China mocked the protests at the US Capitol yesterday, comparing them to the Hong Kong protests in 2019 which the US supported. They considered this an example of failing democracy and even equated twitter blocking Donald Trump to "having no freedom of speech."

Countries around the world react to events at the capitol. Despite being disappointed in and infuriated by this display, fellow democracies appear confident in the strength of US Democracy. Nondemocratic countries believe this event revealed inherent weaknesses of democracy and served as payback for the US frequently meddling in foreign coups.

Polish citizens have violently protested in response to new restrictions on abortion. These restrictions will further Poland's already strict abortion policy by outlawing them even in cases of rape or fetal abnormalities. The government in Poland is heavily influenced by Christianity, which has also prompted them to condemn immigration (except for Christian immigrants) and gay rights.

Yang Bin is a Chinese defense attorney infamous for taking on controversial cases and criticizing the Chinese government. Her attempts to reform the corrupted judicial system resulted in the her license to practice being revoked, and she recently housed Xu Zhiyong, one of China's most outspoken government critics, leading to her arrest.

An Italian warship called the Caprera aided Italy's anti-migration efforts, intercepting migrant boats off the coast of Libya to prevent them from entering Europe. This boat was caught smuggling contraband cigarettes into Italy to sell for a high markup, launching a series of investigations into Italian warships.

A super interesting interview with Jimmy Lai

Coronavirus cases in the UK have surged to numbers even higher than the initial spike in May. Efforts to help the economy and keep the country open have made citizens at greater risk, and experts urge more restrictions and a potential second lockdown.

Instead of requiring strict social distancing measures and lockdowns like the United States, France and many other European countries have encouraged citizens to go back to their normal lives. The countries are confident that with widespread testing, medical infrastructure, and mask availability, they will be able to control a surge in cases and limit hospitalizations. This move is still controversial, as many think that letting the virus "run its course" would disproportionately impact immunocompromised and the elderly. Yet, the majority of recent cases have been in young people, likely due to their increased socialization. I think this is interesting and possibly a more practical COVID response than lockdowns, which people rarely follow. I wonder if an approach like this could work in the United States, but the pandemic response remains highly political here.

This article discusses Germany's successful response to COVID-19. Despite having a high number of cases, they have been able to minimize deaths by effectively communicating scientific facts about the virus to the public, prioritizing building and tracking the number of beds available in hospitals, and offering mental health services and easy access to healthcare. I think it is interesting to note that Germans are notoriously "extremely fact-based and cautious," so it is unclear how successful these protocols would be in another country like the United States.