ANTWERP/BRUSSELS - How is it that we know so little about Africa yet still have such strong opinions about it? This ABC book takes a close look at the existing clichés.

CERRO DE PASCO - The city of Cerro de Pasco lies at an altitude of 4,380 metres in the harsh climate of the Peruvian Andes. It is one of the highest cities in the world, but also one of the most polluted, as there is a huge pit right in the centre of the city.

HAVANA - The US is imposing an oil embargo on Cuba with the aim of bringing about regime change. Professor Domínguez López of the University of Havana stresses that the current problems cannot be viewed in isolation from more than sixty years of US sanctions. Those sanctions have never given Cuba the chance to fully develop its social model.

SANTIAGO DE CHILE - On the American continent, the large northward migration flow is gradually drying up, due to Trump’s tough anti-immigration measures. But what about other migration flows in the region, between Latin American countries themselves?

NAYPYIDAW - From exile, Myanmar filmmakers continue their armed resistance against the military regime. Many have joined rebel groups, seamlessly switching between camera and gun whilst using film proceeds to fund the insurgency.

KINSHASA - Marlies Geyskens travels to Kinshasa, a city of millions that has been struggling with a growing mountain of rubbish in recent years. There, she follows two local artists who make costumes from recycled materials.

BOGOTA - Just as in the rest of Latin America, Pentecostal churches are on the rise in Colombia. They promote a personal relationship with God, place great emphasis on the emotional aspect, and promote prophecies and miracles. However, many of these churches also have clear political objectives.

KAMPALA - Uganda has for years hosted the largest refugee population in Africa, long celebrated as a regional success story thanks to its progressive open-door policy. But sweeping global cuts to development aid, most dramatically the dismantling of USAID under Trump, have plunged that system of refuge into a deep humanitarian crisis.

ANTWERP - It is well known that plastic and microplastics are everywhere. But the fact that they also leak harmful substances is much less well known. In this book, journalist Isabelle Vanhoutte sounds the alarm about this issue.

GHENT - Our region has everything it needs to be a world leader in green chemistry. At least, that is what the government and industry unanimously claim. We put this to the test in North Sea Port, the binational port that says it is fully committed to a circular future. Will the chemical giants along the Ghent-Terneuzen canal lead us to the promised land of clean and circular chemistry?

ANTWERP – In Lillo, Antwerp, chemical giant Ineos is working hard on its new ethane cracker. Project One. From US shale fields to plastic waste in European incinerators, the plant will emit ten times more CO₂ than Ineos's own projected emissions for the cracker.

BRUSSELS/DUBLIN - For decades, European consumers have been warned about the dangers of smoking. Yet wine and beer still carry no clear health warnings, even though alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of cancer. This investigation reveals how the European alcohol industry has fought to keep it that way.

BEIRUT - Jado is a trans woman from Beirut. A prominent figure and a motherly presence in the local LGBTQIA+ community, she is an inspiration to many. Like many others, she has to fight every day just to be herself and survive.