5 Things posted Jan 11, 2022 @ 08:00am by Iain Burns

5 things you need to know this morning: Jan. 11, 2022

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

Five things you need to know

1. Pope blasts 'ideological colonization' of cancel culture

Pope Francis has attacked so-called "cancel culture" in an address to diplomats. The Catholic chief said the practice – in which usually left-wing activists pressure businesses and institutions to fire staff or remove content to align with a puritanical view of society – is a form of "ideological colonization."

Pope Francis denounces cancel culture as "a form of ideological colonization" at a Vatican event.

"Under the guise of defending diversity, it ends up canceling all sense of identity," he says pic.twitter.com/FpnYu92Xee
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) January 10, 2022

2. Man given genetically modified pig heart in world first

An American man has become the first person in the world to be given a pig's heart in a pioneering operation. David Bennett, who is 57, said: "It was either die or do this transplant."

A U.S. man with terminal heart disease was implanted with a genetically modified pig heart in a first-of-its-kind surgery, and three days later the patient is doing well, his doctors reported https://t.co/wIxCCPdHnq pic.twitter.com/co34s51r1q
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 11, 2022

3. Heroic mine-clearing rat dies aged 8

A rat famous for clearing mines in Cambodia has died at the age of eight. Magawa sniffed out more than a hundred mines during his illustrious five-year career.

The rat, named Magawa, has died at the age of eight after a successful career spanning five years. https://t.co/aQYN0T1i7K
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 11, 2022

4. LA cops fired for playing Pokemon Go during robbery

Two LA cops were fired in 2017 for chasing a Snorlax in Pokemon Go despite being asked to assist in a robbery, court documents have revealed. The officers initially denied the claims but were removed from duty following an investigation.

Two Los Angeles officers fired for ignoring robbery to play Pokémon Go https://t.co/U2oh6LkJa0
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) January 11, 2022

5. Global economic outlook 'grim' due to COVID-19, World Bank chief says

The world's economic outlook is "grim," the president of the World Bank has said. David Malpass said the aftereffects of the pandemic will continue to stymie growth.