Belgians

Belgian French-language newspapers said they wanted search engine Google Inc. to pay as much as $77 million in damages for allegedly publishing and storing their content without permission. The newspaper copyright group Copiepresse said it had summoned Google to appear again before a Brussels court in September that would decide on its claim that it suffered damages of $51.7 million to $77.5 million. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google said it could not comment because it had not yet received the legal documents.

Is French the secret language of childhood? Maybe that's why the French-speaking world has produced so many cinematic classics about children, from Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" (1959) and Louis Malle's "Au Revoir Les Enfants" (1987) to Jacques Doillon's heart-rending "Ponette" (1996) and this year's French-Canadian Oscar nominee "Monsieur Lazhar. " Much of the oeuvre of the Belgian filmmaker siblings Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne also belongs in this rarefied company.

Two cafes, side by side, face the church in the central square of this tiny Belgian village. Cafe Wynants, on the corner, posts its menu, specials of the day, notices and advertising all in Dutch. Its neighbor, Chez Liliane, posts its menu, specials, notices and advertising all in French. No French speaker ever goes into Cafe Wynants for a drink or snack. No Dutch speaker ever goes into Chez Liliane.

Two rising-star restaurateurs have seen the future of a busy corner of downtown night life and it looks like Belgium. Sure, Belgium hasn't exactly been a model of political comity lately. For a 541-day streak that ended in December, the country didn't even have a working government. But the low country does have a centuries-old tradition of monastic brewing, and these beers have become increasingly admired in L.A. That culture's passion for experimentation swept up first-time collaborators Ryan Sweeney (Verdugo Bar, the Surly Goat)

If a government falls and practically nobody hears it, does it make a sound? Unable ? or unwilling ? to work together, bickering politicians have left unassuming Belgium without a fully functioning government for eight months, the longest for any nation in Europe since World War II. Through most of that time, few Belgians, let alone the outside world, even seemed to notice. Trains continue to run, waffles are still being grilled on street corners, and people window-shop along centuries-old arcades.

Jean-Marie Wampers of Belgium won the 87th Paris-Roubaix cycling race, beating two other Belgians to the finish, Dirk De Wolf and Edwig Van Hooydonck. Wampers beat out De Wolf in the final sprint of the 165-mile race.

The Times published a front-page article last Dec. 29 on the linguistic problems in Belgium, "In Belgium There Are No Belgians." In Belgium, two main cultures and languages (Dutch and French) have to coexist, not to forget the German community. Belgium could not survive and prosper as a nation, if a constant balance were not maintained between the different communities with respect for their constitutional, civil and administrative rights. European unity has been the main objective of Belgian diplomacy during the past 30 years.

Determined to die as martyrs, the French and Belgian militants bought hiking boots and thermal underwear and journeyed to the wilds of Waziristan. After getting ripped off in Turkey and staggering through waist-deep snow in Iran, the little band arrived in Al Qaeda's lair in Pakistan last year, ready for a triumphant reception.

Belgium shocked the Soviet Union in overtime on goals by Stephane Demol and Nico Claesen Sunday, winning 4-3 to join Mexico in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The Belgians, who finished third in Group B, twice came from behind in regulation to tie the score and send the game into overtime. In the first of two 15-minute extra periods, Demol crept behind the defense and headed in a long pass by Eric Gerets at 13 minutes.

Re "War and Remembrance," World Report, Dec. 20: How moving to read that the citizens of Bastogne turned out in great numbers to relive the Battle of the Bulge and to thank the survivors and the dead for their sacrifices. This is in sharp contrast to the behavior of the citizens my wife and I observed this October. Teachers and students of Bastogne routinely desecrate the monument. The stairs to the top of the monument are used for wind sprints, blocking access to others. There is much screaming, even by teacher-led groups not involved in exercises.

In a ceremony Saturday at a museum in Belgium, the local population will again give thanks for the heroism of young Americans from a California-based battalion during that brutal winter of 1944 when the German army launched the Battle of the Bulge. The Allied generals had been caught unawares by the massive assault by German armor and infantry divisions into the Ardennes region. Soon U.S. troops were in retreat and desperate measures were needed to block the rapid advance of German tanks.

The name is a play on the famous Belgian ale Gouden Carolus, and this is a very Belgian sort of golden ale, down to the Champagne-type cork seal (brewed in Fullerton, though). It pours golden amber with a considerable head, and in the Belgian manner the rich nose is yeasty and fruity, suggesting plums, primarily, with notes of apricots, pears and even apples. On the palate it's nicely round, bittersweet with a good effervescent tingle, leading to a long bittersweet finish, drying out at the end. It's unfiltered — you may never see more unfiltered beer, so cloudy it's almost opaque — and plenty strong, 8.5% alcohol.

A brief look at Saturday's first stage of the Tour de France: Stage: As in 2008, the Tour started with a road stage instead of a short time trial or prologue. It was a 119-mile ride between Passage du Gois and Mont des Alouettes, featuring a slight uphill finish. Winner: Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert, who continued his excellent season with a first stage win on the Tour. Gilbert also won three prestigious classic races this spring. Yellow jersey: Gilbert.

Question: What are the prospects for my shares of Delhaize Group? Are things looking up at all? Answer: Although it derives most of its operating profit from the United States, this Belgian supermarket giant isn't a big name among American investors. With about 2,800 stores worldwide, including hypermarkets and small-scale locations, Delhaize emphasizes low prices while avoiding the relentless and profit-killing promotions that the grocery industry commonly uses to lure customers.

"The Over the Hill Band" is an occasionally amusing, emotionally sound Belgian dramedy that never quite jells into the winning look at senior citizens ? and second chances ? that was clearly intended. Still, older audiences might appreciate the movie's good intentions and never-too-late spirit. After Claire (Marilou Mermans) loses her prickly husband to a sudden heart attack, she decides to reunite her old singing group, the Sisters of Love. While it's a good excuse for Claire to perform again with now-fellow septuagenarians Magda (Lea Couzin)

If a government falls and practically nobody hears it, does it make a sound? Unable ? or unwilling ? to work together, bickering politicians have left unassuming Belgium without a fully functioning government for eight months, the longest for any nation in Europe since World War II. Through most of that time, few Belgians, let alone the outside world, even seemed to notice. Trains continue to run, waffles are still being grilled on street corners, and people window-shop along centuries-old arcades.

Jacqueline Valente, freed in Beirut in April after more than two years as a hostage, was sentenced Wednesday to two months in a French prison for taking two daughters from her ex-husband in defiance of a custody ruling. Prosecutors had requested only a one-month suspended sentence during the hearing in Toulon, but the presiding judge, Andre Fortin, decided to impose the harsher penalty.

Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens today unveiled a book of reminiscences in which he spoke of astonishment at President Reagan's unwillingness to make a positive gesture toward Moscow earlier this year and his ignorance of Belgian politics. The book, which includes Martens' impressions of other world leaders, was launched at a press conference less than four weeks before general elections in Belgium.

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic stunned Kim Clijsters , 6-4, 6-3, in the final of the Open Gaz de France at Paris on Sunday to win the third title of her career. Clijsters slammed an ace to save a match point, but Kvitova converted her second match point with a forehand winner. "I would like to dedicate this trophy to my grandfather, who passed away last week," Kvitova said. "I played for you. " Clijsters will still unseat Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark as the top-ranked player when the new rankings are released Monday.

Amid a patchwork of Wisconsin farmland half an hour's drive northeast of Green Bay is a modest shrine with a brick chapel, a school and a flow of pilgrims speaking of profound healing power. The power is said to come from the Virgin Mary, who appeared to a Belgian immigrant 151 years ago where the shrine now stands. But all believers had to show for it were years of anecdotes ? and the canes, wheelchairs and crutches left behind in the chapel's crypt by those who claimed they had been healed.