China, Russia, Cuba elected to UN Human Rights Council

15 countries were picked Tuesday for the panel, as Saudi Arabia failed in its bid to earn a three-year term starting Jan. 1 [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Human rights violators chosen for key UN panel [Riot police arrest protesters during a rally to show support for Uighurs and their fight for human rights. Thousands of demonstrators attended a rally to protest against China's policy on the country's Uighur minority, Hong Kong, Dec. 2019.]( Credit: Lee Jin-man/AP China, Russia and Cuba were among the countries [elected Tuesday to the UN Human Rights Council](, as Saudi Arabia failed in its bid to earn a three-year term starting Jan. 1 with the world body. The vote has provoked [alarm with rights advocates](, given the highly dubious records for the governments of new members. In 2018, the Trump administration quit the Human Rights Council over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform — leading to [criticism about a dearth of US leadership](. In the election, Russia and Cuba ran unopposed, whereas China had competed for membership with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Nepal — the latter three of which gained enough votes to earn positions on the council. A total of [15 countries were elected to the 47-nation panel](. Ivory Coast, Gabon, Malawi, Bolivia, France and the UK were also picked, with Senegal, Ukraine and Mexico each selected for a second, three-year term. Nations on the council are expected to abide by the highest standards for the protection of human rights, [address violations around the globe]( and make recommendations for better accountability. What The World is following Independent monitors have [paused new enrollment in an Eli Lilly study]( testing an experimental, antibody cocktail in conjunction with COVID-19, antiviral-drug remdesivir. The ACTIV-3 trial was halted “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the company, which didn’t elaborate further on what led to the freeze. However, the move comes [a day after another notable temporary pause]( in taking on new volunteers — for the Johnson & Johnson, COVID-19 vaccine study, following a study participant's unexplained illness. Lebanon and Israel have begun [indirect talks mediated by the US]( over their disputed maritime border amid increased interest in natural gas exploration across the eastern Mediterranean. [The longtime foes]( say that the discussions, which are taking place at UN border post Ras Naqoura, are not an indication of normalized ties. The adjacent, Levantine countries have both struggled with political divisions and COVID-19-related uncertainty. They have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war, but regional experts believe the outdoor meeting could help resolve the spat over 330 square miles. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Fauci shuns Trump's politicization of COVID-19 science to focus on 'public health message']( [In this file photo, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus in the press briefing room at the White House in Washington, April 13, 2020.]( Credit: Alex Brandon/AP America’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says right now the globe isn’t doing as well as he’d hoped in fighting the pandemic. "In the Northern Hemisphere, countries that originally got hit, then went down to a good baseline and did well — like many of the European Union countries, the UK, some of the Asian countries," [Fauci told The World's Marco Werman](. "After an initial really difficult time, they all seemed to have things under pretty good control. But now, as the weather gets cooler simultaneously with trying to open up the economy, we're seeing these upticks of global cases throughout the world. And unfortunately, we're starting to see that here." [Israeli ultra-Orthodox celebrate Simchat Torah holiday despite lockdown orders]( [Ultra-Orthodox Jewish teens attend the funeral for Rabbi Mordechai Leifer, Oct. 5, 2020.]( Credit: Tsafrir Abayov/AP Under lockdown rules, gatherings are limited to 20 people outdoors and 10 indoors. But on Saturday night, in the Shikun Hahistadrut neighborhood of Bnei Brak, [music and singing rang out]( from the open windows of a Torah study seminary as celebrants gathered. [Ex-CIA Director John Brennan fears 'rocky times' are ahead for the US]( [Former CIA Director John Brennan listens during a panel at The Center on National Security at Fordham Law School in New York, Sept. 4, 2018.]( Credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Ex-CIA Director John Brennan says the next 100 days leading up to the inauguration may be especially dangerous and he raised concerns about potential bad actors being emboldened. "I think Donald Trump is going to resort to any tactic to try to emerge victorious in the election," [Brennan told The World's Marco Werman](. "I'm sure he's going to pursue a legal challenge to the outcome and he may, in fact, embolden his supporters to try to rally in the streets in support of his reelection. But I do have faith and confidence in the institutions of our government." --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot In a journey of just three hours, a trio that included one astronaut and two cosmonauts launched from the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport facility in Kazakhstan and then docked at the International Space Station. The mission was the first in a [new fast-track maneuver](. [A screen grab of a tweet from Massimo.]( [Credit: Twitter screen grab]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [How an Ottoman Empire leader influenced a new album called ‘Osmanity’]( - [Belarus governments say police will fire on protesters if necessary]( - [Chinese city tests all 9 million residents]( - [Undecided Latino voters in North Carolina]( - [Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire doesn’t hold]( - [UK companies accused of selling contact-tracing data to third parties]( 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](. 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