Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Who are the winners and losers?
Ben Chu, Tom Edgington and Tamara Kovacevic BBC Verify Getty Images A deal to “reset” relations between the UK and the EU following Brexit has been agreed at a summit in London. The agreement covers a range of issues, including defence, fishing, the trade in food products and the ability of young people to move…
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Huge challenges await new president of divided Romania
Sarah Rainsford Eastern Europe correspondent EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Imagine having a president called Nicky. That’s what Romanians just voted for: a softly-spoken, slightly geeky mathematician who everyone refers to by his first name, Nicusor – or Nicky. On Monday, hours after claiming victory in the elections, the new president picked up his daughter from school as usual.…
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Mexico mourns killed Navy cadets
Vanessa Buschschlüter BBC News Watch: Brooklyn Bridge events were ‘illogical’, says victim’s family Mexicans are mourning the death of two young Navy cadets who were killed on Saturday when the training tall ship ARM Cuauhtémoc crashed into Brooklyn Bridge. América Sánchez, 20, and 23-year-old Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos were among the 277 crew members on…
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Russia and Ukraine to ‘immediately’ start ceasefire talks, says Trump
US President Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” start negotiating towards a ceasefire and an end to the war after a two-hour phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Trump, who described the conversation as having gone “very well”, also said conditions for peace would need to be negotiated between the two parties.…
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Supreme Court lets Trump end deportation protections for Venezuelans
The US Supreme Court has said it will allow the Trump administration to terminate deportation protections for some 350,000 Venezuelans in the US. The ruling lifts a hold that was placed by a California judge that kept Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in place for Venezuelans whose status’ would have expired last month. Temporary Protected Status…
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Iran and Britain summon envoys over alleged spying in UK
Britain and Iran have summoned each other’s envoys after three Iranians were charged with spying in the UK. Three Iranian men were arrested on 3 May and appeared in court in London on Saturday on charges of spying for the Islamic republic. Iran’s IRNA news agency said the British charge d’affaire was asked on Sunday…
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Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez calls for Israel to be banned
The Spanish prime minister has called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest over its military action in Gaza. Pedro Sánchez noted Russia has been banned from the contest since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, and said there should not be “double standards”. Israel came second in the contest’s grand final…
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UK-EU summit: Brussels hails deal as ‘new chapter’
“We’re turning a page,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday after the bloc’s first summit with the UK since Brexit. “We’re opening a new chapter.” It is not the first page that has been turned in the post-Brexit period, but it is the most significant. The two sides have now struck a…
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International Court of Justice sides with Equatorial Guinea in Gabon island dispute
The United Nation’s top court has sided with Equatorial Guinea in a row with Gabon over three islands in potentially oil-rich waters. The two Central African countries have been arguing over the isles – Conga, Mbanié and Cocoteros – since the early 1970s. The islands are virtually uninhabited but are in a maritime zone thought…
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Cancer touches us all, says Biden after outpouring of support
Former US President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude for the words of support that have poured in after he announced his cancer diagnosis on Sunday. “Cancer touches us all,” Biden wrote on social media on Monday morning. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places.…
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