Jerusalem controversial backdrop for Pompeo RNC speech

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the Old City of Jerusalem as the backdrop for his pre-recorded speech to the Republican National Convention scheduled for Tuesday evening. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Pompeo controversially brings the RNC to Jerusalem [US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conclude joint statements to the press, in Jerusalem, Israel, Aug. 24, 2020.]( Credit: Debbie Hill/Pool via AP US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo [used Jerusalem's Old City]( as the backdrop for [his prerecorded speech]( to the Republican National Convention scheduled for Tuesday evening. But the top American diplomat is already being criticized for [mixing politics and diplomacy](. A State Department spokesperson said [no tax dollars will be used]( and Pompeo will be speaking in his personal capacity. But Democrats and other critics have [lambasted how the foreign policy ploy]( highlights the Trump administration’s accomplishments vis-a-vis Israel. Pompeo will reportedly also be addressing Trump’s efforts to make the world safer and [promote an “America first” agenda overseas](. Part of that theme will likely be emphatic mention of the recent normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The next stops on Pompeo’s [Middle East and North Africa tour]( will include not just the UAE but also Bahrain and Sudan, two other nations that are said to be [considering similar pacts with Israel]( to bring relations into the open and build upon the [US regional alliance to counter Iran](. Senior Trump adviser Jared Kushner is to visit Saudi Arabia, Oman and other countries next week as part of the peace push. What The World is following China has [imposed a sweeping lockdown]( on the western region of Xinjiang to contain a resurgence of the coronavirus. But while new infections have subsided in the politically charged part of the country, the lockdown restrictions have remained and residents say authorities have been heavy-handed in sealing off apartment buildings and forcing people to stay home. Residents of Urumqi, the capital of the semi-autonomous region, have apparently been forced to [use traditional Chinese medicine]( to keep the pandemic at bay. Meanwhile, Swedish climate activist and globe-trotter Greta Thunberg is [headed back to school]( this week after taking a year off to lobby governments to wean their economies off of fossil fuels. The well-known 17-year-old campaigner [began her solo environmental protests two years ago](, but the coronavirus has recently prevented her [Fridays for Future]( from organizing mass gatherings. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Roma persecution intensifies during the coronavirus pandemic in Europe]( [A man reacts during a gathering at the biggest Roma-populated district in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 17, 2020.]( Credit: Dimitar Kyosemarliev/Reuters Amid global Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality earlier this summer, Roma activists marched through Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia. The Roma people are Europe’s largest ethnic minority and among its most persecuted. Police intimidation is a fact of life for many Roma living in Bulgaria and elsewhere in Europe, according to activists, but in the last five months [tensions have heightened]( due to the coronavirus pandemic. [Zoom weddings: A blessing in disguise?]( [Santiago and Genia decided to have a Zoom wedding.]( Credit: Courtesy of Santiago Benavides With friends and family spread out across the globe, [perhaps a Zoom wedding]( is the only way to really have everyone present — in pandemic times or not. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot A new trend on YouTube [known as bardcore]( sees modern pop songs like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" or Haddaway’s ’90s club classic, “What Is Love,” reimagined in sounds from the Middle Ages. Here are some medieval earworms to start your Tuesday off right 🎧 [Screen grab of a YouTube video from Cornelius Link.]( [Credit: Screen grab from YouTube]( Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [‘Bardcore’ puts a medieval twist on modern songs]( - [Mittens the cat could become New Zealander of the year]( - [Indian Americans rise in Trump’s Republican Party]( - [Floods devastate China]( - [Brazil’s Indigenous communities losing leaders to COVID-19]( - [Netanyahu avoids a snap election]( - [Pompeo, Israel and the UAE]( - [What’s the symbolic value of a statue?]( - [Germany hosts pop concerts to test spread of COVID-19]( - [Plasma therapy for COVID-19]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [WGBH](.