Topic: Belgium

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Kate Middleton: 10 royal baby facts

After two years of marriage Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting their first child. What can the world expect with the untraditional couple's parenting style?

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Tongue-tied monarch? Belgium's Philippe faces a linguistically split country

King Albert is set to abdicate in favor of his son on Sunday. But many doubt Philippe's ability to bridge Belgium's Flemish-French divide.
Greenpeace Shard climbers: Activists protest Arctic drilling

Greenpeace Shard climbers: Environmental activists in London attempted to climb Western Europe's tallest building Thursday, in protest of drilling for oil in the Arctic. The Greenpeace Shard climbers were about halfway up the skyscraper by midmorning.
Kate Middleton: 10 royal baby facts

After two years of marriage Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting their first child. What can the world expect with the untraditional couple's parenting style?
Could State Department woes tarnish Hillary Clinton’s image?

A brewing scandal that potentially suggests some degree of State Department mismanagement during Hillary Clinton’s tenure could hurt not only her legacy, but also prospects for a 2016 presidential bid, some say.
Culture Cafe 'Argo' producer David Klawans talks 'Coronado High,' his new project with George Clooney

George Clooney, David Klawans and Clooney's partner in Smokehouse Pictures, Grant Heslov, worked to get 2012 Best Picture winner 'Argo' to the big screen. Now, Klawans and Clooney are teaming up again for a new movie.
Global News Blog Arrests in Belgian diamond heist are a jeweler's best friend (+video)

Police arrested 31 people in three countries in a Europe-wide manhunt, after $50 million in uncut gems were stolen at the Brussels airport in February. Jewelers in Belgium are sighing in relief.
3 new foreign mystery novels that are worth your travel time

Craving a foreign excursion? Try the next best thing – one of these mystery novels set in far-away lands.
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.
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.
Difference Maker Paul Giniès turned a failing African university into a world-class problem-solver

Today 2iE is recognized as a 'center of excellence' producing top-notch home-grown African engineers ready to address the continent's problems.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Verbal Energy 'Carmen,' gypsies, bohemians, and 'others'

A performance of 'Carmen' reminds the Monitor’s language columnist how vexed our language for various 'others' is.