http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/belgium/ en-us Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:04:04 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046137/posts "It would be a shame if Bud is foreign-owned," Barack Obama said last week, when asked about the prospect of InBev taking over Anheuser-Busch. Many Americans no doubt share these sentiments.Believers in free markets naturally disagree, and they are probably joined by legions of beer connoisseurs. They are also joined by a motley group of World War I aficionados. InBev is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, home of one of Europe's oldest and most prestigious universities. On Aug. 25 and 26, 1914, the town was sacked by German troops. ("The Oxford of Belgium" was then better known by its French name,... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046137/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:04:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045662/posts Belgian Prime Minister offered his government’s resignation to the king Monday, said a source BRUSSELS - Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme offered his government's resignation to the king Monday after talks between Flemish and French-speakers on new reforms failed, a source close to the government said. "He will present his government's resignation," the source told AFP under cover of anonymity. "It's an admission of a complete deadlock on community questions, combined with the fact the government will not be able to present an agreement on reforming the state by 15 July," as Leterme had promised, the source said. Leterme only... Expatica http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045662/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:57:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040449/posts Seventeen women have been taken by police from a luxury hotel in Brussels amid allegations that they had been enslaved by an Arab royal family. Police officers and officials from Belgium's Labour Audit Authority raided the Conrad Hotel, the city's most prestigious and the preferred choice of many national leaders during European Union summits, on Tuesday evening. The operation was triggered by the apparent escape of a maid who was among 20 servants working for the widow of a senior royal figure from the United Arab Emirates and her four daughters who have rented the entire fourth floor of the... Telegraph.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040449/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 22:03:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040033/posts BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 2, 2008 – Absenteeism, corruption, low pay, lack of equipment and weapons, and a high casualty rate are just some reasons policemen show up at the Jalalabad Regional Training Center in Afghanistan. The goal for them is to avoid these situations. An Afghan police instructor shows a police trainee how to properly turn and arm himself at the Jalabad Regional Training Center, one of seven RTCs located throughout Afghanistan. The eight-week training gives the police the basics of police operations to include proper arrest procedures, human rights, Afghan laws, and corruption issues. More than 52,000 police... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040033/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:53:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2036575/posts Rape by gangs of immigrants is an assertion of dominance, and in that sense it is a political act. It says, “We are in charge here, and we do as we please with non-Muslims. No one may stop us; we operate with impunity.” There’s been a lot of talk here recently about the increased incidence of rapes, many of them committed by Muslim immigrants, in both Europe and Australia. We’ve highlighted the situation in Sweden, Norway, and Britain. Now it’s time to look at Belgium as well. If the Belgium government fails to prove such assertions wrong, then immigrant-dominated areas... jillosophy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2036575/posts#comment Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:47:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033792/posts European air force bases that store U.S. nuclear bombs are failing to meet basic security requirements to safeguard the weapons, according to a report obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The U.S. keeps an estimated 350 thermonuclear bombs in six NATO countries. In four of those — Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands — the weapons are stored at the host nation's air bases, where they are guarded by specially trained U.S. military personnel. But according to an internal U.S. Air Force report, the sites are falling short of Department of Defense requirements, with fencing and security systems in... Time/CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033792/posts#comment Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:51:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032669/posts Google defeated in Belgian copyright case; everyone but Google loses By Ken Fisher | Published: February 13, 2007 - 11:48AM CT The group of disgruntled newspapers in Belgium that sued Google for copyright infringement has emerged victorious after a decision was granted in their favor today in court. The judgment echoes a previous ruling from the Court of First Instance in Brussels that found Google in violation of copyright law when the company published extracts of articles from Belgian newspaper publishers. Copiepresse, the Belgium copyright group representing the nearly 20 papers scandalized by Google News, now gets its wish: Google... http://arstechnica.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032669/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:30:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030839/posts BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 13, 2008 – NATO has made significant progress in Afghanistan, and the alliance now needs to deliver on the goals the alliance’s heads of state set when they met in April, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke during a news conference at NATO headquarters following two days of meetings with NATO defense ministers. Alliance heads of state agreed at their Bucharest, Romania summit in April that more capabilities are needed at the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. They also promised to field all the troops the NATO operations plan calls for.... