Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has thanked Britain for its “strong and public stand” on the two Canadians detained by China. During a joint news conference with her British counterpart, Dominic Raab, she said freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor is a priority as Canada navigates “challenging” circumstances.

The United States administration has designated China as a currency manipulator after its central bank devalued the Yuan as the two countries' rrade dispute escalates. The announcement followed on the heels of President Donald Trump’s accusation on social media that China use currency exchange to steal U.S. business and undermine commodity prices.

As Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests continue to escalate in the former British colony,the commander of its People’s Liberation Army garrison says violence should not be tolerated. Meanwhile, a spokesman for China's Hong Kong and Macau Office said the local government and police were capable"of handling the protests.

Large-scale cyber attacks by North Korea evidently generated as much as $2 billion dollars which may be used to underwrite its weapons programs, according to a report presented to the United Nations North Korean sanctions committee. Among other things, the report cites forced transfers of funds from financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges.