Streets were empty, shops shuttered and soldiers fled a key eastern DR Congo city Wednesday a day after the Rwanda-backed M23 militia entered the outskirts, in a move Burundi called a “middle finger” to the United States after the signing of a peace deal in Washington.M23 fighters entered the strategic city of Uvira at the gateway to Burundi late Tuesday, security and military sources said, plunging the city of several hundred thousand residents into uncertainty over who was in charge.It comes less than a year after the anti-government group seized Goma and Bukavu, two provincial capitals in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been plagued by conflict for around three decades.”The residents are locked inside their homes,” one of them told AFP. “Everyone is staying home,” another added.”We don’t understand anything, we can only wait for new authorities to take over. We can’t remain without an army or police,” a third resident said. All spoke by telephone and asked to remain anonymous.The latest offensive — launched on December 1 against the Congolese army backed by Burundian forces and allied armed groups — has further shaken hopes that an agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump will succeed in halting the conflict.Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame inked the deal in Washington last Thursday.”Signing an agreement and not implementing it is a humiliation for everyone, and first and foremost for President Trump,” Burundian Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana told AFP over the phone.”It’s truly a slap in the face to the United States, a middle finger,” he said, adding that sanctions against Rwanda were “necessary”.Rwanda accused the DRC and Burundi of deliberately violating the peace agreement, in a statement Wednesday. A day earlier, the United States and European powers urged the M23 to “immediately halt” its offensive and for Rwanda to pull its troops out of the eastern DRC.- Border closed – Burundi, which neighbours both the DRC and Rwanda, views the prospect of Uvira falling to Rwanda-backed forces as an existential threat.Uvira sits across Lake Tanganyika from the Burundian economic capital Bujumbura, with only around 20 kilometres (12 miles) between the two cities.  Burundi’s main border posts with the DRC were closed on Tuesday afternoon and are now considered “military zones”, military and police sources told AFP. The M23, for its part, has closed the border on the Congolese side, according to local and military sources, though it is not yet clear whether the armed group has taken control of Uvira. Several Congolese army soldiers and members of pro-Kinshasa militia were still seen in the area of Uvira, military sources and witnesses said.A few stray shots were reported.The city nestled between mountains and Lake Tanganyika had already largely emptied on Tuesday as soldiers, police and administrative personnel fled the M23’s advance.Residents speaking to AFP by telephone had pointed to a “every man for himself” mentality and growing panic.Congolese soldiers, some of whom had abandoned their weapons and uniforms, fled, looting shops and a pharmacy as they went, according to witnesses and military sources.- Threatened -Several residents told AFP by telephone in the early afternoon Wednesday that they had seen M23 fighters in Uvira’s northern districts.”I can confirm the presence of M23 in the city,” a representative of civil society told AFP. “I’ve just the M23 with my own eyes pass by my house.”More than 40,000 Congolese have fled the fighting and arrived in Burundi in the space of a week, the Burundian foreign minister told AFP.According to an initial estimate by the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA, more than 200,000 people have been displaced within South Kivu province since December 2. Meanwhile thousands of others have crossed the border into neighbouring countries, especially Burundi but also Rwanda.The latest advance on Uvira marks a new blow for the DRC government.According to several European diplomatic sources, Kinshasa fears the M23 pushing on towards the copper- and cobalt-rich Katanga province in the southeastern DRC, the vast country’s mining hub which the state relies on to fill its coffers thanks to taxes imposed on mining companies.The peace agreement — which Trump called a “miracle” deal — includes an economic portion intended to secure US supplies of critical minerals present in the region, as the United States seeks to challenge China’s dominance in the sector.The M23 is supported by up to 7,000 Rwandan troops in eastern DRC, according to UN experts. Burundi, which has thorny relations with Rwanda, deployed about 10,000 soldiers to the eastern DRC in October 2023 as part of a military cooperation agreement, and security sources say reinforcements have since taken that presence to around 18,000 men.While denying offering the M23 military support, Rwanda argues that it faces an existential threat from the presence in the eastern DRC of ethnic Hutu militants with links to the 1994 Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis.burs-cld/kjm/sbk

A divided US Federal Reserve lowered interest rates Wednesday for a third consecutive time this year, flagging labor market concerns even as inflation remained elevated as President Donald Trump’s tariffs bite.The cut by a quarter percentage point brings rates to a range between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent, the lowest in around three years.The move was in line with market expectations, although the path ahead is less certain.The Fed penciled in at least one more rate reduction next year, and flagged heightened risks to employment as it announced Wednesday’s move.But a rift within the central bank deepened with three officials voting against the modest reduction.Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee and Kansas City Fed president Jeffrey Schmid instead sought to keep rates unchanged. Fed Governor Stephen Miran backed a bigger, half-percentage-point cut.The Fed’s rate-setting committee consists of 12 voting members — including seven members of the board of governors, the New York Fed president and a rotation of reserve bank presidents — who take a majority vote in deciding the path of rates.On Wednesday, Fed officials also lifted their 2026 GDP growth forecast to 2.3 percent, from 1.8 percent previously.They eased their inflation expectations slightly for the next year, and kept unemployment rate expectations unchanged.These projections could shift as the central bank grapples with a delay in federal economic data releases after a record-long government shutdown.The Fed also faces a turbulent year ahead with a new chief arriving after Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends in May, while political pressure mounts.Miran’s term expires in January, creating an opening among the Fed’s top leadership, and Trump has sought to free up another seat by attempting to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook this year.Cook has challenged her ousting and the case remains before the courts — she continues to carry out her role in the meantime.- Caution ahead -A contentious meeting that has multiple dissents is a “normal and healthy” sign, said Ryan Sweet of Oxford Economics.Still, “more cuts now imply fewer later,” he added in a note this week.”The central bank will want time to gauge how past cuts are impacting the economy,” he said.Analysts said that a third consecutive rate reduction was likely, in order to manage risks to the labor market.”The challenge facing the Fed next year is the potential jobless expansion, when GDP increases but employment gains are modest, at best,” Sweet said. “This leaves the economy vulnerable to shocks because the labor market is the main firewall against a recession.”The most recent available figures confirmed a slowdown in the jobs market, while the government shutdown from October to mid-November delayed publications of more updated official data.The Fed pursues maximum employment and stable prices in adjusting interest rates, although these goals can sometimes be in conflict. Lower rates typically stimulate the economy while higher levels hold back activity and tamp down inflation.Powell is due to speak at a press conference after the announcement of the rate decision.This week’s gathering is the last before 2026, a year of key changes for the bank.In a Politico interview published Tuesday, Trump signaled he would judge Powell’s successor on whether they immediately cut rates. Interviews for his choice are entering the final stages.Trump earlier hinted that he wants to nominate his chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett.Other top contenders include former Fed official Kevin Warsh, Fed governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, and Rick Rieder of BlackRock.

