Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Robert F Kennedy Jr faced questions on Covid deaths, vaccines and his record as the US health secretary during an often heated Senate hearing. When asked whether he accepts that one million Americans died from Covid, he responded: “I don’t know how many died… I don’t think anybody knows”. Last week the director of the…

Alice CuddySenior international reporter, in Lisbon Reuters There is a palpable sense of shock on the faces of people gathering at the site of a major funicular crash in the Portuguese capital as they hear of how a three-year-old German boy was pulled alive from the wreckage – a lucky survivor of Wednesday’s terrible crash…

Canadian police say one person has died and at least six were injured in a mass stabbing attack in a First Nations community in the province of Manitoba. On Thursday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the suspect in the stabbing had also died. The incident, described by police as a “mass casualty” event,…

At least 15 people have died in a new outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country’s health ministry has said. The presence of the virus had been confirmed in a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to hospital last month after showing symptoms that included a high fever and…

Paul KirbyEurope digital editor Getty Images Ukraine’s president joined France’s Emmanuel Macron for the summit at the Élysée Palace UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told a summit of about 30 Western countries that they had an “unbreakable pledge” to Ukraine that was backed by the US, and now had to press Russia to…

Annabel RackhamCulture reporter Getty Images Armani reimagined and modernised women’s and men’s suits The Italian fashion designer and billionaire brand owner Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91. He was the archetype of Italian style and elegance, reimagining men’s and women’s suits for a modern audience. Armani, which began as a fashion company,…

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, 53, has won a rare third term in office after his Labour Party sailed to victory in Monday’s election. The Caribbean nation’s electoral commission said the Labour Party had won 34 seats, beating the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), which secured 29 seats, according to preliminary figures. The candidate for…

Michelle RobertsDigital health editor, BBC News BBC Organ transplants certainly save lives but having surgery is a big undertaking with significant risks Is it possible to become immortal with the help of organ transplants? That was the unexpected topic of discussion this week between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin when they…

Portugal is in mourning after at least 17 people died and some 20 more were injured when Lisbon’s famous funicular cable railway derailed on Wednesday evening. A transport worker was among those killed, while a three-year-old German boy was reported to have escaped with minor injuries. Those hurt include four Portuguese, and 11 foreign nationals…

It was just after 18:00 on Wednesday when a carriage on Lisbon’s famous Gloria funicular came around the bend of a steep cobblestoned street, crashed into a building, and crumpled, an eyewitness said. “It hit a building with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box,” Teresa d’Avó told Portuguese television channel SIC, adding it…