The United Nations' new human rights body, the Human Rights Council, begins its inaugural session today under close scrutiny to see if it does more to protect fundamental freedoms than its discredited predecessor. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will attend the launch. Much of the initial two-week session of the 47-state body will be devoted to planning future work, but its chairman ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico has set aside time for examining current rights crises around the world.