Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Nigeria has announced a six-month ban on the export of raw shea nuts from which many beauty creams are made. The move is aimed at making the trade more lucrative as Nigeria is losing out by not producing much shea butter locally. The country produces nearly 40% of the world’s annual crop, but it only…

Georgina Rannard Science correspondent Watch: SpaceX Starship completes successful test flight SpaceX has pulled off a successful test flight of its newest generation rocket Starship, reversing a trend of disappointing failures. The world’s largest and most powerful rocket blasted off from Texas just after 18:30 local time (00:30 BST) for a nail-biting 60-minute flight. Parts…

Lil Nas X has said he’s OK after a “terrifying last four days” following his arrest in Los Angeles. The Grammy winner, known for his country-rap hit Old Town Road, was arrested on Thursday after police officers said he assaulted them after they found him walking the streets naked. He was taken to hospital for…

Investigators in India will visit a vast private zoo owned by the billionaire Ambani family, after the Supreme Court ordered an inquiry into allegations that animals were acquired unlawfully and mistreated. The inquiry will also examine possible violations of wildlife laws at Vantara, as well as allegations of financial irregularities and money laundering. The Supreme…

Heavy rainfall has triggered landslides and flash floods across northern India. On Tuesday, more than 30 people were killed near a popular Hindu shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir. Rains have also battered parts of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab states, leaving roads blocked and property submerged. Rescue operations are under way, with authorities deploying helicopters and boats…

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen, following a report that American citizens have been conducting “covert influence operations” in Greenland. Denmark’s public broadcaster DR quoted sources as saying the aim was to infiltrate Greenland’s society and promote its secession from Denmark to the US, although it was…

Suhnwook Lee BBC Korean, Seoul Fan Wang BBC News, Singapore Getty Images South Korea becomes the latest country to restrict phone use in schools South Korea has passed a bill banning the use of mobile phones and smart devices during class hours in schools – becoming the latest country to restrict phone use among children…

A former Aussie Rules player has come out as the first openly gay or bisexual man in the Australian Football League’s (AFL) 129-year history. Mitch Brown, who played 94 matches for the West Coast Eagles from between 2007 and 2016, told The Daily Aus that the weight of hiding his sexuality played a “huge” part…

André Rhoden-Paul & Francesca Gillett BBC News Watch: “Please give me an invite” – Young Americans react to Taylor Swift’s engagement “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” With that one-line, five-picture Instagram post, signed off with a fire cracker emoji, Taylor Swift announced her engagement to American football player Travis Kelce,…

Bloomberg via Getty Images Modi has urged small shop owners and businesses to put up “Made in India” boards outside their stores Donald Trump’s steep 50% tariffs on India have kicked in, weeks after the US president issued an executive order hitting the Asian country with an additional 25% penalty over its purchases of Russian…