Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

AFP Last year, India nudged past China to become the world’s most populous country Last year, India nudged past China to become the world’s most populous country, according to UN estimates. With nearly 1.45 billion people now, you’d think the country would be quiet about having more children. But guess what? The chatter has suddenly…

Michael Mvondo / BBC A man from Ghana has told the BBC how he was seized at gunpoint by jihadists in neighbouring Burkina Faso, before being taken to their vast desert camp where he gained a rare insight into their lives – from the children he believed were trained as suicide bombers, to the tunnels…

BBC Jawdat al-Tawil said his community could only wait and watch for Israel’s next move An hour’s drive from Damascus, on a country road into the Syrian village of Hadar, we meet Israel’s army. Two military vehicles and several soldiers in full combat gear man an impromptu checkpoint – a foreign authority in a country…

Watch: Cars smashed and walls knocked down following Mayotte cyclone The search for survivors on the Mayotte archipelago continued on Sunday after a cyclone devastated the French Indian Ocean territory. It is feared the eventual death toll could stretch into the thousands once the damage is fully assessed and with rescue workers still working to…

Footage released by Russia’s Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office shows a Russian oil tanker broken in half and sinking amid a heavy storm, with streaks of oil visible in the water. The Ship is one of two Russian vessels with 29 crew members on board which have been heavily damaged in the Black Sea authorities in…

Israel’s government has approved a plan to encourage the expansion of settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was necessary because a “new front” had opened up on Israel’s border with Syria after the fall of the Assad regime to an Islamist-led rebel alliance. Netanyahu said he wanted to…

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been discharged from hospital after undergoing emergency surgery for a brain bleed, doctors said. The 79-year-old appeared alongside his medical team at a news conference at Sírio-Libanês hospital in São Paulo. “This here is not an interview, this is simply a session to say thanks. To thank,…

Getty Images A PNG side at a trial match in Sydney in 2013 Papua New Guinea (PNG) will join Australia’s national rugby league competition, after signing a deal that obligates them to shun security ties with China. The Pacific nation has produced many stars of Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) and has long been lobbying…

Two Russian oil tankers with 29 crew members on board have sunk in the Black Sea amid bad weather and are now leaking oil, Russian authorities have said. Video posted on Telegram by Russia’s Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, which the BBC has been unable to verify, appears to show one of the tankers broken in…

Seven tourists in Fiji have been sent to hospital with suspected alcohol poisoning and are reported to be in a critical condition. It is believed they drank cocktails at a resort bar on Saturday night local time and shortly afterwards, displayed nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms. Four of the seven are Australian, with ages ranging…