Preliminary lab tests suggest Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine produced a weaker immune response to the South African variant of the virus. So out of an abundance of caution, Moderna will test a possible booster dose against it. Vaccine manufacturers have been testing their shots against variants, including two that first emerged in Britain and South Africa. Pfizer has previously reported that its shot appears effective against the strain from Britain. Although some other research has raised questions about the vaccine's effectiveness on South African variant.

Someone hit it very big in a hard-luck Appalachian coal-mining community, where a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket worth $731 million was sold this week. The Maryland Lottery says the fifth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history was won by someone who bought a ticket at Coney Market in Lonaconing. That's in a remote corner of Maryland where jobs are few and poverty runs deep. Maryland is a state that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous. Shop owner Richard Ravenscroft told The Associated Press he hopes whoever won it will use it wisely and enable others to benefit as well.

President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders from the Oval Office hours after his inauguration. Biden wore a mask while seated behind the Resolute Desk with a stack of orders early Wednesday evening. He said there was "no time to start like today." The first order Biden signed was related to the coronavirus pandemic. He also signed an order reentering the U.S. into the Paris climate accord. While his predecessor Donald Trump broke long-standing practice by skipping Biden's inauguration, he did follow through on one tradition and left behind a letter for Biden. The new Democrati

People in a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies have flocked to a Hindu temple, burst crackers and uttered prayers in celebration. Locals lit diyas at native village of Kamala Harris' mother in Thulasendrapuram on the day of her swearing-in ceremony for US Vice Presidential post. They watched on television as village descendant Kamala Harris took the oath to become US vice president. Harris' maternal grandfather was born in the village near the southern coastal city of Chennai. Harris, who is also Black, has often talked about her South Asian roots. Harris entered her new office bui

Kamala Harris has been sworn in as the nation's first female vice-president. The former U.S. senator from California is also the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency and becomes the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government. She was sworn in Wednesday by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court. Vice-President Mike Pence, standing in for President Donald Trump, was sitting nearby as Lady Gaga sang the national anthem accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps band. Multiple glass ceilings shattered in W

Joe Biden has officially become the 46th president of the United States. Biden took the oath of office just before noon Wednesday during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. The presidential oath was administered by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. President Joe Biden says ``democracy has prevailed'' in a country reeling amid a pandemic and a violent melee two weeks ago at the U.S. Capitol. In his first remarks as president, Biden said Wednesday that his swearing-in marks a day of ``history and hope.'' Biden said in his inaugural address that the country has ``learned again that dem

Before he boarded Air Force One this morning for Florida, Donald Trump claimed his administration laid the foundation for the incoming one.He did not mention Joe Biden by name, but told a small crowd of family members and supporters that he thinks the new administration has the foundation to do something really spectacular.He made brief farewell remarks at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews before he boarded Air Force One for a flight to his Florida home.Trump said he'll be watching from a distance and promised he will be back -- quote -- ``in some form.''He did follow one presidential tradition a

US president-elect Joe Biden says Delaware gave his family a chance. Before leaving for Washington, DC, Biden spoke at an event at the National Guard headquarters in Delaware named for his late son, Beau, who died of cancer. At one point Biden choked with emotion. Biden will spend the night at the president's official guest house, before moving into the White House after he is sworn in tomorrow. Trump has given one last recorded address before he leaves office tomorrow US President Donald Trump has given one last recorded address before he leaves office tomorrow, but still without actually c

A year after COVID-19 was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the global death toll has topped two-million. Johns Hopkins University says the count ticked over today. The US has the highest death toll at 390 thousand. Many health experts are predicting another year of loss and hardship in places like Iran, India, Mexico and Brazil. These four countries accounting for about a quarter of the world's deaths. Also Friday, the WHO's Emergencies Committee issued new recommendations that countries should not require proof of vaccination by incoming travellers amid the pandemic, saying decis