But we're starting in the Japanese capital of Tokyo.

US president Joe Biden is there; it's his first trip to Asia as president.

And during a news conference Monday, the American leader made a comment that got a lot of international attention and analysis.

It concerned the island of Taiwan.

For decades, its government, which sees itself as an independent democracy, has been at odds with the government of China, which sees Taiwan as part of the communist mainland.

So the two sides have a dispute.

They're not at war, but China has been holding military drills near the island in recent months.

What does this have to do with President Biden?

Well, the United States is an ally of Taiwan, and they don't want China to forcibly try to take control of the island.

But if China did, what would the US do?

Would it stand by, or would it get involved in a war with China to protect Taiwan?

Analysts say American leaders have intentionally avoided answering this question because they want to keep things as they are, with China and Taiwan coexisting.

The US doesn't want China to invade Taiwan. It doesn't want Taiwan to push for independence from China.

When asked about this yesterday, though, President Biden did answer directly.

Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?

- Yes. - You are?

That's a commitment we made.

We agree with the One China policy; we signed on to it and all the attendant agreements made from there.

But the idea that... that it could be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not... is just not appropriate; it'll dislocate the entire region.

So, is US policy changing?

Did the president promise that the American military would fight for Taiwan if China were to invade, or did he make a mistake in what he said?

His administration in Washington D.C. quickly walked back his comments, saying America's policy hasn't changed,

that the US is committed to peace and stability in the Asian region, but that America would continue to provide Taiwan weapons to defend itself.

Taiwan said it welcomed President Biden's, quote, "rock solid commitment to the island".

But China said it firmly opposed the American leader's comments, and that it wouldn't allow another country to interfere with China's, quote, "internal affairs".

This island of 23 million people is a vibrant democracy and a US ally that sits just across the sea from the world's largest one-party state.

I'm Matt Rivers in Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China.

And I'm Steven Jiang in Beijing, the capital of what's officially known as the People's Republic of China.

It's been called that since 1949 when the communists here won a civil war, forcing the previous government to flee to the island of Taiwan.

Both sides set up their own governments, each claiming to be the only legitimate rulers of the entire Chinese territory.

Decades of hostility ensued⏤there was no travel, no trade, or communications between the two and the threat of military action was a constant presence.

But those tensions began to ease in the 1990s.

That's when Beijing and Taipei came to an agreement on the so-called One China policy.

Both sides acknowledged [that] despite the existence of two governments, there's only one nation of China, and that paved the way for economic and cultural cooperation.

Businesses from Taiwan have invested billions of dollars here on the mainland, home to 1.3 billion people in the world's second-largest economy.

And millions of mainland tourists have flocked to Taiwan after direct flights resumed.

China insists Taiwan is a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Both governments say that's all the more reason to strengthen communication and build mutual trust.

But whether that trust can be built in Taiwan remains to be seen.

Many people here are wary of the growing influence of their massive neighbor just across the straits, fearful that their unique way of life cultivated over the last six decades may be under threat.

10-second trivia: What country has the largest population in Africa?

Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, or Kenya.

With more than 216 million people, Nigeria has Africa's largest population.

And Nigeria is in a region of Africa where a virus known as monkeypox is endemic, meaning outbreaks are more common there.

What's unusual is that dozens of recent cases have been reported in countries where monkeypox isn't common⏤Australia, Canada, Israel, the United States, and at least 11 nations in Europe.

When we produced this show, health authorities were tracking around 100 cases in these countries, and no deaths had been reported.

Monkeypox does not spread as easily as COVID-19.

Officials say people have to come in close contact with one another in order to catch it.

Symptoms are said to be like the flu at first⏤fever, chills, aches, fatigue⏤swollen lymph nodes and a rash on the face and body can follow, and that usually goes away after a couple [of] weeks.

Unlike COVID a couple [of] years ago, monkeypox is not a new virus; there are treatments that can be used for diseases like it, including an antiviral drug.

So while it's uncommon for it to spread outside of West and Central Africa, officials say it isn't something that should cause panic.

And here's what we know so far: Monkeypox cases have been confirmed in more than a dozen countries around the world.

These are countries where the virus is not endemic, so it is unusual to see this level of cases in these regions.

And we should see a list here of those countries; it does include, as you see, the United States.

And just this morning, President Joe Biden spoke from Tokyo about how this is a virus that we know well, it doesn't spread as easily as COVID-19, people should not panic, but we should be aware.

Have a listen.

We've had this monkeypox in the larger numbers in the past, number one.

Number two, we have vaccines to care for it, to take care of it.

Number three, there is⏤thus far, it doesn't seem to be a need for any kind of extra... extra effort beyond what's going on.

And, so, I... I... I just don't think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with COVID-19 or⏤and the smallpox vaccine works for it.

So⏤but I think people should be careful.

And the CDC here in the US and the World Health Organization have both said they are investigating these cases and will release more information as they learn more.

We're soaring across the Atlantic now to the Italian island of Sicily, where Mount Etna has been doing what Mount Etna does.

People on and around the island can tell you this is a pretty common sight.

Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe.

It typically erupts several times a year, and in addition to the plumes of ash billowing from its crater, cameras recently recorded some amazingly vivid pictures of lava flowing downhill at night.

Even though the city of Catania is only about 15 miles south of the mountain, its eruptions don't usually cause a lot of damage there, and experts say people who live nearby aren't directly threatened by the volcano.

They do, however, get a serious light show when they can see sights like this in the distance.

And as one of our long-time viewers at Sigonella Middle high school tells us, you've got to get your food off the grill when you hear Etna rumbling, or your dinner could soon be coated with ash.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the mountain's height actually changes over time.

When ash is deposited from eruptions, it gets taller; when the edge of its crater collapses, it sinks back down.

For 10 out of 10, the most expensive car ever sold.

What brand would you expect?

It's not Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Bugatti.

It's not Duesenberg, if you're old school.

It's Mercedes. This one.

A 1955 Gullwing Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR.

It's one of only two ever made, part of the reason why it fetched 143 million dollars at an auction early this month.

The company says it'll use the money to establish a new scholarship fund.

Things the buyer would never say:

It's for rent. My other car was "Jeeper".

Aren't its wings adorable?

It's all I could "a-Ford"; now that I bought it, I'm "Audi".

Hey, let's race for pink slips.

And finally, can you believe "Mercedes" gas prices?

I'm Carl Azuz, and that's our show for today.

Wanna give a shout-out to Morgan Middle School, our viewers watching in Ellensburg, Washington.

We have three shows left to go in our spring season.