Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Reuters The elections are the first in Syria since Ahmed al-Sharaa ousted Bashar al-Assad last December Syria will hold its first parliamentary elections on Sunday since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, amid concerns over inclusivity and successive delays. There will be no direct vote for the People’s Assembly, which will be responsible for legislation during…

Mark PoyntingClimate and science reporter, BBC News BBC When Matthias Huss first visited Rhône Glacier in Switzerland 35 years ago, the ice was just a short walk from where his parents would park the car. “When I first stepped onto the ice… there [was] a special feeling of eternity,” says Matthias. Today, the ice is…

Getty Images You could be forgiven for thinking that electric cars might finally be gaining momentum in the US. After all, sales of battery cars topped 1.2 million last year, more than five times the number just four years earlier. Hybrid sales have jumped by a factor of three. Battery-powered cars accounted for 10% of…

President Donald Trump has authorised the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Chicago to address what he says is out-of-control crime. The move came hours after immigration authorities said they faced off with protesters in the Democrat-run city and shot an armed woman when she and others rammed their cars into law enforcement vehicles.…

Getty Images Intravenous drug use is fuelling Fiji’s HIV epidemic Ten: that’s the age of the youngest person with HIV that Sesenieli Naitala has ever met. When she first started Fiji’s Survivor Advocacy Network in 2013, that young boy was yet to be born. Now he is one of thousands of Fijians to have contracted…

Hugo BachegaMiddle East correspondent in Jerusalem and Henri Astier Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he hopes to announce the release of hostages being held in Gaza “in the coming days”. In a televised statement, he also said “Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised – either the easy way or…

Getty Images Respected figure: Baroness Margaret Thatcher. Personal goal: to become Japan’s Iron Lady. After two failed attempts, Sanae Takaichi finally achieved her long-held ambition. The 64-year-old was elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on its 70th anniversary – putting her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister. A…

Jonathan BealeDefence correspondent, London Space X The UK launched the Tyche military imaging satellite into orbit on a Space X rocket last year Russian satellites have been stalking British military satellites, according to the head of the UK Space Command. In an interview with the BBC, Maj Gen Paul Tedman has for the first time…

Billionaire businessman Andrej Babis has won parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic, although his populist ANO party fell short of an overall majority, preliminary results show. At current predictions, ANO received just under 35% of the vote, earning them 81 seats in the 200-seat lower house. Babis – who served as prime minister from 2017…

Floods have hit parts of south-east Bulgaria, killing at least three people, including two rescue workers. Hundreds of people in the region have been forced to evacuate their homes and infrastructure has been damaged. A state of emergency has been declared along part of the country’s Black Sea coast, where vehicles have been washed away…