Kim Jong Un appears amid health rumors
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near the capital, Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence that had triggered rumors he was seriously ill or possibly dead.
The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Mr. Kim attended the ceremony Friday in Sunchon with other senior officials, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, who many analysts predict would take over if he is suddenly unable to rule.
The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published several photos of Mr. Kim wearing black and smiling as he looked around the factory and cut a red ribbon.
It was Mr. Kim’s first public appearance since April 11, when he presided over a ruling Workers’ Party meeting to discuss the coronavirus and reappoint his sister as an alternate member of the powerful decision-making political bureau of the party’s central committee.
Speculation about his health swirled after he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, the country’s most important holiday.
White House blocks Fauci from testifying
The White House is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying before a House subcommittee investigating the coronavirus outbreak and response, arguing that it would be “counterproductive” for him to appear next week while participating in the government’s responses to the pandemic.
The White House issued a statement about Dr. Fauci’s testimony shortly after The Washington Post published a story Friday afternoon quoting a spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, who said the White House was refusing to allow Dr. Fauci to appear at a subcommittee hearing.
“While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counterproductive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at congressional hearings,” said White House spokesman Judd Deere. “We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time.”
Dr. Fauci is expected to appear at a Senate hearing related to testing the following week, according to a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.
May Day celebrations muted by lockdowns
Trapped between fear of an invisible enemy and looming economic ruin, millions of workers marked International Labor Day Friday with vastly muted celebrations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With lockdown restrictions in place across the globe, there were only a handful of countries that saw actual May Day demonstrations on the streets.
In Greece, organizers of a Communist Party-affiliated union marked the exact places masked and gloved demonstrators could stand six feet apart for a rally. In France, unions called for people to sing on balconies or out of windows at midday in a shout of protest for more worker protections.
In Hong Kong, police used pepper spray to disperse more than 100 protesters chanting pro-democracy slogans, and Turkey saw police detaining demonstrators in face masks.