HomeDestinations Interests Top Places to Travel by MonthSearchMenuBest time to go to Belgium Satirical and colorful Mardi Gras celebration Save Visited Rate Review SharePrince of the Carnival 2019Gilles of Aalst Carnaval 2019Onion Throw at Aalst Carnaval 2019Parade of the Dirty Sissies 2019Burning of the carnival effigy the largest and most exuberant event in Flanders is a cultural extravaganza that attracts visitors from across Belgium and beyond Recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event this centuries-old celebration is deeply rooted in local traditions and brimming with vibrant energy Held annually over three days leading up to Ash Wednesday the carnival transforms the city of Aalst into a kaleidoscope of color and while the carnival has evolved over the years it has always been a platform for creativity What truly sets Aalst Carnival apart is its unabashed embrace of humor and satire The event is renowned for its elaborate floats that parade through the city More that 100,000 people gather to see the giant puppets as well as outlandishly costumed participants who revel in the carnival’s playful irreverence a tradition where groups of friends form themed contingents to march through the streets but a vibrant expression of free speech and artistic wit The first signs of the carnival appear on Saturday a humorous city council hands over a key from the city to a mock Prince of the Carnival the celebration officially begins with a parade through the city Locals prepare and carry up to one hundred floats while thousands of people in masquerade costumes dance on the streets The entire event ridicules local and foreign politicians The parade starts at 1 pm and lasts for almost five hours The epicenter of fun is Grand Market Square the Gilles show their traditional Broom Dance on the Market Square—a ritual that chases away the ghosts of winter a mock Prince and his committee initiate a so-called “Onion Throw”: they throw onions to the crowd from the balcony of city hall One hundred onions contain winning lottery numbers with the main prize being a golden onion another parade occupies the streets of Aalst—the Parade of the Dirty Sissies The celebration reaches its culmination when a huge puppet—the carnival effigy—is set on fire on the Grote Markt in the city center The Aalst Carnival is related to the Binche Carnival but only in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium It has deep roots in the pagan end-of-winter celebrations The first records of the carnival date back to 1443 It has existed in its modern form since 1851 when it was held unofficially The first time the carnival was organized by the city council in 1923 a special carnival committee has taken care of the Mardi Gras festivities Aalst Carnival is an unforgettable cultural experience that blends centuries-old and modern traditions and lively performances offers a glimpse into the heart and soul of Flanders You currently use an outdated internet browser. You can upgrade to a modern browser or use the Google Chrome Frame to optimize your viewing experience SkeyDrone is proud to announce the implementation of its advanced drone detection solution to ensure the safety and security of the upcoming Aalst Carnaval This innovative technology will provide comprehensive airspace monitoring enhancing the protection of one of Belgium's most celebrated events Aalst Carnaval attracts approximately 100,000 visitors each year is celebrated over three days preceding Ash Wednesday and the unique tradition of ‘Voil Jeannetten’ where men dress in old women's clothes ensuring the safety of spectators and participants is a top priority for local authorities the potential risks associated with their misuse have grown the Local Police of Aalst has partnered with SkeyDrone a leading provider of drone services and software The deployment of SkeyDrone’s technology will provide real-time insights into drone activity allowing authorities to respond swiftly to any potential threats a geozone will be active between March 2 and March 5 above the city of Aalst Each drone flight within this zone must be requested at least two weeks in advance commented: “Ensuring public safety during Aalst Carnaval is our highest priority SkeyDrone’s advanced detection technology gives us real-time visibility and the necessary tools to act decisively ensuring a secure and enjoyable experience for all.” added: “We are proud to support the Local Police of Aalst in safeguarding such a significant cultural event Aalst Carnaval attracts thousands of visitors each year and our technology will help ensure the airspace remains secure allowing everyone to enjoy the festivities with peace of mind.” New ship unloader marks next step in company’s delivery of low-carbon cement alternatives THE recent arrival of Invicta Cementitious Solution’s Van Aalst ship unloader at the company’s Sheerness terminal marks the latest development in the joint-venture company's deep-water cementitious powder facility Weighing 230 tonnes and with a working capacity of more than 400 tonnes/h and dust-free unloading of 40,000-tonne bulk cargos and the capability to bring to market cementitious materials from around the world who are currently importing pulverized fly ash (PFA) which offers a lower CO2 than traditional cement (CEM1) can now offer a fuller range of alternative cementitious materials – that are increasingly scarce in the UK – from the Sheerness terminal said: ‘This new unloader enables Invicta to source scarce and cost-effectively transport them to the UK in bulk vessels We can now offer increasingly innovative choices to our customers as they seek cementitious solutions to reduce CO2 in concrete.’ Brett Group commercial director and Invicta board member said: ‘This represents the next step in our significant investment to be the source of choice for more-sustainable cementitious solutions It is part of our commitment to be an innovative and totally reliable long-term supplier to the industry.’ Invicta’s new terminal at Sheerness became operational and started supplying PFA and high-quality CEM1 to the South East in 2024 It represents a £30 million investment by a joint venture between the Brett Group the UK’s largest independent building materials company a long-established part of global energy company the Eren Group jobs events and articles direct to your inbox Subscribe Here Agg-Net is the ‘go-to’ website for key decision makers within the aggregates and recycling industries. General commentary, market reports and industry features provide an independent and informed voice for the industry. Agg-Net is the official digital partner for Hillhead, providing unrivalled coverage of our June event. © The QMJ Group Ltd 2023. All Rights Reserved 7 Regent StreetNottinghamNG1 5BSUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0)115 941 1315 Dennis van Aalst will take on the role of strategy lead at advertising agency FCB Amsterdam. He will also join the management team. Dennis has previously worked at DDB Amsterdam, Boomerang, and Havas Lemz. He also worked as an independent strategist and was active for the think tank LetsHeal. "Dennis will play a crucial role in solving all the strategic challenges for our clients," says Jos Vis, CEO of FCB Amsterdam. "In addition, Dennis will focus on new business and will be jointly responsible for identifying new opportunities and strengthening our agency's position in the market." "Dennis' diverse background makes him a versatile professional capable of guiding our agency into the next phase," says Vis. "His network and experience in various sectors are also highly valuable in further strengthening FCB Amsterdam's market position." 'Providing direction and energy for the future' Dennis said, "It is a privilege to join an agency where the rich history of international top brands like FCB and McCann is palpable. I look forward to contributing direction and energy to the future, with attention to all current themes, insights, and tools, from human to artificial intelligence." In addition to Vis and Van Aalst, the management team of FCB Amsterdam also includes Massimo van der Plas and Benjamin Messelink. Volume 8 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2021.724603 This article is part of the Research TopicStructural and Dynamic Aspects of Protein Function and AllosteryView all 18 articles Cholesterol as an allosteric modulator of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) function is well documented This quintessential mammalian lipid facilitates receptor–ligand interactions and multimerization states this introduces a complicated mechanism for the homeostatic modulation of GPCR signaling Chemokine receptors are Class A GPCRs responsible for immune cell trafficking through the binding of endogenous peptide ligands CCR3 is a CC motif chemokine receptor expressed by eosinophils and basophils It traffics these cells by transducing the signal stimulated by the CC motif chemokine primary messengers 11 These behaviors are close to the human immunoresponse CCR3 is implicated in cancer metastasis and inflammatory conditions there is a paucity of experimental evidence linking the functional states of CCR3 to the molecular mechanisms of cholesterol–receptor cooperativity we present a means to combine codon harmonization and a maltose-binding protein fusion tag to produce CCR3 from E This technique yields ∼2.6 mg of functional GPCR per liter of minimal media We leveraged this protein production capability to investigate the effects of cholesterol on CCR3 function in vitro We found that affinity for the endogenous ligand CCL11 increases in a dose-dependent manner with cholesterol concentration in both styrene:maleic acid lipid particles (SMALPs) and proteoliposomes This heightened receptor activation directly translates to increased signal transduction as measured by the GTPase activity of the bound G-protein α inhibitory subunit 3 (Gαi3) This work represents a critical step forward in understanding the role of cholesterol-GPCR allostery in regulation of signal transduction FIGURE 1. Generalized first step of GPCR signal transduction. The extracellular agonist (red, PDB ID 1EOT) (Crump et al., 1998) binds to the orthosteric pocket of the GPCR (blue) to elicit a conformational change recognized intracellularly by the heterotrimeric G protein (PDB ID 1GP2) (Wall et al., 1995) and the α subunit (purple) dissociates from the βγ subunits (orange and teal there are many outstanding questions regarding the direct and indirect influence of cholesterol on function in vivo Much of what is known is derived from crystal structure co-crystallization and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations the conclusions are not definitive and experimental functional data are needed unclear as to which of the 3 Gαi subunits is primarily involved in the signaling cascade or if there is significant promiscuity in vivo between CCR3 and Gαis 1 the influence of direct lipid allostery on CCR3-G protein coupling and signal transduction is undocumented but the influence of cholesterol on this interaction is unknown investigation of the structure–function relationship and the lipid agency is an attractive and necessary long-term goal We then confirm that this cholesterol-induced modulation of ligand affinity translates to increased signal transduction measured via coupling to and activation of Gαi3 GTPase the first experimental evidence of cholesterol-receptor interactions and their effect on ligand affinity and the efficacy of signal transduction catalyzed by CCR3 The human CCR3 amino acid sequence was obtained from the UniProt database (P51677) The human CCL11 amino acid sequence was obtained from the UniProt database (P51671) and truncated