Belgium will get a new king Sunday when the current monarch, Albert, abdicates following a 20-year reign and hands over the throne to his son Philippe. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Tag Archives: Belgium
King Albert calls on Belgians to stick together
Albert II, king of a sharply divided Belgium, called on its people Saturday to stick together as he bade them a formal farewell ahead of his abdication after 20 years on the throne. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Belgian King Albert uses farewell speech to call for national unity
King Albert has used his farewell speech on the eve of his abdication to call for unity in the linguistically divided nation and said it is of “essential importance” to stick together to maintain Belgium’s high standard of living. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Canadian court orders reconsideration of Congolese asylum bid
Canada’s top court ordered a refugee board Friday to reconsider its denial of a Congolese bureaucrat’s asylum bid.
The Immigration and Refugee Board had rejected Rachidi Ekanza Ezokola’s refugee claim after he moved to Montreal from New York with his wife and eight children in January 2008.
It had concluded that he was complicit by association in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his government.
But the country’s high court said Friday that guilt by association in war crimes was not reason enough to turn him away.
Ezokola had been the economic adviser and second embassy counselor to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s United Nations mission in New York for three years.
He had previously been a public servant in the DRC, acting principally as an economic advisor.
During his years working for the Congolese government, however, his country was ravaged by massacres, rapes, arbitrary arrests and torture.
When he landed in Canada, he told authorities that “he could no longer work for the government of President (Joseph) Kabila, which he considered corrupt, antidemocratic and violent,” according to court documents.
He further claimed that “his resignation would be viewed as an act of treason by the DRC government, and that the DRC’s intelligence service had harassed, intimidated, and threatened him.”
The DRC intelligence service, he explained, suspected him of having ties to former vice president and opposition leader, Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was forced into exile and arrested in Belgium on an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged war crimes.
He appealed the refugee board’s decision all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled: “To exclude a claimant from the definition of ‘refugee’… there must be serious reasons for considering that the claimant has voluntarily made a significant and knowing contribution to the organization’s crime or criminal purpose.”
“Decision makers should not overextend the concept of complicity to capture individuals based on mere association or passive acquiescence,” the nine Supreme Court justices said.
The ruling effectively quashes a lower court finding that a senior official in a government could be found to be complicit in the crimes of the government simply by “remaining in his or her position without protest and continuing to defend the interests of his or her government while being aware of the crimes committed by the government.”
It also brings Canada’s refugee criteria in line with international norms.
Interveners in the case included the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as well as rights and civil liberties groups.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
King Albert, Queen Paola shed a tear on eve of abdication
Belgium’s Queen Paola shed a tear Friday after twice offering Albert II a kiss as the royal couple took a farewell tour of Liege ahead of the king’s weekend abdication.
Greeted by thousands of cries of “Long live the King” and “Long Live Belgium”, the visit to the southern Belgian city was Albert’s last in 20 years of a reign that comes to a close Sunday.
It was also highly symbolic as it was there that his parents — Leopold III and Swedish-born Queen Astrid — showed him off from the town hall balcony as the one-year-old baby Prince of Liege.
Albert, who remained prince until the sudden death of his brother Baudouin in 1993, is credited with having kept linguistically-divided Belgium united despite calls for an end to the monarchy from Dutch-speaking separatists in northern Flanders.
The 79-year-old, who said he was stepping down due to age and poor health, climbed the town hall steps slowly and once inside brushed away a tear too when shown footage of a 1959 trip to Liege with his legendary beautiful fiancee, Paola.
Some 6,000 to 8,000 Belgians turned out in the streets to say good-bye.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Does The Right To Life And Liberty Include The Right To Terminate One's Life?
In May of this year, Christian de Duve, a Belgian biochemist awarded the Nobel Prize in 1974 for pioneering work on cellular structure, died. What is remarkable about his death is that it was via euthanasia—a legal action in Belgium. In an interview a week prior to his death Dr. de Duve stated he, given his terminal condition, was planning his “own disappearance.” Such an action, permitted in the Kingdom of Belgium, would be considered homicide in our constitutional republic—even in the four states that recognize the right of assisted suicide. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
When diffusion depends on chronology
The Internet, motorways and other transport systems, and many social and biological systems are composed of nodes connected by edges. They can therefore be represented as networks. Scientists studying diffusion over such networks over time have now identified the temporal characteristics that affect their diffusion pathways. In a paper about to be published in European Physical Journal B, Renaud Lambiotte and Lionel Tabourier from the University of Namur, Belgium, together with Jean-Charles Delvenne from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, show that one key factor that can dramatically change a diffusion process is the order in which events take place in complex networks. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Hello, I am new here
Hello everyone.
