Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia should have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier and been better prepared for the war. In his end-of-year press conference on Thursday, Putin said, with hindsight, there should have been “systemic preparation” for the 2022 invasion, which he refers to as a “special military operation”. Russia…

Gisèle Pelicot: ‘I never regretted decision to make trial public’ French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband has been jailed for 20 years after drugging and raping her, and inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her over nearly a decade. Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty of all charges by a judge in Avignon, southern…

Syria’s rebel leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has dismissed the online controversy over videos showing him gesturing to a young woman to cover her hair before he posed for a photo with her last week. The incident sparked criticism from both liberal and conservative commentators amid intense speculation about the county’s future direction after rebels swept to…

Watch: BBC speaks to Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa When I left London almost two weeks ago after the rebel coalition captured Aleppo – a stunning victory dwarfed by what followed – I thought I would be reporting a shooting war. The group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, was sweeping all before it,…

The older brother of Paul Pogba, former Manchester United midfielder, has been sentenced to a three year jail term, two years suspended, after being convicted of attempting to extort the French footballer. Mathias Pogba, who was also fined €20,000 (£16,500), will avoid time behind bars and instead serve one year wearing an electronic bracelet. Five…

The US could face a government shutdown at midnight on Saturday after President-elect Donald Trump called on Republican lawmakers to reject a bipartisan funding bill that would have kept the government funded through March. Trump urged Congress to scrap the deal and pass a slimmer version with fewer provisions. His intervention followed heavy criticism of…

The BBC’s Russia Editor, Steve Rosenberg, has challenged Vladimir Putin on whether he has “taken care” of Russia during his 25-year rule. At the president’s annual end-of-year press conference, Rosenberg reminded Putin about how his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, told him to take care of the country when he handed over power. In response, Putin said…

A case against controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate over allegations including human trafficking cannot proceed to trial in its current form, a court in Romania has ruled. On Thursday, the Court of Appeals in Bucharest upheld a challenge from the brothers, sending the case back to prosecutors for further review. It is the second…

Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of committing “acts of genocide” in Gaza by deliberately depriving Palestinian civilians there of adequate access to water. It says Israel’s actions include intentionally damaging water and sanitation infrastructure. The campaign group says this has probably caused thousands of deaths, which it says is also tantamount to “committing the…

Thirty-five children have been killed in a crush at a funfair in the south-west Nigerian city of Ibadan, with six others hospitalised, the police say. The event was advertised as free entry and drew a large crowd but so many people turned up that there was a crush as they struggled to gain entry. Residents…