Europe news today

Here are some of the top news stories from Europe today:

Politics

• The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions on Belarusian officials over the forced landing of a Ryanair flight and the arrest of a dissident journalist. (BBC News)
• The UK and EU have reached a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol, which will allow for the free movement of goods between the two regions. (The Guardian)
• The French government has announced plans to introduce a new law aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics. (France 24)

Economy

• The European Central Bank has kept interest rates unchanged, citing concerns over the impact of the pandemic on the economy. (Reuters)
• The German economy has contracted by 0.1% in the first quarter of the year, according to official figures. (Deutsche Welle)
• The UK's Office for National Statistics has reported that the country's economy grew by 0.1% in the first quarter, despite the impact of the pandemic. (BBC News)

Health

• The World Health Organization has reported a surge in COVID-19 cases in Europe, with over 1 million new cases reported in the past week. (WHO)
• The European Medicines Agency has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12-15. (EMA)
• The UK has reported a record number of COVID-19 hospital admissions, with over 3,000 patients in hospital with the virus. (BBC News)

Other News

• A massive wildfire has broken out in the Greek region of Evia, with thousands of people evacuated from their homes. (AP News)
• The European Space Agency has launched a new satellite to monitor the Earth's climate. (ESA)
• The UK's Prince William and his wife Kate have visited a refugee center in Poland, where they met with refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. (BBC News)

These are just a few of the top news stories from Europe today.