Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The Dardanelles Strait has been temporarily shut to maritime traffic due to forest fires raging in north-western Turkey, the country’s transport ministry has said. The major international waterway was shut as a precautionary measure, it said, as the blazes spread near the city of Canakkale, where a number of residents have been evacuated. Turkish firefighters…

An Australian politician and convicted rapist has resigned from parliament moments before he was to be kicked out, after losing a legal challenge to remain. Gareth Ward, 44, was last month found guilty of sexually assaulting two young men, aged 18 and 24, between 2013 and 2015, and is now in custody pending sentencing. Earlier…

Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent in Washington EPA President Donald Trump said this week it was “pretty much up to Israel” whether to occupy Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration that Israel intends to take control of all of the Gaza Strip signals an escalation that flies in the face of some emphatic international…

Adam Hancock & Jennifer Meierhans Business reporters Getty Images Crocs’ share price plunged after the rubber clog-maker revealed a fall in US sales as shoppers chose to spend on trainers ahead of the World Cup and the Olympics. The footwear became a stay-at-home staple during the Covid pandemic and has remained relevant as celebrities embraced…

Hugo Bachega Middle East correspondent Getty Images Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City have been struggling to access food because of Israel’s blockade and ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in a controversial escalation of its war in Gaza. Hundreds…

A South African court has ruled that Zambia’s government can repatriate the body of former President Edgar Lungu and give him a state funeral, despite his family’s opposition. The Pretoria high court ruled in favour of the Zambian state, which had previously applied to block the family’s plans to bury him privately in South Africa,…

Veer Singh and Kali Devi, both construction workers, had gone to a nearby village to buy groceries when flash floods hit their home in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Their family – three sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren – have since been missing. They are among the 100 people missing after the deadly…

Thomas Naadi BBC News in Accra Danai Nesta Kupemba BBC News Khanyisile Ngcobo BBC News EPA Ghana is in a period of national mourning after the helicopter crash Ghana’s President John Mahama has promised a full investigation into Wednesday’s helicopter crash that killed two government ministers and six other people. Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah…

Footage of police interviewing Australian mushroom murder Erin Patterson on 3 August 2023 has been released by the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday. During the trial Patterson admitted she lied to the police about foraging for mushrooms and owning a dehydrator. She was found guilty last month of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder…

Hugh Schofield Paris correspondent Getty Images Major brands like Perrier are under the spotlight after the scandal broke in France France’s multi-billion euro mineral water companies are under the spotlight because of climate change and growing concerns about the industry’s environmental impact. At issue is whether some world-famous brands, notably the iconic Perrier label, can…