Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Niger’s military junta says it will nationalise the majority French-owned local uranium company in the latest escalation in a row between the two countries. Somaïr is operated by French nuclear fuels company Orano, which Niger accuses of several “irresponsible acts”. Since seizing power in 2023, Niger’s military leaders have said they want to keep more…

Israeli forces have killed 23 Palestinians after opening fire on crowds who had gathered near an aid distribution site, witnesses and medics say. Tanks and drones fired at thousands of people near an aid distribution centre in central Gaza run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the witnesses and medics said. A…

A training camp for the Senegalese women’s basketball team in the US has been scrapped, with the West African nation’s prime minister saying he cancelled it because some of the squad were denied US visas. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said the team would now train in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, “in a sovereign and conducive setting”.…

A 12-year-old girl has died and seven other children have been taken to hospital in an outbreak of severe food poisoning centred around a northern French town. Symptoms began to emerge on 12 June in and around Saint-Quentin, south of Lille, with the children rushed to hospital over the following days. The cause of the…

Filipino authorities are investigating a claim that dozens of cockfighter enthusiasts who disappeared three years ago were killed and dumped in a volcanic lake. At least 34 men – who had been accused of fixing cockfighting matches – disappeared without a trace in the capital Manila and its surrounding provinces. Six suspects were later charged…

Peter Hoskins Business reporter, BBC News Pavel Durov/Instagram The founder of instant messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, says the more than 100 children he has fathered will share his estimated $13.9bn (£10.3bn) fortune. “They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don’t want them to tear each other apart after…

Adam Hancock Business reporter, BBC News Xia Yu/VCG via Getty Images Whether you reckon they are cute, ugly or just plain weird, chances are you have heard of the furry dolls that have become a global sensation – Labubu. Born a monster, the elf-like creature from Chinese toy maker Pop Mart is now a viral…

China’s military has called a British warship’s recent passage through the Taiwan Strait an act of “intentional provocation” that “undermines peace and stability” in the contested waterway. The British Royal Navy says the HMS Spey’s patrol was part of a long-planned deployment and was in accordance with international law. Wednesday’s transit – the first by…

Conditions for grape-pickers in France’s champagne business lie at the heart of a human trafficking trial that has opened in the eastern city of Reims. Three people – a woman from Kyrgyzstan, a man from Georgia and a Frenchman – are accused of exploiting more than 50 seasonal workers, mainly from west Africa. The workers…

An 81-year-old man drove his car down the landmark Spanish Steps in Rome before getting stuck on the way down. One of Italy’s most recognisable monuments, the Spanish Steps have never been intended for vehicles to travel down. The driver tested negative for alcohol and told officers that he was on his way to work.…