Category World News

This is the story of how people are rediscovering their connection to Earth, inspired by wisdom keepers who have never forgotten what it means to live in harmony with nature.

At the United Kingdom’s Medicine Festival, thousands of attendees hear of the urgent need to reconnect from Indigenous leaders, including Noke Hoi chief Pina Varinawa, Hawaiian elder Puna Kalama Dawson, and Zulu healer Philiswa Makhaye. They have travelled far from home, hoping to lead to transformation for people and the planet.

A mentorship with Native American elders ignited a quest by Mac Macartney to revive the traditions of his homeland, the British Isles, from his retreat centre, Embercombe. He believes we can all, with effort, return to our Indigenous roots.

Aryna Sabalenka will not let her friendship with Paula Badosa affect her quest to win a third successive Australian Open title when the best friends clash in the semifinals, the defending champion has said.

Badosa upset American third seed Coco Gauff to make her first Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday, while Sabalenka downed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to stay on course to be the first woman to complete a “three-peat” since Martina Hingis from 1997-99.

Sabalenka, who has a 5-2 record against Badosa, was pleased with her friend’s progress in the tournament but said the Spaniard should not expect any easy treatment when they meet at Melbourne Park.

The 11th seed Badosa earlier stunned world number three Coco Gauff in straight sets to reach her maiden Grand Slam semifinal.

“She’s a great player and she has been through a lot. Now she’s back on her best game. I’m really happy to see that,” Sabalenka said of Badosa, who a year ago almost quit tennis because of a chronic back condition.

“We decided a long time ago that off the court we are friends, while on the court she really wants to win, I really want to win,” Sabalenka said after her 6-2 2-6 6-3 win over Russian 27th seed Pavlyuchenkova.

“So on the court we are competitors and there is no place for friendship. ”

HYPED for Sabadosa semi ????@SabalenkaA @paulabadosa #AO2025 pic. twitter. com/27mRf5yb7u

While she would not speculate on her chances of joining an elite group of players who have won three Australian Open titles in a row, including Margaret Court (1969-71), Evonne Goolagong (1974–76), Steffi Graf (1988–90), Monica Seles (1991–93) and Hingis, the Belarusian said it was not beyond her reach.

“I’m really happy that I put myself in this situation where I have the opportunity to become one of them,” she told reporters.

“To be next to those names, wow, that’s just a dream. Of course, it has always been in the back of my mind that I can do that. But you know, my main focus is … step by step.

Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange barrages of air attacks, despite Donald Trump having said he would end the war within 24 hours of becoming US president.

While Trump was inaugurated on Monday afternoon, neither Kyiv nor Moscow have shown signs of de-escalating the drone and missile strikes they have been launching against one another in recent months. Both launched barrages overnight on Tuesday.

Russia said it downed 55 Ukrainian drones, more than half of which were intercepted over regions on the border.

Kyiv said it struck an oil depot near the town of Liski in the Voronezh region, sparking a blaze at the facility for the second time in less than a week.

The region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, said the fire was caused by debris from a downed drone and that no one was injured.

Kyiv also said its forces struck an aviation plant producing “combat aircraft” in the western Russian city of Smolensk, creating “explosions”.

Ukraine’s air force claimed it shot down 93 of 141 drones Russia launched overnight, noting others were “lost” while two returned to Russia.

Russian troops took control of the village of Vovkove in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, TASS, Russia’s state-run news agency, reported on Tuesday, citing the Ministry of Defence.

Vovkove is about 10 kilometres (6. 2 miles) southwest of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front in Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv has yet to comment on the Defence Ministry’s claim.

‘No specific proposals’

Trump told reporters on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and voiced hope that Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would follow suit.

The newly inaugurated US president said that Putin would be destroying Russia by failing to make a deal, pointing out Russia’s economic troubles, including high inflation.

The same day, Putin said Moscow was open to dialogue with the Trump administration on the conflict, emphasising the need to respect Russia’s interests.

Trump has repeatedly said that he would end the war “in 24 hours,” yet he has never provided any details of his plan.

However, his team has hinted Trump may let Russia hold on to occupied chunks of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and four Ukrainian regions.

The Kremlin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday that Moscow has received “no specific proposals” from Washington concerning a Ukraine settlement.

In the immediate aftermath of Trump’s inauguration, Putin held a long phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The conversation on Tuesday saw the pair confirm their mutual support and dedication to securing a multipolar geopolitical environment.

“Russia and China’s joint work plays an important stabilising role in international affairs,” Putin said in the call.

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

Across the world, various leaders and politicians congratulated Trump, with some urging good relations while others expressing concern.

Here are some of the reactions across the globe:

China

China said it hopes to cooperate with the US to resolve trade issues, as Trump had threatened to impose new tariffs on the Asian country.

Beijing is “willing to strengthen dialogue and communication with the United States, properly manage differences and expand mutually beneficial cooperation”, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

Russia

President Vladimir Putin said Moscow welcomes Trump’s team’s statements on “their desire to restore direct contacts with Russia which were halted through no fault of ours by the outgoing administration”.

“We also hear his statements about the need to do everything to prevent World War III. We certainly welcome such an approach,” Putin said in a video address.

NATO

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said with Trump back in office, the military alliance from Europe and North America “will turbo-charge defense spending and production”.

“Together we can achieve peace through strength – through NATO! ” he wrote on X.

With President Trump back in office we will turbo-charge defence spending & production

My warm congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his inauguration as 47th President of the USA, and to @JDVance as Vice President

Together we can achieve peace through strength – through @NATO!

Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said under Trump’s leadership, “the best days of our alliance are yet to come”.

“Working together again, we will raise the US-Israel alliance to even greater heights. I’m confident that we will complete the defeat of Iran’s terror axis and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for our region,” he said in a video address.

He thanked Trump for his efforts in freeing Israeli captives from Gaza, adding that he looks forward to working with him “to destroy Hamas’s military capabilities and end its political rule in Gaza”.

Palestine

President Mahmoud Abbas said Palestine is ready to work with Trump to achieve peace during his tenure, “guided by the two-state solution based on international legitimacy”.

“This vision seeks the establishment of the State of Palestine and the State of Israel living side by side in peace and security,” Abbas was quoted as saying by the Wafa news agency.

Syria

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.

“We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” he said in a statement.

Germany

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the aim of Germany’s policy with its “closest ally …   is always a good transatlantic relationship”.

Panama

President Jose Raul Mulino said in a statement he rejects Trump’s statements that the US will be “taking back” the strategic Panama Canal.

“The canal is and will continue to be Panama’s,” he said, stressing the importance of dialogue.

Ukraine