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Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
1. Trump leaves White House for last time on eve of Biden inauguration
President Donald Trump has left the White House for the last time on the eve of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration as the new US head of state. He said he will be "back in some form" and that being president was a great honour. Biden will take office at noon EST in Washington, DC.
Trump leaves White House, promises to be back in "some form" https://t.co/1RKqs7BOf2 pic.twitter.com/64d0OlY9CA
— The Hill (@thehill) January 20, 2021
2. Lil Wayne and Steve Bannon among beneficiaries of Trump pardons and commutations
On his final day in office, President Trump pardoned 73 people and commuted the sentences of another 70. Former Trump ally Steve Bannon, rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, and former Detroit Mayor Kwama Kilpatrick were among the recipients of the president's clemency. Despite much anticipation in certain sections of the media, Trump did not pardon himself or members of his family.
The White House announced early Wednesday that President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to rapper Lil Wayne and a commutation to rapper Kodak Black, two of the raft of pardons and commutations on his final day in office. https://t.co/pfzhbdMGSW
— CNN (@CNN) January 20, 2021
3. China committing genocide, US says
China is guilty of genocide against the Uighur Muslim minority in the west of the country, the US has officially determined. Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the genocide is "ongoing," adding: "We are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uighurs by the Chinese party-state." China has previously been accused by the US of detaining up to two million Uighurs in a network of internment camps.
The Trump administration has determined that China has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims and ethnic and religious minority groups who live in Xinjiang, a remote region in China's far west. https://t.co/eDz5BXpqoC
— CNN (@CNN) January 19, 2021
4. Zimbabwe foreign minister dies with COVID-19
Zimbabwe's foreign minister, Sibusiso Moyo, has died with COVD-19, the country's government has announced. Moyo, a former army general, was the man who announced the military coup against President Robert Mugabe in 2017. More than 800 people have been recorded as dying with COVID-19 in Zimbabwe since the pandemic began.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sibusiso Moyo has died from COVID-19, the government announced on Wednesday. https://t.co/PxXNJUgD6Z
— Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) January 20, 2021
5. Single dose of COVID-19 vaccine 'less effective' than thought
A single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine might provide less protection against the virus than previously thought, an Israeli official has said. Nachman Ash, who is in charge of the country's coronavirus response, said a single does is "less effective than we had thought." Pfizer has previously said a single dose is about 52% effective. Some countries and jurisdictions around the world have decided to delay second doses so that more people can be vaccinated amid a global squeeze on the supply of shots.
Single Covid vaccine dose in Israel 'less effective than we thought' https://t.co/5WjB9F8ZZL
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) January 19, 2021
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