Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

BBC It was just another Friday morning on the Taiwanese island of Kinmen, a few kilometres from the coast of China, when an air raid siren pierced the calm. At a local government office, people switched off their lights and dove under tables. Others fled to an underground car park. At a nearby hospital, staff…

The first human case of a flesh-eating parasite infestation has been confirmed in the US, authorities say. New World screwworm (NWS) myiasis was found in a patient who returned to the US from El Salvador, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday. The case was confirmed on 4 August. NWS myiasis is…

Christal Hayes BBC News, Los Angeles “This is an aberrant episode”: Lil Nas X appears in court Rapper Lil Nas X has pleaded not guilty to injuring a police officer and resisting arrest after he was detained last week while wandering the streets of Los Angeles in his underwear. The rapper, whose legal name is…

Megan Fisher and Emir Nader BBC News, London and Jerusalem Reuters A man holds the equipment of journalist Hussam al-Masri who was filming a live TV feed from Nasser hospital A double Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza killed 20 people including journalists and health workers, according to the outlets they worked for, the…

US President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy troops to Baltimore, escalating a clash with Maryland Governor Wes Moore after the Democrat invited him to join a “safety walk” in the city. “If Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby…

Ione Wells BBC News in Ecuador Submitted Photo Gabriela’s holiday to Disney World became her escape from cartel violence She had promised her daughter a trip to Disney World in Florida – but what had originally been planned as a holiday became an escape route from “terror”. Gabriela, not her real name, is from Guayaquil,…

At least 15 people, including four journalists working for the international media, are reported to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip. A Reuters cameraman and an Associated Press journalist were among those killed in the attack at Nasser Hospital. The two other journalists are reported to…

This is not the first time Medvedev has been the central character on an entertaining night in New York. On his way to reaching the 2019 final, the he assumed the role of pantomime villain as he wound up the American fans. He was booed for trolling the crowd with his provocative post-match celebrations and…

Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney Simon Atkinson BBC News, Melbourne EPA Ian Wilkinson is the only guest who survived the toxic lunch Triple-murderer Erin Patterson has stolen “years of love and laughter”, family members of the victims poisoned by her toxic beef Wellington lunch have told a court. Patterson, 50, was last month found guilty…

The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society hosted its first-ever bird call contest on Saturday, with the aim to promote conservation awareness. It saw bird fanatics dress up and take to the stage to mimic rhythmic calls of the Koel, Asian barred owlet, Chestnut-winged cockatoo and more. The top prize went to Bob Chan for his…