Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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At least 110 die after torrential rains in Mokwa, Niger state
At least 110 people have died in floods caused by torrential rain in central Nigeria, officials have told the BBC. The rainfall lasted for several hours, said the head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema), Abullahi Baba-Arah. He added that “surging flood water submerged and washed away over 50 residential houses with their…
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US and China trade talks have stalled, Scott Bessent says
Trade talks between the US and China are “a bit stalled”, the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said. His comment comes less than three weeks after a temporary trade truce was agreed between the world’s two largest economies, with both agreeing to reduce tit-for-tat tariffs. Bessent told Fox News on Thursday: “I think that…
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Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and assault
Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault at a court hearing in London. The broadcaster, comedian and actor appeared at Southwark Crown Court, where he formally denied the five charges for the first time. He faces one allegation of rape, one of indecent assault, one of oral…
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Banksy new lighthouse artwork confirmed to be in Marseille
Cachella Smith & Amy Walker BBC News Banksy/Instagram The new artwork has been traced to the French city of Marseille Banksy’s latest piece of graffiti art, revealed to the world on Thursday, has now been traced to a street in Marseille. Images posted on the elusive artist‘s Instagram depict a lighthouse stencilled on a drab,…
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US government report cited non-existent sources, academics say
A US government report on children’s health cited “totally fabricated” studies to back up its findings, academics wrongly listed as the authors of those studies have said. First released on 22 May, the report detailed causes of a “chronic disease crisis” among children in the US. An amended version was issued on 29 May after…
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Suspect in South Africa student’s murder killed in police shootout
A suspect wanted for the murder of a South African university student has been killed in a shootout with the police. Olorato Mongale’s body was found on Sunday in Lombardy, north of Johannesburg, about two hours after she was reported missing having gone on a date. In the early hours of Friday morning, police officers…
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Plane carrying Liberian president involved in landing scare
Flights were temporarily disrupted at Liberia main airport on Thursday night after a private jet carrying President Joseph Boakai almost crashed while landing. Part of the presidential jet’s landing gear malfunctioned while approaching the runway, causing a rough landing, airport authorities said. The incident, which sparked panic at the airport, forced the cancellation of all…
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FBI to probe effort to impersonate top Trump advisor
The FBI is investigating an effort by one or more unknown people to access the personal phone of Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, sources told the BBC’s US news partner CBS. The key Trump ally told people that her phone had been hacked after a impersonator – or impersonators – used her…
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Watch 13-year-old win US National Spelling Bee
Faizan Zaki correctly spelled the French-derived word “éclaircissement”, synonymous with enlightenment, to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in the US. The 13-year-old from Texas outlasted eight other finalists and defeated last year’s champion, Sarvadnya Kadam, to claim the title and take home the $52,500 prize. Zaki lost to Kadam in 2024 during a…
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Students or spies? The young Chinese caught in Trump’s crosshairs
Getty Images There are about 280,000 Chinese students studying in the US Xiao Chen turned up at the US Consulate in Shanghai on Thursday morning, hours after Washington announced that it would “aggressively” revoke the visas of Chinese students. The 22-year-old had a visa appointment: she was headed to Michigan in the autumn to study…
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