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

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

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

Five things you need to know

1. Merkel defends policy towards Putin

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Merkel, who has been heavily criticized for making Germany dependent on Russia for energy, said she was powerless to influence Putin in the run-up to his invasion of Ukraine.

"For Putin, only power counts," says Angela Merkel.

In a new interview, the former German chancellor said she no longer saw any possibility of influencing Vladimir Putin toward the end of her term in office.https://t.co/W7zqM4lb3k
— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) November 25, 2022

2. Kanye to run for president again

The rapper Kanye West has said he wants to run for the US presidency in 2024. He attracted 70,000 votes in his 2020 bid.

Kanye West is running for president again in 2024 - and has asked Donald Trump to be his running matehttps://t.co/hnVVvijjPP
— LBC (@LBC) November 25, 2022

3. Musk announces 'general amnesty' for suspended Twitter users

Elon Musk has announced a "general amnesty" for certain suspended Twitter accounts. The multi-billionaire said the amnesty would apply to accounts that have not broken the law or "engaged in egregious spam."

Elon Musk says Twitter will grant 'amnesty' to suspended accounts after poll https://t.co/NeX1ce8ihW pic.twitter.com/zi0tSc1g19
— New York Post (@nypost) November 25, 2022

4. Boy, 5, survives harrowing python attack

A five-year-old boy has survived a harrowing attack by a python in Australia. The huge snake bit the boy, wrapped its body around him and dragged him into a swimming pool before an intervention from the youngster's dad and grandfather.

"I think the python was waiting for a victim to come along..."

A five-year-old boy who was struck by a python and dragged into a pool in New South Wales is recovering, after his grandfather and dad saved his life. @JayneAzzo #9News pic.twitter.com/hzNS02q7wA
— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) November 25, 2022

5. Rare document signed by Charles Darwin set for auction

A document signed by Charles Darwin is set to be auctioned, with experts predicting a record sale price. The piece of paper includes a defence of Darwin's theory of evolution.

A rare autographed manuscript containing a passage from Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is expected to fetch more than £1 million at auction https://t.co/oTL0nsdBsF
— Evening Standard (@standardnews) November 25, 2022

And lastly...

In happier news, scientists have hailed progress made on a vaccine that could provide protection against all 20 known types of flu. The shot, which uses mRNA technology, has shown promising results in small mammals.