to residues 24–97 to remove the propeptide The human G α inhibitory 3 (Gαi3) amino acid sequence was obtained from the UniProt database (P08754) The amino acid sequences were reverse engineered into fully optimized (FO) DNA sequences according to E serving as a platform for the application of DUMB optimization the FO constructs use codons to transcribe the proteins that correspond to only the most abundantly found tRNAs in the expression vector The native human Gαi3 (Sequence: J03005.1) and human CCL11 (D49372.1) gene sequences were also obtained from the ENA and codon-harmonized in the same way as a matter of course in the optimization process FIGURE 3. %MinMax (Rodriguez et al., 2018) of native sequences compared to optimized heterologous sequences (FO) and constructs codon-harmonized through DUMB optimization (DO) %MinMax of the DO sequences (red) more closely resemble the native values (blue) than the FO values (purple) This resulted in an N–maltose-binding protein (MBP)-8x His tag–TEV site–(GGGGS)4–CCR3–C construct The restriction enzymes NcoI and BamHI (Thermo Scientific) were used to insert the Gαi3 sequence into the expression vector pET-28a (+) (Novus Biologicals) This resulted in an N–Met-Gly–8x His–TEV site–Gαi3–C construct gene insertion and sequence conservation were verified by sequencing E. coli C43 (DE3) cells harboring the pMAL-p4x-CCR3 plasmid were grown in M9 minimal media containing 2 mM MgSO4, 0.1 mM CaCl2, 100 μg/ml ampicillin, 3 ml of 100x minimum essential vitamin stock, 96.22 mM Na2HPO4, 44.1 mM K2HPO4, 17.1 mM NaCl, 5 g glucose per L (0.5% w/v), 3.75 g NH4Cl per L (0.375% w/v), and 20 ml of Solution C (Supplementary Table S1) per L Cultures were grown at 220 rpm and 37°C until an OD600 of ∼1.0 was reached The cultures were cooled to 18°C and induced with 1 mM IPTG for 24 h Cell cultures were then pelleted at 5,500 rpm for 10 min and stored at −80°C for future use Cell pellets were removed from storage at −80°C and resuspended in 5 ml of lysis cocktail per g of cells (20 mM HEPES 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) PIERCE EDTA-free protease inhibitor tablets (Thermo Fisher) were added at one tablet per 6 g of cells and protein was extracted from membranes via addition of n-Dodecyl-β-D-Maltoside (DDM Anatrace) and cholesteryl hemisuccinate Tris-salt (CHS Anatrace) to final concentrations of 20 and 2 mM Extraction took place overnight at 4°C with rocking The solution was centrifuged at 125,000 g for 40 min at 4°C to remove cell debris The supernatant was filtered through a 0.22-μm PES bottle top filter and loaded onto a 5-ml nickel affinity column (NAC GE Healthcare Life Sciences) equilibrated in wash buffer (20 mM HEPES The column was then treated with five column volumes of wash buffer before elution with five column volumes of elution buffer (20 mM HEPES Samples were then transferred into wash buffer to remove EDTA and subjected to the NAC Flow-through containing cleaved CCR3 was collected and the elution peak containing TEV The flow-through was then concentrated to ∼2 mg/ml using an Amicon Stirred Cell with Ultracel 30 kDa Ultrafiltration Discs (Millipore) before loading onto a HiLoad 16/600 Superdex Prep grade 200 column (GE Healthcare Life Sciences) equilibrated in exchange buffer concentration was determined using optical density at 280 nm and samples were stored at 4°C for future use pMAL-p4x harboring CCL11 was cultured in M9 minimal media at 220 rpm and 37°C until an OD600 of ∼0.8 was reached The cultures were cooled to 18°C and induced with 0.5 mM IPTG for 24 h Cell aliquots were centrifuged at 5.5 k rpm for 10 min and the resulting pellets were stored at −80°C for future use Cell pellets were resuspended in CCL11 wash buffer (20 mM HEPES and 0.02% NaN3) supplemented with 0.2 mg/ml lysozyme and 1 PIERCE EDTA-free protease inhibitor tablet per 6 g of cells Cells were lysed via triplicate passage through a homogenizer Cell debris was centrifuged at 17,000 rpm for 30 min followed by clarification of the lysate using a 0.22-μm PES bottle top filter The clarified lysate was loaded onto an NAC preequilibrated in CCL11 wash buffer and eluted with five column volumes of CCL11 elution buffer (20 mM HEPES The elution peak was then transferred back into CCL11 wash buffer using a desalting column for the reverse NAC The TEV was added in a typical ratio of 1 mg TEV per 4 mg MBP-CCL11 and set to cleave at 4 °C with rocking for 1 h The cleavage mixture was then passed through the NAC and the flow-through containing cleaved CCL11 was collected This was concentrated to ∼5 ml using an Amicon Stirred Cell with Ultracel 3 kDa Ultrafiltration Discs (Millipore) and loaded onto a HiLoad 16/600 Superdex Prep grade 75 column equilibrated in CCL11 exchange buffer (20 mM HEPES The CCL11 elution fractions were collected and concentration was determined via optical density at 280 nm coli BL21 codon + (DE3) cells harboring the pET-28a (+) Gαi3 plasmid were grown in M9 minimal media at 220 rpm and 37°C until an OD600 of ∼1.0 was reached The cultures were cooled to 20°C and induced with 0.5 mM IPTG for 24 h Cell pellets were resuspended in Gαi3 wash buffer (20 mM HEPES Cell debris was centrifuged at 17,000 rpm for 30 min followed by clarification of the lysate using a 0.22-μm PES bottle top filter The clarified lysate was loaded onto an NAC preequilibrated in wash buffer and eluted with five column volumes of elution buffer (20 mM HEPES The elution peak was then loaded onto a HiLoad 16/600 Superdex Prep grade 75 column equilibrated in Gαi3 exchange buffer (20 mM HEPES Samples were combined at a ratio of 1:1 with 2x Laemmli buffer (20% glycerol, 125 mM Tris HCl pH 6.8, 4% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 0.02% bromophenol blue) for denaturation (Laemmli, 1970) Samples were then loaded into a Mini-PROTEAN TGX precast any-kD 10-well gel (Bio-Rad) with a Precision Plus Dual Standard protein ladder (Bio-Rad) The gel was run in running buffer (192 mM glycine 0.1% SDS) for 53 min to remove loading dye at 400 mA and 150 V on a PowerPac Basic module (Bio-Rad) The gel was removed from the casing and stained in staining buffer (20% methanol and 10% acetic acid with 1 mg/ml Coomassie R250) with orbital rotation at 69 rpm until the gel was no longer visible The gel was then destained in destaining buffer (20% methanol and 10% acetic acid) All non-crystallizing residues were assumed to be random coils for percent secondary structure calculations 1-pamlitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC or PC Avanti Polar Lipids) and cholesterol (Sigma) were solvated in chloroform at 10 mg/ml and 60% cholesterol (mol%) mixtures were formed and dried overnight in vacuo to produce a lipid film Dried films were evenly divided (one aliquot for a protein-free control) and then solvated in non-detergent buffer (NDB and 1 mM EDTA) supplemented with 25 mM 3-[(3-Cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS Anatrace) using mild sonication at 5 mg lipid/ml Solvated films were then set on the benchtop for 3–5 h before the addition of protein added at a ratio of 1 mg of protein per 4 mg of lipids An equal volume of exchange buffer was added to protein-free (PF) samples For samples reconstituted in the presence of CCL11 the agonist was added at a molar ratio of 5:1 CCL11:CCR3 or an equal volume of CCL11 exchange buffer was added to control samples All samples were set to anneal for 3 h on the benchtop during which Bio-Bead SM-2 Resin (Bio-Rad) was prepared by 3x degassing washes with methanol followed by 3x washes with DI water and resuspension in NDB A double portion of Bio-Beads (∼60 mg) was added to each sample before nutation at room temperature Samples were nutated in this way for 48–72 h with ∼30 mg Bio-Beads being added twice daily until the detergent was completely removed evidenced by increased turbidity and loss of detergent bubbles upon manual agitation Bio-Beads were removed by centrifugation at 500 rpm using PIERCE columns to collect fully formed proteoliposomes To form lipid particles (SMALPs) from proteoliposomal samples 3:1 pre-hydrolyzed styrene:maleic acid (SMA) was added at 3 mg SMA per 1 mg of lipids dropwise with inversion to each sample to facilitate polymer disc formation (Lipodisq Proteoliposomal samples typically turned clear within moments of SMA addition All samples were nutated overnight to ensure SMALP formation where I|| is the observed parallel intensity I⊥ is the observed perpendicular intensity Static concentrations of 100 nM FITC-CCL11 and 0.1 µg/µl bovine serum albumin (BSA Thermo Scientific) for nonspecific binding were added to each assay well CCR3 was added to the desired concentration Protein-free SMALPs or proteoliposomes were then added to balance out the lipid/SMA material such that the concentrations were equivalent across all wells NDB was then added to fill to 30 µl and lipids/SMA were static across all conditions and replicates Data were normalized by subtracting the lowest zero-point (no CCR3) value in a curve from each read to bring all curves within the same reference frame Gαi3 hydrolyzes GTP when bound to and activated by CCR3. Unhydrolyzed GTP is enzymatically converted to ATP and then to luminescence via luciferase. GTP turnover was thus quantified using a modified protocol of the GTPase-Glo™ assay (Promega) (Mondal et al., 2015) at room temperature for all steps with a reaction incubation time of 2 h in all cases reconstituted GTPase-Glo™ reagent was added and incubated for 30 min at room temperature followed by an additional 5–10 min of incubation Luminescence was read using a Cytation 3 multimode reader (Biotek Instruments Intrinsic GTPase activity of Gαi3 was analyzed using 2.5 μM apo-Gαi3 in 20 mM HEPES (pH 7.5) Preliminary CCL11-induced CCR3 activation of Gαi3 was analyzed in assay buffer (20 mM HEPES and 4 μM GTP) containing 5 mM MgCl2 Agonist-driven GTPase activity was analyzed in SMALPs formed from POPC with 0–30% cholesterol in assay buffer with no additives CCR3 samples reconstituted in the presence of CCL11 were analyzed in assay buffer plus 5 mM MgCl2 and proteoliposomes were performed with 5 μM CCL11 and 1 μM Gαi3 Relative light units (RLUs) of all assay runs were blank corrected by subtracting the average of three blank replicates (buffer with no GTP and background luminescence) from each replicate % Hydrolysis was calculated from raw data as follows: It is expected that an even greater yield would be observed if the expression cultures were grown in rich media CCL11 and Gαi3 were DUMB optimized as a matter of course in workflow optimization and produced yields of ∼2.6 ± 0.3 and 15.1 ± 0.3 mg/L is conserved in the experimental CD spectrum according to the fitting A Kd of 30 ± 10 nM at 30% cholesterol or a ∼5-fold decrease from pure POPC Points indicate the mean ± SEM for three replicates Error bars may fall within the size of the points We hypothesize both curvature and lateral pressure are lost in SMALPs which could contribute to the observed Kd discrepancies between the two conditions Increasing cholesterol presence did still lead to decreasing Kd in SMALPs suggesting that curvature and lateral pressure are not the only phenomena responsible for the observed modulation of ligand affinity we conclude that cholesterol is a direct positive allosteric effector of CCR3–ligand affinity We considered this an important step as little information is available concerning which Gαi subunits CCR3 activates Upon showing the ability for our constructs to couple we investigated the effects of cholesterol on this interaction hypothesizing that the dose-dependent modulation of agonist affinity would directly translate to Gαi3 coupling Points indicate the mean ± standard deviation for three replicates Bars indicate