World News

To most of the world, the swastika is a diabolical symbol for sure – one that conjures images of Adolph Hitler, Nazism, and anti-Semitism. But what is a swastika? And what is the significance? The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit for well-being or luck. It has been used for thousands of years in Indian cultures and worldwide, and became a fashionable motif in the West in the early 20th Century.

France was to name a new prime minister later Friday after Edouard Philippe and his cabinet resigned amid mounting concerns about the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation.

Iran has warned Israel and other “foes” against “hostile actions” after an explosion and fire damaged the Natanz nuclear complex.

The former head of the Assemblies of God denomination in Malawi has now been elected president of the country. Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in Sunday, having won 58% of the vote to beat incumbent Peter Mutharika, Evangelical Focus reported.

According to analysis by the Breaking Defense digital magazine, Iran may be developing a type of missile that can reach targets in the middle of Europe, Israel Hayom reported Tuesday. Breaking Defense believes the Iranians may be disguising a missile program as the space launch vehicle development.

Russia’s long-ruling President Vladimir Putin could remain in power until 2036 after voters backed controversial changes to the constitution, official results showed Wednesday.

Russians voted in favor of a referendum on Wednesday for a series of constitutional amendments, one of which would define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Mexico celebrated the implementation of a new free trade agreement with Canada and the United States that it hopes will lead to more investment in its struggling economy.

More than 300 people have been arrested in Hong Kong protests Wednesday, including nine accused of violating a new national security law that Western powers argue takes away the territory’s semi-autonomous status and gives China unprecedented power over the city.

The Trump administration said it was now blocking transfers of sensitive U.S. technology to Hong Kong after China on Tuesday formally put in place a harsh new national security law on the former British territory.

The Trump administration’s envoy for Iran said Tuesday that the White House was willing to take military action against Tehran to prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Bharat Biotech is now approved for human trials, and slated to start human vaccine testing for COVID-19 in July. It will be India’s first domestic pharmaceutical candidate to receive the go-ahead from the government’s drug regulator as cases are sky-rocketing in the 1.3 billion population.

Hungary’s right-wing government has come under pressure amid reports that it spends more on anti-migration propaganda than on support for persecuted Christians.

The European Union has decided to extend sanctions it imposed on Russia in 2014 following Russian military action against Ukraine. The decision to extend the economic measures was made by the Council of the European Union on June 29.

The US Defense Department has published a list of twenty major companies, including Huawei, that it has determined are owned or backed by the Chinese military, BBC News reported Thursday. A result of this determination, the US may apply new sanctions against the companies listed.

Argentina and Brazil were on high alert Monday as a giant swarm of locusts began eating its way through crops in the region.

An explosion that rattled Iran’s capital came from an area in its eastern mountains that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites, satellite photographs showed Saturday.

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan want a deal next month on filling Ethiopia’s giant new hydroelectric dam to end a decade-long dispute over water supplies. Their accord on the Blue Nile river dam announced over the weekend followed mediation by the African Union (AU), the cooperative body of 55 member states on the African continent.

Poland’s right-wing president, Andrzej Duda, was seeking a second five-year term in an election amid controversy. Sunday’s poll was seen as a test whether voters share his plans of implementing a conservative agenda. His policies include judicial reforms that the European Union claims undermine democracy.

According to a new study, many African nations struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic may find themselves defaulting on debt repayments, DW reports. Weak currencies, higher interest rates, and reduced oil prices could result in African governments losing an estimated US$45 billion in revenue this year alone, the study found.