World news today

Here are some of the top world news stories today:

Politics

• The United States and China have reached a trade deal, with the US agreeing to reduce tariffs on Chinese goods and China agreeing to increase its purchases of US agricultural products. (Source: BBC)
• The UK's Supreme Court has ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful, dealing a blow to his Brexit plans. (Source: The Guardian)
• The European Union has agreed to extend the Brexit deadline to January 31, 2020, giving the UK more time to negotiate a withdrawal agreement. (Source: Reuters)

Conflict

• The conflict in Syria has escalated, with reports of airstrikes and shelling in the northwestern region of Idlib. (Source: Al Jazeera)
• The United Nations has condemned the killing of at least 30 people in a massacre in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Source: CNN)
• The Israeli military has launched airstrikes in Gaza, in response to rocket attacks from the territory. (Source: Haaretz)

Economy

• The global economy is facing a slowdown, with the International Monetary Fund predicting a 3.3% growth rate for 2020, down from 3.6% in 2019. (Source: IMF)
• The US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the third time this year, in an effort to boost the economy. (Source: CNBC)
• The European Central Bank has also cut interest rates, in an effort to stimulate economic growth. (Source: Bloomberg)

Health

• The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo a global health emergency. (Source: WHO)
• The number of cases of COVID-19, the new coronavirus, has surpassed 80,000 worldwide, with the majority of cases in China. (Source: WHO)
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the United States, in Washington state. (Source: CDC)

Environment

• The Australian bushfire crisis has continued to worsen, with thousands of firefighters battling blazes across the country. (Source: ABC News)
• The European Union has agreed to a new climate law, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. (Source: EurActiv)
• The United States has announced plans to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. (Source: The New York Times)

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