statistical significance based on the Student’s t-test: *p < 0.05 ***p < 0.001 To overcome this challenge, we reconstituted CCR3 in the presence of the peptide agonist. CCR3 was reconstituted into proteoliposomes with 0, 20, 40, and 60% cholesterol content with CCL11 present in the buffer at a molar ratio of 1:5 CCR3:CCL11. The GTPase assay was repeated in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+ (Figure 6C; Supplementary Figure S6B) Statistical significance between the GTP hydrolysis signal in 0 and 40% cholesterol is clear evidence of cholesterol dose-dependent modulation of function 60% cholesterol proteoliposomes is approximately equivalent which we also observed in the ligand-binding assay this corroborates our hypothesis that the dose-dependent modulation of agonist affinity directly translates to receptor activation This study represents an important step in the successful implementation of a dual heterologous expression strategy that we hypothesize will be of use both in our own future experiments and the wider GPCR structural biology community Such observations are likely conserved in chemokine receptors; therefore we conclude that cholesterol enhances CCR3 ligand binding through a direct allosteric mechanism that is directly translated to Gαi3 coupling and GTP hydrolysis our data indicate that cholesterol is a positive allosteric modulator of CCR3 signal transduction upregulation of CCL5 is related to CCR5 function but there may be a role for CCL5 and other chemokines triggering CCR3–Gαi3 coupling in neurodegenerative disorders that is certainly worth exploring The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author EA designed and performed all experiments in coordination with BW EA and BW contributed to subsequent revisions This work was funded by the NIH grant 1R35GM124979 (Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) R35) awarded to BW The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher and Bryan Sutton (TTU Health Sciences Center) for aid in the use of a spectrometer to acquire the CD spectra Latham (Texas Tech University) for the generous gift of the TEV protease plasmid and for the use of a fluorescence plate reader in the fluorescence polarization ligand-binding assay We would like to thank Shane Scoggin and Naima Moustaid-Moussa (Texas Tech University) for providing the use of a luminescent plate reader in the GTP hydrolysis assay The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2021.724603/full#supplementary-material A Reference Dataset for the Analyses of Membrane Protein Secondary Structures and Transmembrane Residues Using Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Efficient Production of a Functional G Protein-Coupled Receptor in E PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Conformational Changes upon Gating of KirBac1.1 into an Open-Activated State Revealed by Solid-State NMR and Functional Assays PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Evaluation of Secondary Structure of Proteins from UV Circular Dichroism Spectra Using an Unsupervised Learning Neural Network CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Heterologous Protein Expression Is Enhanced by Harmonizing the Codon Usage Frequencies of the Target Gene with Those of the Expression Host PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar [19] Integrated Methods for the Construction of Three-Dimensional Models and Computational Probing of Structure-Function Relations in G Protein-Coupled Receptors CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Probing Thermostability of Detergent-Solubilized CB2 Receptor by Parallel G Protein-Activation and Ligand-Binding Assays PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Functional Expression of the Human Serotonin 5-HT1A Receptor in Escherichia coli Ligand Binding Properties and Interaction with Recombinant G Protein Alpha-Subunits PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Preparation of Uniformly Isotope Labeled KcsA for Solid State NMR: Expression Reconstitution into Liposomes and Functional Assay PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Lipid Activation Mechanism of a Transmembrane Potassium Channel PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar An Inward-Rectifier Potassium Channel Coordinates the Properties of Biologically Derived Membranes PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Curvature and Hydrophobic Forces Drive Oligomerization and Modulate Activity of Rhodopsin in Membranes PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Cholesterol Impacts Chemokine CCR5 Receptor Ligand‐binding Activity PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar GPCRs: Lipid-dependent Membrane Receptors that Act as Drug Targets CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Alpha I-3 cDNA Encodes the Alpha Subunit of Gk the Stimulatory G Protein of Receptor-Regulated K+ Channels PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Alpha Subunit of the GTP Binding Protein Gk Opens Atrial Potassium Channels PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar a Chemokine that Selectively Recruits Eosinophils in Allergic Inflammation PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Allosteric Regulation of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Activity by Phospholipids PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Identification of a Major Co-receptor for Primary Isolates of HIV-1 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Styrene-Maleic Acid Copolymer: a Versatile Tool in Membrane Research PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Alanine Scanning Mutagenesis of the Chemokine Receptor CCR3 Reveals Distinct Extracellular Residues Involved in Recognition of the Eotaxin Family of Chemokines PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Esophageal Type 2 Cytokine Expression Heterogeneity in Eosinophilic Esophagitis in a Multisite Cohort PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structure of Signaling-Competent Neurotensin Receptor 1 Obtained by Directed Evolution inEscherichia Coli PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Hormonal Stimulation of Adenylyl Cyclase through Gi-Protein βγ Subunits PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Extraction and Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins into Lipid Nanodiscs Encased by Zwitterionic Styrene-Maleic Amide Copolymers PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Improvements in the Application of Firefly Luciferase Assays PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Bioluminescent Determination of 0.1 Picomole Amounts of Guanine Nucleotides PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Monitoring Dynamic Expression of Nuclear Genes in Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii by Using a Synthetic Luciferase Reporter Gene doi:10.1007/s11103-004-2150-610.1007/s11103-005-2150-1 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar yet Unique: Distinct Homo- and Heterodimerization Patterns of G Protein Coupled Chemokine Receptors and Their fine-tuning by Cholesterol PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar on Allergen-Induced Airway Responses in Adults with Mild-To-Moderate Atopic Asthma PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Maltose Binding Protein Facilitates Functional Production of Engineered Human Chemokine Receptor 3 in Escherichia coli CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Single-molecule Analysis of Ligand Efficacy in β2AR-G-protein Activation PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CXCL12 Chemokine and its Receptors as Major Players in the Interactions between Immune and Nervous Systems PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A Specific Cholesterol Binding Site Is Established by the 2.8 Å Structure of the Human β2-Adrenergic Receptor PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CCR3 and CCR5 Are Co-receptors for HIV-1 Infection of Microglia PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Delineating the Conformational Landscape of the Adenosine A2A Receptor during G Protein Coupling PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Mesenchymal Stem Cells Up-Regulate the Invasive Potential of Prostate Cancer Cells via the eotaxin-3/CCR3 axis PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A Critical Analysis of Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Membrane Cholesterol Sensitivity of GPCRs PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CCL24 Contributes to HCC Malignancy via RhoB- VEGFA-VEGFR2 Angiogenesis Pathway and Indicates Poor Prognosis PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Up-regulation of Functional Chemokine Receptor CCR3 in Human Renal Cell Carcinoma PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structure and Dynamics of GPCRs in Lipid Membranes: Physical Principles and Experimental Approaches PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Tobacco Etch Virus Protease: Mechanism of Autolysis and Rational Design of Stable Mutants with Wild-type Catalytic Proficiency PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Differential Expression of Chemokine Receptors on Peripheral Blood and Synovial Tissue Monocytes/macrophages in Rheumatoid Arthritis doi:10.1002/1529-0131(200105)44:5<1022::AID-ANR181>3.010.1002/1529-0131(200105)44:5<1022::aid-anr181>3.0.co;2-n Subunits βγ of Heterotrimeric G Protein Activate β2 Isoform of Phospholipase C PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A General Method for Site Specific Fluorescent Labeling of Recombinant Chemokines PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Role of Ligands on the Equilibria between Functional States of a G Protein-Coupled Receptor PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar and Identification of a Specific Eosinophil Eotaxin Receptor PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Cleavage of Structural Proteins during the Assembly of the Head of Bacteriophage T4 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Modulation of Chemokine Receptor Function by Cholesterol: New Prospects for Pharmacological Intervention PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar and Derailed Cerebellar Neuron Migration in CXCR4- and SDF-1-Deficient Mice PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Folding of the Mitochondrial Proton Adenosine Triphosphatase Proteolipid Channel in Phospholipid Vesicles PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structural Determinants of Cholesterol Recognition in Helical Integral Membrane Proteins CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CCL20 Is a Novel Ligand for the Scavenging Atypical Chemokine Receptor 4 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Behavioral and Genetic Evidence for GIRK Channels in the CNS PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar BeStSel: From Secondary Structure Analysis to Protein Fold Prediction by Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar BeStSel: a Web Server for Accurate Protein Secondary Structure Prediction and Fold Recognition from the Circular Dichroism Spectra PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Accurate Secondary Structure Prediction and Fold Recognition for Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structural Basis of Receptor Sulfotyrosine Recognition by a CC Chemokine: the N-Terminal Region of CCR3 Bound to CCL11/eotaxin-1 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar High-level Production of Biologically Active Chemokines in Escherichia coli Moghadam-Ahmadi Eotaxins and C-C Chemokine Receptor Type 3 in Parkinson's Disease PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Inhibition of