Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Life inside notorious ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in its final days
Josephine Casserly and Ellie HouseBBC News in Florida BBC Yaneisy Fernandez’s son was taken to Alligator Alcatraz, an immigration detention centre in Florida When her son was taken into immigration custody, Yaneisy Fernandez feared the worst. Then she got a call from him inside “Alligator Alcatraz”. “We had no idea where he was until he…
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The trade in US body parts that’s completely legal
Luke MintzBBC News BBC Harold Dillard was 56 when he was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer around his abdomen in November 2009. Within weeks the former car mechanic and handyman – a Texan “Mr Fix It” type who wore a cowboy hat and jeans nearly every day – was in end-of-life hospice care. In his…
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China and India attempt to repair strained ties
Suranjana TewariBBC Asia business correspondent Getty Images Modi and Xi last had a bilateral meeting in 2017 India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in China this weekend with the sting of Donald Trump’s US tariffs still top of mind. Since Wednesday, tariffs on Indian goods bound for the US, like diamonds and shrimp, now stand…
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Trump administration moves to fire most Voice of America staff
The Trump administration has moved to terminate almost 500 employees of federally funded news organisation Voice of America (VOA). The step is the latest in President Donald Trump’s drive to strip back the outlet, which the White House has accused of being “radical”. Acting CEO of VOA’s parent agency, Kari Lake, said the decision would…
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The best looks from the Venice red carpet so far
Celebrities have donned their best gowns and suits on the red carpet for this year’s Venice Film Festival. The multi-day event, which began on Wednesday, saw actress Julia Roberts beaming as she attended for the first time. Actor George Clooney missed a press conference for his upcoming movie Jay Kelly due to a sinus infection…
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Three killed and dozens injured in train derailment
Three people have been killed and 103 others injured due to a train derailing while en route to the Egyptian capital Cairo, the country’s health ministry has said. The train had been travelling from the northern coastal city of Marsa Matruh when seven of its carriages came off the tracks on Saturday, with two carriages…
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Xi shows Trump who holds the cards as he sets up meeting with Kim and Putin
Laura BickerChina correspondent Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending a military parade in the centre of Beijing, alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin and China’s leader Xi Jinping, is quite the photo-op. It’s also a key diplomatic win for Xi. The Chinese leader has been trying hard to project Beijing’s power on the…
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Houthis confirm their prime minister killed in Israeli strikes
Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement has confirmed that its self-proclaimed Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi was killed in Israeli air strikes earlier this week. The Iran-backed group said several other senior officials were killed when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Thursday. The IDF said at the time that it attacked…
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What happens next after court rules them illegal?
Getty Images A federal appeals court has ruled that most of Donald Trump’s tariffs are an overreach of his use of emergency powers as president. The so-called reciprocal tariffs – imposed on nearly every country the US trades with – are being illegally imposed, the US Court of Appeals said on Friday. The decision upholds…
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Edinburgh’s Maclean brothers set new record for Pacific row
Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland News Watch: Moment brothers complete record-breaking 9,000 mile row Three brothers from Edinburgh have claimed a new record for rowing non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean after almost 140 days at sea. Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan Maclean endured violent tropical storms, which forced them into making lengthy detours on their 9,000-mile…
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