Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

For the third week in a row, Pope Francis has been unable to deliver his traditional Angelus prayer in person, with the Vatican publishing his written comments instead. The Vatican said the text, sent from his hospital room in Rome, had been written “in the past few days”. In it, the Pope thanked people for…

Reuters Blue Ghost orbiting the Moon in the week before it landed on the lunar surface A private spacecraft has landed on the Moon, becoming only the second commercial vehicle to reach the lunar surface. Blue Ghost left Earth on January 15, after being launched by US firm Firefly Aerospace with the intention of exploring…

Kelly Ng & Juna Moon Reporting fromSingapore and Seoul NEWS1 Park Han-shin, who lost his brother in the Jeju Air crash, has been accused of being a “fake bereaved family member” A plane crash in South Korea last December left Park Guen-woo an orphan. The 22-year-old had barely found space to mourn his parents when…

Pro-Ukraine protests have taken place across the US after Donald Trump and JD Vance’s angry exchange with Volodymr Zelensky at the White House. Hundreds of people gathered in New York, Los Angeles and Boston to express their support for Ukraine after the furious row in the Oval Office. Protesters holding pro-Ukraine signs also lined a…

Getty Images “He loved being an actor, and hated all the stuff that surrounds being an actor.” That, for film director Barry Sonnenfeld, is how he’ll remember Gene Hackman, who has died at the age of 95. The endless hours in hair and makeup, repeated takes, and studio notes all frustrated Hackman, Sonnenfeld told BBC…

Getty Images Mikey Madison and Demi Moore are both up for best actress Stars, film fans and fashionistas rejoice as the biggest night in the showbiz calendar is here at last – the 97th Oscars. Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez leads the way with 13 nominations, but recently saw its awards chances damaged after offensive historic…

The government of Haiti says police have launched a large-scale operation in a shantytown controlled by powerful gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, who is widely known as Barbecue. The authorities say several gang members have been killed in the Lower Delmas area of the capital Port-au-Prince. Local reports say military drones carrying explosives are being used…

George Sandeman and Giulia Imbert BBC News AFP Wikie, pictured with her calf in 2011, needs to be rehoused after her marine zoo home shut in January The uncertain future of two killer whales is no closer to being resolved despite the closure of their marine zoo home two months ago. Wikie, 23, and her…

Getty Images The love life of South Africa’s Zulu king has the country agog – and has scandalised his socially conservative subjects as he messes with tradition by seeking a divorce. Polygamy is part of Zulu culture, but King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has taken the unusual step of going to court to divorce his first wife,…

BBC In Union County, South Carolina, the sprawling cotton mills that once put bread on the table for many are long gone. Union is also what is termed a “food desert”, where many residents live far from the nearest supermarket. So in 2016, local non-profit director Elise Ashby began working with farmers to deliver discounted…