Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
Inquest told boy slipped in puddle and fell to his death
Getty Images The boy was on holiday with his mother when the accident happened last summer A 12-year-old boy fell to his death at Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher after slipping in a puddle close to the edge, an inquest has heard. Zhihan Zhao and his mother, both Chinese nationals, were with her friends at the…
-
China’s driverless lorries hope to expand
Stephen McDonell China correspondent Watch as the BBC rides on board a driverless truck They rumble down the highway between Beijing and Tianjin port: big lorries, loaded up and fully able to navigate themselves. Sure, there is a safety driver in the seat, as per government regulations, but these lorries don’t require them, and many…
-
Did Trump win the re-election because of Musk?
US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s relationship has come crashing down after an explosive row that started with the tech billionaire’s disdain for the president’s spending bill. The partnership between the two men began when Musk endorsed Trump last July after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Musk later went on to campaign for the…
-
Hey, stop whining, do something on climate change
Actor and activist Arnold Schwarzenegger has told the BBC people should “stop whining” about US President Donald Trump’s approach to climate change. Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg at the Austrian World Summit, organised by the Schwarzenegger’s Climate Initiative, he said the president was not a barrier to change. Beyond the climate, Schwarzenegger, a Republican who endorsed…
-
The furniture fraud that hoodwinked the Palace of Versailles
BBC In the early 2010s, two ornate chairs said to have once belonged on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles appeared on the French antiques market. Thought to be the most expensive chairs made for the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, they were stamped with the seal of Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, a celebrated –…
-
Russia launches biggest drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv
At least two people have been killed and another 17 injured in the biggest Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, the mayor says. Ihor Terekhov says that overnight Russia launched 48 drones, as well as two missiles and four gliding bombs. “We have a lot of damage,” he says, adding that three…
-
Diddy’s ex-girlfriend ‘Jane’ testifies about pressure to participate in ‘hotel nights’
A former girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs, testifying for a second day at his criminal trial under the pseudonym “Jane”, described how she felt pressured to engage in sexual encounters with male escorts while he watched, despite her expressing they upset her. She also alleged a network of employees helped procure drugs for the lengthy…
-
Moment Chile earthquake rocks live TV show
An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck during a live TV broadcast in Chile’s northern city of Copiapó. Chilean politician and presidential candidate, Carolina Toha, was speaking about her campaign proposals with two journalists when the studio began shaking. The interview was cut short as all three quickly left the studio as the tremors continued, knocking…
-
US brings Kilmar Ábrego García, mistakenly deported to El Salvador, back to face charges
Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old from El Salvador who was mistakenly deported in March, has been returned to the US to face prosecution on two federal criminal charges. He has been accused of participating in a trafficking conspiracy over several years to move undocumented migrants from Texas to other parts of the country. El Salvador…
-
Proud Boys sue US government for $100m over Jan 6 prosecutions
Five leaders of far-right group the Proud Boys, who were convicted in connection to the 6 January, 2021 Capitol riot, have sued the US government for $100 million (£74m), claiming that their rights were violated during their prosecution. The five were convicted of plotting and taking part in the riot to overturn President Donald Trump’s…
Got any book recommendations?