Music powerhouse Beyonce, tennis legend Venus Williams and Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala on May 4 alongside Vogue’s Anna Wintour, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Wednesday in New York.The annual Met Gala, traditionally held on the first Monday in May, was first organized in 1948 and for decades was reserved for New York high society. Wintour, the high priestess of US fashion, took over the show in the 1990s, transforming the party into a catwalk for the rich and famous.The gala is a fundraiser for the Met’s Costume Institute, but it is also a social media extravaganza that sees stars don over-the-top looks, vying to create the greatest spectacle.The dress code has not yet been revealed but it will dovetail with the “Costume Art” exhibition, which opens on May 10 at the venerable museum in Manhattan and will seek to explore the “dressed body” in artworks across the centuries.The co-chairs are power players in their fields: music, sports and film. The gala will mark the first time in a decade that Beyonce has attended, and fashionistas will be holding their breath waiting to see what look — or looks – she unveils. She was an honorary co-chair in 2013.Williams, 45, is the winner of seven Grand Slam titles. She is still competing on the WTA Tour. Her sister Serena — who has retired from tennis — co-hosted the event in 2019.Kidman, who co-chaired the event in 2003 and in 2005, has several projects in the works for 2026, including “Practical Magic 2,” a sequel to the popular 1998 film about a family of witches, and “Scarpetta,” a series based on Patricia Cornwell’s crime novel heroine.The Met also announced a gala “host committee” led by Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello and actress Zoe Kravitz. Also on the committee are singers Sabrina Carpenter and Doja Cat, retired ballet superstar Misty Copeland, and WNBA champion A’ja Wilson.

US lawmakers are set to vote Wednesday on a sweeping annual defense bill bolstering European security, in a direct rebuke of President Donald Trump’s threats to walk away from the continent and his statements casting doubt on NATO’s future.The House vote comes on the heels of the publication of a national security strategy that amounted to an all-out attack on Europe —- rattling allied capitals and widening the biggest transatlantic rift in years.By contrast, the huge bill being considered in Congress, which would authorize nearly a trillion dollars in defense spending, has drawn attention for its pro-Europe orientation and strict limits designed to prevent Trump from reducing troop numbers, moving equipment or downgrading NATO-linked missions.”This legislation includes important House-passed provisions to ensure our military forces remain the most lethal in the world and can deter any adversary,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement. In his security strategy published last week, Trump lambasted Europe as an over-regulated, censorious continent lacking in “self-confidence” and facing “civilizational erasure” due to immigration.His administration accuses European nations of taking advantage of American generosity and of failing to take responsibility for their own destiny.The security strategy openly supports far-right European parties, questioning the continent’s commitment to peace and indicating that its security was no longer a top US priority.But lawmakers are explicitly moving in the opposite direction — deepening US resources for the Baltic states and hardening NATO’s northeastern flank, in a move that amounts to one of the strongest congressional assertions in years of Europe’s strategic importance.The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) carries a robust $8 billion more than Trump requested in May, authorizing roughly $901 billion in defense spending. It leans hard into European defense, barring troop levels on the continent from falling below 76,000 for more than 45 days and blocking the removal of major equipment.- Demand for drug-strike videos -The White House has backed the 3,086-page bill, despite its misgivings over Europe — and a provision forcing the Pentagon to hand over videos of maritime strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in Latin American waters.The footage has become a flashpoint in a transparency dispute between congressional defense and security committees and the military. To ensure compliance, lawmakers will withhold a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the videos arrive — an unusually personal tactic reflecting frustration over slow document production and the administration’s expanding use of lethal force in drug interdictions.The NDAA also adds traditional security priorities. It places fresh limits on any reduction of the 28,500 US troops in South Korea, a signal to Seoul amid uncertainty over America’s long-term military commitment in East Asia.With support from the administration wavering, the bill also doubles down on Ukraine — setting aside $400 million in security assistance to sustain a baseline of support even if emergency funding stalls.A group of conservative hardliners has explored blocking the NDAA over its inclusion of Ukraine assistance and the absence of a ban on a central bank digital currency. But such grumbling is routine for a final NDAA, and there were few signs of a rebellion capable of sinking the policy package.With bipartisan backing on Europe, Korea, Ukraine and the war authorization repeals, House passage is expected — though the bill would then head to the Senate for further scrutiny.