Tobacco Etch Virus Protease Activity by Detergents PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A Homogenous Bioluminescent System for Measuring GTPase and Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Activities PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Production of a Human Histamine Receptor for NMR Spectroscopy in Aqueous Solutions PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Crystal Structure of a Kir3.1-prokaryotic Kir Channel Chimera PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Pándy-Szekeres GPCRdb in 2018: Adding GPCR Structure Models and Ligands PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Cytoplasmic Domain Structures of Kir2.1 and Kir3.1 Show Sites for Modulating Gating and Rectification PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Gαi Controls the Gating of the G Protein-Activated K+ Channel PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Šiaučiūnaiteė-Gaubard C-terminal Engineering of CXCL12 and CCL5 Chemokines: Functional Characterization by Electrophysiological Recordings PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Dynamic Cholesterol-Conditioned Dimerization of the G Protein Coupled Chemokine Receptor Type 4 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Estimation of Globular Protein Secondary Structure from Circular Dichroism PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Fluorescently Tagged CCL19 and CCL21 to Monitor CCR7 and ACKR4 Functions PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Codon Bias as a Means to Fine-Tune Gene Expression PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar %MinMax: A Versatile Tool for Calculating and Comparing Synonymous Codon Usage and its Impact on Protein Folding PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Structure and Function of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Analysis of Protein-Ligand Interactions by Fluorescence Polarization PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Gαi3primes the G Protein-Activated K+channels for Activation by Coexpressed Gβγ in intactXenopusoocytes PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Molecular Model for the Solubilization of Membranes into Nanodisks by Styrene Maleic Acid Copolymers CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Conformational Thermostabilization of the 1-adrenergic Receptor in a Detergent-Resistant Form PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar High-resolution Comparative Modeling with RosettaCM PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Regulation of the Oligomeric Status of CCR3 with Binding Ligands Revealed by Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structural Diversity in the RGS Domain and its Interaction with Heterotrimeric G Protein -subunits PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Estimation of Protein Secondary Structure from Circular Dichroism Spectra: Comparison of CONTIN and CDSSTR Methods with an Expanded Reference Set PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Detergent- and Phospholipid-Based Reconstitution Systems Have Differential Effects on Constitutive Activity of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Mechanisms of Regulation of the Chemokine-Receptor Network PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Small Molecular CCR3 Antagonist YM344031 Attenuates Neurodegenerative Pathologies and Improves Learning and Memory Performance in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Identification of Receptor Contact Site Involved in Receptor-G Protein Coupling PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structure of the CCR5 Chemokine Receptor-HIV Entry Inhibitor Maraviroc Complex PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Correlation between Serum RANTES Levels and the Severity of Parkinson's Disease CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Codon Harmonization of a Kir3.1-KirBac1.3 Chimera for Structural Study Optimization CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The HADDOCK2.2 Web Server: User-Friendly Integrative Modeling of Biomolecular Complexes PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Structure of the G Protein Heterotrimer Giα1β1γ2 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Milligram Production and Biological Activity Characterization of the Human Chemokine Receptor CCR3 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The Molecular Basis of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Activation PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar an Online Server for Protein Secondary Structure Analyses from Circular Dichroism Spectroscopic Data PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Protein Secondary Structure Analyses from Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy: Methods and Reference Databases PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structural Insights into the Lipid and Ligand Regulation of Serotonin Receptors PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Use of Dual Affinity Tags for Expression and Purification of Functional Peripheral Cannabinoid Receptor PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PtdIns(4,5)P2 Stabilizes Active States of GPCRs and Enhances Selectivity of G-Protein Coupling PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CCL5-Mediated Th2 Immune Polarization Promotes Metastasis in Luminal Breast Cancer PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Putative Cholesterol-Binding Sites in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Coreceptors CXCR4 and CCR5 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Citation: van Aalst E and Wylie BJ (2021) Cholesterol Is a Dose-Dependent Positive Allosteric Modulator of CCR3 Ligand Affinity and G Protein Coupling Received: 13 June 2021; Accepted: 14 July 2021;Published: 20 August 2021 Copyright © 2021 van Aalst and Wylie. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Benjamin J. Wylie, YmVuamFtaW4uai53eWxpZUB0dHUuZWR1 Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish the Miami Valley's hub for the arts and entertainment downtown has filled the role of President & CEO Gabriel van Aalst will take the helm this fall Dayton Live has announced the appointment of Gabriel van Aalst as its new President and CEO with nearly two decades of experience leading performing arts organizations "We are thrilled to welcome Gabriel van Aalst to Dayton Live," said Dave Dickerson Van Aalst's impressive background includes leading the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to new heights including exceeding fundraising goals and securing long-term contracts with musicians Van Aalst brings a wealth of experience to Dayton Live he served as President and CEO of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra where he oversaw a period of significant growth and achievement. Prior to that he held leadership positions with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra in London and Andrew McKinnon Presentations in Australia "I am incredibly excited to embark on this journey with Dayton Live," said van Aalst. He expressed his admiration for the organization's impact on the Dayton community and its commitment to creating "unforgettable experiences" through the arts. Van Aalst looks forward to collaborating with the existing team and resident companies to continue Dayton Live's tradition of excellence Brussels — Zimbabwean football icon Moses ‘Bambo’ Chunga has made a celebrated return to Belgium following an invitation from his former club who played for Eendracht Aalst from 1988 to 1992 enjoyed a stellar career that left an indelible mark on the club and its supporters Chunga’s skill and flair on the field quickly earned him a place in the hearts of fans and elevated him to legendary status within the club with Eendracht Aalst officials and fans gathering to honour his contributions and celebrate his legacy Chunga’s visit to Belgium highlights the longstanding connection between African players and European football clubs as well as the lasting impact of talented international players like Chunga who bring new energy to European leagues Known for his playmaking ability and goal-scoring prowess Chunga’s influence helped shape Eendracht Aalst’s achievements during his tenure The Zimbabwean legend’s return was marked by a series of events organised by the club paying tribute to his achievements both in Zimbabwe and Belgium Eendracht Aalst fans and former teammates gathered to relive memories of Chunga’s outstanding performances which contributed to some of the club’s most memorable moments As one of Zimbabwe’s most accomplished footballers Chunga’s success abroad paved the way for many aspiring Zimbabwean footballers looking to make their mark internationally Copyright © 2025 | The Zimbabwe Mail Online - Your News! Your Views! Your Life! Belgium — A Belgian carnival’s response to accusations of anti-Semitism has been to depict Jews as money-grubbing vermin in this year’s parade Revelers in the city of Aalst, responding stubbornly to a backlash over crude anti-Semitic caricatures in last year’s carnival that led to the event’s removal from a UNESCO cultural heritage list say they don’t know what all the fuss is about who took part in Sunday’s parade in a costume that combined the hat and ringlets of an ultra-Orthodox Jew with the body of an insect The continued controversy has created a new fault line between Flemish nationalists and French speakers at a time when Belgium’s politicians have spent nine fruitless months trying to form a federal government against the backdrop of rising support for the far right in Flanders Several of the unofficial groups taking part dressed as ultra-Orthodox Jews | Eddy Wax/POLITICO Belgium’s French-speaking Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès, whose mother is Jewish, accused the Aalst carnival of damaging the entire country’s “values and reputation.” which lies 30 kilometers northwest of Brussels and its Flemish nationalist N-VA mayor are fighting back in the name of freedom of speech and the right to mock everyone The carnival, with roots in the Middle Ages, glories in its brash, no-holds-barred approach to ridiculing public figures — but complaints about anti-Semitism date back to 2013 Targets at this year’s parade included Brexit Britain tennis player Kim Clijsters and the Belgian royals More controversially, many people, including children, had painted their faces black as part of the Dutch “Black Pete” tradition and one float featured white people dressed as African tribespeople dancing to the song “Hakuna Matata.” Others had painted their faces yellow to depict Chinese people suffering from the coronavirus and a few were dressed as outlandish Ali Baba-style Muslims Eleven men dressed as Hasidic Jews with the bodies and legs of ants pushed a float with a mock-up of Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall (a pun in the local dialect on “ant” and “wall”) — draped in pork sausages But there was also an overwhelming focus on mocking Jews with hundreds of carnival-goers donning the ringlets and fur hats that are worn by Hasidic Jewish men including on the streets of Antwerp just an hour’s drive away where there is an ultra-Orthodox community of about 20,000 people Their aim was to thumb their noses at the international outrage garnered by last year’s carnival, when they were accused of peddling Nazi-era anti-Jewish tropes for parading figures of hook-nosed Jews carrying sacks of gold coins and a rat. City Mayor Christoph D’Haese removed the carnival from a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List to pre-empt a ban the more shocking images came from several groups of revelers who were not part