China flexes its muscles

China testing legal and geographic boundaries. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today China flexes its might as it tests boundaries [Riot police disperse pro-democracy demonstrators as they take part a singing song protest at Mong Kok, in Hong Kong, China June 12, 2020.]( Credit: Tyrone Siu/Reuters As the pandemic has grasped the world's attention, China has been testing boundaries — both geographically and legally. Submarines in Japanese waters, incursions into Taiwanese airspace and deadly clashes with Indian soldiers in the Himalayas have been displays of [China's military assertiveness that are raising alarms in Washington](. In Hong Kong, Chinese lawmakers are keeping the [details of a controversial national security law under wraps](, possibly to avoid provoking additional outrage over the legislation. The law targets secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces, and has been widely [criticized as eroding Hong Kong's autonomy](. The full text is likely to remain secret until it goes into effect. It is expected to be approved next week. Father afield, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will [not release Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou]( in exchange for two Canadians who were detained in China weeks after Meng's arrest in Vancouver. And in Australia, a lawmaker is [facing an investigation]( by national security agencies into alleged influence by China. What The World is following The US hit a [record single-day high of 40,000]( reported coronavirus infections Thursday. More than 2.4 million people in the US have contracted the virus. India also experienced a record [24-hour spike](, as infections there close in on half a million. In Brazil, which is second to the US in case numbers, President Jair Bolsonaro says he may have [previously contracted]( the disease. [Joyous news for sports fans]( in New Zealand and Australia, as they learned the Oceanic countries have won a joint bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2023. A Russian ransomware group is launching sophisticated attacks [on corporate America]( as employees have shifted to remote work, [The New York Times reports](. Officials now worry about threats to election infrastruture. You'd be forgiven for thinking the hacking group took their name right out of the movies: They call themselves Evil Corp. --------------------------------------------------------------- Help inform The World's global security coverage Can you take a moment to answer a short (we promise!) survey for The World? [Tell us what you think about our global security stories.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [In Thailand, posting a selfie with a beer is a potential crime]( [A man drinks beer at a restaurant in Hanoi, July 20, 2009. In smaller markets in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, drinking beer is becoming a popular pastime due to rising disposable income and relatively young populations who are embracing the party scene.]( Credit: Kham/Vietnam Food Society/Reuters Under a sporadically enforced law in Thailand, it is risky to say anything flattering about alcohol on social media. You can’t hold up a bottle of bourbon in a selfie and grin. Or show off a pint glass with a Heineken logo. [All of that runs afoul of a very vague crime](: “Encouraging people to drink.” [Centuries ago, Spanish writers challenged gender norms and barriers]( [Portrait of Sor Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695), a nun of New Spain (Mexico) and contributor to the Spanish Golden Age.]( Credit: Miguel Cabrera/Wikimedia Commons Think "Spanish literature" and you might come up with "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. But there's so much more to classic Spanish lit than the "Man of La Mancha." That’s the focus of an exhibition at the Cervantes Institute in Madrid, which looks at some of the most important — but largely ignored — women writers of Spain's 16th and 17th centuries. Many of the women writers of Spain's Golden Age were nuns, and some, like Catalina de Erauso, "The Lieutenant Nun,” [challenged norms around gender expression.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning focus Two US Navy ships have broken the 161-day record for the most consecutive days at sea. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS San Jacinto have gone [23 weeks without a port call]( in an effort to skirt the coronavirus pandemic — talk about a lockdown. [Screenshot of US Central Command Twitter]( [Credit: Screengrab from Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [New music by Yemi Alade]( - [Pyongyang pub]( - [Israel gears up for annexing parts of the West Bank]( - [Turkish journalist on trial]( - [Constitutional reform vote in Russia]( - [US Supreme Court asylum ruling]( - [What good is a tree?]( - [Eiffel Tower reopens]( - [Poor countries face deadly shortage of medical oxygen in struggle to treat increasing COVID-19 patients]( - [EU mulls travel restrictions on Americans because of COVID-19]( - [Swashbuckling nuns and other literary treasures of Spain's Golden Age rediscovered]( - [Thailand’s alcohol ban]( 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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