1. Belgium is preparing for a tough fight against troll armies from Russia, China and Iran
Belgium will go to the polls twice this year. Foreign influence on elections is a great danger. But the country is also weak during the (again long?) government formation process. Russia in particular, but also China and Iran, are digital troublemakers.
It is emphasized within the intelligence services that a lot has changed since 2019. The bloody battle in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and tensions with China create a geopolitical situation in which the digital information war is also raging.
Read the full article.
2. Fewer young families own their own home: ‘A clear and structural kink is visible’
“Without exaggeration, I look at real estate sites every day.” H. Goossens (28) and her boyfriend (27) have been looking for their own home for six months now. They have each been renting for several years – first separately, then together for a year and a half. They are among the last in their group of friends to look for something to buy.
There is a chance that they will have to search for a while. Some recent figures seem to suggest that young people are becoming less likely to own their own homes or apartments than before.
Read the full article.
3. The British monarchy is hanging on by a thread, and that thread is the ailing Princess Catherine
“It may not be a popular thought, but I blame the problems and weakness of the monarchy largely on Queen Elizabeth. She stayed on too long.”
Tina Brown is the author of The Diana Chronicles and The Palace Papers. She analyzes the worrying state of the British royal family.
Read the full op-ed.
4. ‘Belgium actually received two gifts, while England was not rewarded for its attacking football’
Victory for the Red Devils at Wembley seemed within reach, until Jude Bellingham scored the equalizer in the final phase of the practice match.
“The Red Devils almost won, but if football was a fair game, which to be clear it is not, then Belgium in no way deserved to even draw,” analyzes sports journalist Hans Vandeweghe.
Read the full interview.
5. Child marriages and removed wombs: the real cost of the sugar in your can of cola
Like thousands of other women, Archana faced painful periods and other recurring ailments. And like thousands of other women, she was forced to undergo a hysterectomy, an operation to remove the uterus. Immediately afterwards she went back to work.
This way, sugar continues to flow to companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Life on the sugar cane farm turns out to be anything but sweet. Everything points to large-scale labor abuse, but sugar factories and soft drink companies are deflecting responsibility.
Read the full article.
Tags: British monarchys problems largely due Queen Elizabeth top stories today
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