Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Two years ago, Hamas was putting the finishing touches to its plan to attack Israel. In Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believed that the Palestinians were a problem to be managed. The real threat, he insisted, was Iran. Netanyahu’s rhetoric opposing Hamas was undimmed, but he had also given permission for Qatar to funnel money…

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has threatened to detain former President Jair Bolsonaro. The judge, Alexandre de Moraes, accused Bolsonaro of breaching a ban which bars him from appearing in audios, videos and interviews shared on social media. Justice Moraes said the ex-president could face “immediate imprisonment” unless his lawyers could provide a satisfactory explanation…

People in a gold-mining area in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been using their bare hands and basic tools to free miners trapped underground. Six have been pulled out alive, with one seriously injured, since shafts collapsed in Lomera in the early hours of Sunday, local journalist Ashuza Barack told the…

Hunter Biden has reacted angrily towards actor George Clooney for questioning his father’s mental sharpness during the 2024 election race – an intervention that led to Joe Biden dropping out. In an expletive-filled interview with the YouTube outlet Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan, the younger Biden accused Clooney of exaggerating the former president’s frailty. After…

A number of French cities have imposed night-time curfews on young people following a spate of violence linked to drug trafficking. Nîmes in the south was the latest to bring in measures, which authorities said were meant to prevent under 16s from being “exposed to violence” and to “contain tensions”. Additional police units will also…

Simon Atkinson and Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney Before and after footage shows impact of the toxic algae bloom An algal bloom catastrophe which has turned usually pristine South Australian waters toxic green and suffocated masses of marine life is a “natural disaster”, the state premier has declared. The algal bloom – a rapid increase…

Dozens of provincial officials and hospital staff attempted to cover up a lead poisoning case that made hundreds of children sick in north-west China and sparked widespread outrage, an official investigation has found. The officials tampered with the blood tests of students who were poisoned at Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui city, Gansu provincial authorities said…

The sudden resignation of India’s Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday night has sparked speculation about what prompted the move. Dhankar, also the chairman of the upper house of the parliament, announced his resignation on the first day of the monsoon session, citing health concerns. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had nominated him for…

David Gritten BBC News, Jerusalem Anadolu via Getty Images Smoke rises over western Deir al-Balah during an Israeli offensive on Monday The World Health Organization (WHO) says Israel’s ground offensive in central Gaza has compromised its efforts to continue working, after its facilities came under attack. The UN agency accused Israeli forces of attacking a…

One of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers and a key witness in his associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial is calling for the government to release information related to him, especially if there is “nothing to hide.” Annie Farmer has watched US President Donald Trump’s recent handling of the case and the ensuing backlash from the MAGA…