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The S&P 500 was 0.7% higher at 3,824.26 in early trading, brushing up against its record of 3,824.68 set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 93 points, or 0.3%, at 31,023, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher. Read more

Kamala Harris, who is to be sworn in as the Vice-President of the United States in a few hours, is an inspiring story of many firsts. She will be the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American Vice-President of the US. Read more

Ahead of inauguration, Biden took to Twitter saying, "It's a new day in America." President-elect Joe Biden will take oath as the 46th President of the United States and his deputy Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the 49th Vice-President in a ceremony that would be historic in ways more than one.

The event will take place on the West front of the US Capitol building days after Donald Trump's supporters breached security and stormed it, resulting in the death of five people.

US President-elect Joe Biden attended a mass at St Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, DC on Wednesday morning, accompanied by Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress in a symbol of unity ahead of his inauguration.

The future 46th President of the United States was accompanied by his wife Jill Biden, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and House leader Kevin McCarthy.

Continuing a presidential succession tradition, President Trump has left a note for President-elect Biden, said Trump White House spokesperson Monica Alba. It has also been a tradition that the outgoing president writes a letter for the new President which is left on the desk in the Oval Office. The letter is meant to offer advice or words of encouragement to the incoming president.

American whistleblower Edward Snowden on Wednesday said that he was not disappointed to go unpardoned by US President Donald Trump, calling him a man “who has never known a love he had not paid for.” Last year, Snowden had said that the president should end the war on whistleblowers at the stroke of a pen. Taking to Twitter, Snowden said that Trump’s supporters must not forgive that the “simpering creature” failed to pardon truth-tellers in far more desperate circumstances. Read more

Before boarding the helicopter from the White House lawn, President Donald Trump told reporters that he wants to say goodbye, adding that “hopefully, it’s not a long term goodbye.” He called the White House “greatest home in the world” and promised that “we’ll see each other again.”

"It’s been a great honour, the honour of a lifetime. The greatest people in the world and the greatest home (White House) in the world — I call it a home…I just want to say goodbye, but hopefully, it’s not a long term goodbye. We’ll see each other again."

Here's how world leaders are reacting to Democrat Joe Biden's inauguration. Read here

In a presidency which was marked by a departure from the norm, life after the Oval Office for Donald Trump may also not adhere to the patterns of most ex- presidents. While most ex-presidents spend their time out of office playing golf, making a few public appearances, well-paid speeches, writing lucrative memoirs, Trump’s post presidential options are hardly clear. But the January 6 US Capitol riots will continue to define not only his time in the office but also his time after. Read more

Donald Trump departed the White House a final time as president on Wednesday, skipping Joe Biden’s inauguration and instead throwing a military-style send-off for himself before he leaves for his Florida resort. Following the event at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, Trump will fly to Palm Beach, Florida, where he plans to take up residence at his Mar-a-lago resort. He will become the first US president since the 19th century to skip his successor’s swearing-in ceremony. Trump’s departure marks the end of one of the most divisive and chaotic presidencies in modern US history.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he looked forward to working with Joe Biden on their "shared priorities", just hours before Biden is inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. Read more

US President Donald Trump is set to leave the White House at 6.30pm (8am EST) for the last time as the commander-in-chief of the United States. After a farewell ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, Trump will fly to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he is supposed to begin his post-presidency life.

In his first hours as president, Joe Biden will aim to strike at the heart of President Donald Trump’s policy legacy, signing a series of executive actions that reverse his predecessor’s orders on immigration, climate change and handling of the pandemic. Read more

Biden will sign executive orders to get the US back to the Paris pact and rescind the travel ban on people from Muslim-majority countries, which will be among roughly a dozen actions the President-elect will take on his first day in the White House, incoming chief of staff Ron Klain said on Saturday in a memo to senior staff, outlining a 10-day plan of action. Read more

US vice president Mike Pence will reportedly be absent from the farewell ceremony of outgoing President Donald Trump at Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday morning and will instead attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris. When Pence shared a series of pictures in a farewell tweet, Trump was notably missing from all of them. He has met Trump only once since the rioters stormed the US Capitol on January 6 and repeatedly chanted: "Hang Mike Pence!"

Kamala Harris’ ancestral village of Thulasendhirapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvarur district is once again decked up with her posters ahead of her swearing-in as Vice President of the United States of America. The villagers burst firecrackers and distributed sweets on Wednesday while children held placards of Harris. Read more

In the months since the November election, Trump has hardly followed the traditions of an outgoing president, mostly like his time in the Oval office. As Trump repeatedly claimed without evidence of mass fraud in the election, he refused to formally concede the election. It is not only his refusal to concede which is unprecedented in US history, here are other traditions that Trump is breaking ahead of the inauguration: Read here

Ahead of her performance on inauguration day, American artist Jennifer Lopez gave a sneak peek to all her fans on Instagram post. "What an honor to spend a few moments with these brave men and women. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. I honor you today and everyday. Tomorrow I sing for you and all Americans," Lopez wrote.

Lady Gaga who will sing the national anthem at President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration shared a photo on social media hoping for a peaceful ceremony.

"I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans. A day for love, not hatred. A day for acceptance not fear. A day for dreaming of our future joy as a country. A dream that is non-violent, a dream that provides safety for our souls. Love, from the Capitol," Gaga wrote.

As the United States of America deals with the aftermath of the deadly Capitol insurrection and an ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths of office in a much muted event that normally draws in crowds of thousands. The inauguration day will be unlike any other that America has witnessed. Read more

Scenes from the United States’ capital ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration. See here