News stories today

Here are some of the top news stories from around the world today:

Politics

• The US Senate has voted to acquit former President Donald Trump on charges of inciting the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol. (Source: CNN)
• The UK has announced plans to introduce a new law to tackle online hate speech, with fines of up to £10 million for social media companies that fail to remove harmful content. (Source: BBC)
• The European Union has agreed to a new budget and recovery plan worth €1.8 trillion to help member states recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Source: The Guardian)

Business

• The US Federal Reserve has announced a surprise interest rate cut, citing concerns about the impact of the pandemic on the economy. (Source: The New York Times)
• Amazon has announced plans to create 10,000 new jobs in the UK, as part of its expansion plans in the country. (Source: The Telegraph)
• The world's largest oil company, Saudi Aramco, has reported a 44% drop in profits for the first quarter of 2021, due to the impact of the pandemic on global energy demand. (Source: Reuters)

Health

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 3.3 million deaths worldwide, as of March 2021. (Source: WHO)
• A new study has found that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca is effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization, even in older adults. (Source: The Lancet)
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that it will begin distributing COVID-19 vaccines to pharmacies and community health centers, as part of its efforts to increase vaccination rates. (Source: CDC)

World News

• The Israeli military has launched airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip, in response to rocket attacks from Palestinian militants. (Source: Al Jazeera)
• The Chinese government has announced plans to impose new national security laws on Hong Kong, which critics say will erode the city's autonomy and freedoms. (Source: The South China Morning Post)
• The United Nations has warned that the world is facing a "perfect storm" of climate-related disasters, including droughts, floods, and heatwaves, which could have devastating consequences for global food security. (Source: UN News)

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