Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Killing of a Mexican TikToker Valeria Márquez raises questions
When a 23-year-old Mexican influencer was shot dead while live streaming on TikTok, rumours began to swirl. Was it a cartel hit? Or another tragic example of violence against women? On Tuesday, Valeria Marquez was shot dead at Blossom The Beauty Lounge, a beauty salon owned by the victim in Zapopan, a town in the…
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Smokey Robinson under criminal investigation after sexual assault claims
Motown legend Smokey Robinson is under criminal investigation in Los Angeles over accusations of sexual assault. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed it had launched a formal inquiry into the allegations, saying the probe was in the “early stages”. The investigation comes after a lawsuit was filed last week by four anonymous housekeepers against…
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How India and Pakistan share one of the world’s most dangerous borders
AFP A man stands inside his shell-hit home in Salamabad, Uri, near the Line of Control in Indian-administered Kashmir To live along the Line of Control (LoC) – the volatile de facto border that separates India and Pakistan – is to exist perpetually on the razor’s edge between fragile peace and open conflict. The recent…
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Israel qualifies for Eurovision final amid protests
Mark Savage Music Correspondent Getty Images Yuval Raphael told the BBC she had practiced singing to the sound of people booing to prepare for Eurovision Israel has qualified for Eurovision’s grand final on Saturday, hours after protesters tried to disrupt the country’s dress rehearsal. Yuval Raphael, 24, was performing New Day Will Rise during a…
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Iran using criminal gangs for hit jobs abroad, court papers show
Jiyar Gol BBC world affairs correspondent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps special forces (file photo) US and Israeli intelligence have accused Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards of planning attacks abroad There has been a sharp rise in plots by the Iranian regime to kidnap or assassinate dissidents, journalists and political foes living abroad, according to reports by…
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Thai court issues 17 arrest warrants over Bangkok skyscraper collapse
A court in Thailand has issued 17 arrest warrants for people connected to the building of a skyscraper that collapsed during an earthquake in March. The 30-storey tower, being built to house the State Audit Office, was felled when Bangkok felt tremors of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck neighbouring Myanmar. Authorities said they had…
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US says Trump and Putin needed for breakthrough in Ukraine talks
Reuters Top US diplomat Marco Rubio says he does not have high expectations for peace talks due to be held between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey and asserted that Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin needed to meet. “It’s my assessment that I don’t think we’re going to have a breakthrough here until President…
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Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship
Bernd Debusmann Jr and Kayla Epstein BBC News Getty Images US President Donald Trump took his bid to end birthright citizenship to the US Supreme Court on Thursday, in a case that could help further his agenda on immigration and other issues. The case asks whether lower court judges should be able to block presidential…
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Nigeria’s exam body admits ‘glitch’ amid low pass rate
The body which runs Nigeria’s university-entrance exams has admitted to a “technical glitch” which compromised some results of this year’s tests, after nearly 80% of students got low grades. Students have complained about not being able to log in to the computers, questions not showing up and power cuts making it impossible to take the…
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Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together
The BBC asked President Trump whether he was disappointed by the level of the delegation that Russia sent to Turkey. “Look, nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together. Okay?” Trump said. “And obviously he wasn’t going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go”, the…
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