5 Things posted Jun 22, 2022 @ 08:00am by Iain Burns

5 things you need to know this morning: June 22, 2022

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

Five things you need to know

1. Afghanistan earthquake kills 1,000

A thousand people have been killed and hundreds injured after a powerful earthquake in Afghanistan. The Taliban, which controls the country, said the death toll is likely to rise.

Helicopter evacuates injured after massive Afghanistan earthquake leaves at least 1,000 people dead. https://t.co/CcuhviYKNi pic.twitter.com/gvDTZNWYfr
— ABC News (@ABC) June 22, 2022

2. Uvalde school to be demolished

The school in Uvalde, Texas where 21 people were murdered last month will be demolished. The city's mayor said "you can never ask a child to go back or teacher to go back in that school ever."

Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers last month will be demolished, the city's mayor says. https://t.co/vsPDGGRtbR
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 22, 2022

3. Kate Bush pleased with Stranger Things-inspired renaissance

Singer-songwriter Kate Bush has said her recent return to popularity due to the TV show Stranger Things has been "very special." Bush's 1985 tune Running Up That Hill is back in the charts after featuring prominently in Netflix's successful teen horror.

EXCLUSIVE: Kate Bush: ‘The whole world’s gone mad’@katebushmusic joined @emmabarnett to discuss her song #RunningUpThatHill topping the charts 37 years after it was first released. Listen here: https://t.co/5Y8OOvrP2q pic.twitter.com/cAycJOdxBF
— BBC Woman's Hour (@BBCWomansHour) June 22, 2022

4. Ukrainian separatists suffering huge casualties: UK

British intelligence officials have claimed that Russian-aligned separatist forces in the Donetsk region of Ukraine have suffered extremely heavy casualties. The Donetsk militia, the British said, has lost 55 per cent of its original strength.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 22 June 2022

Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/LUl6WpSQZM

🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/BHKjjj6Csk
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 22, 2022

5. US set to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to 'non-addictive' levels

The amount of nicotine in cigarettes sold in the US is set to be reduced. The Food and Drug Administration said that making cigarettes "minimally addictive or non-addictive" will save lives.

Feds could reportedly place limits on cigarette nicotine levels https://t.co/l1VTIRW593 pic.twitter.com/ISZf2U2qiS
— New York Post (@nypost) June 21, 2022

And lastly...

In more positive news, scientists have unveiled a tiny robotic fish that is programmed to remove microplastics from the ocean by absorbing them into its body. The researchers, at Sichuan University in China, said the 13-millimetre robot will also be able to repair itself if it is damaged.