Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Russia detains man over general’s killing
Russia’s security service says a 29-year-old Uzbekistan citizen has been detained over the killing of senior general Igor Kirillov and his assistant in Moscow. Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was outside a residential block early on Tuesday when a device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely.…
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Rebel rule in Idlib hints at what the rest of Syria can expect
Reuters Hayat Tahrir al-Sham brought some semblance of stability to Idlib in 2017 after years of civil war The road to Idlib, a remote corner in north-west Syria, still has the signs of the old front lines: trenches, abandoned military positions, rocket shells and ammunition. Until a little more than a week ago, this was…
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Trouble in Arctic as polar bears and people face warming world
“Get in the car!” – BBC team cuts short filming as a polar bear is spotted nearby “Can I give you some polar bear advice?” asks Tee, a confident 13-year-old we meet during a visit to Churchill’s high school. “If there’s a bear this close to you,” she says as she measures a distance of…
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CCTV cameras put shop owners at risk in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu
Getty Images Shop owners in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, are caught between a rock and a hard place over a government directive that they install CCTV cameras outside their businesses to intensify surveillance of Islamist insurgents who have a strong presence in the city. The businessmen say if they put up the cameras they risk being…
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Will Trudeau resign? Four paths Canada’s prime minister could take
Reuters Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s future looks uncertain following the sudden resignation of his most senior cabinet member, a once close ally. Chrystia Freeland – the former deputy prime minister and finance minister – quit her posts on Monday with an open letter to Trudeau, in which she outlined disagreements she had with him…
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Filipina who narrowly avoided death row firing squad leaves Indonesia
A woman from the Philippines who spent almost 15 years on death row in Indonesia and was nearly executed by firing squad is finally home. Mary Jane Veloso was sentenced to death in 2010 after she was found carrying 2.6kg (5.7lb) of heroin through an Indonesian airport. But the 39-year-old mother of two has always…
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Elyanna on Palestinian identity, Coldplay and manifestation
Getty Images Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna has been performing around the world “When you are showing your identity, you shine all the time,” says Elyanna. The 22-year-old Palestinian-Chilean singer already has millions of views on YouTube and a collaboration with Coldplay under her belt. This year she’s also doing her first European tour and tells BBC…
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How Facebook restricted news in Palestinian territories
BBC Omar el Qataa is a photojournalist operating out of northern Gaza Facebook has severely restricted the ability of Palestinian news outlets to reach an audience during the Israel-Gaza war, according to BBC research. In a comprehensive analysis of Facebook data, we found that newsrooms in the Palestinian territories – in Gaza and the West…
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Motive ‘combination of factors’ in Wisconsin school shooting, police say
Police say it appears the motive in a shooting that left two dead, along with the suspect, at a private school in Wisconsin was due to “a combination of factors”. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes didn’t provide specifics on Tuesday as to what allegedly led a 15-year-old girl, named by authorities as Natalie Rupnow, to…
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Grim task of searching for and naming the dead
Getty Images White Helmets teams have recovered human remains from a mass grave close to Baghdad Bridge, near Adra Less than 10km (six miles) from the busy city centre of Damascus, in the north-western suburb of Adra, an arid stretch of land is sealed off with cement walls. As you drive in, on the left-hand…
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