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Kim Jong-un visits cosmetics factory amid geopolitical tensions

Kim Jong-un may or may not be a regular user of exfoliant scrub and moisturiser, but the North Korean leader was every inch the attentive consumer when he swapped ballistic missiles for bars of soap during a visit to a cosmetics factory, reports The Guardian.

While James Mattis, the US defence secretary, was saying Washington would never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea, Kim was offering “field guidance” at the weekend to factory workers in the latest display of his more genteel side, according to the official KCNA news agency.

The visit was notable, too, for the identity of his companions – the two most powerful women in North Korea.

Photographs showed Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, who is rarely seen in public.

His younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, whom he recently appointed to the ruling party’s powerful politburo, was also present but stayed out of shot, reports said. They were accompanied by two senior party officials.

As tensions reach breaking point on the Korean peninsula over Kim Jong-un’s efforts to build up his nuclear arsenal, Iran has waded into the row. Tehran said it will continue to produce missiles for its defence and does not consider that a violation of international accords, the Daily Express reported.

And in a veiled dig, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani took aim at Donald Trump. Rouhani slammed the US over Trump's refusal earlier this month to formally certify that Tehran is complying with the 2015 accord on Iran's nuclear programme, even though international inspectors say it is.

The next test of the China-Russia relationship will be containing the North Korean crisis.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is due to visit China this week to meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and other senior officials.

The trip will underline growing bilateral dialogue between Beijing and Moscow, including on key regional and global issues such as the Korean nuclear stand-off and the Syrian conflict. Read more on the South China Morning Post.

Vatican Spokesman Greg Burke on Monday dismissed reports that a meeting on nuclear disarmament set to take place next month was part of attempted "mediation" by Pope Francis between North Korea and the United States, Italian wire service ANSA reported.