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NEW YORK — The brooding waltz was carefully composed on a sheet of music roughly the size of an index card. The brief, moody number also bore an intriguing name, written at the top in cursive: “Chopin.” A previously unknown work of music penned by the European master Frederic Chopin appears to have been found at the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan. The untitled and unsigned piece is on display this month at the opulently appointed institution, which had once been the private library of financier J.P. Morgan. A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, is held in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum on Nov. 13 in New York. Robinson McClellan, the museum curator who uncovered the manuscript, said it's the first new work associated with the Romantic era composer to be discovered in nearly a century. But McClellan concedes that it may never be known whether it is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand. The piece, set in the key of A minor, stands out for its “very stormy, brooding opening section” before transitioning to a melancholy melody more characteristic of Chopin, McClellan explained. “This is his style. This is his essence,” he said during a recent visit to the museum. “It really feels like him.” McClellan said he came across the work in May as he was going through a collection from the late Arthur Satz, a former president of the New York School of Interior Design. Satz acquired it from A. Sherrill Whiton Jr., an avid autograph collector who had been director of the school. McClellan then worked with experts to verify its authenticity. The paper was found to be consistent with what Chopin favored for manuscripts, and the ink matched a kind typical in the early 19th century when Chopin lived, according to the museum. But a handwriting analysis determined the name “Chopin” written at the top of the sheet was penned by someone else. Born in Poland, Chopin was considered a musical genius from an early age. He lived in Warsaw and Vienna before settling in Paris, where he died in 1849 at the age of 39, likely of tuberculosis. A previously unknown musical manuscript, possibly by Frederic Chopin, is seen in a display case after it was discovered at The Morgan Library & Museum, Nov. 13 in New York. He’s buried among a pantheon of artists at the city’s famed Père Lachaise Cemetery, but his heart, pickled in a jar of alcohol, is housed in a church in Warsaw, in keeping with his deathbed wish for the organ to return to his homeland. Artur Szklener, director of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, the Polish capital city where the composer grew up, agreed that the document is consistent with the kinds of ink and paper Chopin used during his early years in Paris. Musically, the piece evokes the “brilliant style” that made Chopin a luminary in his time, but it also has features unusual for his compositions, Szklener said. “First of all, it is not a complete work, but rather a certain musical gesture, a theme laced with rather simple piano tricks alluding to a virtuoso style," Szklener explained in a lengthy statement released after the document was revealed last month. He and other experts conjecture the piece could have been a work in progress. It may have also been a copy of another's work, or even co-written with someone else, perhaps a student for a musical exercise. Jeffrey Kallberg, a University of Pennsylvania music professor and Chopin expert who helped authenticate the document, called the piece a “little gem” that Chopin likely intended as a gift for a friend or wealthy acquaintance. “Many of the pieces that he gave as gifts were short – kind of like ‘appetizers’ to a full-blown work,” Kallberg said in an email. “And we don’t know for sure whether he intended the piece to see the light of day because he often wrote out the same waltz more than once as a gift.” David Ludwig, dean of music at The Juilliard School, a performing arts conservatory in Manhattan, agreed the piece has many of the hallmarks of the composer’s style. “It has the Chopin character of something very lyrical and it has a little bit of darkness as well,” said Ludwig, who was not involved in authenticating the document. But Ludwig noted that, if it's authentic, the tightly composed score would be one of Chopin’s shortest known pieces. The waltz clocks in at under a minute long when played on piano, as many of Chopin’s works were intended. “In terms of the authenticity of it, in a way it doesn’t matter because it sparks our imaginations,” Ludwig said. “A discovery like this highlights the fact that classical music is very much a living art form.” The Chopin reveal comes after the Leipzig Municipal Libraries in Germany announced in September that it uncovered a previously unknown piece likely composed by a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in its collections. Christmas music has a long and storied history beginning centuries ago with pagan rituals. Those traditions evolved with St. Francis of Assisi’s Nativity plays in the 13th century, and survived Puritan rule when many Christmas traditions and celebrations were banned during part of the 17th century. Traveling minstrels spread original songs before the invention of the printing press in 1440 ushered in an era of texts that served as the foundation for some of the most beloved Christmas songs. These tunes would be shared in the form of poetry and hymns printed on broadsides . Today, Christmas music runs the gamut from silly to revolutionary. Songs range from grandmothers getting trampled by reindeer to those based on the work of a Romantic-period poet. Who knew that the catchy tune of Wenceslas, the king with the funny name, is a reverent song about the patron saint of the Czech Republic? Or perhaps it would surprise readers to discover that “Silent Night” was designated as an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. These songs we know by heart and hear so often have rich histories rooted in things like war, religion, social reform, and slavery. Stacker compiled a list of Christmas songs released before 1920 and explored the origins of these pieces. This list includes Christmas carols, famous instrumentals, popular hymns, and spirituals from countries around the world. Many of these songs were created out of a chance collaboration between artists spanning time and space; a clergyman pens a hymn, and years later, a composer resurrects those words and sets them to a melody. It may come as no surprise, then, that what people consider to be Christmas classics are among the most-covered Christmas songs of all time . “Silent Night,” for example, had 137,315 recordings according to a 2017 Billboard report. Read on to learn about the rich histories of some of the most beloved Christmas songs that are more than a century old. You may also like: 71 years of Emmy history Written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 and originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh,” “Jingle Bells” is one of the most beloved and ubiquitous Christmas carols in existence. In 1965, astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford made “Jingle Bells,” the first song heard from space as they orbited Earth aboard the Gemini 6. It may be surprising that this Christmas classic was written as a Thanksgiving song. This traditional English Christmas carol refers to the practice of wassailing, the definition of which has evolved over the years . In the song, wassailing is the practice of traveling door-to-door, wishing good health, and asking for a bit of hospitality and Christmas tidings in return, including a drink from a communal bowl filled with mulled cider or ale called wassail. Other familiar variants of the song include “Here We Come A-Caroling,” and “Here We Come A Christmasing.” Published by hymn writer John Mason Neale in 1853, this carol was based on the life of the virtuous ruler Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia . Wenceslaus I was revered for his piety, morality, and virtue. After his assassination, he was posthumously conferred as a king by Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, which is why people don’t sing of good Duke Wenceslaus. Wenceslaus was elevated to sainthood immediately after his death, and he's considered the patron saint of the Czech Republic. The version of “O Tannenbaum” most of us are familiar with today was written in 1824 by Ernst Anschütz, a well-known organist and composer from Leipzig, Germany. Anschütz’s version was one of many based on a 16th-century German folk song that pays homage to the steadfast nature of the "Tannenbaum," the German word for a fir tree. The song’s association with Christmas began with Anschütz even though no explicit mention of Christmas was made in his original lyrics. Furthermore, most Christmas trees are spruce, not fir. Readers may be more familiar with the song’s English title, “O Christmas Tree.” If you’ve ever wondered what “God rest you merry” means, you’re not alone. This carol’s title is often misinterpreted, mispunctuated, and widely debated. The phrase “rest you merry” is used in the same way we use “rest assured.” It is not an address to merry gentlemen but rather an imperative statement to all gentlemen to be happy, citing the birth of Christ. It’s even referenced in Charles Dickens' classic “A Christmas Carol.” The earliest known print edition of the carol dates back to 1760, but its author is unknown. You may also like: 30 celebrities you might not know are LGBTQ Originally titled “Three Kings of Orient,” this carol was written by journalist-turned-clergyman John Henry Hopkins in 1857 for a Christmas pageant and published six years later. The carol chronicles the Christian gospel of Matthew in which three biblical magi, commonly known as the three wise men, bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to honor the birth of Jesus. Edmund Sears—a Unitarian pastor in Wayland, Mass.