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  The Supreme Court hinted on Wednesday that it is on the verge of significantly curtailing abortion rights in the United States, and that it is likely to maintain a Mississippi law that violates one of the key principles of the Roe v. Wade decision, which was handed down over 50 years ago. It was uncertain if the court would finally overturn Roe, which held that women have a fundamental right to terminate their pregnancies. Mississippi's statute forbidding most abortions after 15 weeks, according to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., is not a "dramatic departure" from viability, and gives women adequate time to decide whether or not to terminate their pregnancies. However, none of the court's six conservative members expressed support for upholding the court's ruling that states cannot prohibit abortion before fetal viability, which is commonly believed to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. "Why would 15 weeks be an improper line?" he continued. O

In reaction to the spread of the "extremely contagious" Omicron Covid strain across Europe, the European Commission president has suggested that obligatory vaccination be considered. Ursula von der Leyen, in a call to action, urged the EU's 27 member states should provide booster dosages quickly, and a commission communiqué backed nations that choose to temporarily require pre-travel PCR tests even within the bloc's borders. In the EU, there have been 59 occurrences of the Omicron variation, all of which have featured mild symptoms or have been asymptomatic. Von der Leyen, who worked as a doctor before entering politics, told reporters in Brussels: "We have the vaccines, the life-saving vaccines, but they are not being used adequately everywhere." And this comes at a price... This is going to be a huge health cost.

According to sources in France, French President Emmanuel Macron referred to Boris Johnson as a "clown" in a private chat. According to Macron, the British prime minister has "the attitude of a vulgarian," according to the political magazine Le Canard enchaîné, which is often referred to as the French equivalent of Private Eye. It happened after Macron chastised Johnson for his behavior during a phone call between the two leaders following the drowning of a refugee boat in the English Channel last Wednesday. After Johnson tweeted a letter outlining a five-point plan to address the issue of Channel crossings, the French president was enraged. "I had a serious conversation with Prime Minister Johnson two days ago," Macron said following the tweet during a press briefing on Friday. "I, for one, will continue to do so, as I will with all countries and leaders." When methods aren't serious, they surprise me. On these subjects, we do not communicat

Joe Biden outlined new measures to combat the coronavirus in the United States, including a nationwide push to encourage vaccine boosters, the expansion of at-home diagnostics, and tighter foreign travel restrictions. The US president visited the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday, where he set out a pandemic battle plan for the winter months, despite the appearance of the Omicron variety and political blowback from Republicans. After the first US case of the Omicron variety of Covid-19 was discovered in California on Wednesday and a second in Minnesota on Thursday, the campaign has taken on new urgency. During December, the president promised to enhance pharmacy availability, and pharmacy partners will send millions of messages, calls, and emails to eligible customers with information on how to make an appointment or come in for a booster shot. A public education campaign will also be launched to urge adults to obtain boosters, with a particular focus on

The Duke of Sussex has warned that the Covid pandemic will be prolonged by "corporate greed and political incompetence," linking a "spectacular failure" of global vaccination equity to millions of people's struggle to get HIV drugs. Prince Harry said lessons must be learned from the HIV/AIDS pandemic in a letter read out at a World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS event on World Aids Day. Do we truly want to repeat the mistakes of the past? Everything I've learnt from Sentebale's youth [his nonprofit in Lesotho and Botswana] says no. They recognize that repeating these errors is damaging and self-defeating, as well as a betrayal of future generations." He said his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, would be "deeply grateful" to the scientific community for their work in combating the disease. Diana, Princess of Wales, who helped to highlight the work of Aids charities, would be "deeply grateful" to the scientific communit

 Former President Donald Trump's closest circle advisors are being subpoenaed by House investigators. This is what we know so far. Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is now working with a House committee probing the Capitol insurgency on January 6, perhaps avoiding a contempt citation for refusing to comply with the panel's subpoena for records and testimony. "Through his attorney, Mr. Meadows has been communicating with the Select Committee." "Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, said Tuesday that he is the chairman of the committee. "He has provided the committee with records and will attend for an initial deposition shortly." While Thompson praised Meadows' cooperation, he did not rule out further action. "After the deposition, the committee will continue to analyze his level of compliance with our subpoena," the chairman stated. Meadows was one of a slew of former administration officials and campaign aides who refused to partic

Authorities say a shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit killed three students and injured eight others on Tuesday. The suspect, a 15-year-old sophomore, has been apprehended, according to Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe. According to him, a firearm was also discovered. The shooting murdered Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office stated late Tuesday that Tate Myre, 16, died in a police car while being transported to the hospital. Sheriff Michael Bouchard said eight people were critically injured, including a teacher, and were rushed to hospitals with varying injuries. Three of the injured kids, including a 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head and a 14-year-old girl wounded in the neck and chest and on a ventilator, were in critical condition late Tuesday night, according to Bouchard. Just before 1 p.m., authorities received a 911 call reporting an active shooter at the school, according to McCabe. He tol

Ministers are risking a new backlash over social care by releasing long-awaited proposals that will provide no extra funds to help crisis-hit care providers get through the winter. Gillian Keegan, the care minister, is set to present the white paper to parliament on Wednesday, as part of Boris Johnson's 2019 campaign vow to "address the crisis in social care once and for all." According to reports, the package includes plans to invest some of the £5.4 billion raised by the new health and social care levy. Several hundred million pounds will be spent to support the establishment of "additional care" facilities, commonly known as "assisted living," which allow older people to live independently while also receiving nursing care. It is also projected to spend more than £100 million on enhancing technology in care facilities, which will include anything from digitising resident records to devices that track falls and allow for greater independence. Both ef

 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that international travelers entering the US would soon be required to show a negative result from a coronavirus test done within 24 hours of departure, as the globe struggles to find measures to stop the spread of the new Omicron variety.  That's a considerably shorter turnaround: Current regulations enable fully vaccinated people to have a coronavirus PCR test up to three days (72 hours) before flying to the US. "As we understand more about the Omicron strain, the CDC is working to alter the existing global testing order for travel; a new order would shorten the period for necessary testing for all." "International air travelers should arrive at least one day before their flight to the United States," said agency spokesperson Jason McDonald. According to The New York Times, "this tightens already stringent rules in place for overseas travel, including requirements for foreign tourists to

  Boris Johnson has contradicted top scientists and one of his most senior health professionals, who encouraged people to cut out on excessive socializing in reaction to Omicron, by urging people to keep their Christmas parties and nativity performances going. The best way to combat the threat of the Covid version, according to the prime minister, is to get booster shots, which will be available to all adults by the end of January thanks to a big NHS campaign sponsored by the army. "We don't want people to cancel such events," Johnson replied when asked what he would say to schools cutting back on nativity performances and people skipping Christmas social engagements. Despite Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, suggesting that people should reduce their social contact as fears grow that existing vaccines will prove ineffective against the Omicron variant, he insisted that the current guidance to wear masks on public transportation and in s