Ukraine is tracking Mukachevo-related developments with bated breath. Social media are full of bets on how the unexpected conflict in Transcarpathia will end. The uncertainty over which side will prevail, the Right Sector or the law enforcement, has continued for over a week. Some are betting on Poroshenko, others on Yarosh. Moderate pessimists believe that the conflict will end with a compromise.

There are many competing explanations of the causes and nature of Mukachevo events. One of them posits that the Right Sector is controlled by the Kremlin which is trying to destabilize Ukraine. Another holds that Poroshenko is controlled by the Kremlin which is trying to take down Ukraine's patriots. Yet another argues that the Right Sector came to Transcarpathia to interdict smuggling and punish local corrupt officials but fell into a bandit ambush organized by "uniformed werewolves." And, finally, according to the fourth version the Mukachevo incident is the Right Sector's unsuccessful attempt to muscle in on the local smuggling operations.

A ceremony in Washington will see the Cuban flag raised for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 1961.

The US and Cuba have begun a new era of relations after diplomatic ties were formally restored on Monday more than 50 years after they were severed at the height of the Cold War. The two nations re-established embassies in each other's respective capitals at midnight after a breakthrough announcement by US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on 17 December.

A symbolic event will see the raising of the Cuban flag for the first time in 54 years over a mansion that will serve as Havana's embassy in Washington later on Monday. That will be followed by a meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and Bruno Rodriguez - the first Cuban foreign minister to pay an official visit to Washington since the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

I started writing this on my last night in Athens for now, Wednesday, and had no time to finish it then:

On the eve of my temp absence from this great city, a few things. I could simply extend my stay, which might be slightly cheaper, but A) flights to Athens cost less all the time, and B) I have to go see my mom in Holland, who's not doing well at all. On top of that, Nicole arrived in Holland last week, and we might as well just fly out back here together in a few weeks.

My 'job' here is by no means done, anyway. Because of the general strike today, another Solidarity Clinic that I wanted to donate some of your AE for Athens Fund money to, is closed (update on the Fund tomorrow). Parliament is debating the latest Troika strangle plan as we speak, and who knows what tomorrow will bring? An entire economy is being deliberately suffocated, and all in all it's just total madness. Quiet madness, though (update: and then the riots broke out..).

I tend to be somewhat bullish on the more optimistic assessments of the current Kremlin strategy, for example the comparison to the Punic Wars and the delaying tactics of Fabius Maximus Cunctator, because it is a strategy that takes into account the weaknesses of the US-centric world order.

I frequently see comments under my posts arguing that the EU is basically a feudal fiefdom of the United States. That's fine as far as it goes, however, once you introduce that idea, you should also examine its implications. Because the lord-vassal relationship is not and has never been one of unconditional obedience. It is rather a social contract with mutual duties and responsibilities. The vassal's loyalty is conditional on a variety of services, starting with protection and ending with opportunities for enrichment. If you, as the lord, fail to organize one or both, your vassals will leave you. Therefore a strategy that targets the lord's capacity for delivering rewards to the vassals happens to strike at that realm's Achilles heel.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Western countries want the change in Iran's behavior following a nuclear deal concluded between Tehran and the international negotiators.

Western countries expect changes in Iran's policy in the Middle East following a nuclear deal concluded between Tehran and the international negotiators, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Iran and the P5+1 group, comprising China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and the United States, concluded a historic agreement to ensure the peaceful nature of the country's nuclear program.

On this week's episode of 'Behind the Headlines', Sott Radio Network co-hosts Joe Quinn and Niall Bradley discussed current affairs with author, historian, and U.S. foreign policy critic, William Blum, whose popular online newsletter, 'The Anti-Empire Report', chronicles the global horror that is US foreign policy... or rather, empire-building.

Disgusted at what the United States government was doing in Vietnam, William quit his post at the US State Department in 1967, and became a freelance journalist in the US, Europe and South America. He was also a founding editor of the Washington Free Press, the US capital's first 'alternative' newspaper.

In the 1970s, William worked with former CIA officer Philip Agee in exposing CIA personnel and their misdeeds around the world. Among his many books on US foreign policy, Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II, first published in 1995, is critically-acclaimed as the best book on the topic.

Running Time: 01:41:00

Download: MP3

Over the past months, five natural health doctors have either mysteriously died or been intentionally killed, with another five having gone missing under unexplained circumstances.

As we previously reported, the curious deaths began on June 19, when Dr. Jeff Bradstreet, a renowned autism researcher from Florida, now practicing in Georgia, was found with a gunshot wound to his chest. Police were quick to claim that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted, ruling the death a suicide almost immediately.

Marco Rubio has a plan for students. Since the 1980s, the student loan-debt burden has risen to $1.2 trillion, which is nondischargable, meaning that the debt could follow you for the rest of your life. States have cut education funding and in response, universities raised tuition.

