Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Norway ship refloated after near miss with house
A large container ship that ran aground and crashed into a garden in Norway last week has been refloated. Johan Helberg, who owns the house the ship nearly crashed into, said he “wouldn’t have traded this experience for anything” as he watched it being removed from his property. “Get a ship in your garden, and…
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French MPs back law to allow assisted dying
French MPs have voted to allow some people in the last stages of a terminal illness the right to assisted dying. The National Assembly approved the bill, which is backed by President Emmanuel Macron, by 305 votes to 199. It will now go to the upper house, the Senate, before a second reading in the…
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Trump administration seeks to pull up to $100m in Harvard funding
The Trump administration will direct US federal agencies to review their grants to Harvard University to potentially end or redistribute funding, as part of the White House’s escalating battle with America’s oldest university. The Government Services Agency (GSA) plans to circulate a letter to agencies “asking them to identify any contracts with Harvard, and whether…
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Swedish man charged over 2015 killing of Jordanian pilot burned alive by IS
This article contains distressing descriptions of death Swedish authorities have charged a convicted terrorist over the 2015 killing of a Jordanian pilot who was burned to death in Syria. Osama Krayem, 32 – a Swedish citizen – was on Tuesday charged with war and terrorism crimes relating to the death of Moaz al-Kasasbeh. Krayem is…
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Pornhub and three other porn sites face EU child safety probe
Liv McMahon Technology reporter Getty Images The EU is investigating Pornhub, Stripchat and two other pornography websites it believes may be falling foul of its online content laws. The European Commission said the sites, which also include XVideos and XNXX, did not appear to have measures in place to safeguard children and their rights. It…
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Study reveals first ever published photo of rare Upemba Lechwe antelope, it says
In a world first, wildlife researchers have snapped and published a photo of one of the most endangered African animals – a rare and relatively unknown antelope called the Upemba Lechwe. Researchers carried out an aerial survey in the Kamalondo Depression, an area in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, which spotted just 10 of the…
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President Donald Trump pardons former Virginia sheriff Scott Jenkins convicted of fraud and bribery
US President Donald Trump has issued a pardon to a former Virginia sheriff who was convicted on fraud and bribery charges. A jury found former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins guilty of accepting more than $75,000 (£55,000) in bribes last December, in exchange for making several businessmen into law enforcement officers without them being trained.…
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Why is King Charles in Canada, and what is the throne speech?
Ali Abbas Ahmadi BBC News, Toronto Watch: Why King Charles III’s trip to Canada is more than just a royal visit The pomp and pageantry were on full display when King Charles arrived in Canada on Monday, on his first trip to the country since his coronation. He is due to deliver the Speech from…
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New US-backed group says it has begun aid distribution in Gaza
A controversial new aid distribution group backed by the US and Israel has begun working in Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said lorry loads of food had been delivered to secure sites and that it had begun distribution to people. It did not say where or how much aid had been handed out. The…
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New Zealand teen dies in viral rugby-style tackle game
A 19-year-old New Zealander has died of a “serious head injury” sustained in a social media-inspired game of tackle with friends, police said. The young man, identified in local media as Ryan Satterthwaite, died in hospital on Monday after a game of “run it straight” in the city of Palmerston North. Meant to recreate collisions…
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