Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Radioactive wasp nest discovered at old US nuclear weapons site

    Radioactive wasp nest discovered at old US nuclear weapons site

    A radioactive wasp nest with radiation levels ten times of what is allowed under regulations was found at a facility that once produced parts for US nuclear weapons, federal officials said. “The wasp nest was sprayed to kill wasps, then bagged as radiological waste,” says a US Department of Energy report released last week. No…

  • Iran drives out 1.5 million Afghans, with some branded spies for Israel

    Iran drives out 1.5 million Afghans, with some branded spies for Israel

    BBC News Afghan & BBC Global Disinformation Unit BBC Some Afghans in Iran have been accused of espionage in the wake of the 12-day conflict with Israel. Ali Ahmad’s eyes fill with tears as he lifts his shirt to show deep bruises across his back. While he was detained, Iranian officers struck him and accused…

  • Trump’s global tariffs ‘victory’ may come at a high price

    Trump’s global tariffs ‘victory’ may come at a high price

    BBC In April Donald Trump stunned the world by announcing sweeping new import tariffs – only to put most on hold amid the resulting global financial panic. Four months later, the US president is touting what he claims are a series of victories, having unveiled a handful of deals with trading partners and unilaterally imposed…

  • White House announces new $200m ballroom

    White House announces new $200m ballroom

    Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, White House White House A rendering of the new, 650-person ballroom has been described as “much needed” by the White House The White House has announced plans to build a $200m (£151m) new ballroom, fulfilling an often-repeated desire of US President Donald Trump. The new ballroom will be built alongside…

  • The shock, chaos and negotiations behind Thailand’s trade deal

    The shock, chaos and negotiations behind Thailand’s trade deal

    Jonathan Head South East Asia correspondent in Bangkok Getty Images Export-driven economies like Thailand have been scrambling for a trade deal to avoid President Trump’s steep tariffs When US President Donald Trump made his dramatic tariff announcement on 2 April, nowhere was the shock greater than in South East Asia, a region whose entire world…

  • US to impose sanctions on Palestinian organisations

    US to impose sanctions on Palestinian organisations

    The US says it is going to impose sanctions on the Palestinians’ self-governance organisation as well as the body that represents it on the international stage. The sanctions affect both the Palestinian Authority (PA) which was established by the Oslo peace accords, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) which was recognised after the same process…

  • How a sinkhole revived a debate about migrant workers’ rights in Singapore

    How a sinkhole revived a debate about migrant workers’ rights in Singapore

    Kelly Ng BBC News, Singapore PUB A group of seven Indian workers used a rope to hoist a woman to safety after her car fell into a sinkhole When a 3m (10ft) deep sinkhole on a busy Singapore road swallowed a black Mazda on Saturday, a group of workers at a nearby construction site sprung…

  • Young Ukrainians get their way as Zelensky overturns law to defuse crisis

    Young Ukrainians get their way as Zelensky overturns law to defuse crisis

    Zhanna Bezpiatchuk BBC News Ukrainian in Kyiv TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP Young Ukrainians were outside parliament again on Thursday as MPs voted to overturn a controversial law As Ukraine’s MPs gathered at parliament in Kyiv on Thursday, some held cardboard signs that read, “We are with our people.” It was a message to thousands of young protesters…

  • US allies break with Trump to force diplomatic shift on Gaza

    US allies break with Trump to force diplomatic shift on Gaza

    Tom Bateman State department correspondent, at the United Nations Watch: BBC presses UK foreign secretary on timing of recognising Palestinian state As Canada joins France and the UK in announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state, the US is standing firmly with Israel – but does Trump have a long-term plan for Gaza’s future? Of…

  • EU-US tariff deal not finished yet, say Europeans unhappy with Trump’s terms

    EU-US tariff deal not finished yet, say Europeans unhappy with Trump’s terms

    Getty Images Since the deal was announced criticism of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has mounted It was all handshakes and smiles when European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump announced that a EU-US trade agreement had been reached after months of wrangling – beating Trump’s deadline of…

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