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030839/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:12:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030838/posts BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 13, 2008 – It was going to be a typical NATO defense ministers working dinner until Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates threw away his script. Gates spoke from his heart last night during a dinner at which ministers discussed the NATO mission in Afghanistan. According to a U.S. official who was there and later spoke with reporters on background, Gates “was on fire.” The secretary had a 10-page speech prepared, but that went out the window as he began to speak. Gates started by saying he is particularly impassioned about Afghanistan “because in May, U.S. casualties in... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030838/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:10:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030233/posts BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 12, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and fellow NATO defense ministers will discuss alliance operations in Afghanistan, the alliance missile defense program, and transition plans for Kosovo during a two-day ministerial beginning here today. The ministers will focus on how NATO nations are moving toward implementing decisions the member nations’ heads of state reached at the alliance’s April summit in Bucharest, Romania, a senior defense official speaking on background told reporters traveling with Gates. Afghanistan will dominate much of the conference, the official said. Gates will participate in meetings centered on NATO’s Regional Command South... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030233/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:26:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029687/posts Excerpt - Anheuser-Busch Inc. confirmed it has received an unsolicited $65 per share offer from Belgian brewer InBev to buy the iconic American brewer. With more than 713 million shares outstanding, the bid is valued at more than $46.3 billion. Anheuser-Busch's board of directors will evaluate the proposal and make its decision to InBev's proposal in due course. The brewer of Budweiser and Bud Light said that its board of directors will act in the best interests of the company's stockholders. Anheuser-Busch is the dominant domestic competitor of Miller Brewing Co., of Milwaukee. ~ snip ~ The Business Journal of Milwaukee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029687/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:26:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028075/posts Belgium's dwindling churches to be converted into mosques By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels Last Updated: 12:38AM BST 09/06/2008 Churches in Belgium are to be turned into mosques as Christian congregations decline while Muslims demand more places to worship. Philip Heylen, Antwerp's deputy mayor, has called on the city to "break the taboo" over the many empty and unused churches. "It's a looming issue yet it seems impossible to have a debate about this," he said. "Churches were built as places of worship and they should not be used as shopping malls. We've had a positive response from members of the... The Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028075/posts#comment Sun, 8 Jun 2008 23:53:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026037/posts There has been an outcry in Belgium over a proposal to convert little-used churches into mosques. A senior official in Antwerp argues too many of the city's churches stand empty most of the time and he has put forward suggestions to convert them into mosques to benefit the city's large Muslim population. Philip Heylen, who is deputy-mayor, says he wants to "break the taboo" over the future of the city's churches, many of which have dwindling and ageing congregations. He shrugs: "It's a looming issue yet it seems impossible to have a debate about this, churches were built as places... Radio Netherlands http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026037/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 20:55:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009929/posts U.S. Wary Of Small Boat Terrorism As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success." While the United States... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009929/posts#comment Thu, 1 May 2008 22:06:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022054/posts BRUSSELS — On the street, Malika El Aroud is anonymous in an Islamic black veil covering all but her eyes. In her living room, Ms. El Aroud, a 48-year-old Belgian, wears the ordinary look of middle age: a plain black T-shirt and pants and curly brown hair. The only adornment is a pair of powder-blue slippers monogrammed in gold with the letters SEXY. But it is on the Internet where Ms. El Aroud has distinguished herself. Writing in French under the name “Oum Obeyda,” she has transformed herself into one of the most prominent Internet jihadists in Europe. She calls... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022054/posts#comment Tue, 27 May 2008 20:18:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021354/posts BRUSSELS - Nearly 200 youngsters were detained during riots in the Brussels borough of Anderlecht on Friday evening where immigrant youngsters clashed with supporters of Anderlecht Football Club. Fourteen police officers were injured. Two are still receiving medical treatment. Twelve rioters were also hurt. Most of the youngsters were minors and were released in the course of the night. Earlier in the week, immigrant youngsters used the Internet to unveil their plans to fight with Anderlecht supporters. There was a massive police presence in the Brussels borough of Anderlecht. The police were deployed between the two groups in an attempt... Expatica http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021354/posts#comment Mon, 26 May 2008 10:52:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2018595/posts BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Two Belgian beer fans have launched a video game named 'Place to pee', which allows players to slalom down ski slopes or kill aliens while relieving themselves at urinals. Werner Dupont, a software developer, and Bart Geraets, an electrical engineer, got the idea while drinking Belgian trappist beers, they told Reuters Television at a local festival on Sunday. "This thing had to be invented by Belgian people and that's what we are," they said. The 'Place to pee' booth is designed for two users at a time and offers two games -- blowing up aliens in outer... