Europe’s dependence on Russian gas, the energy crisis or climate disruption: economist Jonas van der Slycken sees countless reasons for phasing out our use of fossil fuels. What could a bold, social and just policy look like? ‘We can afford less and less the usual policy of delay.’

Africa voted very divided on the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion in the Ukraine. What is the political impact of the conflict on Africa’s cohesion?

Can white people be treated as racist as black people are? Writer Chika Unigwe thinks such reverse racism is ‘a nonsensical idea’. ‘That myth persists because some people ignore the link between racism and power. In a world constructed to maintain white privilege, you have good reason to fear discrimination.’