Topic: Belgium
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25 books set to be adapted into movies in 2013
Read these books before they hit the big screen!
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10 coolest cars you've never heard of
These 10 cars are so rare you won't see them on any lot. Click through for a list of 10 cars you've probably never heard of.
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Where gas prices are highest
Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
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Briefing
Gay marriage laws around the globe
There is no national gay marriage legislation in the pipeline in the US, however, numerous countries around the globe already recognize same-sex marriage or the right to civil unions. Here’s the breakdown by region.
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US tax time: A later deadline and other tax facts
Thanks to a holiday in Washington, D.C., the federal tax-filing deadline this year is April 17, two days later than usual. The extra time provides an opportunity to peruse some random tax-related facts.
All Content
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As Dutch prepare for new king, republicans ask to abolish monarchy (+video)
On Tuesday, Queen Beatrix will abdicate and her son will ascend to the Dutch crown. But some Dutch see the monarchy as an unwanted anachronism in an otherwise modern democracy.
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Greece starts firing civil servants for first time in a century
The Greek government began its first mass-firing of public-sector workers in more than 100 years this week, part of an effort to lay off 180,000 by 2015 under Europe-imposed austerity.
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Difference Maker
Paul Giniès turned a failing African university into a world-class problem-solverToday 2iE is recognized as a 'center of excellence' producing top-notch home-grown African engineers ready to address the continent's problems.
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New Zealand legalizes gay marriage
On Wednesday, gay rights supporters celebrated the passage of a bill that will allow same-sex couples to marry for the first time in New Zealand. Though thousands of New Zealanders do not support the measure, polls show two-thirds do. Some say the bill may spur a boom in same-sex travelers from nearby Australia.
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Global News Blog New Zealand becomes first country in Asia-Pacific to legalize same-sex marriage
The change in New Zealand's law could pressure neighbors such as Australia to consider revising their laws.
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Italians move northward to trade 'la dolce vita' for 'das süsse Leben'
Italian emigration jumped 30 percent from 2011 to 2012, with Germany and Switzerland the most popular destination for Italians looking for work.
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For some farmers, a return to animal power
A nonprofit based in Michigan teaches animal-powered farming at home and abroad. Draft power, or animal traction, is a method smaller farmers still use because draft animals cost less than tractors and require no fuel.
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42 facts about Douglas Adams (+video)
Google's doodle celebrates 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' author Douglas Adams. Here are 42 facts about the humorist, environmentalist, technophile, and all-around hoopy frood who would have turned 61 on Monday.
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Global News Blog Good Reads: Saving the Amazon, Kenya's 'Iron Lady,' drones, Depardieu the Russian
This week's round-up of Good Reads includes climate-change diplomacy in the Amazon, a profile of a Kenyan politician to watch beyond the elections, the future of drones, and a look at Gérard Depardieu's new Russian citizenship.
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Miriam Makeba: A woman with 9 passports but no home (+video)
Miriam Makeba, who would have turned 81 today, is remembered as the renowned singer and activist Mama Africa. Her exile from South Africa caused a lifetime of pain, but it also led her to lead a life of service and empowerment.
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Ikea: Horse meat found in Swedish meatballs
Ikea was drawn into Europe's widening horse meat scandal Monday as authorities said they had detected horse meat in the furniture giant's frozen meatballs. Ikea sold the meatballs, labeled as beef and pork, in 13 countries across Europe.
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$50 million heist challenges Belgian diamond industry, Antwerp most to lose (+video)
The theft of $50 million in diamonds from the Brussels Airport Monday night may be due to airport police under-staffing, and could shake confidence in Belgium's multibillion dollar diamond industry.
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Gay marriage and adoption bill passes in French Assembly
Polls show most French support legalizing gay marriage, though that backing softens when questions about the adoption and conception of children come into play. The bill now goes to the Senate.
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Global News Blog Pope Benedict's legacy: More influential than Pope John Paul II?
Pope Benedict's legacy may be a willingness to let liberal Catholics leave in favor of a more orthodox church in the US and Europe.
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Africa Monitor Chad's former dictator to be tried in Senegal for atrocities
Hissène Habré will become the first world leader to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity by another country's government. Could his trial set a precedent for future cases?
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Vatican in rare reversal praises US media for attention on sex scandals
New Roman Catholic 'Promoter of Justice' Robert Oliver admits journalists 'helped to keep the energy' to 'confront what is true' in priest pedophilia scandals that rocked Europe two years ago.
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Neanderthal species may have died out much earlier, according to study
If true, the study, casts doubt on the idea that modern humans and Neanderthals co-existed — and possibly even interbred — for millennia, because humans aren't believed to have settled in the region until 42,000 years ago.
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'Carmen,' gypsies, bohemians, and 'others'
A performance of 'Carmen' reminds the Monitor’s language columnist how vexed our language for various 'others' is.
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Global News Blog Gerard Depardieu's latest drama: a Russian passport (+video)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given a Russian passport to the famous French movie star in what some see as part of an escalating war of words between Russia and the West.
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Why Gerard Depardieu became a Russisan citizen (+video)
Gerard Depardieu, the French actor, is opposed to paying 75 percent of his earnings above $1.33 million to the French government. Depardieu may avoid the proposed French tax hike if he is a Russian citizen.
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Quadrantid meteor shower: Will moon wash out the show?
Quadrantid meteor shower-watchers will have to deal with a three-quarter-full moon, but the event peaks overnight Wednesday, meaning the show will go on.
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Stefan Karlsson French court strikes down tax on rich, but it won't save France
France's court rules against the new 75 percent tax rate on incomes above €1 million, but not because of the rate, only because of the way it's applied. French Socialists can easily meet the objections with a new onerous tax on the rich.
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General Norman Schwarzkopf, Desert Storm commander, dies at age 78
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who had an illustrious military career which included many high-profile commands, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia.
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Energy Voices Why are US firms going 'green': CEOs or customers?
The number of large US corporations with a climate, energy strategy has soared in the past five years, a new survey says. Customers, employees are the two major forces pushing change.
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Why Amsterdam is banning marijuana use in schools
The Dutch are getting tough on smoking pot: On Jan. 1, weed-smoking will be banned from schools and playgrounds in Amsterdam. Marijuana usage rates are lower in the Netherlands than in France, Britain, or the United States.
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