Supreme Court lifts block on Trump travel ban

Rodrigo Duterte is the ruling political party's vice-presidential nominee for next year's election. Critics say it's an attempt by the strongman to hold on to power after his presidential term ends.

Vice President Kamala Harris says the US will find new ways to "raise the pressure on Beijing", accusing China of bullying in the hotly disputed Asian waters for the second time in two days. China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in shipping trade passes annually, with competing claims from four Southeast Asian states including Vietnam. Harris made the comments on a visit to Vietnam to stress US commitment to Asia, a trip critics have slammed as tone-deaf given the parallels with the superpower's evacuations from Saigon and Kabul.

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 Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on 24 November. The WHO has listed it as a ‘variant of concern’ and said it could take several weeks to know if there are significant changes in transmissibility, severity, or implications for Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments. Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada are countries where the new COVID-19 variant has also been detected.

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.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Tuesday⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.

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.