Scheduled activities

Fun is one of our core values. Laughing together brings us closer, puts things into perspective and sharpens our focus in everything we do. That’s why, for the first time, we’re bringing a stand-up comedian to the Upgrade Academy: Hans Cools. We’ve known him since before his comedy career, when he was a sustainability manager at one of Upgrade Estate’s suppliers – with that same sharp, witty outlook that has since taken him to the stage.

In a world in chaos, Rudi Vranckx takes you into a reality fundamentally changed since Ukraine. The old world order is cracking, the new one not yet born. Is the US under Trump still your ally? What does Putin want? What does China want? Meanwhile, the new cold war is in full swing — with drones, cyberattacks and an accelerating arms race. In the Middle East, international law lies buried alongside journalists and aid workers. Rudi Vranckx brings you this world through the stories of ordinary people, witnesses against their will. Understanding what is happening has never been so crucial.

To mark the publication of his latest book, *Back to China*, we are welcoming VRT journalist Tom Van de Weghe to the Upgrade Academy. As the first Belgian TV correspondent in China, he returned there last year. He paints a nuanced picture of China as a rising global power and how we can deal with this