—wrote a five-stanza poem titled “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” in 1849. It was adapted by American composer Richard Storrs Willis in 1850 and set to a melody called “Carol.” The words of this poem-turned-carol are regarded as an account of the issues at the time. Topics referred to in the song include the end of the Mexican-American war and a call for peace among men. Proudly rejoicing the nativity of Jesus, “Go Tell It on the Mountain” was an African-American spiritual dating back to 1865. John Wesley Work Jr. was a composer and ethnomusicologist who compiled hundreds of spirituals and even composed a few, including “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” in his work: “American Negro Songs and Spirituals; A Comprehensive Collection of 230 Folk Songs, Religious and Secular.” Written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and published in 1871, this carol explores what the shepherds present at the birth of Jesus must have been thinking when they encountered him. In gospel, hymns, and art, shepherds are central characters in the Nativity of Jesus. The song is set to the familiar melody of “Greensleeves,” a 16th-century English folk song. The exact origins of this popular carol are unknown, but it is most often credited to John Francis Wade. Originally written and printed in Latin as “Adeste Fideles,” it first appeared in Wade’s 1751 collection “Cantus Diversi.” You may also like: Exploring minority representation in the biggest box office winners ever What began in 1818 as a modest performance outside of St. Nicholas parish in Oberndorf, Austria, has become one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. Translated into over 300 languages, “Stille Nacht” was written by a priest named Joseph Mohr and composed by Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818. The song became popular among traveling folk singers, and before long, it could be heard around the world. The English version we know today called “Silent Night” was not written until 1863. “Stille Nacht” was named an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011 . “Carol of the Bells” is no doubt familiar to you, if not by name, then by melody. The carol was based on an Ukranian folk chant called "Shchedryk,” which was traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve as it spoke of good fortune for the upcoming year. American composer Peter J. Wilhousky adapted the lyrics "Shchedryk” into a Christmas song in 1919 using the original musical arrangement by Ukranian composer Mykola Leontovych. Many artists have covered the carol over the last century, and one of its more popular variants is “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. “In the Bleak Midwinter” was based on a poem of the same name written by English poet Christina Georgina Rossetti in 1872. English composer Gustav Holst first set the poem to music in 1906. This particular carol was published by Cecil Sharp, a famous conservator of English folk tradition, in 1911. The song is packed with symbolism that dates back to pagan rituals. Holly, representing males, and ivy, representing females, used to be burned together during the pagan festival of Beltane to encourage a fruitful spring. In Christianity, holly is symbolic of the crown of thorns Jesus wore during his crucifixion. With this rich history, evergreens like holly and ivy are viewed as symbols of rebirth and renewal, which are common themes celebrated at Christmas time. This carol was based on the poem "Christmas Bells," written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day in 1863. With an injured wife and a son who joined the union army against his father’s wishes, Longfellow lamented hearing bells on Christmas Day during the American Civil War. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness when goodwill and peace on Earth seemed impossible. The poem was set to music in 1872 by English composer John Baptiste Calkin. You may also like: Mistakes from the 50 best movies of all time “O Holy Night” is based on a French poem titled "Minuit, Chrétiens," written by Placide Cappeau at the behest of a parish priest. Composer Adolphe Adam set the poem to music that same year, and it quickly gained popularity throughout France. When Cappeau denounced the Catholic Church to join the socialist movement, the church responded by denouncing his beloved carol. The song made a resurgence after it was translated into English and introduced in America by John Sullivan Dwight. After visiting Bethlehem in the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem , Phillips Brooks was inspired to write about his experiences. Brooks, an Episcopal priest, shared the poem he had written with Lewis Redner, his church’s organist, and asked him to create a melody for it so they could perform it at an upcoming Sunday school service. In a single evening, Redner composed the tune that we know today. Reflecting on the success of the carol, Redner stated : “Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music to it would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.” Mistakenly attributed, for many years, to Martin Luther—the seminal figure of Europe’s Protestant Reformation in the 16th century—and even titling early versions of this piece “Luther’s Cradle Song,” “Away in a Manger” is a relatively simple carol with unknown origins. The first record of the text being set to music with the title “Away in a Manger” is found in the 1885 publication “Little Children's Book for Schools and Families.” The carol we know as “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” was originally titled "Hymn for Christmas-Day,” published in 1739 by Charles Wesley, leader of the Methodist movement and brother to John Wesley, the movement’s founder. But it was George Whitefield who adapted the text in 1753 to give us that familiar opener “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The melody was composed by Felix Mendelssohn and later adapted by William H. Cummings in 1855 to create the song that's popular today. This numeric carol was originally published in England in 1780 in a children’s book called “Mirth Without Mischief.” It is believed to be a type of children's memory-and-forfeit game in which the singer must remember every verse or forfeit something if they make a mistake. You may also like: Best and worst Al Pacino movies Citing the gospel of Luke, this English carol is based on a French song called “Les Anges dans nos campagnes.” The lyrics were written by James Chadwick, a bishop in 1862. His words were set to the tune "Gloria," which was arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes. This Christmas ballad is believed to date back to the 15th century. Unlike many other carols that reference the gospels of Luke or Matthew, this story takes place sometime in between as Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem. It is one of the few depictions of Joseph struggling to accept Mary’s pregnancy, evidenced through lyrics such as “O then bespoke Joseph/ With words so unkind,/ Let him pluck thee a cherry/That brought thee with child.” The song was made popular again by Joan Baez’s rendition in 1961. The exact origins of this carol are unknown, but it is believed to be one of the oldest carols still sung today. Dating back to the 12th century, “The Friendly Beasts” is a traditional French carol about the animals present at the birth of Jesus and the gifts they bestowed on him. “Joy to the World” was originally written as a hymn by Isaac Watts. Watt’s adaptation of Psalm 98 interprets Christ as the king of the church and as the king of the world. “Joy to the World” is one of the most recorded Christmas songs of all time . Perhaps the darkest song on this list, “Coventry Carol,” depicts the biblical event “The Massacre of the Innocents” in which King Herod ordered the killing of all male babies under the age of two in Bethlehem. The song takes the form of a lullaby recited to the persecuted children. In Christianity, “The Massacre of the Innocents” is an important part of the broader Nativity story and thus a relevant story in the Christmas narrative. “Coventry Carol” was originally part of a medieval mystery play performed in England called “The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors.” You may also like: Best Grateful Dead albums of all time Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, jailed for sexting child, eyes political comeback in New York City Council

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner has filed to run for a seat on the New York City Council, launching a potential political comeback after his once-promising career was destroyed by sexting scandals and later a criminal conviction for having illicit online contact with a child. Campaign finance records list a campaign committee that was set up on Friday for Weiner called Weiner 25, in addition to listing him as a candidate for a council seat in lower Manhattan. In a phone conversation Tuesday with The Associated Press, Weiner, a Democrat, said he is “still exploring” whether to actually campaign for the office. He said he opened the committee late last week so he could participate in a forum held by the Downtown Independent Democrats later this week. He referred additional questions to recent statements he made on his weekly radio show, “The Middle with Anthony Weiner,” where he said: “I haven’t decided if I want to do this yet” while considering the personal dynamics of a return to politics. Weiner represented a congressional district in New York City for about 12 years before he resigned in 2011 after sending lewd photos to several women. He tried to make a comeback in 2013 to run for mayor but was damaged by new revelations of explicit photos Weiner had sent under the online alias “Carlos Danger.” Weiner pleaded guilty in 2017 to having illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. He was released in 2019 and was ordered to register as a sex offender . ___ Izaguirre reported from Albany, N.Y.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- Alpha Cognition Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOG) (“Alpha Cognition”, or the “Company”), announces that in connection with the Company’s listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market the Company will voluntarily delist its common shares from the Canadian Securities Exchange. The shares will be delisted from the Canadian Securities Exchange at the close of trading on December 17, 2024. The Company’s common shares will continue to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol “ACOG”. About Alpha Cognition Inc. Alpha Cognition Inc. is a commercial stage, biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing treatments for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Cognitive Impairment with mild Traumatic Brain Injury (“mTBI”), for which there are currently no approved treatment options. ZUNVEYL is a patented drug approved as a new generation acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, with expected minimal gastrointestinal side effects. ZUNVEYL’s active metabolite is differentiated from donepezil and rivastigmine in that it improves the function of neuronal nicotinic receptors, most notably the alpha-7 subtype, which is known to have a positive effect on cognition. Benzgalantamine is also being developed in combination with memantine to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s dementia, and as an intranasal formulation for Cognitive Impairment with mTBI. Forward-looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Except for statements of historical fact, any information contained in this news release may be a forward‐looking statement that reflects the Company’s current views about future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes to have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our expectations of the future, about which we cannot be certain. The Company cannot assure that the actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward‐looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward‐looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212186439/en/ CONTACT: For further information: Michael McFadden, CEO Tel: 1-858-344-4375 info@alphacognition.com KEYWORD: TEXAS UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CANADA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY NEUROLOGY HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY SOURCE: Alpha Cognition Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 06:41 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 06:42 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212186439/en

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles has so far this year recorded double-digit percentage declines in homicides, non-fatal shootings and slayings stemming from gang feuds, according to police data released Tuesday. City officials touted the numbers as proof that public safety is improving after concerns about crime motivated voters in November’s election. Mayor Karen Bass highlighted the numbers Tuesday at an early morning at Watts Labor Community Action Committee Center, a jobs and social services nonprofit. Bass said that through the first week of December, there were 266 people killed citywide, a decline of 15% compared to the number slain the same period in 2023. The decrease was even more dramatic — a 28% drop — when measured against numbers from 2022, when violence ebbed after the first two years of the pandemic. The latest figures show that shootings in which someone was struck but not killed fell by nearly 19% when compared to 2023, while gang-related homicides fell by more than 50%. The mayor attributed the declines to growing collaboration between LAPD officers and community members in neighborhoods hit by violence. She also credited proactive enforcement efforts, such as the creation of a smash-and-grab retail crime task force that has led to hundreds of arrests and the recovery of more than $60 million in stolen merchandise. “What we’ve shown this year is that when a crime is committed here in the city, we don’t wait, we take action,” Bass said, also praising the work of interventionists and community programs such as Summer Night Lights that work to quash gang beefs and prevent violence. New LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said he was heartened by the declining crime statistics, which come despite the department’s staffing woes. “These numbers represent lives saved, families preserved and communities being given the opportunity to heal and thrive,” he said. Watts Gang Task Force president Donny Joubert said that the sustained levels of calm were being particularly felt in some of the area’s public housing developments, where briefings by police leaders that used to be dominated by updates on recent gun violence are now focused on more mundane crimes. “We talk about maybe a couple cars got broken in, that’s huge. No shootings,” he said. Similarly dramatic declines in violent crime from early pandemic highs were reported in nationwide surveys and data from 500 to 1,000 local police departments. Even with statistics that show killings and other serious crimes trending downward, recent election results show the public remains concerned about safety — or the perception that cities are unsafe. Voters ousted progressive prosecutors in L.A. and Alameda counties after campaigns where crime was a central issue, and also resoundingly approved the tough-on-crime measure Proposition 36, which extends prison sentences for some thefts and drug offenses. Criminologists point out that the reasons why crime rises and falls are complex, with police data only offering a snapshot in time. LAPD officials have themselves cautioned that year-over-year comparisons are nearly impossible for certain types of crimes since the department switched over to a new record-keeping system earlier this year. ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Nasdaq pulls back to stall Wall. St. rally; new report shows inflation still not tamed

Since the Myanmar military’s coup on February 1, 2021, the nation has been engulfed in political turmoil and widespread resistance. The National Unity Government (NUG), formed shortly after the coup as the legitimate representative of Myanmar’s people, symbolizes the fight against the oppressive military regime. Comprised of ousted lawmakers from the National League for Democracy, ethnic representatives, and civil society leaders, the NUG has garnered global recognition as the face of the Spring Revolution. However, balancing international diplomacy with domestic political imperatives has proven to be a daunting challenge. Recently, the NUG’s Acting President Duwa Lashi La announced a shift in focus, prioritizing internal politics over international engagement and urging ministers in exile to come back to Myanmar. This strategic pivot is not only pragmatic but necessary for the long-term success of the revolution. While external support remains vital, the NUG’s ability to sustain the revolution and prepare for a post-military scenario ultimately depends on its capacity to mobilize grassroots support, build governance structures, increase cohesiveness within and between resistance fractions, and foster inclusivity within the country. By addressing these domestic imperatives, the NUG can reinforce its legitimacy and strengthen its foundation as a credible alternative to military rule. Focusing inward is essential for the NUG to avoid becoming a “government in exile” disconnected from the realities on the ground. History has shown that resistance movements that fail to maintain strong ground connections risk losing their legitimacy. For the NUG, this means engaging directly with local communities, coordinating with ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and anti-military People’s Defense Forces, and addressing the immediate needs of those suffering from military oppression. Myanmar’s revolutionary landscape is unique in its diversity. The Spring Revolution has brought together a broad coalition of ethnic groups, pro-democracy activists, and younger generations seeking a democratic and inclusive future. This unity, however, is fragile. Ethnic tensions, religious intolerance, resource disparities, and differing priorities among resistance groups pose ongoing risks of fragmentation. By prioritizing inclusivity and cooperation, the NUG can transform these challenges into opportunities for building a more cohesive and representative movement. A cornerstone of the NUG’s strategy is the establishment of governance structures in territories liberated from military control, mainly territories in central Myanmar that are not under any EAO’s control. Though limited in scope, these areas serve as testing grounds for the NUG’s vision of a democratic Myanmar. Through participatory decision-making, transparent administration, and service delivery, the NUG can demonstrate its ability to govern effectively and equitably. Functional governance requires immediate attention to social systems. Building schools, clinics, and welfare networks in liberated areas can meet urgent humanitarian needs while fostering trust in the NUG’s leadership. For example, initiatives like a centralized free health system or centralized integrated education programs can provide tangible benefits to local communities, creating a stark contrast to the military’s neglect and brutality. Inclusivity is central to the NUG’s long-term success. Myanmar’s history is marked by systemic discrimination and exclusion, particularly against ethnic and religious minorities and other marginalized groups. Addressing these grievances is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity for sustaining unity within the resistance. The Federal Democratic Charter offers a blueprint for a more inclusive Myanmar, but gaps remain in its implementation. Ensuring equal citizenship rights for all, including Rohingya, Muslims, Chinese, Hindus, and other historically marginalized communities, will reinforce the NUG’s commitment to justice and pluralism. Policies that promote gender equality, address class disparities, and recognize intersectional identities can further strengthen the revolution’s foundation. One of the greatest challenges facing the NUG is resource allocation. Limited funds, stretched to cover both international lobbying efforts and domestic governance, require careful prioritization. Redirecting resources to support grassroots initiatives can yield immediate and visible benefits, but it must be balanced with the need for continued international advocacy. Fragmentation remains another significant risk. The military junta has historically exploited divisions among resistance groups to weaken opposition. The NUG must counter this by fostering dialogue and establishing mechanisms for conflict resolution among ethnic and political factions. Shared goals, underpinned by mutual respect and understanding, can help preserve the functional unity necessary for achieving lasting change. While focusing on internal matters, the NUG must not abandon its diplomatic efforts entirely. Regional powers like China and India, as well as ASEAN member states, will all play a crucial role in shaping Myanmar’s future. The NUG should adopt a realist approach, not only aligning with sympathetic actors but also engaging in pragmatic negotiations with less friendly countries, to secure humanitarian aid and political support. The NUG president’s plan to prioritize internal politics is both timely and necessary. By deepening its connections with grassroots movements, addressing historical grievances, and building functional governance systems, the NUG can solidify its role as a legitimate and capable leader of the revolution. Overcoming challenges such as resource constraints, internal divisions, and security threats will require sustained commitment and innovative solutions. Ultimately, the success of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution depends on its ability to remain grounded in the aspirations of its people. The NUG must act as a bridge between the present resistance and the future democratic state it envisions. By focusing inward and fostering a united, inclusive, and resilient movement, the NUG can lead Myanmar toward a brighter and more just future.

