Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Australia has announced a plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, following similar moves by the UK, France and Canada. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move will happen at the UN General Assembly and after it received commitments from the Palestinian Authority. “A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the…

Chip giants Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of their semiconductor sales in China, the BBC has been told by a source close to the matter. The agreement is part of a deal to secure export licences to the world’s second biggest economy. “We follow rules the US government sets…

Four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster has said. Correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal were in a tent for journalists at the hospital’s main gate when it was targeted, Al Jazeera reported. A fortnight ago, it…

Sergen Sezgin/Anadolu via Getty Images One person has died in Turkey after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the north-west province of Balikesir on Sunday evening. An 81-year-old woman passed away shortly after she was pulled out from rubble in the town of Sindirgi, which was the epicentre of the quake, Turkey’s interior minister said. Sixteen…

Hindustan Times via Getty Images The new draft electoral rolls have 72.4 million names – 6.5 million fewer than before A few days ago, India’s Election Commission released updated draft electoral rolls for Bihar state, where key elections are scheduled for November, following a month-long revision of the voters’ list. But opposition parties and election…

Jeremy Bowen International editor, reporting from the occupied West Bank Oren Rosenfeld/BBC Meir Simcha agreed to talk, but he wanted to do it somewhere special, because for him, this is a special time. In a place where nation, religion and war are linked inextricably with politics and the possession of land, Simcha chose a patch…

The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) said, external it “mourns the passing of Japanese boxer Hiromasa Urakawa, who tragically succumbed to injuries sustained during his fight against Yoji Saito”. It added: “This heartbreaking news comes just days after the passing of Shigetoshi Kotari, who died from injuries suffered in his fight on the same card. “We…

UN ambassadors have condemned Israel’s plans to “take control” of Gaza City as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted it was the “best way” to end the war. During a press conference, which Netanyahu said was intended to “puncture the lies”, the Israeli leader said the planned offensive would move “fairly quickly” and would “free Gaza…

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, and Jonathan Miller, Deputy Permanent Representative for Israel to the UN, addressed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. Mansour said that he whilst he appreciated the statements of support from fellow council members, it was “not sufficient”. “You have to act.…

Two men and one woman were killed by sea mines while swimming in Odesa, according to Ukrainian media. A local official confirmed the three had been killed by “explosive devices”, at beaches close to Zatoka, where recreational swimming is banned. The Black Sea has long been a popular holiday destination in Ukraine, but many of…