And it does not seem that politicians are taking any meaningful action to ameliorate this debt burden. Rubio wants businesses to invest in individual students and after graduation; the student "will pay a percentage of my salary over a defined period of time in return for that investment." (The Wire)

There are several problems with this arrangement not the least of which: It smacks of indentured servitude. The arrangement puts the student in the same financial place as traded securities: i.e. bought and sold. In addition, investing in an individual student would be on its face a more risky "investment" if the student were from low-income families.

This plan might work for student from high-income families: Students from high-income families can use their family income, and assets as tangible collaterals; and goodwill, namely, family name and reputation as intangible "collaterals." So in institutions of higher learning, the poor would be underrepresented in the student population if the Marco Rubio model is deployed.

According to an article (USA Today), in 2013, the government's profit from student loans was $41.3 billion: It was $49.9 billion in the previous years. But should the government be making money on a public good such as education? Students who borrowed money from the government pay (based on 10-year U.S. Treasure rate) on Stafford loans: the Treasure rate plus 2.05 percent, capped at 8.25 percent. Graduate student loans pay Treasure rate plus 3.6 percent, capped at 9.5 percent. Parent loans are the Treasure plus 4.6 percent capped at 10.5 percent. (Ibid.) Rubio's plan is ersatz. Senator Warren's and President Obama's plans were better than Rubio's (they do not put a student in hock to a benefactor) although Congress made short shrift of their plans. Perhaps a better way to proceed would be to use the profits the government stands to make in the coming decade on students: more Pell grants and fewer Stafford loans. But a superior (uber) policy is one Obama suggests for community colleges: free tuition! With the caveat that the student is "responsible." This is an unneeded demand, which could be in some ways discriminatory.

Since students aren't allowed to default on their loans, the business investor resort to legal action against the student to recoup her investment. Yet, another, though perhaps remote possible outcome for the delinquent student is prison: in some states, debtors' prisons are back.

Following the shooting that took place at two military centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on July 16th, we were told (once again) that it was the work of 'a lone gunman' who suddenly 'went postal'. The story goes that the suspect drove a silver Ford Mustang convertible to the first recruiting center and began his shooting-spree. Eyewitness April Grimmett said she was working at a nearby hair-salon when she glanced out a window and saw someone ducking between cars.

"Shortly after that, we heard the (shots). It was very loud and very fast," she said. "I could not believe how many bullet holes were in that door. It was insane."

Another eyewitness at a nearby restaurant said she saw a man in a silver convertible Mustang fire a "high-powered rifle" at the recruiting office's entrance at about 10:50 am. "He never got out of the car," she said. "He had a big, huge, high-powered rifle, and he was unloading shots right into the recruiters."

The gunman then fled and a high-speed chase with police ensued down Amnicola Highway. Upon reaching a second military installation, a naval reserve center about eight miles away, the gunman again opened fire, killing at least four marines before he himself was shot and killed by police. The circumstances of his death are not yet known.

There were also reports that another shooting took place at a mall in nearby Bradley County, but that "turned out to be false."

The alleged 'lone gunman' has been identified as Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, a Kuwaiti-born U.S. citizen. His friends were baffled by the incident, saying that it's something they would never have imagined him doing.

Abdulazeez wrestled in high school and became an MMA fighter afterwards. However, those who knew him did not associate him with violence.

"I never saw a violent bone in his body, outside of the sport he was doing," Ryan Smith, who was a year behind Abdulazeez, told the Times Free Press.

"He was friendly, funny, kind," Karen Wagner, another classmate said. "I never would have thought it would be him."

Abdulazeez's fighting coach Scott Schrader shared these sentiments.

"There were tears in my eyes," Schraeder told CNN of the moment he heard the news. "He was one of the nicest kids we trained."

The attack is already being tied to ISIS. 'Islamic state' Twitter accounts were quick to take credit for the shootings, referring to Abdulazeez as "a soldier of the Islamic State" and "an individual lion." So both US authorities and 'the arch enemy ISIS', are in agreement that this attack was carried out by a 'lone wolf jihadi.' Rita Katz's SITE Intelligence chimed in on the 'Islamic terrorist' narrative:

The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist groups, said that Abdulazeez had blogged on Monday that "life is short and bitter" and Muslims should not miss an opportunity to "submit to Allah". The Guardian could not independently verify the blogposts.

Just before 9.30pm, protests against the Greek government's full capitulation to the demands of the country's creditors turned nasty.

Of the 14 people arrested during the protests in Athens last, not one was from Greece, according to Greek paper Kathimarini.

Twelve were arrested for graffiti in metro stations, while above them, in Athens' central Syntagma Square, demonstrators threw petrol bombs, stones and stun grenades in protest against the vote on further austerity reforms in parliament.

The unrest comes after weeks of peaceful political rallies during the crisis Kathimarini reported that four of those arrested came from Germany, two were French, one Australian, one Ukraine, one Dutch and three Polish. There were given charges relating to damage of a metro station.