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NoneIran will hold talks about its disputed nuclear program with three European countries on November 29, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on November 24, days after the UN atomic watchdog passed a resolution against Tehran. Iran reacted to the resolution -- proposed by Britain, France, Germany, and the United States -- with various measures reportedly such as activating numerous new and advanced centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium. Japan's Kyodo news agency, which first reported the meeting would take place in Geneva, said Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian's government was seeking a solution to the nuclear impasse ahead of the inauguration in January of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei later said the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and the three European countries would take part in the talks, which he said would cover regional issues as well as the nuclear dossier. Iran has vowed to respond to a resolution adopted by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog that criticizes the Islamic republic for what it says is poor cooperation by installing a number of "new and advanced" centrifuges. The resolution, which comes shortly after the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi from a trip to Iran , reportedly says it is "essential and urgent" for Tehran to "act to fulfill its legal obligations." A joint statement by Iran's Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organization said on November 22 that the country's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, "issued an order to take effective measures, including launching a significant series of new and advanced centrifuges of various types." The Iranian announcement came after the IAEA's board on November 21 issued a second resolution condemning Tehran's cooperation with the agency after a similar warning in June. Some analysts say the resolution may be a step toward making a political decision to trigger a "snapback" of UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Iran. The "snapback" mechanism is outlined in UNSC Resolution 2231, which enshrined a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. However, the option to reimpose the sanctions expires in October 2025. The IAEA resolution, put forward by France, Germany, and Britain and supported by the United States, comes at a critical time as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return at the White House in January. Trump during his first term embarked on a "maximum pressure" campaign of intensified sanctions on Iran and unilaterally withdrew the United States in 2018 from a landmark 2015 agreement that lifted some sanctions on Iran in exchange of curbs to its nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran claims its nuclear program is peaceful. The resolution passed on November 21 also urged Iran to cooperate with an investigation launched after uranium particles were found at two sites that Iranian authorities had not declared as nuclear locations. Nineteen of the 35 members of the IAEA board voted in favor of the resolution. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso opposed it, 12 members abstained, while one did not vote, diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP. It also calls on the IAEA to come up with a "comprehensive report" on Iran's nuclear activities by spring. During Grossi's visit, Iran agreed with an IAEA demand to limit its stock of uranium enriched at 60 percent purity, which is still under the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear weapon, but it is much higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in the 2015 deal. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was Tehran's chief negotiator for the 2015 agreement, warned that Iran would not negotiate "under pressure." Tehran has responded to previous similar resolutions by moves such as removing IAEA cameras and monitoring equipment from several nuclear sites, and increasing uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity at a second site, the Fordow plant. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Muhammad Deif, a military commander in the Iran-backed group Hamas, alleging they committed crimes against humanity in the ongoing Gaza war. All three are accused of committing war crimes connected to the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, an EU- and U.S-designated terrorist organization that is part of Tehran's network of proxies in the Middle East, and Israel's subsequent military intervention in the Gaza Strip. Iran's backing of Hamas and Hezbollah, another Iran-supported militant group and political party that controls much of the southern part of Israel's neighbor, Lebanon, has sparked fears that the war in the Gaza Strip will engulf the Middle East. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament. The court said the warrants had been classified as "secret" to protect witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of the investigations. Israel, which claims it killed Deif in July, blasted the move as "a dark moment for the ICC." Hamas, which has never officially acknowledged Deif's death, called the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant an "important step toward justice." The ICC said it had issued the arrest warrant for Deif as the prosecutor had not been able to determine whether he was dead. His warrant shows charges of mass killings during the October 7 attack on Israel that left some 1,200 dead, as well as charges of rape and the taking of around 240 hostages in the attack. "The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both [Israeli] individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024," the ICC said in a statement . "This finding is based on the role of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant in impeding humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate relief by all means at its disposal," it said. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the move against Netanyahu and Gallant "absurd" in a post on X, saying it was an attack of Israel's right to self-defense. "A dark moment for the ICC in The Hague, in which it lost all legitimacy for its existence and activity," Sa'ar said. Tehran has yet to comment publicly on the warrants. Neither the United States nor Israel have recognized the ICC's jurisdiction. A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said Washington "fundamentally rejects" the issuance of the arrest warrants and "the troubling process errors that led to this decision. Meanwhile, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a post on X that ICC decisions "are binding on all states party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States." The court said Israel's acceptance of the court's jurisdiction was not required. However, the court itself has no law enforcement levers to enforce warrants and relies on cooperation from its member states. Autocratic states have long used allegations of mental illness to discredit and imprison their critics. In Iran, the authorities are increasingly branding women who violate the country's hijab law -- a key pillar of the Islamic system -- as psychologically unstable . The move has coincided with unprecedented protests against Iran's clerical establishment and growing calls for greater social and political freedoms. Experts say the Iranian authorities are employing punitive psychiatry -- the misuse of psychiatric diagnoses, treatments, and institutions to punish, control, or repress individuals -- to go after government critics. "In countries like ours, being mentally ill is taboo, so the authorities use mental health allegations to raise public sympathy to justify their human rights violations," Medis Tavakoli, an Iranian psychotherapist and rights activists based in Europe, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda. 'Labeling Healthy People As Sick' In July 2023, for the first time, judges diagnosed three prominent actresses sentenced for not wearing the hijab as "mentally ill." The unprecedented move was condemned by top Iranian psychologists who said the judiciary was abusing its authority. Now, the authorities have announced the creation of a rehabilitation center in Tehran for women who do not wear the mandatory head scarf. The Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said on November 12 that the center will offer "scientific and psychological treatment" to women who refuse to follow the Islamic dress code. No other details were provided. In response, Iranian psychologists have raised the alarm about the consequences of "labeling healthy people as sick." Earlier this month, a young woman who took off her clothes outside a university in Tehran in apparent protest against harassment was committed to psychiatric care -- a move deemed "illegal" by rights activists. The political abuse of psychiatry is well-documented, and was prominently used in the Soviet Union against dissidents. In recent years, the authorities in countries like China, North Korea, and Russia have labeled their domestic critics as mentally ill . Iran has been increasingly using mental health allegations and other "hateful statements" against women who oppose the hijab since unprecedented protests in 2022, according to Amnesty International . Months of antiestablishment protests erupted across Iran in September 2022 after the death in custody of a young woman who was arrested for violating the hijab law. Women were at the forefront of the protests, which snowballed into one of the most sustained demonstrations against Iran's theocracy, with some protesters calling for an end to clerical rule. "Governments alone cannot get rid of all of their critics," Tavakoli said. "One method is to lob accusations and labels against critics. So, when they get rid of their critics, society thinks that bad actors were weeded out." 