Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Car giant Ford and Barbie maker Mattel warn over tariffs costs

    Car giant Ford and Barbie maker Mattel warn over tariffs costs

    Barbie maker Mattel says it will put up the prices of some of its toys in the US as President Donald Trump’s tariffs increase its costs. The firm also says it will cut the number of products it makes in China for the American market. At the same time, car making giant Ford says the…

  • Abuse victims question if Pope Francis did enough to stop predators

    Abuse victims question if Pope Francis did enough to stop predators

    John Sudworth North America correspondent MacPherson family Alexa MacPherson (left) was sexually abused from the age of three by Priest Peter Kanchong (right) As 135 cardinals meet in Rome to decide the next pope, questions about the legacy of the last one will loom large over their discussions. For the Catholic Church, no aspect of…

  • Rihanna debuts pregnancy as stars don tailored best

    Rihanna debuts pregnancy as stars don tailored best

    Nadine Yousif and Scarlett Harris BBC News Watch: Suits galore and a 18-foot dress tail – Key looks from the 2025 Met Gala Monday night marked one of the world’s biggest nights of fashion, as stars served up their most iconic looks for the annual Met Gala in New York City. The theme for this…

  • Rihanna and A$AP Rocky reveal third pregnancy at 2025 Met Gala

    Rihanna and A$AP Rocky reveal third pregnancy at 2025 Met Gala

    Getty Images Singer Rihanna has confirmed she is expecting her third baby while attending fashion’s biggest night of the year, the Met Gala in New York. The 37-year-old cradled her bump and smiled for the cameras while appearing on the red carpet, which was navy with daffodils. Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Fenty, and…

  • Sole survivor Ian Wilkinson testifies

    Sole survivor Ian Wilkinson testifies

    The only surviving guest of the deadly beef wellington lunch at the heart of a high-profile Australian court says he and his wife had been “very happy” to get an invitation to the gathering. Ian Wilkinson was left seriously ill after the meal, which led to the deaths of his wife and two other relatives.…

  • Merz to be sworn in as Germany ends six months of political stalemate

    Merz to be sworn in as Germany ends six months of political stalemate

    Germany’s parliament is set to elect conservative Friedrich Merz as its new Chancellor. The 69-year old is promising to revitalize the country’s flagging economy and boost its voice on the world stage. It brings an end to Germany’s recent political limbo after the last government collapsed. But Merz takes office at a time of huge…

  • Inside the world’s most secret ballot

    Inside the world’s most secret ballot

    Sarah Rainsford Europe Correspondent Getty Images Just over 130 cardinals will gather later this week to vote for a new pope This must be the most secretive election in the world. When 133 Catholic cardinals are shut into the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to choose a successor to Pope Francis, each one will have sworn…

  • BBC reports from pier 33 after Trump announcement

    BBC reports from pier 33 after Trump announcement

    Donald Trump has ordered his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the infamous former prison on an island near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. President Trump said that “for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders”, in a message on his Truth Social site on Sunday. The idea has…

  • Is Donald Trump’s plan to reopen Alcatraz as a prison realistic?

    Is Donald Trump’s plan to reopen Alcatraz as a prison realistic?

    Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, White House Getty Images The price to keep prisoners at Alcatraz was significantly higher than elsewhere in the federal prison system. US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his proposal to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the once-notorious prison island in the icy waters of San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz- popularly…

  • Cable thefts leave thousands stranded on Spanish trains

    Cable thefts leave thousands stranded on Spanish trains

    Thousands of people were left trapped on trains or stranded overnight after the theft of copper cables halted high-speed services between Madrid and southern Spain’s Andalusia region. Authorities opened an investigation on Monday after Sunday’s theft, which Transport Minister Óscar Puente called a “serious act of sabotage”. He added that the cable theft took place…

Got any book recommendations?