Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu has died at the age of 68, his party has said in a statement. He had “been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa” for an undisclosed illness, the Patriotic Front said confirming the news. Lungu led Zambia for six years from 2015, losing the election to the current President Hakainde…

Nintendo’s long-awaited Switch 2 has been released worldwide. Many stores opened at midnight with eager fans queuing to be among the first to get their hands on one. Switch 2 is the first major console launch in five years. It comes with about 25 games – one of the big newcomers is Mario Kart World.…

Reuters A travel ban issued on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump is set to primarily affect countries in Africa and the Middle East. Twelve countries face full bans, which will come into force on Monday. People from a further seven nations are facing partial restrictions. Trump has depicted it as a matter of national…

New Zealand’s parliament has voted to suspend three Māori MPs for their protest haka during a sitting last year. Opposition MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who started the traditional dance, was suspended for seven days, while her party’s co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were banned for 21 days. The MPs did the haka when asked if…

Phil Mackie Midlands correspondent Reporting fromAlgarve, Portugal BBC News Searches for Madeleine McCann resumed on Thursday near to where the three-year-old disappeared from Praia da Luz, Portugal 18 years ago. German and Portuguese investigators have until Friday to look for evidence relating to her disappearance but there has been no obvious sign of any major…

An Australian woman accused of poisoning relatives with beef Wellington laced with toxic mushrooms is being cross examined in a murder trial. On Thursday, prosecutors claimed that photos on 50-year-old Erin Patterson’s phone showed her using kitchen scales to measure a lethal dose of the death caps. Ms Patterson’s in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both…

Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of two Israeli Americans taken back to Gaza as hostages during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israeli military says. Judi Weinstein Haggai, 70, who was also a Canadian citizen, and her husband Gadi Haggai, 72, were murdered by gunmen from the Mujahideen Brigades…

A hungry elephant from Khao Yai National Park in Thailand has caused havoc in a local corner store, helping himself to produce on the shelves. The elephant, named Plai Biang Lek, is known by locals for entering people’s homes in search of food. He ventured about one kilometre from the park entrance gate to the…

Donald Trump has suspended for an initial six months the entry of foreign students seeking to study or participate in exchange programmes at Harvard University. The US president issued the proclamation on Wednesday, citing “national security” concerns and declaring it “detrimental” to US interests to continue allowing foreign students at the institution. Harvard has responded…

EPA Donald Trump has signed a ban on travel to the US from 12 countries citing national security risks, according to the White House. The US president said the list could be revised if “material improvements” were made and additional countries could also be added as “threats emerge around the world”. This is the second…