A Macedonian monastery is helping men find recovery from drug addiction

Article originally published by The Fix.

Hidden in the green nature of Macedonia in Eastern Europe, men recovering from addiction to heroin, methadone, and other hard drugs find safety and support behind the centuries-old walls of a monastery. By living as the monks do, over a hundred men a year get their lives back on track.

Sixteen years ago, a Macedonian Police Academy student begins selling illegal weapons. Crossing to the other side of the law is a fall from grace for 22-year-old orphan Milan Labus. It leads to his eventual imprisonment. At the time, Labus believes he has hit rock bottom.

‘Een rouwrand wordt ingekleurd’

Foto: Saskia Berdenis van Berlekom

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De Spakenburgse gemeenschap probeert zich op de Spakenburgse Dagen, het jaarlijks terugkerende volksfeest, los te maken van het drama rond de om het leven gebrachte 14-jarige Savannah.

,,Het heeft inmiddels wel een plek gekregen”, aldus de 67-jarige Jan van Diermen vandaag op de eerste van vier Spakenburgse Dagen. Oude ambachten, traditionele klederdracht en vis voeren dan de boventoon in het oude vissersdorp in het hart van het land. Van Diermen is geboren en getogen in het dorp en niet van plan er ooit weg te gaan.

Romania’s revolving door of revolutions

Article originally published by Euroviews.

Sunshine doused Victory Square in Romania’s capital Bucharest is, two months after the big protests, relatively empty and quiet, with the exception of the rush of the city’s traffic. Nothing like what it was in January and February, when tens of thousands of fed up Romanians filled the square, protesting against the government. However, a solid core of combative protesters is still occupying the place every day, weaponed with flags, banners and unwavering determination.

It is the 64^th day in a row that the 31-year-old Andrei Nicolas is manning the square. Draped in the Romanian tricolor flag, sitting on a foldable camping chair that faces Victoria Palace where the government is housed, he explains why he spends all his leisure time on a concrete square surrounded by dozens of roaring cars.