The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed abortion providers to pursue a legal challenge to a ban on most abortions in Texas, with the fate of the Republican-backed measure that allows private citizens to enforce it now hanging in the balance.

The number of journalists jailed around the world hit a new record in 2021, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said yesterday.

Democracy faces “sustained and alarming challenges” worldwide, US President Joe Biden said yesterday at the opening of a virtual summit on democracy with representatives from some 100 countries.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that a video call between US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “positive”.

The United States slapped fresh sanctions on a dozen Iranian officials and entities for “serious” human rights abuses Tuesday, ahead of the

Rohingya refugees sued Facebook on Monday for $150 billion over claims the social network is failing to stem hate speech on its platform, exacerbating violence against the vulnerable minority.

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin held a two-hour video summit yesterday in which the US president said he would warn of painful sanctions and increased military support for Eastern Europe if Russia invades Ukraine.

The United States will have to “pay a price” for its diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China said yesterday, just weeks after talks aimed at easing tense relations between the two sides.

Thus far, the signals are a bit encouraging. But we have really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe, or it really doesn’t cause any severe illness, comparable to Delta.”

A total solar eclipse plunged Antarctica from summer into darkness early Saturday in a rare astronomical spectacle witnessed by a handful of scientists and thrill-seekers -- and countless penguins.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a video call tomorrow, with the two leaders set to discuss the tense situation in Ukraine.

The United States warned Saturday it would not allow Iran to “slow walk” international negotiations over its nuclear program while at the same time ramping up its atomic activities -- but stopped short of slamming the door on talks.

US President Joe Biden said he is developing comprehensive initiatives to make it difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine and that he would not accept Moscow’s “red lines,” as fears mounted that the simmering conflict could erupt into war.

The Omicron variant has been detected in 38 countries but no deaths have yet been reported, the WHO said on Friday, as authorities worldwide rushed to stem the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain’s spread amid warnings that it could damage the global economic recovery.

Apple Inc iPhones of at least nine US State Department employees were hacked by an unknown assailant using sophisticated spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, according to four people familiar with the matter.

The United States and European Union on Thursday voiced strong concern at China’s “problematic and unilateral actions” in the South China Sea and stressed the need for close contact to manage “competition and systemic rivalry” with Beijing.

The World Bank’s board has backed transferring $280 million from a frozen trust fund to two aid agencies to help Afghanistan cope with a brewing humanitarian crisis after the US withdrawal, two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The United Nations on Thursday launched a campaign against gender-based violence on the internet, complete with the symbol ⓑ which can be added to social media posts.

Rejecting calls for a binding agreement regulating or banning the use of weapons often dubbed killer robots, Washington instead proposed at the United Nations on Thursday a “code of conduct”.

We’re going to fight this variant with science and speed, not chaos and confusion. This is a moment we can put the divisiveness behind us, I hope.” US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ON FIGHT AGAINST OMICRON COVID VARIANT