Since President Trump took office he has taken a sometimes bellicose and sometimes conciliatory approach to North Korea. He was the first sitting US president to meet a leader of the country, not once but twice, with the second summit in Vietnam being generally seen as a failure. Diplomacy as the solution to North Korean nuclearization has been tried, to no avail, for nearly 30 years with the next attempt slated to take place this weekend.

North Korea initially stated, and the US later confirmed, that stalled denuclearization talks are scheduled to resume this weekend at the working-level (i.e. no direct talks between Trump and Kim, yet). Hours after the announcement, North Korea launched a ballistic missile, casting a negative light on the prospect of a breakthrough from this third round of talks between the Trump administration and the Kim regime.

All parties believe that a diplomatic solution to North Korean denuclearization is the preferred path when compared with a military approach. However, the pessimists point out that we have been down the road of diplomacy unsuccessfully for decades, while the optimists counter that regardless of how long it takes, war should not be an option.

On Tuesday, 18-year-old Tsang Chi-kin was shot while protesting Beijing's National Day Celebration, marking the first use of live fire in months of demonstrations. The officer fired at Chi-kin point blank after the teen, amid a group of others, attacked the riot officer with a metal pipe.

Hong Kong police have come to the defense of the officer, claiming that he was acting in self-defense during a life threatening situation. Schoolmates of Chi-Kin have refuted the statement, citing the numerous claims of police brutality throughout the duration of the protests.

Both sides happily report that Chi-kin was quickly transported to a local hospital where he was returned to stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.