R. C. Camphausen

Athens - A new and very cheap drug is killing Greek youth who no longer can see a future for themselves. Sisa is a form of crystal meth being mixed with filler ingredients such as battery acid and engine oil. It makes users violent and kills within six months.

As if the 80,000 dead in Syria are not the result of a war, Israel warns Russia that shipping missiles to Assad could result in war in the region. Meanwhile, Russia has sent at least 12 warships into the Mediterranean to protect its assets in Tartous.

Amsterdam - Unlike Hongkong, Montreal and a few other cities, Amsterdam does not have an internationally known and recognized skyline. Instead, the Dutch capital is more like a tapestry where sometimes the architecture is very modern, then again charmingly old.

Riyadh - A charity run by the family of an ex-king in Saudi Arabia has begun a campaign against domestic violence with a well designed advert showing a battered women dressed in a niqab. The text says 'Some things can't be covered.'

Ankara - While Syria was all too quickly blamed as being behind the bombs that killed 46 and wounded more than 150, it now emerges that planning and execution is an all Turkish affair. Among the dead and wounded are Syrians as well.

Early next week, Israeli PM Netanyahu will meet Russian President Putin in Sochi for what seems to be an attempt to dissuade the latter from sending S-300 anti-aircraft batteries to the Syrian armed forces. Chances for a successful mission seem small.

The title is a quote by Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961). Were his words meant tongue in cheek, or did he want to tell us that there is no way to define human sanity? A very different approach to this is being taken by Canadian author Stefan Verstappen.

While I'm aware that today's world can no longer function without the infrastructure made of concrete, stone, metal - there's always a tiny leap of joy that makes me reach for the camera when I see nature breaking through stone -- against all odds.

Designed to be able to penetrate and destroy underground nuclear facilities in Iran and/or North Korea, the latest US massive ordinance penetrator (MOP) is nicknamed the 'Mother of All Bombs'. Twenty of these non-nuclear weapons are ready to be deployed.

Geneva - Carla del Ponte, member of the UN Human Rights Commission, has unequivocally stated that chemical weapons have not been used by the Syrian army but by fighters among the rebels.

Phetchaburi - An infrared camera appears to have recorded the first image of the albino elephant calf that's being sought since almost a month. Thai people regard a white elephant as sacred, bestowing prosperity and power. Capturing the animal will be rewarded.

First, the son of a Muslim Brotherhood leader kills and wounds people in a heated debate over FaceBook comments critical of the present government. What follows is an outraged mob that burns his parental home and kills the killer. Justice Egyptian style.

Be warned. This is only for the truly interested, for people with time, for 'students' of anthropology, of media influence, of spin and propaganda. A Russian-made video of 43 minutes is included concerning the war in Syria. A view from the 'other' side.

With Amsterdam much in the news lately due to the coronation, or at times due to its coffee-shops or prostitutes, other parts of the Netherlands are lesser known; if not to say under-reported. Here's a look at the Dutch countryside during springtime.

When the government does not act in the interest of the people, and it benefits only a small minority, the people’s greatest right is to disobey and rebel against that injustice. Based on this idea, Enric Durán borrowed from banks and isn't paying back

For most people, a visit to the dentist is a feared and traumatic experience, and most of the time some form of anesthesia is welcome. It can, however, be the wrong decision to make.

Kathmandu - Nepal is among the most impoverished nations in the world, but you wouldn't suspect it when seeing the smiles and open faces of its women and girls. Most travelers are drawn here because of the magnificent Himalayas, yet the people are even more majestic.

Born three years before China annexed East Turkestan and named it Xinjiang, Rebiya Kadeer has lived a remarkable life. Born into poverty, she became one of China's seven richest persons and model citizen before she was imprisoned for rebellious activism.

Six Leading European newspapers jointly produce a supplement every half year with detailed analysis and perspectives concerning developments and problems within the European Union. Issue 4 deals with the dwindling public support for the EU.

Among the variety of funerary practices observed in various cultures and countries, burial and cremation are the most common. Some religions prefer the one and ban the other, sometimes both are 'allowed.' Even today, cremation occurs in only 31 nations.