5 Things posted Mar 25, 2022 @ 08:00am by Iain Burns

5 things you need to know this morning: March 25, 2022

Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.

Five things you need to know

1. Putin cites JK Rowling in attack on cancel culture

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the West is trying to "cancel our country," comparing progressive radicals to book-burning Nazis. Putin also referenced Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who is regularly targeted by extremists because of her belief in female-only spaces.

"It's impossible to imagine such a thing in our country"

President Vladimir Putin uses J K Rowling as an example of Western cynicism and "cancel culture", which he says is currently being aimed at Russia.

Latest on Ukraine: https://t.co/XTFXr6HmAe

📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/TyH9lddC5k
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 25, 2022

2. Great Barrier Reef bleached again

The Great Barrier Reef has suffered another mass bleaching event, scientists have said. It is the fourth time in six years the Australian natural wonder has been damaged by warmer sea temperatures.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is suffering its sixth mass bleaching due to heat stress caused by climate change, the reef's managers confirmed Friday https://t.co/Z3Z2ScDRKJ
— CNN (@CNN) March 25, 2022

3. Spotify says it paid out US$7B in royalties last year

Spotify has revealed it paid US$7 billion for audio streamed on its platform last year. The sum amounts to nearly a quarter of all revenues in the music industry.

Spotify said it paid out $7 billion in royalties last year to rights holders, in a transparency report released Thursday, following critiques from within the music industry that the streaming service pays artists minuscule amounts. https://t.co/R1Aiv3hQLt pic.twitter.com/bcj6UBzOlE
— Forbes (@Forbes) March 25, 2022

4. Kim Jong-un reportedly oversees ICBM launch in preparation for conflict with US

North Korea has announced it launched its largest ever intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday. Dictator Kim Jong-un reportedly said the weapon will be used as a nuclear deterrent.

Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the test-firing of North Korea's largest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile, ensuring his country is ready for "long-standing confrontation" with the United States, according to state mediahttps://t.co/JPmxJDCvpU
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 25, 2022

5. Russia could accept Bitcoin in exchange for gas and oil

Russia has said it is considering accepting Bitcoin in exchange for oil and gas. Lawmaker Pavel Zavalny said "friendly" countries could be permitted to use the cryptocurrency for trade with Russia.