I am new here (obviously ). I am a 36 year old lady from Belgium, Europe.
Hereby I would like to say hi to you all and GOd bless!
Source: Worthy Christian Forums
Forever recyclable novel plastic thanks to old tyres
Tyres are well suited for recycling. They are easy to collect and do not require any costly sorting process. However, in Europe, still only about 50% of the tyres are recycled. The rest is incinerated or disposed of in landfills. There is still room for improvement to reach the highest international tyre recycling levels. Among the most active, “certain areas in Canada are excellent; for example [in] Alberta, they use all of their tyres for material recycling,” says Valerie Shulman, Secretary General of the European Tyre Recycling Association ETRA, in Brussels, Belgium.
Williams Interactive and Groupe Partouche Launch JackpotParty.be Online Casino for Players in Belgiu
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Williams Interactive and Groupe Partouche Launch JackpotParty.be Online Casino for Players in Belgium
– First B2B Deployment of Williams Interactive’s End-to-End Managed Services Online Gaming Solution –
– Jackpot Party Progressive
™ Goes Live as the First Accumulating Online Jackpot in the Belgium Market –
CHICAGO & BRUSSELS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Williams Interactive LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of WMS Industries Inc. (NYS: WMS) , today announced the launch of www.JackpotParty.be, a new online casino featuring exclusive authentic WMS Gaming content for residents of Belgium. The fully legal and regulated site was designed and developed by Williams Interactive™ group entities and is operated in association with Groupe Partouche SA, (PARP.PA), the largest land-based operator in Belgium and France and one of Europe‘s largest casino operators with nearly 50 casinos.
The new full-service online casino represents the first B2B deployment of Williams Interactive‘s managed services online gaming solution and marks a significant progress point in demonstrating to local casino operators and their players the benefits enabled by the convergence of land-based and online gaming.
At JackpotParty.be, players have access to a wide-array of Williams Interactive‘s proven iGaming content, including 27 classic WMS slot games such as Super Jackpot Party™,Gold Fish™, Reel ’em In!™, Jungle Wild™, Alice & the Mad Tea Party™, Kronos™ and Zeus™ themed slot games. In addition, players can enter the Jackpot Party Progressive™ – the first accumulating online jackpot in the Belgium market that can be awarded on any game, with any wager and at any time. The online casino also features classic casino table games such as roulette, blackjack and baccarat.
Orrin J. Edidin, President of WMS Industries Inc. and CEO and President of Williams Interactive LLC, said, “Over the last several years, we have developed our online gaming operational and product expertise and our proof of concept has been confirmed as a best-in-class offering for the interactive gaming market through our UK-facing JackpotParty.com. The JackpotParty.be online casino delivers to players the convenience of playing at home in addition to playing at the casino and is an exciting complement to Groupe Partouche‘s leading land-based casino operations. The online experience is tailored to the Belgian player, with fully localized web sites in French and Dutch, multilingual customer support and
From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/18/williams-interactive-and-groupe-partouche-launch-j/
Cuba's 'Ladies' to pick up EU prize 8 years later
The European Parliament says members of Cuban opposition group Ladies in White will finally pick up the EU‘s top human rights prize from 2005 in person, next week in Belgium.
Cuba had denied the Ladies permission to travel receive the Sakharov award ever since they were honored eight years ago for their protests demanding the release of 75 loved ones jailed in a crackdown on dissidents. All 75 have since been released.
In January, Cuba ended the exit visa that had been required of all Cubans for decades.
Since then a number of dissidents have traveled, including blogger Yoani Sanchez, who has been on a tour of at least a dozen nations since February.
An EU statement Wednesday said Ladies members will be at an April 23 ceremony in Brussels.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/dDbIpECZ8tQ/
Jaguar Recreates 1953 Speed Record Run with F-type
How big did your balls need to be to go 172 mph on a Belgian road in 1953? So big they’d need their own seatbelt. Guess what, credit some more real estate for your cojones, because back then seatbelts weren’t fitted in a great number of cars. Longtime Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis must be straddling a pair of pineapples, then, because in 1953 he set a land speed record for the flying mile in an XK120. Even more bad-ass, the man’s still alive and kicking, and Jaguar brought him back to Jabbeke, Belgium, and the site of his original speed run to witness the new F-type roadster replicate the feat. Of course, a video with a helicopter, dramatic music, and a speeding F-type was made.
