Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The potential Western troop deployment to Ukraine being discussed in London should be described as a “reassurance force” rather than a “peacekeeping force”, defence and diplomatic sources say. Currently dubbed the Multinational Force Ukraine or MFU, it would be sent to the country to cement any ceasefire and encourage long-term confidence in the country. The…

Getty Images Tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets on Wednesday after the mayor of Istanbul’s arrest Authorities in Turkey have arrested dozens of people for “provocative” social media posts after the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu was detained on Wednesday. Imamoglu was one of more than 100 people held on charges including corruption…

Shayan Sardarizadeh BBC Verify Reuters John F Kennedy was the last US president killed by an assassin Enthusiasts are poring over thousands of newly released documents related to the investigation into President John F Kennedy’s assassination. As many experts expected, this latest release by the Trump administration does not answer all lingering questions about one…

At least 55 Palestinians have been killed in overnight Israeli air strikes in Gaza, the Hamas-run civil defence agency has said. It comes after Israel resumed its bombing campaign and ground operations in the territory this week, with air strikes killing more than 430 people over two days, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Hamas…

Dozens of bus passengers in Ethiopia have been abducted by armed men in the country’s largest region, Oromia, as they were were travelling from the capital, Addis Ababa. Details are only just emerging of the kidnappings which took place earlier this week. The incident happened in Ali Doro, which is near an area where around…

A French tourist detained by Iranian authorities for more than two years has been released and returned to France, President Emmanuel Macron has said. Olivier Grondeau, 34, is “free” and with his family, Macron wrote on X on Thursday, adding: “We share his family’s immense happiness and relief.” Mr Grondeau was arrested in southern Iran…

Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed responsibility for a missile fired at Israel, which was intercepted. The ballistic missile was fired toward Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised statement. Sirens sounded in several areas of Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces said. No injuries have been reported and the…

The US government has defunded one programme and left another that both document alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. The Trump administration cut funding for Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which had detailed the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. It has also withdrawn from a multinational group meant to investigate the leaders…

Getty Images Ahead of PM Modi’s meeting with Trump in February, India cut tariffs on some US products India has usually turned to economic reforms in times of distress, with the most famous example being 1991, when the country embraced liberalisation in the face of a deep financial crisis. Now, with US President Donald Trump’s…

Megan Fisher and Emir Nader in London and Jerusalem Israel Defense Forces The IDF said it had begun “targeted ground activities” in Gaza Israel says it has extended its ground operations in Gaza, after launching a wave of air strikes that the Hamas-run health ministry says killed more than 430 people in two days. The…