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2018595/posts#comment Tue, 20 May 2008 13:30:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014401/posts dd India and Belgium to the list of countries worried about attacks coming from China. Officials from both countries warned the public over the past week that online attacks -- appearing to come from the People's Republic of China (PRC) -- have targeted their government networks. Unnamed Indian officials told the Times of India that almost daily probes have focused on mapping and scanning India's official networks over the past 18 months. The Justice Minister of Belgium warned that e-mail attacks, aimed at compromising government computers, appear to be coming from China, according to a United Press International report. security focus http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014401/posts#comment Sun, 11 May 2008 14:15:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997078/posts Attacks on nuclear power stations, oil and gas terminals, Canary Wharf and Heathrow’s control tower were being considered by leaders of the plot to blow up seven transatlantic airliners in mid-flight, a court was told yesterday. Documents found on computer memory sticks at the home of an alleged terrorist ringleader contained a list of targets across Britain – including the gas pipeline between Britain and Belgium. The man, Assad Sarwar, was said to be in contact with terrorist leaders overseas and visited Pakistan a month before his arrest as preparations for the airline attacks were being finalised. Peter Wright, QC,... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997078/posts#comment Sat, 5 Apr 2008 07:18:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996325/posts A 62-year-old policeman was trying to stop the fight between the youths and other passengers where he received heavy blows to his head, stomach and neck. ANTWERP - Following the bus incident in Antwerp on Tuesday where a 62-year-old policeman was badly injured, three young suspects have been taken in. The incident, which took place on Tuesday, saw a group of young migrants got into an argument with the couple sitting next to them on the bus. A fight ensued and the bus driver and one of the other passengers, a plain clothes policeman, came to their rescue. In doing... Expatica http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996325/posts#comment Thu, 3 Apr 2008 22:06:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995671/posts The Austrian authorities have indicted politician Susanne Winter on charges of incitement and degradation of religious symbols and religious agitation. This offence carries a maximum sentence of two years. Last January, Ms Winter said that the prophet Muhammad was “a child molester” because he had married a six-year-old girl. She also said he was “a warlord” who had written the Koran during “epileptic fits.”The politician, a member of the Austrian Freedom Party FPÖ, an anti-immigration party which is in opposition, added that Islam is “a totalitarian system of domination that should be cast back to its birthplace on the other... The Brussels Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995671/posts#comment Wed, 2 Apr 2008 20:52:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993891/posts IN a departure from Belgium’s usually reverent treatment of its royalty, the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II is about to publish a book attacking him for disowning her. The autobiography of Delphine Boël, an artist, will be published next month and coincides with an exhibition of her work expressing bitterness towards the king. Some are accusing her of an anti-royalist plot to undermine a divided country but Boël, 40, insists that her grievances are merely a family matter. “We’ve never had a big-time daddy-daughter relationship,” she said last week in her Brussels studio. “The last time I saw him... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993891/posts#comment Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:59:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993561/posts Like pensions and insurance, defence is one of those subjects to which too many people only pay attention when things go wrong. You might think, in the light of the past decade, that this would have changed. But you would be sadly mistaken. Even today, even after Iraq, few mainstream MPs without an immediate personal or constituency interest in the subject turn up in the Commons for defence debates. Many politicians who are thoughtful about a range of domestic issues still pass by on the other side when the conversation gravitates to the military. In this they reflect the British... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993561/posts#comment Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:17:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993402/posts Teenagers should be given the right to medically assisted suicide and the parents of terminally ill younger children should be able to choose euthanasia under proposals from members of Belgium's coalition government. The plans to extend rules allowing doctors to perform euthanasia on terminally ill people suffering "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" comes amid heated Belgian debate on the issue. Under existing Belgian laws, in place since 2002, patients, other than newborn babies, must be over 18 to qualify for assisted suicide, a situation that Bart Tommelein, leader of Belgium Liberals, wants changed. Mr Tommelein, whose party is... telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993402/posts#comment Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:25:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987777/posts It's taken nine months, but now the political crisis in Belgium appears finally to have been resolved. Following a final, marathon round of negotiations, a coalition agreement has emerged which has the - somewhat hesitant - approval of the five parties which will form the country's next government. With that agreement finalised, the next step will follow swiftly with the swearing in this Thursday, 20 March 2008, of the members of the new cabinet by Albert II, King of the Belgians. At the point, current caretaker Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt will make way for his successor, Flemish Christian Democrat politician... Radio Netherlands http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987777/posts#comment Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:59:55 GMT