- First Drive: 2014 Jaguar F-Type
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Jaguar XF 2.0T
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Jaguar XJ 3.0 V-6
Now, Dewis is 92 years old and didn’t do any of the driving, but in the video offered some sage advice to 1988 Le Mans winner Andy Wallace, who did do the driving. “He’s got to keep his foot hard down, don’t lift that little pedal, keep it flat to the board.” Wallace did just that, but not before Dewis added a quick jab at the relative ease of going over 170 mph in a modern car: “I mean, we’re going back 60 years when I did mine . . . 172.4 was quick.” He might as well have tossed in the laundry list of safety features he did without back in the day—stability control, airbags, anti-lock brakes, tires designed for high speed, crumple zones—and called Wallace a ninny. For some perspective on where Dewis is coming from, in 1971 he famously wrecked a Jaguar XJ13 test car at the MIRA circuit in the U.K. at an extremely high speed. Unbelted at the time of the crash, Dewis sensed the car was going to flip—which it did, many times—and crouched down under the dashboard to ride things out. He was fine. Oh, and he once rolled an (roofless) XK120 at 130 mph, too. Rolling anything at such speeds—then or now, roof or no roof—is not fluffy stuff.
As for the F-type, Wallace was able to sprint from 0–179 mph and back to a stop in two miles. He was driving a V-8 S model (two V-6 F-types also are available), which has a top speed of 186 mph. Check out the video for yourself below to hear both Dewis’s quick wit as well as the Jag’s glorious exhaust note:
From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/OkCZlfdtBF8/
New Zealand becomes thirteenth country in world to legalize same-sex marriage
Hundreds of jubilant gay-rights advocates celebrated at New Zealand‘s Parliament as the country become the thirteenth in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage.
Lawmakers voted 77 to 44 Wednesday night in favor of the gay-marriage bill.
People watching from the public gallery immediately broke into song after the result was announced, singing a New Zealand anthem in the indigenous Maori language.
Leaders of most political parties encouraged lawmakers to vote as their consciences dictated rather than along party lines.
Same-sex marriage is currently recognized in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina and Denmark. Lawmakers in Uruguay approved a law last week that President Jose Mujica is expected to sign.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/rshH108vP20/
Syrian man arrested in Greece with weapons cache
A senior police official says a Syrian man has been arrested on Greece‘s northeastern border with Turkey with a large batch of telescopic sights for rifles and shoulder-fired rocket launchers.
The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media about the case, said he believed the weapons were headed for Syria. There has been no official announcement by police.
The arrest took place Thursday when the man, who is a resident of Belgium, crossed the border with Turkey in a tractor trailer, according to the official. Customs officials found 281 telescopic sights.
The arrested man said he re-entered Greece after Turkish customs authorities turned him back. He will appear in a Greek court Monday.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/uQCUPRg4L8o/
Think Your Taxes Are High? The 5 Countries With the Highest Taxes
By Eric Bleeker, CFA, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Tomorrow’s D-Day for tax filers across the United Sates. While its easy to bemoan your tax rate, especially if you owe money to Uncle Sam, the United States actually has a relatively low personal tax rate compared with other countries.
Last October, accounting firm KPMG put together a study of the countries with the world’s highest tax rates on personal income. Not surprisingly, Europe was among the most-taxed regions. Western Europe led all world regions with a 46.1% tax rate on personal incomes. By contrast, North America stood at 27.7%.
Also, while the top income-tax bracket for America is jumping to 39.6% this year, it stands neck-and-neck with Spain for having the world’s highest income level where the highest rate of taxes takes effect.
Clearly, taxes are a matter of significant controversy. Not only do tax codes and deductions vary wildly by country, but the services a citizen receives for his or her tax dollars also differ. Services are difficult to measure in an objective manner, but KPMG tried looking beyond purely top tax rates by measuring effective taxes for people who earn both $100,000 and $300,000 per year.
Let’s look which countries’ citizens had the highest tax burden in 2012, and how they compare with the United States.