'Alternative' Punishment The authorities' decision to establish a rehabilitation center for violators of the hijab law has caused uproar in Iran. Mojgan Ilanlou, a documentary filmmaker and women's rights activist based in Tehran, said she felt "pity" for those who come up with "such brilliant ideas." "They themselves know better than anyone how much these things make people laugh," she told Radio Farda. In recent years, the authorities have taken several measures to enforce the hijab on women in a society that is increasingly shunning head scarves. The Hijab and Chastity law went into force last month, mandating fines and sentences of up to 10 years in prison for those who are deemed to be dressed "inappropriately" in public. Iranian authorities have said the "treatment" center in Tehran can serve as an "alternative" punishment. But Ilanlou said the opening of the clinic showed that the authorities "are losing the fight" to enforce the hijab. Iran-based political activist Pouran Nazemi said that "women have been putting up a fight." "I doubt [the authorities] can continue resisting what society wants," she told Radio Farda. Iranian authorities are using executions as "a tool of fear," particularly directed at ethnic minorities, dissidents, and foreign nationals, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on November 20. The rights watchdog highlighted a recent surge in capital punishment sentences against these groups, noting that the verdicts are handed down amid rampant violations of due process. According to Iran Human Rights group, in the first 10 months of this year, at least 651 people were executed in Iran -- 166 people in October alone. HRW noted the case of Kurdish political prisoner Varisheh Moradi, sentenced to death by Iran’s revolutionary court in Tehran on November 10 on the charge of “armed rebellion against the state." Moradi, a member of the Free Women’s Society of Eastern Kurdistan, was arrested in the city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province in August last year and kept for five months in solitary confinement in the infamous Evin prison where she was tortured. Her family has not been allowed to visit her since May, the group said. Moradi was not allowed to defend herself, and the judge did not permit her lawyers to present a defense, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported. “Iranian authorities use the death penalty as a tool of fear, particularly targeting ethnic minorities and political dissidents after unfair trials,” said HRW's Nahid Naghshbandi. “This brutal tactic aims to suppress any opposition to an autocratic government through intimidation,” she said. Five other Kurdish men were sentenced to death in recent weeks on charges of “espionage for Israel," HRW said. Four Arab prisoners from Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, are at risk of imminent execution, after being sentenced to death by a revolutionary court with two other individuals for their alleged involvement in the killings of two Basij members, a law enforcement officer, and a soldier. The four -- Ali Majdam, Moein Khonafri, Mohammadreza Moghadam, and Adnan Gheibshavi (Musavi) -- were arrested in 2017 and 2018, according to human rights groups. Afghan citizens in Iran have been targeted, in particular, by death sentences, HRW noted, adding that according to human rights groups, at least 49 Afghan nationals have been executed in Iran this year, 13 in the past month alone. “Iran’s revolutionary courts are a tool of systematic repression that violate citizens’ fundamental rights and hand out death sentences indiscriminately, leaving legal protections meaningless,” Naghshbandi said. “The international community should categorically condemn this alarming trend and pressure Iranian authorities to halt these executions,” she added. Mai Sato, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, has also voiced concern about the "alarming" increase in the number of executions. "In August 2024 alone, at least 93 people were executed, with nearly half in relation to drug offences," Sato said on November 1. No charges have been brought against the Iranian woman who disrobed in an apparent protest outside her Tehran university, a spokesman for the judiciary said, adding that she had been released from the hospital to her family. "Given that she has been sent to the hospital and it has been determined that she is sick , she has been handed over to the family and they are currently taking care of her," Iranian judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told a news conference on November 19. The spokesman added that "no judicial case has been filed against this student." It wasn't immediately clear if the comments meant that the case had been permanently closed. The woman was identified as Ahoo Bahari, a student from the science and research department of Tehran Azad University. She took off her clothes in public on November 3 in an apparent protest at the university and was arrested shortly afterward. The circumstances that led to her taking off her clothes remain unclear, but witnesses say she was harassed by the university's security officers over what she had been wearing. One video showed officers violently forcing the unidentified woman into a car. Reports in Iranian media later alleged she was suffering from mental illness and that she was taken to a psychiatric hospital. Video footage posted online raised concerns of the woman's safety from international rights groups, who condemned her treatment and demanded her immediate release. Amnesty International said it had previously published evidence of the government's crackdown on protesters under the pretext of "mental disorders" that needed to be "treated." Rights groups and Iranian activists have long assailed the government of the conservative Muslim nation for attacks on protesters, often targeting those who challenge strict laws governing women’s dress in public. New laws increase prison terms and fines for women and girls who breach the dress code in the wake of the mass Women, Life, Freedom protests that followed the death of a young woman while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation. Iranian rights activist Hossein Ronaghi was held for several hours after being detained following a sit-in protest in central Tehran, his family said on November 18. "Ronaghi was violently arrested by a large number of armed officers at 5 p.m. at Vali-e Asr Square" before being released at his front door at 9 p.m., his brother Hassan said on Telegram . Ronaghi had announced the protest on Telegram, saying it was to honor Kianoosh Sanjari, a journalist and political activist who jumped to his death from a Tehran building on November 13 to protest the numerous arrests and interrogations of himself and other political activists. The U.S.-based PEN America free-speech watchdog has asked the UN Human Rights Council to intervene in the case of imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who it said is in "urgent need of medical care ." In an open letter, PEN urged the UN “to call on the Iranian authorities to grant Mohammadi a medical furlough on humanitarian grounds so that she is able to receive comprehensive and essential care for a range of serious medical conditions." Mohammadi, 52, has been in and out of prison for the past 20 years. She is currently serving a 12-year sentence in Tehran's Evin prison for "spreading propaganda," allegations that she, her family, and supporters reject. The EU has widened its sanctions against Iran over the country's support of the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine, the European Commission said on November 18, targeting firms, ports, and individuals involved in the transfer of ballistic missiles and drones to Russia for use on the battlefield. Included in the new sanctions are the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) -- which will see its assets frozen -- and measures targeting the activities of Iranian ports on the Caspian Sea linked to listed entities and individuals. The EU said it decided to "widen the scope of the EU framework for restrictive measures in view of Iran's military support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and to armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region." It said the new measures target "the use of vessels and ports for the transfer of Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and related technologies and components." The United States, Britain, France, and Germany have accused Iran of sending ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine, sparking consultations among European allies on the matter. Ali Safaei, chief of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, rejected the "European accusations," calling them "baseless," according to the state-run IRNA news agency. "It is regrettable that some delegations, including the U.S., have once again disseminated false and misleading information to advance their political agendas," Safaei said. The IRISL headlined the list of the newly sanctioned entities. "IRISL is Iran's national maritime carrier, and for years its ships have been involved in shipping drones on behalf of the EU-listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy," the EU said. IRISL director Mohammad Reza Khiabani is also targeted in the sanctions. The measures include "access to facilities of the ports and locks, such as Amirabad and Anzali, and the provision of any services to vessels," it said, adding that exceptions will be made for vessels in need of assistance for safety for humanitarian purposes. The EU also listed three Russian shipping companies -- MG Flot, VTS Broker, and Arapax -- whose vessels are involved in transporting Iranian-made weapons and ammunition, including UAV components, across the Caspian Sea to resupply Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. The November 18 announcement is a continuing of a wide-ranging strategy by the West of targeting Iranian entities and individuals over rights abuses, aid to extremist allies and proxies in the region, and weapons transfer. EU foreign ministers on October 14 approved new sanctions against seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran after Kyiv's Western allies accused Tehran of sending ballistic missiles to Russia to aid in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Those sanctions, first reported in an exclusive by Radio Farda, targeted companies and individuals accused of being involved in the transfer of the weapons to Russia, including the country's flagship carrier Iran Air, as well as airlines Saha Airlines and Mahan Air. Those targeted are subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Additionally, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, with those listed is prohibited. Iran Air has direct flights to several cities in Europe, including Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Paris, and Milan. Overall, the EU said sanctions have been imposed on 227 individuals and 42 entities in Iran in response to "human rights abuses, nuclear proliferation activities, and military support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on November 16 that there remains a "limited opportunity" for nuclear negotiations with the West, according to Iranian state media. Relations between Tehran and the United States have been especially tense since then-President Donald Trump withdrew unilaterally from a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and global powers and reimposed tough U.S. sanctions on Iran. "There is still an opportunity for diplomacy, although this opportunity is not much. It is a limited opportunity," Araqchi was quoted as telling state television. Western concerns at Iranian actions have soared amid the yearlong war in the Gaza Strip after U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist organization Hamas carried out a brutal attack in Israel in October 2023, with Iranian allies including Huthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon attacking Israel in support of Hamas. With Trump poised to return to the White House in January following his election victory earlier this month, reports circulated of possible informal contacts, including claims that Trump ally Elon Musk met last week in New York with Iran's envoy to the United Nations. After days of silence, Tehran on November 16 " categorically denied " that any such meeting took place. This week, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urged Iran and its global partners to achieve "concrete, tangible, and visible results" in talks over Tehran's nuclear program as the return of Trump could mean the window for diplomacy is closing. The 2015 deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had given Iran some limited relief from international sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program designed to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. After Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran expanded its nuclear program and restricted IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites. U.S. President Joe Biden entered the White House in 2017 pledging to try to revive the deal but made no breakthroughs. Trump's announced pick for secretary of state, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, is generally regarded as an advocate of tough action to counter Iranian influence through a return to a "maximum pressure" policy. Tehran has "categorically denied" U.S. reports suggesting that billionaire Trump ally and adviser Elon Musk met with Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeed Iravani in New York last week, contradicting reporting by The New York Times and AP asserting that Tehran sought the meeting in an apparent effort to ease tensions with President-elect Donald Trump. Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying those are "false reports." In his first term, Trump withdrew from a major nuclear accord with Tehran and global powers and reimposed tough sanctions that walloped Iran's currency and economy. Trump has pledged close if informal cooperation with Musk, who has boasted that he has "top-secret clearance" and said he looks forward to a role as "first buddy" to the next U.S. president. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here . Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, on November 15 asked Iran to help secure a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and whose military wing is blacklisted by the European Union. He also appeared to urge Iran to convince the militant group to agree to a deal that could require it to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border. As a top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei visited Lebanon for talks, Lebanese officials said an American proposal for a cease-fire deal had been passed on to Hezbollah, aiming to end 13 months of exchanges of fire between Israel and the group. Iran is a main backer of Hezbollah and for decades has been funding and arming the Lebanese militant group. Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist organization Hamas’s surprise attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, ignited the war in Gaza. Iran backs any decision taken by Lebanon in talks to secure a cease-fire with Israel, a senior Iranian official said on November 15, signaling Tehran wants to see an end to a conflict that has dealt heavy blows to its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and whose military wing is blacklisted by the European Union. Israel launched air strikes in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, flattening buildings for a fourth consecutive day. Israel has stepped up its bombardment of the area this week, an escalation that has coincided with signs of movement in U.S.-led diplomacy toward a cease-fire. Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani, asked whether he had come to Beirut to undermine the U.S. truce plan, said: "We are not looking to sabotage anything. We are after a solution to the problems." Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has visited Iran’s key underground uranium enrichment sites at Fordow and Natanz, Iranian state media reported on November 15, without offering details. Iran has restricted inspection of its nuclear sites and barred several IAEA inspectors from visiting its enrichment facilities. Grossi is in Iran to push for diplomacy, warning that the “space for negotiation...is getting smaller” over Iran’s advancing nuclear program. Tehran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful. The visit comes ahead of an upcoming meeting of the IAEA's Board of Governors, where some nations are pushing for action against the Islamic republic. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been bitter rivals for decades, vying to lead competing branches of Islam and standing on opposing sides of conflicts in Syria and Yemen. But Tehran and Riyadh have taken major steps to de-escalate tensions and boost cooperation, a move that appeared unthinkable until recently. The rapprochement has coincided with growing fears of an all-out war in the Middle East, where U.S. ally Israel is engaged in wars against Iranian-backed groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The detente process has intensified since Donald Trump's decisive victory in the U.S. presidential election earlier this month. The president-elect has pledged to bring peace to the region. "I don't view this as a warming of relations but rather as a cautious detente," said Talal Mohammad, associate fellow at the Britain-based Royal United Services Institute. Reassuring Iran The first signs of a thaw came in March 2023, when Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations after more than seven years following a surprise Chinese-brokered agreement. But it was Israel's invasion of Gaza in October 2023 -- soon after the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel -- that gave real impetus to Iran-Saudi rapprochement efforts. Since the war erupted, Iran and Israel have traded direct aerial attacks for the first time. The tit-for-tat assaults have brought the region to the brink of a full-blown conflict . Saudi Arabia is "concerned that these escalating tensions between Israel and Iran could spiral out of control and lead to a broader regional conflict that may impact their interests," said Hamidreza Azizi, fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Azizi adds that Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shi'a-dominated Iran are still "far from friends," despite the recent rapprochement, and they remain rivals vying for influence. Over the past year, Saudi Arabia has stopped conducting air strikes in neighboring Yemen against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Riyadh has also made attempts to negotiate an end to the 10-year conflict pitting the Huthis against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The Huthis have also ceased cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia. In 2019, the rebels managed to shut down half of the kingdom's oil production. The Trump Factor Trump's victory in the November 5 presidential election has injected more urgency to the Iran-Saudi rapprochement, experts say. Saudi Arabia's top general, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, made a rare trip to Iran on November 10 to meet Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Baqeri in what Iranian media dubbed " defense diplomacy ." The following day, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman accused Israel of committing "collective genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza and explicitly condemned Israel's attack last month on Iranian military sites. Azizi says there are fears in the region that Trump's electoral victory will embolden Israel to intensify its attacks on Iran and Tehran's interests. During Trump's first term in office from 2017 to 2021, his administration pursued a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran that included imposing crippling sanctions against Tehran. At the same time, Trump struck a close relationship with Riyadh. He helped facilitate normalization between several Arab states and Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords. Before Israel launched its devastating war in Gaza, Saudi Arabia was reportedly on the verge of a historic deal to normalize relations with Israel. Experts say that the Huthis' attacks in 2019 on Saudi oil facilities convinced Riyadh that Washington will not come to its aid if it is attacked. "Given Trump's tendency toward unpredictable shifts in policy, Saudi Arabia may seek to play an influential role by encouraging Trump to adopt a balanced approach that ensures regional stability without triggering escalation with Iran," Mohammad said. "By subtly guiding U.S. policy toward calibrated sanctions rather than aggressive pressure, Saudi Arabia could help maintain regional security while avoiding the risks of open confrontation," he added. Israeli Normalization Normalization talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel have been indefinitely postponed. Saudi officials have recently said that a deal was off until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Mohammad says Riyadh has significant strategic incentives to normalize relations with Israel, including security and economic cooperation as well as access to U.S. nuclear and defense technology. But analysts say Saudi Arabia will only resume talks when the Gaza war is over, given the current public sentiment in the Muslim world toward Israel. "Normalizing relations without achieving tangible rights for Palestinians could weaken Saudi Arabia's normative influence within the Islamic world -- a position they are keen to maintain," Azizi argued. The Saudis will also have to take into account Iran, which staunchly opposes Saudi normalization with Israel. "Riyadh may consult with Tehran and seek assurances that normalization with Israel would not heighten hostilities or undermine the balance achieved through recent diplomatic outreach to Iran," Mohammad said. Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has urged Iran and its global partners to achieve "concrete, tangible, and visible results" in talks over Tehran's nuclear program as the return of Donald Trump to the White House may mean the window for diplomacy is closing. Speaking to journalists in the Iranian capital on November 14 after a meeting with Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, Grossi said pressure was building for movement toward a solution with Iran-backed proxies at war with Israel and Trump, known for his hard-line stance against Tehran, taking over the U.S. presidency in January. "We know that it is indispensable to get, at this point of time, to get some concrete, tangible, and visible results that will indicate that this joint work is improving (the) situation, is bringing clarification to things, and in a general sense it is moving us away from conflict and ultimately war," Grossi said. “The fact that international tensions and regional tensions do exist...shows that the space for negotiation and diplomacy is not getting bigger, it is getting smaller," he added. Grossi's visit takes place about two months ahead of the inauguration of Trump, who during his first term in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers and reimposed biting sanctions on the Islamic republic. The 2015 deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had given Iran some limited relief from international sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program designed to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Grossi also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran on November 14. Araqchi, Iran's chief negotiator during the negotiations to reach the JCPOA deal, which barred Tehran from enriching uranium above the level of 3.65 percent, said on X that the talks with Grossi were "important and straightforward." He vowed to continue Iran's cooperation with the IAEA on nuclear nonproliferation "with courage and good will" and reiterated Tehran's longstanding assertion that its nuclear program was "peaceful." Araqchi added, however, that Iran would not negotiate "under