of the official parade but took part in the procession on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon Other floats blared out Klezmer music and the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” while the organizers of last year’s roundly condemned float were greeted with applause this year for their new float attacking UNESCO “That’s what you get when you say to Aalst ‘Don’t do it,’” said Aaron Christien a 24-year-old factory worker dressed as a clown Men dressed as a cross between an ant and a Hasidic Jew push a replica Wailing Wall in the Aalst carnival summoning up classic anti-Semitic imagery | Eddy Wax/POLITICO “I’m aware of everything that [happened in] World War I everything that happens in these three days has nothing to do with the world All the carnival-goers interviewed by POLITICO defended their right to mock whomever they pleased regardless of political correctness or historical sensitivities and stressed that Aalst is a unique event where people are only aiming to have fun “They made from a mouse an elephant,” said an older man about last year’s controversy He was wearing a Jewish prayer shawl and a false nose a member of the carnival’s judging committee “The spirit of this carnival is unique and the spirit means when we laugh with you Aalst has no sizeable Jewish community, but eight Jewish people had driven across Belgium to protest by throwing eggs at an official float depicting a gross caricature of a Jew with gold coins and diamonds Two men dressed as Jews held a pretend funeral for the organizing committee of Aalst carnival to mock criticism from 2019 | Laurie Tritschler “Do you need to laugh about everything or is there some frontier with good behavior or respect for the other people?” asked Chris Wirth the head of Belgium’s Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations (CCOJB) told POLITICO he was “appalled” by the images of this year’s carnival but that at least criticism of the event is gaining momentum The fallout from the carnival is entrenching the divide between the Flemish nationalist party N-VA and Belgium’s French-speaking parties Before the revelry began on Sunday, the Minister-President of Flanders Jan Jambon argued that the carnival is not anti-Semitic “Censorship is not appropriate here.” Belgium’s independent equality body UNIA already judged in 2019 that the carnival did not contravene any laws because it took place “in the very specific context of the carnival.” Aalst Mayor D’Haese told reporters that “there is no racism in Aalst and no anti-Semitism either,” but no one should be safe from ridicule. He has described his city as “the capital of humor and satire.” whose constituency includes Antwerp’s Jewish neighborhood said the real story is “nuanced.” “The world is focusing now on these 50 people we should condemn them … and we can also conclude that most people decided to obey the rules and did not go too far,” he told POLITICO While commending Prime Minister Wilmès for her condemnation of anti-Semitism Freilich said Francophone parties are using the backlash “for political purposes.” Wilmès said it is up to the Belgian legal system to determine if laws had been broken Belgium’s independent equality body UNIA already judged in 2019 that the carnival did not contravene any laws because it took place “in the very specific context of the carnival,” and underscored that “it is a local event that takes place each year for a brief time period.” But Aalst is now more than a parochial parade Several of the carnival-goers suggested the actions of the Israeli government against Palestinians legitimized their mockery of Jewish people whose portfolio of “promoting our European way of life” includes fighting anti-Semitism A Commission spokesperson said: “It should indeed be self-evident that such images as what we’ve seen should not parade European streets 75 years after the Shoah [the Hebrew term for the Holocaust].” Wilmès, the acting head of Belgium’s minority federal government, is also under pressure from the Israeli government to ban the carnival “I think some people should be punished and pay a price for what happened yesterday,” said Emmanuel Nahshon Some carnival-goers also dressed as doctors | James Arthur Gekiere/AFP via Getty Images “We have a party — there [in Israel] is a war an unemployed ex-factory worker who was staging a mock burial for the carnival suggesting that it had been ruined by criticism Nahshon dismissed that claim as “absurd and nothing to do with it.” He added “We have a complex situation between us and the Palestinians that we are trying to solve peacefully What we see in Aalst has nothing to do with that it’s reminiscent of the 1930s.” ‘Confidential’ document details concerted plan to woo Manfred Weber’s EPP back to center ground. The Commission president is further centralizing the EU executive in her second term. More EU leaders, plus Norway and Canada, are expected to attend, 48 hours after previous talks. Roses are red. There’s love in the bubble. If you don’t read this article. You’ll be in deep trouble. CategoriesCategoriesEnglishECONOMYTupperware's American directors agree to bankruptcy of Belgian branches 13 January 2025 The American directors of plastic container manufacturer Tupperware have agreed to the bankruptcy of its Belgian branches Its Belgian factory employs about 270 people in Aalst A curator will be appointed soon to liquidate the assets and the amount raised will be used for the severance payments of the workers Tupperware Brands found itself in an untenable situation last year as it could no longer pay its debts A takeover by lenders such as Stonehill Capital Management Partners and Alden Global Capital followed which would let The New Tupperware Company focus on a number of “core countries” Tupperware's US headquarters hadn’t commented on the Belgian sites licences were revoked to make or sell containers and other plastic items in Aalst That meant the plant could no longer operate but local management did not receive information from US executives the local management suggested filing for bankruptcy on their own But it was unclear exactly how that would be done without the Americans' agreement The US management has since given the go-ahead to dismantle the Belgian branches No dates are yet known for the further steps in the bankruptcy but the works council gave the green light on Monday to ask the court to appoint a curator “We would have preferred a concrete date,” said Chiara Van Geert of the ACV union “But I am satisfied that we can now tell the staff that the end is in sight The Americans are taking responsibility here The unions will now negotiate severance payments and hope for a quick and fair settlement for the affected workers #FlandersNewsService | A Tupperware outlet in Wijnegem Antwerp © PHOTO ANP / HOLLANDSE HOOGTE / PETER HILZ Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu Belgium’s prime minister and the European Union’s executive branch led the chorus of condemnation of Sunday’s annual carnival in the… A antisemitic float on parade at the 2020 carnival in Aalst After 2019’s carnival showcased puppets of crudely-stereotyped Orthodox Jews sitting on bags of money to international condemnation One group mocked Jews by wearing huge fur hats long fake noses and ant costumes — bringing to mind the Nazi association of Jews with “vermin.” Other revelers wore fake hooked noses while carrying signs that read “Do not mock Jews” and “Do not tell the truth about Jews.” The mock noses were reportedly so popular that a week before the carnival, Joel Rubinfeld — who heads the Belgian League Against Antisemitism — was told during a visit to several stores in Aalst that stocks had run out similarly led by boisterous revelers wearing exaggerated “Orthodox Jew” costumes poked fun at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès said on Sunday evening the antisemitic displays “detract from our values and reputation of our country.” She also suggested that carnival organizers might yet face legal sanctions “Belgium is a state of law,” Wilmès said “It is for the Justice Department and concerned authorities to determine if the events during the carnival are in contravention of the law.” the European Commission — the powerful executive body of the EU that is headquartered in Brussels just 19 miles from Aalst — said that it was up to the “national authorities” in Belgium to act A spokesperson for the Commission told the Belgian newspaper De Standaard that it would nevertheless “look at” the large number of complaints that were received on Sunday urging the Commission to act independently against the Aalst carnival The spokesperson added that especially as Europe was marking 75 years since the end of the Holocaust “such images have no place on European streets.” Top officials in Aalst openly embraced the antisemitic caricatures displayed on Sunday A smiling Christoph D’Haese — the far-right Flemish nationalist mayor of Aalst — was seen posing with revelers who wore fake hooked noses while his party colleague Ben Weyts dismissed protests against the carnival as a “grotesque exaggeration,” since “99.9 percent of the carnival-goers have not made any reference to Jewish themes.” a spokesman for D’Haese insisted that the carnival was merely harmless fun “We don’t wish harm to anyone,” Peter Van den Bossche told the broadcaster It’s a weekend of freedom of speech.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" or `null`');if(H(a,"numericSeparator")&&"boolean"!=typeof a.numericSeparator)throw new TypeError('option "numericSeparator" ")+" }")};var K=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty||function(e){return e in this};function H(e,t){return K.call(e,t)}function q(e){return m.call(e)}function V(e,t){if(e.indexOf)return e.indexOf(t);for(var n=0,r=e.length;nt.maxStringLength?(n=".. o._value : o.value;return ${o&&o.number?"_n(val)":"val"}});`+" "+Ao(t,"$event.target.multiple arguments)`:n?`return (${e.value}).apply(null */?>(?=[ \\t]*(?:\\n|$))[\\s\\S]*?(?:(?:\\n *)+\\n|$)|(?=[ \\t]*(?:\\n|$))[\\s\\S]*?(?:(?:\\n *)+\\n|$))",def:/^ {0,3}\[(label)\]: *(?:\n *)?([^<\s][^\s]*|<.*?>)(?:(?: +(?:\n *)?| *\n *)(title)) Interactive demos and on-demand recordings 300+ pre-built apps for processes like yours Building a process mining center of excellence Develop a value proposition for process mining Join the 2,000+ consulting firms using Celonis Join our biggest event series across 23 cities Come see what’s next for us at Celonis:NEXT on May 13 Javascript is requiredYou must have JavaScript enabled in order to access the Celonis website The web browser you're using either doesn't support JavaScript Please check your browser's help resources to learn whether your browser supports JavaScript and how to allow JavaScript New SubscriptionPlease enter an emailJavascript is required to submit this form Company adding more than 6,000 sqm across two sites Belgian data center operator LCL is investing €120 million ($127.6m) in expanding its facilities in Brussels the company said it will invest €100 million ($106m) in two expansion projects in Aalst and Diegem – both in the north of the Belgian capital – and €20 million ($21.2m) in sustainability efforts Work on the Aalst expansion has already begun; the company will add 2,367 sqm (25,480 sq ft) across multiple data rooms Work on expanding the data center in Diegem will start in December 2023 and continue until October 2025 The company said four floors will be added to the building adding an additional 24MW and 4,000 sqm (43,055 sq ft) LCL will also install solar panels on the façade of LCL Brussels-North facility in Diegem The company also aims to invest in more efficient cooling systems to reduce facility PUEs “To maintain our leading position in the Belgian data center sector we need to continue to expand our existing data centers and equip them with sustainable innovations This is essential if we are to host and serve as many customers as possible The investments we will make represent a step forward for our company and for existing and future customers,” said Laurens van Reijen LCL began in 2002 when CEO van Reijen acquired a former Ebone data center in Diegem, and operated it under the name LCL Telehousing. Today the company operates in five locations including Brussels, Antwerp, and Gembloux Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia Police in Aalst have started to practise pupil and police responses to an armed incident in 10 secondary schools in the city from today they hope to be better prepared if such a situation were to occur in reality Role-plays will run in different schools until 18 February Aalst police are staging so-called AMOK exercises in cooperation with 10 secondary schools in the city ‘This is an exercise in which an attacker tries to create as many victims as possible in a certain environment In the present exercise these are school environments,’ says Lisa Wynendaele of Aalst police ‘One of our colleagues plays the attacker and makes his way through the building he won't try to barricade himself in somewhere but will try to kill as many victims as possible.’ In all some 50 police officers are taking part in the exercise half of them are on hand to provide support Students and teachers also take part in the exercise Pupils require explicit permission from their parents Pupils and teachers are assigned their roles ‘A distinction is made among the victims determining which are effectively injured This helps to make the scenario as realistic as possible and re-enact all possible options,’ says Wynendaele when everyone can share their experiences of the exercise police will collate all the information they have gathered and evaluate the good points and the points that need attention for the future.’ Jessie Van Aalst was the Netherlands’ star this evening in Valencia, with an impressive performance, both offensively and from the circle. The two-way player produced the only two runs of the game in the first inning, and tossed 5.2 scoreless innings in Netherlands’ 2-0 win over China securing a ticket to the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2024 Netherlands jumped ahead in the first inning Britt Vonk led off the game with a single to the right field and Brenda Beers walked to put on base the first two hitters of the game Van Aalst stepped on the plate and hit a triple down the right field line Van Aalst struck out eight opponents against three hits and three walks Xinyue Jiang lined a fly ball to center field Lisa Hop replaced Van Aalst in the circle and pitched 1.1 innings with two strikeouts Yinan Chai was charged with the loss after pitching 2.1 innings the Netherlands secured their ticket to the Finals 2024 Sitemap Media Data Protection Contacts Avenue Général-Guisan, 45 CH-1009 Pully | Switzerland The WBSC is recognised as the sole competent authority in Baseball and Softball by the International Olympic Committee A 49-year-old man from Aalst (East Flanders) that drove his scooter home from court just minutes after a judge just had banned him from driving has been fined 7,200 euro The man’s defence that he had been “absent-minded” when he drove his scooter home failed to wash with the judge and a hefty fine was issued In March last year the 49-year-old was caught riding his moped under the influence of cocaine At his trial the man claimed that he had not used drugs for a long time and that “something had stuck to my tongue” the judge didn’t believe this somewhat bizarre explanation At the trial it also emerged that the man had not had a valid driving licence for 20 years The serial offender with 25 previous motoring offences to his name was fined 1,600 euro and banned from driving for 9 months just minutes later he left the court with his crash helmet in his hand and got onto his moped He drove off on the wrong side of the road on the bicycle lane but was quickly intercepted by the police At his latest trial the judge issued a 7,200-euro fine banned the man from driving for a further 2 years and declared him unfit to drive jar and container producer Tupperware Brands has initiated bankruptcy proceedings in the United States In a press release the company says that is looking for a company to buy it out A household name in many countries around the world Tupperware also has a factory in the East Flemish city of Aalst The 260 people that work there are awaiting news about their future with trepidation In the United States Tupperware is entering a so-called Chapter 11 procedure under which it will be given protection from its creditors The aim is to allow operations to continue during the Chapter 11 proceedings and to attempt to find a buyer to “save the iconic brand" The company has been in financial difficulty for some time and can no longer pay its debts that amount to 700 million dollars Creditors gave Tupperware Brands some extra breathing space earlier this year but the company has not been able to recover in time In a press release Tupperware’s CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said “In recent years the company's financial position has been severely affected by the challenging macroeconomic environment We looked at various strategic options and decided that this is the best way forward” Traffic had been driving along the renovated Eindhovenseweg through Aalst-Waalre since late December but on Tuesday it was also officially put into use According to councillor Suzan van de Goor of the Municipality of Waalre Eindhovenseweg has been completely redone and the redesign has created a “more sustainable on which the councillor and the contractor took a seat marked the inauguration of the renovated road The councillor praised the patience for local residents and road users during the works we have worked together with contractor Den Ouden to reduce cut-through traffic improve air quality and create a green and safe environment” But the redesign does not only consist of visible improvements “We ban lorry traffic and cut-through traffic from our village centres” The necessary adjustments were also made underground Van de Goor: “Think of the replacement of 4.8 kilometres of sewers and the removal and relocation of eventually 33,000 cubic metres of soil The constructed sewer system collects rainwater separately which will help meet future climate challenges” The new Eindhovenseweg is part of Duurzaam door Waalre (sustainable through Waalre) program we are rigorously reducing the number of traffic movements on Eindhovenseweg in Aalst and on Traverse in Waalre village” Van de Goor believes that the new N69 – between southern Valkenswaard and A2/A67 – is the alternative for through (freight) traffic “That has a fast and comfortable alternative with this and no longer has to drive through village centres and on local roads” Source: Studio040 and website in this browser for the next time I comment The Belgian city of Aalst has defended anti-Semitic floats in their carnival as “our humor.” The annual carnival taking place in February regularly features racist depictions of Orthodox Jews wearing outsized fur hats long prosthetic noses and demeaning costumes Jewish activist groups and Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès are among the few of many who have condemned the costumes in the Aalst parade according to the BBC This February’s renewed anti-Semitic displays came a year after the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published an expose uncovering the regular anti-Semitic themes in last year’s parade in Aalst Participants who donned the anti-Semitic caricatures claimed the renewed displays of Orthodox Jews were created to promote the carnival and reject the widespread criticism the town received after the report from JTA JTA’s coverage of the Aalst carnival uncovered floats with sinister looking Orthodox Jews holding bags of money and an in one case a rat perched on one of the figure’s shoulders Multiple groups in the Aalst carnival this year wore costumes mocking different aspects of the Jewish culture and religion One group wore an ant’s abdomen and legs attached to their backs and a sticker that read “obey” on their lapels Numerous critics of the carnival argueed that comparing Jews to ants was similar to Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda Another group at the Aalst carnival attached a sign to their float which read: “regulations for the Jewish party committee,” and included the phrases: “Do not mock Jews” and “Certainly do not tell the truth about the Jew.” Many on-lookers even wore faux ultra-Orthodox Jewish costumes including one person who also wore large troll feet The city drew so much criticism for their anit-Semitic caricatures of Jews last year that the parade was dropped from UNESCO’s cultural heritage list in December the Aalst mayor’s spokesman Peter Van den Bossche claimed “It’s our parade people can do whatever they want,” he said “It’s a weekend of freedom of speech.” Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51612541 For workers at the Belgian Tupperware factory in Aalst (East Flanders) ‘Nothing is still known about the severance payments It is an unprecedented situation,’ says Jan Holtyzer of socialist trade union ABVV Around 30 workers started their very last morning shift at the Tupperware factory this morning Today the curtain falls on the plastic receptacles factory The US parent company ran into difficulty last year due to mounting debts The producer has been in financial straits for years several lenders took over the parent company They want to continue to operate in only eight of the 67 markets worldwide What will happen with the others is unclear After today the Aalst plant will no longer be able to work under a licence from Tupperware’s US headquarters The unions say there is still a lot of uncertainty ‘It still remains to be seen what will happen with the people in Aalst the US management has not filed for bankruptcy,’ says Jan Holtyzer of ABVV This also means that nothing yet is known about possible severance payments there is a lot of uncertainty and anger among the workforce Tupperware Belgium has always done a very good job and new products were always made in Belgium first because of our knowledge and expertise But now the workers are being thrown out with the garbage.’ ‘We are going to see if we can't involve a court in Belgium so they can declare a bankruptcy,’ Holtyzer says Investment expands Cargill's Asia-Pacific cocoa & chocolate offerings in a move to better serve industrial and foodservice customers SINGAPORE, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to an Asian marketplace sweet on chocolate products, Cargill has entered into an agreement to acquire Aalst Chocolate Pte. Ltd. a Singapore-based world-class chocolate manufacturer Pending regulatory approval and closing conditions the acquisition will significantly expand Cargill's Asia-Pacific footprint adding chocolate to its existing portfolio of cocoa products "The rapidly growing Asian marketplace is increasingly wielding its influence around the globe sparking inspiration and driving international trends," said Francesca Kleemans managing director for Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate Asia-Pacific "Joining with Aalst strengthens our position in this critical region enabling us to become the supplier-of-choice for industrial and foodservice customers With an expanded selection of value-added and specialty chocolate products and deep technical expertise better helping customers create products that continue to surprise and delight." Aalst's large customer base spans more than 50 countries retail and foodservice clients in key markets such as India Its comprehensive portfolio features six distinct brands with offerings that include both bake-stable and artisan chocolates and compounds in addition to a range of premium retail chocolate products and luxury pralines access to a robust sourcing network that aims to ensure a thriving cocoa sector for generations to come including its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Singapore R&D capabilities in Singapore and Shanghai and its over 200 employees across the region will join Cargill's cocoa and chocolate Asia-Pacific operations with its unparalleled supply chain infrastructure and extensive international trade agreements remains Cargill's strategic regional business hub "Singapore and made-in-Singapore products are both highly regarded and reputed for meeting stringent world-class standards We are proud of Aalst Chocolate's heritage as a Singapore company with a renowned presence of over 18 years in Asia's chocolate industry Together with Cargill's global expertise and experience we believe that this new venture will be well-positioned to harness the full potential of exciting synergetic growth possibilities and become an ideal integrated chocolate solution provider for our customers," said Richard Lee Founder & CEO of Aalst Chocolate Pte Ltd On the heels of Cargill's acquisition of Aalst, the company is gearing up to start its first Asian chocolate manufacturing operations in India next month producing chocolate and chocolate compounds for the domestic market Prior to this, Cargill opened its first Asian cocoa processing facility in Gresik, Indonesia in 2014, and subsequently launched new Gerkens® cocoa powders for the region in 2016 and 2019 Today's announcement further affirms Cargill's commitment to the sector and expands its presence in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific cocoa and chocolate market positioning the company as a trusted cocoa supplier local chocolate manufacturer and regional chocolate expert About CargillCargill's 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe and people and animals with the food they need to thrive Aalst Chocolate has the distinction of being the first Singaporean–owned chocolate manufacturer We are dedicated to excellence in our quest to produce the best chocolate products in the industry having invested in state-of-the-art production facilities in Singapore Modern manufacturing and automated facilities led by professional management ensure that quality chocolate and compounds are produced efficiently Aalst aims to meet or even exceed the exacting requirements of the market and customers' expectation Our factory also specializes in the production of customizable and tailor-made chocolate products Innovation continues to be a key driving force for Aalst's success which is reflected in our substantial investment on Research and Development Together with our experienced in-house Product Development team and research and development centres in Singapore and China Aalst Chocolate is now in the position to deliver total and seamless chocolate solutions Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1594096/Cargill_Logo.jpg www.cargill.com Do not sell or share my personal information: Organisers in Aalst say they will defy calls from Israel’s government to cancel event Organisers of a Belgian carnival, removed from a Unesco heritage list last year following criticism of its antisemitic floats have said they will defy calls from Israel’s government for Sunday’s event to be cancelled Belgium’s prime minister, Sophie Wilmès also described the parade as an “internal affair” after Israel’s foreign minister called for the authorities to “condemn and ban this hateful parade in Aalst” “Belgium as a western democracy should be ashamed to allow such a vitriolic antisemitic display,” Katz had tweeted Emmanuel Nahshon, Israel’s ambassador to Belgium, said he hoped the organisers and local authorities would “pull themselves together”, as he clarified the minister’s remarks. Read more“What we are asking for is absolutely not the prohibition of carnival as such,” Nahshon said “What we are asking for is the prohibition of all these antisemitic cartoons which have nothing to do with a sense of humour and which do not honour an exemplary democracy such as Belgium.” During last year’s three-day carnival in the Flemish town floats depicted Orthodox Jews with hooked noses standing on sacks of gold coins One of the figures was carrying a white rat on its shoulder Last year Unesco removed the Aalst carnival from a list of “intangible cultural heritage” an inventory of protected practices that includes Irish hurling and Cypriot-Greek Byzantine chant had been guilty of “recurring repetition of racist and antisemitic representations” The carnival’s organisers had pre-empted the sanction by requesting that the event be taken off the Unesco inventory claiming that support for its inclusion within the local community had been lost who is in the Flemish nationalist N-VA party claimed his citizens had “suffered grotesque accusations … Aalst will always remain the capital of mockery and satire” would go ahead as planned as he defended the freedom of expression of those involved “A magnifying glass is now looking at a very beautiful folk festival that has been able to take place 91 times without any significant problems,” he told a Flemish radio station We need to be aware of the fact that a large community may feel hurt and have respect for it But Aalst will always remain the odd one out.” D’Haese said that “raising awareness is one thing; forbidding and censorship is something else” “You can focus your magnifying glass on many things but you can also focus on the creativity that the carnivalists put into their work and on the young people who work on all those floats,” he said said the mayor “should make more efforts to enter into dialogue with the carnivalists and try to convince them that they are not acting morally and ethically” There is expected to be heavier security around the parade By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org JTA’s Europe correspondent explores a parade in Belgium that underlines an ominous shift in attitudes toward Jews in parts of Western Europe AALST, Belgium (JTA) — I probably spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about the Holocaust Partly as a consequence of covering Jewish news in Europe at a time of rising anti-Semitism Holocaust associations often come to mind in my daily life — on crowded trains But I never thought I’d have a conversation end with these words: “I have to hang up now That moment came Sunday at the Aalst Carnival an annual costume parade that takes place in this small city about 10 miles west of Brussels a cherished tradition here celebrating Lent has become controversial for some of its participants’ tradition of mocking Jews and the Holocaust the president of the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism His quote was referring to a group of revelers wearing shiny black long coats and red armbands that were clearly meant to evoke the Nazi uniform He had to hang up to document the display for the group’s records It was, I think, the only reference this year to Nazis at the parade. But caricatures of Jews, including costumes depicting them as insects were a prominent element in the procession of floats and even among spectators of haredi Orthodox Jews with fake sidelocks exaggeratedly large fur hats and ant abdomens attached to their backs is that the Dutch word for Jerusalem’s Western Wall sounds like “complaining ant.” They wore a sticker reading “obey” on their lapels and pushed a float shaped like the Western Wall Did the parade-goer understand how some observers could be shocked by what looks like a reference to the rich history of depicting Jews as vermin in Nazi and other anti-Semitic propaganda and we can joke about whatever we want here,” said the man who said he was 26 years old and working in computers He identified himself as Fred van Oilsjt — a name that I believe was a joke as Oilsjt is how his city’s name is written in the local dialect featured a large parchment sign proclaiming six “regulations” handed down by the made-up “Jewish festival committee.” They include “No Jews in the procession; no mocking Jews; don’t ever tell the truth about the Jew; what the Jew wants will happen; all drugs and black money is ours.” A man wearing a fake hooked nose and carrying a sign warning readers not to “tell the the truth about the Jew” at the annual procession of the carnival in Aalst The 10 men responsible for the float waited to join the procession under a bridge where they drank lots of beer and danced to a playlist that combined German heavy metal rock — the kind favored by neo-Nazis — with traditional Jewish tunes like “Hava Nagila.” This was far from the first time that parts of the Aalst Carnival have presented displays that were deemed anti-Semitic participants dressed like Nazis walked around wearing cans labeled “Zyklon B” — the poison that the Nazis used to kill Jews in gas chambers one float featured two effigies of haredi Jews holding bags of money The float spurred UNESCO to strip the carnival of its credentials as a world heritage event. The group that prepared the float insisted that it wasn’t meant to offend Dismissing any historic context of how Jews were caricatured in pre-Holocaust Europe parade organizers have defended the rat display and others as harmless satire the displays here are jarring not only because of the stereotypes they betray but also because they indicate how the borders have shifted on what can be said about Jews in the places where they were murdered or hunted down only 75 years ago it is this deeper shift — not as much the imagery that reflects it — that’s making us doubt our future in Western Europe Some participants protested what they found to be anti-Semitic messages at the carnival a middle-aged Christian woman from Brussels came to the parade wearing blackened goggles symbolizing her “critical view” of what she called “cheap attempts to hurt and provoke Jewish people.” while wearing blackened goggles to protest perceived anti-Semitism at the carnival of Aalst The leader of the group with the hooked noses was reluctant to speak to me about his float’s message and sign most of them upstanding citizens with families and jobs slave for months each year to prepare the parade’s 150 or so floats in time for the carnival a 93-year-old event that is part of a long tradition with religious roots that takes place across Catholic Europe Many floats have spectacular and sometimes hilarious artworks celebrating creativity and humor with wordplay and caricatures of local politicians Some have children’s choirs and others boast brass bands that produce delightful shows who watch the floats show off to a jury at the main square of this city of about 80,000 residents Most of the floats have no racist overtones at the annual carnival in Aalst Those were not the displays that I and about 50 other colleagues from the local and international media came to find in Aalst this weekend we came mostly for the handful of floats with allegedly anti-Semitic content and the 10-or-so floats meant to protest the UNESCO delisting We shared information of where to find them Aalst Mayor Christophe D’Haese reproached us for this “I read your reports from the Aalst Carnival and it made me wonder whether we’re attending the same event,” he told reporters at a news conference that he called a few hours into the event after condemnations began pouring in the mayor posed