1. Belgium
- 2012 top rate of income taxes: 50%
- Effective tax rate on $100,000: 47% (13.1% Social Security, 33.9% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $100,000: 1
- Effective tax rate on $300,000: 53.4% (13.1% Social Security, 40.3% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $300,000: 2
2. Italy
- 2012 top rate of income taxes: 43%
- Effective tax rate on $100,000: 45.2% (9.6% Social Security, 35.6% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $100,000: 4
- Effective tax rate on $300,000: 51.8% (10% Social Security, 41.8% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $300,000: 3
3. France
- 2012 top rate of income taxes: 45%
- Effective tax rate on $100,000: 42% (22% Social Security, 20% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $100,000: 8
- Effective tax rate on $300,000: 54% (20% Social Security, 34% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $300,000: 1
4. Denmark
- 2012 top rate of income taxes: 55.4%
- Effective tax rate on $100,000: 42.3% (0.2% Social Security, 42.1% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $100,000: 6
- Effective tax rate on $300,000: 51.5% (0.1% Social Security, 51.4% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax tate of $300,000: 4
5. Greece
- 2012 top rate of income taxes: 45%
- Effective tax rate on $100,000: 46.5% (16.5% Social Security, 30% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $100,000: 2
- Effective tax rate on $300,000: 45.1% (5.6% Social Security, 39.5% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $300,000: 14
For comparison: The United States
- 2012 top rate of income taxes: 35% (rising to 39.6% in 2013)
- Effective tax rate on $100,000: 26% (7.3% Social Security, 18.7% income tax)
- World rank on effective tax rate of $100,000: 55
- Effective tax rate on $300,000: 30.5% (3.7% Social Security, 26.8%
From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/14/think-your-taxes-are-high-the-5-countries-with-the/
Bus carrying Russians r crashes in Belgium, 5 dead
A Polish bus carrying Russian youngsters crashed through guardrails and ended up on its side under an elevated highway near the port city of Antwerp on Sunday, killing at least five people and leaving five more critically injured, an official said.
The accident in Ranst happened at dawn and no other vehicles were involved at first sight, said mayor Lode Hofmans.
“We have five dead and five who are in critical condition,” Hofmans said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. He added two more were seriously injured while seven more had light injuries.
Hofmans said the Polish bus was taking Russian youngsters from Volgograd and was heading towards Paris when the accident happened. He said 42 people were in the bus at the time of the accident, mainly teenagers and a few in their early twenties.
Pictures of the crash scene showed the white bus lying on its side with belongings of the passengers strewn outside. At the crash scene, a crane was trying to lift the bus.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/2jd4vrXmSvY/
Space History Photo: Albert Siepert Points Out Highlights of Apollo 10 Liftoff to Belgium King and Queen
Albert Siepert sits with Belgium royalty for the Apollo 10 Liftoff.
From: http://www.space.com/20640-siepert-highlights-apollo-10-liftoff-belgium-royalty.html
State Department approves $700G gardening contract in Belgium despite sequester warnings
Around the same time the State Department was warning the public about the painful pinch from sequester cuts, it was also signing off on a $700,000 gardening contract at the home of a U.S. ambassador in Belgium, federal documents show.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/politics/~3/W7znkWrgitI/
Twitter brings trending topics to 160 new locations
Twitter, in an effort to make its site more useful to an ever-increasing number of people, is rolling out its Trends topic discovery feature in 160 new locations.
Trends, which launched last year, is designed to display popular topics on the site tailored to individual users, based on their location and who they follow. Originally available in 150 worldwide locations, the feature is now active in 160 additional locations, in countries including Belgium, Greece, Kenya and Poland, including 130 new cities in countries that already have Trends, Twitter announced Thursday.
“To make Trends more convenient and relevant for people around the world, we’re constantly working to bring Trends to more locations,” Twitter software engineer Royce Cheng-Yue said in a blog post.
The new Trends locations can be found by clicking “Change” in the Trends sidebar on twitter.com and selecting the city or country of interest, Twitter said.
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French tycoon decides against becoming Belgian
French luxury goods billionaire Bernard Arnault has decided not to become Belgian to avoid negative publicity back home.
Arnault, one of the world’s richest men, had been seeking Belgian citizenship, though he denies it was to escape his country’s mighty tax man.
In interviews with several Belgian newspapers on Thursday, the chairman and CEO of the LVMH group said he had underestimated the impact that seeking double nationality would have in his home country. He was derided as just a rich man running away from Socialist President Francois Hollande‘s high taxes.
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said it was “a personal choice. What is important is that he continues to invest in Belgium.”
Arnault said the scandal over the issue had started to have a negative impact on his business.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/yGupxoQ0Go4/