pressure." After Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran expanded its nuclear program and restricted IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites. The IAEA and the international community have voiced alarm at reports that Tehran has substantially increased its stocks of uranium enriched to 60 percent -- considerably closer to the 90 percent level needed for a nuclear weapon. Nuclear expert Eric Brewer told RFE/RL that the IAEA's lack of access to Iran's nuclear sites heightens the risk of it producing more enriched uranium. "I suspect that to get Iran to provide some information on that front is at the top of Director-General Grossi's list," Brewer said. He added that while the trip had been scheduled since before the U.S. election, Trump's re-election "will hang over the conversations." The IAEA chief is expected to hold talks with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian later in the day. WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Senator Marco Rubio to be his top diplomat as the incoming administration prepares to navigate an increasingly perilous world, with wars raging in Europe and the Middle East and competition heating up with China in the Asia-Pacific. In choosing Rubio -- a senator known for taking a tough line on many foreign policy issues -- the president-elect is seeking someone who largely shares his views on the most pressing international topics, says Behnam Ben Taleblu, an analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "Rubio is someone who has ideological and political alignment with Trump on several key national-security issues like great-power competition, countering China, countering the Islamic [Republic of] Iran, and reinstating the maximum-pressure campaign," Taleblu told RFE/RL. In a wide-ranging interview last week with media before being tapped as secretary of state, Rubio said the decades-long period of unchallenged U.S. global dominance following the collapse of the Soviet Union had ended, replaced by a new Cold War-like era. He warned that the United States can't stretch itself too thin with global commitments, saying Washington must be "pragmatic" in its pursuits abroad. "We're the most powerful [country], but we too have limited resources...so we have to invest both our time and our money on things that serve our core national interest," Rubio said in a November 7 interview with EWTN, a U.S.-based cable network. Rubio, a Cuban-American, played an influential role in shaping Trump's policy on Venezuela during the latter's first term as president from 2017 to 2021. The New York Times described Rubio at the time as Trump's "virtual secretary of state for Latin America." The three-time Florida senator, who challenged Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, comes to the job with ample foreign policy experience, having served on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee. If ultimately confirmed by the Senate, Rubio, 53, would be the first Latino to serve as secretary of state . And while Latin America will certainly be an important focus for Rubio, it will take a back seat to more pressing U.S. foreign policy concerns, namely China's global rise, Iran's threat to the Middle East, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Priority No. 1: China When it comes to demands on U.S. military, political, and financial resources, Rubio wants the focus to be on China. "I think the future of the 21st century is going to largely be defined by what happens in the Indo-Pacific. And I think China would love for us to be bogged down in Europe in a conflict and not focused on what's happening in the Indo-Pacific," Rubio said on November 7. Rubio, who served as a co-chairman of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, has consistently advocated taking a hard line on China. He led efforts to arm Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing. He called for direct shipments of U.S. munitions and advanced military technologies in hopes of deterring China from attacking the island. Rubio has also been vocal about Beijing's human rights record, pushed for a U.S. industrial policy to better compete with China, and backed tariffs on Chinese goods. He sought to ban imports of Chinese goods made with forced labor by Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in western China and prevent China from circumventing Trump-era tariffs by relocating production to Mexico. NATO And Ukraine Rubio has repeatedly supported Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in its defensive war against Russia and described Ukrainians as "incredibly brave and strong." In February 2022, immediately following Russia's full-scale invasion, he co-sponsored the NYET Act in the Senate, which aimed to "bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities" and impose sanctions on Russia. However, Rubio has also said Russia's war against Ukraine has reached a "stalemate" and "needs to be brought to a conclusion." He was among a minority of senators who, earlier this year, opposed a foreign-assistance bill that included $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. The bill eventually passed in April, bringing total U.S. aid to Ukraine since February 2022 to almost $175 billion -- about as much given by all of Europe combined. Rubio has highlighted that imbalance, emphasizing that Washington should push Europe to take a larger role in handling its own security issues in order to allow the United States to prioritize challenging China in the Indo-Pacific. In last week's interview with EWTN, Rubio said it was "unrealistic" to expect the United States to approve tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine every 10 months. He said European members of NATO need to step up their contributions to the alliance. "Every day in our own country, [we are] grappling with [the question of] how do we provide assistance to Americans, even as we have these defense requirements that we're spending a lot of money on, and these [European NATO] countries are not making that choice," he said. While Rubio sees Russia as a threat to U.S. security and backs Ukraine's sovereignty and independence, he said Kyiv will have to negotiate an end to the war. Rubio said Russia has just too many resources at its disposal, including weapons and men, to allow it to continue the fighting despite suffering extraordinary losses. Iran: 'No Appeasement' In the Middle East, Rubio has long taken a tough stand on Iran, describing its theocratic government as a "terrorist regime" for financing groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, both designated terrorist organizations by the United States. As a senator, he was a fierce critic of U.S. President Barack Obama's 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), which restricted Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions. Critics of the deal argued it empowered Iran, offering too much relief from sanctions without guarantees it wouldn't someday produce a nuclear bomb. In 2018, Trump, who was then president, pulled the United States out of the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. More recently, Rubio co-authored three bills punishing Iran that were signed into law this year. The bills authorize placing sanctions on Iranian oil exports and top Iranian leaders for human rights abuses, as well as foreign entities and governments supporting Hamas. An Iranian client, Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, triggering a regional war that threatens to engulf more states. Rubio in September criticized the Biden administration for dragging its feet on enforcing the Iranian oil sanctions , which are aimed at crippling the government's finances. It has also failed to move forward on the human rights sanctions. Depending on what the incoming administration is faced with in Iran when it takes office, analyst Taleblu says -- noting the volatile situation in the Middle East -- he would expect a Rubio-led State Department to make good on enforcement of the sanction bills. A vocal supporter of Israel, Rubio has backed the country's right to defend itself from Iranian threats. Following Tehran's missile strikes on Israel on October 1, Rubio publicly backed an asymmetrical response. Afghanistan Rubio has also taken a hard line on the Taliban, arguing the militant Islamist group should be described as a "terrorist organization" by Washington. In March, the Florida senator introduced a bill in the Senate calling for an end to an end to U.S. aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, arguing that some of that money could end up with "terrorist groups." In remarks to the Senate, Rubio said, "A Taliban-controlled Afghanistan poses a direct threat to U.S. national-security interests and to our allies in the Middle East and Central Asia." Kianoosh Sanjari, a journalist and political activist, has committed suicide to protest numerous arrests and interrogations of himself and other political activists. A relative of Sanjari confirmed the news in an interview with RFE/RL on November 13. Friends of Sanjari also confirmed his death in posts on X. Since returning to Tehran in 2015 to care for his elderly mother, Sanjari was repeatedly summoned and arrested by the security and intelligence agencies of the Islamic republic. Hours before committing suicide, Sanjari announced his decision to end his life on X. After an ultimatum demanding the Iranian government release four activists and journalists by a specified time was not met, Sanjari tweeted again: "My life will end after this tweet but let's not forget that we die for the love of life, not death. I wish that one day Iranians will wake up and overcome slavery." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here . The U.S. Justice Department has charged a man for allegedly leaking highly classified U.S. intelligence about Israel's plans for retaliation against Iran, according to U.S. media reports on November 13. The reports said that Asif W. Rahman was indicted earlier this month for willfully transmitting national defense information. He was arrested on November 12 in Cambodia by the FBI and was to appear in court in Guam. Court documents indicate that he was employed by the U.S. government. According to a person familiar with his employment, he was employed by the CIA. This employment gave him a top-secret security clearance and allowed him to access sensitive information. The New York Times, which first reported the story, said that Rahman was indicted on a charge related to the posting of the intelligence on Telegram in mid-October. The documents posted included Israeli plans for moving munitions and Israeli Air Force exercises involving air-to-surface missiles. Iran says it has measures in place to ensure it will continue producing and exporting oil even if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Tehran once he takes office in January. During his first term in office in 2017-21, Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions as part of his administration’s “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran. As a result, Iran’s oil production dropped from 3.8 million barrels per day (bpd) to 2.1 million bpd, while its exports plummeted to between 200,000 and 500,000 bpd from 2.5 million bpd. But both production and exports have picked up in recent years despite U.S. sanctions, with Iran’s oil output reaching around 3.2m bpd. Exports, meanwhile, have hit a multiyear high of 1.7 million bpd. Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad told reporters on November 13 that Iran has mechanisms in place “to continue selling our oil” regardless of who is in power in the United States. “We have tried-and-tested methods and don’t have serious concerns about [selling oil],” he said, according to Iranian state-aligned media. Without offering details, the oil minister said, “necessary measures have been taken by our colleagues in the oil sector in preparation for what is to come and there is no reason to worry.” Trump is expected to launch a new-look "maximum pressure" campaign against the Islamic republic once he takes office on January 20, 2025. Iran boosted its oil sales by circumventing sanctions through a variety of means, exporting mostly to China, which does not recognize U.S. measures against Iran. The tactic involves the ship-to-ship transfer of oil, middlemen, clandestine money transfers, and the rebranding of the oil to mask its Iranian origin. Iranian crude makes up about 13 percent of oil imports by China, the world's biggest purchaser of the commodity. Beijing says the purchases conform to international law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says another attack on Israel would paralyze the Islamic republic's economy and cost billions of dollars that could be spent to the benefit of ordinary Iranians. In his second video addressed directly to Iranians in the last two months, which was released in English with Farsi subtitles on November 12, Netanyahu said that Iran's October 1 missile attack cost it $2.3 billion dollars, "valuable money that the Islamic republic wasted" as the "damage of that attack on Israel was insignificant." He added that the Iranian government is "obsessed" with the destruction of Israel but its theocracy fears its own people more than Israel. Neither the people of Israel nor ordinary Iranians want war, he said. Some analysts said the video could be a warning that if Iran were to attack again, Israel would hit back hard in an attempt to cause major damage to Iran's economy. There was no immediate reaction to the video from Iran. T o read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here . Iranian-American human rights activist Masih Alinejad says she derives joy from the failure of alleged plots by the Islamic republic to kidnap and assassinate her. The U.S. Justice Department on November 8 unsealed criminal charges that include details of a plot allegedly backed by Iran to kill Alinejad and President-elect Donald Trump before the November 5 election. Iran has rejected the allegation. "When the Islamic republic is defeated, disgraced, and embarrassed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], it has no choice but to deny," Alinejad, 48, said in comments to RFE/RL's Radio Farda. Alinejad, who has criticized Iran's laws requiring women to wear a hijab, or head scarf, was the target of a kidnapping plot in 2021. In 2022 a man was also arrested with a rifle outside her home. “The Islamic republic has been disgraced three times.... The humiliation of [Iranian authorities] is truly pleasing,” she said. The FBI informed Alinejad of the suspected Iranian plot to kill her shortly before the court documents were unsealed, she said, recalling that she was "shocked" to learn about the details. Two men arrested by the FBI were planning to target Alinejad at Fairfield University in Connecticut, where she was scheduled to appear. The Justice Department alleges the two men spent months surveilling Alinejad and earlier this year traveled to the university campus and took photos of the premises. "It is shocking how brazenly the Islamic republic can savagely plan to assassinate someone in another country," Alinejad said. Iran has long been accused of targeting dissidents abroad, either to kidnap them or kill them. Rights groups say exiled opposition activist Ruhollah Zam was abducted in 2019 before being executed in Iran a year later. In 2020, Tehran said it had arrested Iranian-German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd and later sentenced him to death. Sharmahd's family insists he was kidnapped while through the United Arab Emirates. Iranian authorities claim Sharmahd died in prison last month before being executed. Alinejad, who is visiting Germany and recently met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said her message to Germany, the United States, and all Western countries is to "protect your borders and democracy instead of protecting me so that the Islamic republic's terrorists can't enter and plot assassinations on Western soil." She said symbolic gestures by the West in support of Iranian protesters and dissidents "is not enough" to dissuade Iranian authorities from targeting critics abroad. Instead, she argued, severing diplomatic ties and "extensive support" for protesters inside Iran would be more effective. The general chief of staff of Saudi Arabia's armed forces, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, met his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Baqeri, in Tehran during a rare visit on November 10. Iran's official IRNA news agency said they discussed the development of defense diplomacy and bilateral cooperation without offering any details. Iranian media said Baqeri had discussed regional developments and defense cooperation with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman al-Saud last year. Ruwaili is only the second high-profile Saudi official to travel to Tehran since Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations after seven years following Chinese-brokered talks in March 2023. Previously, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Iran in June 2023. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia severed ties with Shi'a-dominated Iran in 2016 after its diplomatic compounds in Tehran and Mashhad were attacked by protesters over Riyadh's execution of Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The trip comes days after the election of Donald Trump, whose second term as U.S. president begins in January. He has pledged to bring peace to the Middle East, where U.S. ally Israel is engaged in wars against Iranian-backed groups in Gaza and Lebanon. Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said the timing of the trip was significant because it comes as various countries are preparing for a second Trump presidency. He said the Saudis' decision to send their top military official to Tehran "is a signal that they are committed" to the detente process that started last year and that "they don't want Trump's election to jeopardize the recently improving relations with Iran." Separately, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman on the phone and discussed expanding bilateral relations, according to Pezeshkian's office. Trump had good relations with Persian Gulf Arab states in his first tenure in office and worked on normalizing relations between Arab states and Iran's archfoe, Israel. Saudi Arabia has not normalized relations with Israel but Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is said to have discussed the possibility of normalization with Saudi Arabia since 2021. In another sign of warming relations, Saudi Arabia announced last month that it held military drills with Iran in the Sea of Oman. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will visit Iran on November 13 and start consultations with Iranian officials the following day, state media reported on November 10. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said last week that he might head to Iran in the coming days to discuss its disputed nuclear program and that he expected to work cooperatively with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Long-standing issues between Iran, the IAEA, and Western powers include Tehran barring several uranium-enrichment experts from IAEA inspection teams in the country and its failure for years to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Iran has also stepped up nuclear activity since 2019, after then-President Trump abandoned a 2015 deal Iran reached with world powers under which it curbed enrichment -- seen by the West as a disguised effort to develop nuclear weapons capability -- and restored tough U.S. sanctions on the Islamic republic.Fixed-rate mortgage rates have steadily declined, marking a third consecutive week of decrease. Freddie Mac's data shows that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage now averages 6.60%, significantly lower than the 6.95% rate from a year ago. "The combination of mortgage rate declines, firm consumer income growth, and a bullish stock market have increased homebuyer demand in recent weeks. While the outlook for the housing market is improving, the improvement is limited given that homebuyers continue to face stiff affordability headwinds," noted Sam Khater , Freddie Mac's chief economist. Fixed-rate mortgages are crucial for many homebuyers, particularly first-time buyers because they offer predictability. Since the interest rate remains constant throughout the loan term, borrowers know their monthly payments regardless of market conditions, making for easier financial planning and buying peace of mind. If these rates continue to drop, this development could make homeownership more accessible, stimulating sales. Recent data reveals that the U.S. housing market is showing signs of recovery. Existing home sales rose 3.5% in October 2024, rebounding from a 14-year low and surpassing market expectations. However, the median home sales price increased by 4% to $407,200, outpacing November’s 2.7% inflation rate. While Khater warned about these dynamics, home prices typically rise faster than inflation, which is one reason they were excluded from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculation in 1983. Falling mortgage rates support optimism for the market, which suffered high borrowing costs earlier this year. Furthermore, the National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted increased inventory could further bolster home sales, with job growth and economic expansion supporting growing housing demand. Still, the home construction market offered mixed results, as shown by broad market ETFs. The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF ITB returned 14.66% year-to-date, while the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF XHB fared better at 23.06%. The Invesco Building & Construction ETF PKB outperformed with 31.86% — however, it is worth noting that it is by far the smallest and most expensive of the group. Two notable stocks in the sector performed similarly. KB Home KBH has clocked a solid yet underperforming 18.52% return year-to-date. It trades at 8.9x its earnings, significantly lagging the peer average 21.1x. Meanwhile, Toll Brothers Inc TOL outperformed, climbing 37.39% year-to-date. Still, the firm trades cheaper than its peers at 8.8x its earnings. Following the latest earnings results , Oppenheimer and JPMorgan reiterated an Outperform and Overweight rating, citing robust demand but warning about the gross-margin guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Read Next: • Egg Hyperinflation Could Spike Grocery Prices: Why Cal-Maine, Vital Farms Are Soaring Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Republican senator prepares ‘DOGE Act’ targeting agencies

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