for pictures against the float that read “don’t ever tell the truth about the Jew.” D’Haese had also defended the 2019 display when UNESCO called it anti-Semitic saying the condemnation “takes the display out of the context He has additionally stressed how the Aalst Carnival mocks Christians whereas the outrage is only over mockery of Jews (His point is true: Some floats featured Asians with screw heads for eyes and black people with exaggerated lips.) A man wearing blackface at the annual procession of the carnival in Aalst told me he thinks the mayor made “a huge miscalculation” by refusing to stamp out Jewish references in the 2020 parade “He let a few bad apples taint the entire barrel,” Rubinfeld said the effects were felt far beyond the barrel told me that he dreamed on Sunday night that he was forced to decide whether to warn his congregants to leave the Netherlands — an issue he’s been struggling with for several years he felt the weight of leadership that rested on Jewish community leaders in the 1930s and 1940s But the fact that it’s even on my mind is a new development that scares me.” with which I’ve been grappling for years living in Amsterdam and revisited following the Aalst Carnival If depicting Jews as insects is now permissible just outside the capital of the European Union whereas it was unthinkable just 20 years ago who knows what things will look like 20 years from now At one point during the event, my Belgian colleagues became aware of my presence there — perhaps because my reporting on last year’s edition was a key factor in the uproar that led to the UNESCO delisting “Do you think this is an anti-Semitic event?” one Belgian colleague asked me but it does have anti-Semitic elements that make me feel uncomfortable I don’t support banning it because I believe in freedom of expression adding that my main regret is that my kids can’t enjoy it with me I’m considering taking them here next year because they’d have a blast and wouldn’t even notice the handful of Jewish references that I and my colleagues had sought out One wrinkle: I’m not so sure we’ll be in Europe next year I found myself looking at housing options in Israel on the train out of Aalst With each new incident that reflects the mainstreaming of anti-Semitism in Western Europe I’m increasingly considering the merits of moving my family to the Jewish state at least events like the Aalst Carnival amount to little more than a bad joke somewhere far away JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent I accept the Privacy Policy. CategoriesCategoriesEnglishCULTURE, TOURISMAalst Carnival opening parade draws 80,000 as first party night passes peacefully12 February 2024 Around 80,000 people attended the carnival parade in Aalst on Sunday During the first night of partying after the parade Police arrested about 10 people and intervened in 13 minor skirmishes The number of people attending the traditional opening parade was lower than last year's record crowd 105,000 people came to Aalst on the first day of the parade - the highest number ever recorded - when the event was held without restrictions for the first time after the pandemic this year's total of around 80,000 visitors "is actually average" the first party night passed off peacefully Police took around 10 people into administrative custody The police issued two official reports for drug possession the procession took place for the second time The Aalst carnival is the largest carnival event in Flanders more than 70 local groups take part in the parade on Sunday the "Voil-Jeanetten" parade takes place: men dressed as women with prams and broken umbrellas dominate the streets the event was added to the UNESCO list of Intangible Heritage of Humanity petitioned UNESCO to remove the carnival from the list following widespread controversy over floats representing Jewish people This was the first time UNESCO had removed an event from its register #FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / © BELGA VIDEO VICTOR VAN KERCKHOVE Carnival of Aalst included parade float caricaturing Orthodox Jews Unesco has removed an annual carnival in the Belgian city of Aalst from its heritage list over persistent charges of antisemitism Unesco’s intergovernmental committee for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage said it was withdrawing the carnival “over recurring repetition of racist and antisemitic representations” at the event The carnival of Aalst, in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, was initially added to Unesco’s list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2010. But the presence of a parade float caricaturing Orthodox Jews with hooked noses and sitting on gold bags outraged Belgium’s 40,000-strong Jewish community. Anticipating Unesco’s decision at its meeting in the Colombian capital, Bogotá, Aalst’s mayor, Christoph D’Haese, on Sunday renounced the city’s place on the list before it could be stripped of the designation. “The citizens of Aalst have suffered grotesque accusations,” the mayor said in a press release sent to TV Oost Nieuws, according to Belga news agency. “We are neither antisemitic nor racist. All those who support this are acting in bad faith. Aalst will always remain the capital of mockery and satire.” The head of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association said Aalst officials were “jumping before they were pushed”, according to a statement. Read more“Despite the widespread criticism despite the clear grotesque antisemitic imagery despite the opportunity to at least acknowledge the wrong and hurt caused the mayor of Aalst has consistently remained defiant and mocking,” said the EJA president Unesco said in March it would be “vigilant and uncompromising regarding such occurrences” and expectations were high that the carnival would be pulled from the list at a meeting on Thursday A statement released by the meeting in Bogotá announcing the decision said: “Unesco is faithful to its founding principles of dignity equality and mutual respect among peoples and condemns all forms of racism (A full version of this article appeared earlier this month in the online magazine of FMO the Netherlands Entrepreneurial Development Bank The IFRC’s World Disasters Report 2020 focuses on global efforts to tackle climate change and is out tomorrow Tuesday.) “Often science can be too abstract and large-scale when what we need is research that can be understood and useful to people on the front line So a lot of our work involves trying to bridge those divides.” As an example Climate Centre Director Maarten van Aalst cites the work one of his PhD students is doing on improving early-warning climate systems in conflict settings Another question is how to leverage scientific advancements satellite-informed weather predictions have improved enormously in recent decades even in places with no adequate weather stations “So we’re looking at how we can use this to improve modelling and provide relevant data that informs practical action on the ground.” Maarten argues that current systems for social security are “largely poverty-driven: if a farmer drops under a set poverty line due to a bad harvest “But why wait for the bad harvest before giving the pay-out If we can predict extreme weather…wouldn’t it be smarter to pay out to the farmer beforehand so he can prepare.” nearly all weather-related natural disasters are to varying degrees predictable and yet a further area is forecast-based financing – now a standard component of relief work and the international Red Cross Red Crescent has such financing systems in place or being developed in 35 countries “The countries where these disasters are most likely to occur are also often the poorest So part of my work is to consider which available forecasts are most relevant This is often about translating a weather forecast into an impact forecast which combines meteorological data with what we know about the vulnerability of people in those areas.” One disaster risk where Maarten feels awareness is lacking is heatwaves a global trend rising even more rapidly than models are predicting “We can say almost with certainty that events in Siberia this summer with both a terrible heatwave and wildfires wouldn’t have happened without climate change… “And this year’s major wildfires in California and bushfires in Australia were also more likely due to climate change. Heat is a highly underestimated risk factor with major negative social and economic impacts.” Maarten believes the sort of knowledge acquired by humanitarian organizations is also invaluable to companies and investors “We need to join forces to understand and address the risks together we’re building cities with no regard for disaster risk and therefore literally constructing risks in front of own eyes there’s a pretty close alignment between the sorts of investment risk-assessments needed by a company looking at the bottom line a development bank looking to make profits while addressing poverty and the Red Cross Red Crescent looking to keep people safe.” Who does he think needs to step up if we’re to hit the climate-related SDGs by 2030 I’m worried there’s too much global talk and too little action “The private sector needs to step up but can’t be expected to do it alone a centuries-old system of polders [reclaimed land protected by dikes] delivers living space but also unparalleled agricultural productivity… “Just that sort of collective public investment needs to occur alongside growing companies and economies.” Maarten sees coronavirus affecting the climate change agenda in various ways by moving climate issues from centre stage and slightly reducing the sense of urgency practical barriers due to Covid-19 mean key international meetings the huge economic setback has reduced the capacity to invest in climate-related solutions but also makes the most vulnerable people even more vulnerable… “We recently published a paper showing that already some 50 million people have been affected by climate-related events and COVID-19 with the recent typhoon in India we not only had to evacuate people but do so while maintaining social distancing” Maarten believes reduced economic growth and air transport are only temporary dips unlikely to affect the trends But at the very moment governments worldwide are investing some US$ 13 trillion in rebuilding economies the question is whether they’ll make those economies more resilient Maarten ends on a positive note “What really gives me hope is the younger generation And how climate change is now perceived very differently from ten years ago…I just hope that realization will be turned into action quickly enough Because we have very little time to lose.” Climate Centre Director Professor Maarten van Aalst Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre 2025 Energielabel aanvragen - Energiebeheerder Cookies allow us to understand how you use this site and improve your experience. Our detailed Cookie Policy can be found here By continuing to use this website you accept our use of cookies Mandatory cookies help make this website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website Our website cannot function properly without these cookies Statistic cookies help us understand how visitors interact with this website for example seeing which pages are most popular This information is collected anonymously and helps us improve the site by making the most sought after information easy to find Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites allowing the display of ads that are relevant and engaging for the visitor Whilst we do not display any advertising on the WJC website allowing marketing cooking may allow other sites to see that you have visited our site.