Senate swears in new Taraba North senator, Isah Lau

Congressional Democrats introduce legislation to expand the US Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, arguing it is necessary after the Senate confirmed former president Donald Trump's nominee just eight days before the 2020 election to give the bench a firm conservative majority. The move has drawn angry protests from Republicans accusing their rivals of attempting a power grab to enact President Joe Biden's agenda.

The US Supreme Court will hear a case that could undermine the national legalization of abortion. Christian conservatives hope the new make-up of the court will gut previous bans on anti-abortion laws.

The southern US state wants the Supreme Court to reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling — which legalized abortion nationwide — and let states regulate abortion.

Senator Mark Warner is pushing on Congress to "bring greater transparency to the shadowy world of online advertising." Facebook said it was protecting privacy by closing accounts that study political ads.

A temporary ban on evictions had protected millions of renters in the US. But the court said health authorities did not have the power to impose such a moratorium.

The Texas law makes the state's abortion rules the strictest in the US. Abortion campaigners failed in a court challenge to block the law. Texas dodged existing US abortion laws by using an unusual enforcement system.

Mexico's Supreme Court has voted unanimously to declare the criminalization of abortion unconstitutional. Up to now, abortion has been legal in Mexico City and three other states in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, while elsewhere, the procedure was only permitted in cases of rape.

Justice Department officials say the law is "plainly unconstitutional" and want it blocked until legal clarity is found on the matter. The court previously allowed the ban to go into effect.

The Supreme Court appeared set to put limits on abortion rights in the United States by upholding one state's law banning the procedure after 15 weeks. Protesters from both sides of the issue rallied at the top court.

A case of whether to uphold a Mississippi law that bans terminations of pregnancy after 15 weeks has made it to the country's highest court. A ruling could see the landmark 1973 'Roe versus Wade' case that legalized abortion overturned.

The court has agreed to hear arguments about the Biden administration's vaccine or testing requirement for large employers, and a separate vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

Iraq's top court has ratified the results of its October election, rejecting a case brought by an ex-paramilitary alliance.