The weather was gloriously sunny here in Moscow on Monday and Tuesday, as if to celebrate the release of tension over the possibility that Saturday’s US missile strike in Syria would lead to US-Russia fighting. Perhaps the most significant lesson of the strike is that the military de-confliction channels between Washington and Moscow still work.　Oblivious to recent tensions, crowds of tourists wandered around the Kremlin walls and St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square and the nearby mall inside th

On the surface, North Korea’s announcement on Saturday of the suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests provides a positive boost to the summit talks its leader Kim Jong-un will have with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump. But the announcement, which included the voluntary shutdown of a nuclear test site, did not touch on existing nuclear bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles, predicting tough talks ahead on complete denuclearization. The announcem

First ladies since Eleanor Roosevelt have developed over the years to do more than serve merely as White House hostess-in-chief. Barbara Bush took on an issue, applied her passion, and tried to move the needle on literacy. It’s now time to deploy Melania Trump where she can potentially make a difference. It’s time for her to visit her Central European home region to try and bring those countries back to the American fold.　Foreign-born and bred, Melania is the first modern first lady who cannot a

You should never let your guard down when you deal with North Korea. Yet, recent developments raise hope for fruitful discussions at the summit talks its leader Kim Jong-un will hold with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump. Despite the dramatic arrangement of the Moon-Kim talks, which will be followed by the Trump-Kim meeting, there had been some uncertainties, especially regarding the latter meeting. Those with the most skeptical view had opined that a Trump-Kim me

TOKYO, (AFP) -- A volcano in southern Japan erupted for the first time in 250 years on Thursday, spewing steam and ash hundreds of metres into the air, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain.　“There is a possibility that (Mount Io) will become more active,” said Makoto Saito, an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), confirming the eruption.　In a televised press conference, he warned residents in the area to stay away from the mountain, part of the Mount Kirishim

As I was preparing to leave for Moscow, Russian friends were telling me that the TV talk shows -- in expectation of a US missile strike on Syria -- were hyping the advent of World War III.　 President Donald Trump had warned Russia that the “missiles were coming.” But by the time I arrived late Sunday, the mood had totally shifted. Neither TV news, nor Russians I spoke with, were talking about war.　US military officials had given prior warnings to Russian counterparts: the strikes on three Syrian