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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.

A US federal judge on Wednesday ordered the unsealing of grand jury records on Jeffrey Epstein, in the latest move by a court to release documents related to the convicted sex offender.The decision by New York Judge Richard Berman concerns proceedings launched against the disgraced financier in July 2019, the most serious case against him for the sexual exploitation of minors.Those proceedings were cut short after Epstein’s suicide in prison in August that year during pre-trial detention.Such records are generally kept secret, but the judge cited a bill that President Donald Trump signed last month requiring that the Justice Department release by December 19 all unclassified records regarding Epstein, whose transgressions remain politically explosive in the United States.On Tuesday, another federal judge agreed to unseal grand jury records from the probe of Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for offenses including sex trafficking of a minor.And on Friday, a judge in Florida ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the investigation of Epstein in that state. Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to a state charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution.There is no guarantee that the new documents will contain new revelations, and it remains unclear exactly when, and how, the Justice Department will release all the documents to the public.Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, fought for months to prevent the release of files about him held by the Justice Department.Trump and his allies spent years pushing theories about powerful Democrats being protected over involvement with Epstein, framing the case as a potent symbol of how rich men can hide behind lawyers, money and connections.The FBI and Justice Department triggered a political furor in July with the release of a memo stating that after an “exhaustive review” of the Epstein files, no evidence had emerged that would warrant further investigation.Last month, Trump caved to pressure from Congress, including from fellow Republicans, and signed the law compelling release of the materials.

The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to order visa-exempt foreign tourists to disclose their social media histories from the last five years before entering the country, according to an official notice.The proposal laid out in a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register would apply to visitors from 42 countries, including Britain, France, Australia and Japan, who do not need a visa to enter the United States.Currently, those travellers only need apply for a waiver known as the Electonic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which still requires them to provide certain personal details.Under the proposed new rules, the collection of social media data would become a “mandatory” part of ESTA applications.Applicants would need to provide their social media histories from the last five years, according to the notice.They would also have to submit other “high-value data fields” including phone numbers from the last five years, email addresses from the past decade, personal details of family members and biometric information.The public has 60 days to comment on the proposal.The Trump administration has tightened curbs on entering the United States, part of a sweeping crackdown on migration.Along with Mexico and Canada, the country will host the 2026 World Cup, which is certain to attract large numbers of soccer fans from across the world. 

Hollywood A-listers Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde and Russell Crowe will rub shoulders with some of cinema’s best and brightest new talent at the Sundance film festival next month, organizers said Wednesday.The first edition of the festival since the death in September of founder Robert Redford will see a firmament of stars descend on Park City, Utah for one of the most important gatherings in the global movie calendar.”I think that this is going to be such a celebratory year and a very special one,” Sundance director of programming Kim Yutani told AFP.”Any time you can bring together such an eclectic group of artists and storytellers… I think about Charli XCX and Billie Jean King, Salman Rushdie, Rinko Kikuchi together… it’s such a special (group) of people that we can have on the mountain.”A rich vein of comedy runs through this year’s program, said Yutani.”There are films that are looking at things in a kind of more quirky and unique way, like ‘The History of Concrete’ by John Wilson, which is going to have its own enthusiastic audience,” she said.The documentary traces Wilson’s efforts to sell a film about building materials after attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie.The laughs continue with Seth Rogen and Edward Norton in “The Invite,” opposite Olivia Wilde, who also directs.The script, co-written by Rashida James (“Parks and Recreation”), deals with a couple whose mysterious neighbors come over for dinner.Meanwhile, “Mad Men” stars Hamm and John Slattery reunite in “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass,” where a Midwestern bride-to-be rampages through Hollywood in an effort to even the score after her fiance uses the couple’s “free celebrity pass” on his famous crush.In “The Gallerist” — starring Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, along with Jenna Ortega and Sterling K. Brown — a desperate curator tries to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami.- International -With the movie industry still struggling to find its feet after successive blows from the streaming revolution, the Covid pandemic and Hollywood strikes that crippled Tinseltown in 2023, the involvement of such famous faces is a vote of confidence in independent filmmaking, said festival programmer John Nein.”When you see Chris Pine and Jenny Slate in ‘Carousel,’ or when you see Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan in ‘Josephine’… that’s one of the signs of optimism at a time when we are looking at some real challenges in the sector, that notable actors continue to want to be involved in these projects,” he told AFP.Sundance received more than 16,000 submissions, whittling them down to 90 feature-length films, with 40 percent of them from first-time feature directors.All but a handful of the titles that will be screened in the festival’s snow-capped Rocky Mountain base will be world premieres, selected from 164 countries and territories around the globe.The strong international line-up includes films from traditional cinematic powerhouses like Britain, in the form of the debut feature “Extra Geography” from director Molly Manners, and queer genre film “Leviticus” from Australia.But it also includes offerings from places the audience might be less familiar with, like “Hanging by a Wire,” a nail-biting race to save schoolboys dangling from a stranded cable car in the Himalayan foothills.”Hold On to Me” from Cyprus tells the story of an 11-year-old tracking down her estranged father, while documentary “Kikuyu Land” from Kenya examines how powerful outside forces use local corruption to dispossess a people.Sundance, which runs from January 22 to February 1, is being held in Utah for the final time before a move to Boulder, Colorado in 2027.Festival and public programming director Eugene Hernandez said the final Park City edition, along with Redford’s death, makes this a significant year.”We reach this pinnacle of our experience in Utah this year,” he said. “It’s going to be a special edition.” 

Instagram on Wednesday unveiled a new AI-powered feature that lets users view and adjust the algorithm shaping their Reels feed, calling it a pioneering move toward greater user control.The Meta-owned app is introducing “Your Algorithm,” accessible through an icon in the upper right corner of Reels — a user’s video feed — which displays the topics Instagram believes users are interested in based on their viewing history. In a blog post, Meta said users can now directly tell the platform which subjects they want to see more or less of, with recommendations adjusting accordingly in real time.Social media platforms have faced mounting pressure from regulators and users alike to provide greater transparency around algorithmic content curation, which critics say can create echo chambers or promote harmful content.But companies also see algorithms as their platform’s ‘secret sauce’ for engaging users and have often resisted greater transparency.”Instagram has always been a place to dive deep into your interests and connect with friends,” the company said in its blog. “As your interests evolve over time, we want to give you more meaningful ways to control what you see.”The feature shows users a summary of their top interests and allows them to type in specific topics to fine-tune their feed.Instagram said it is “leading the way” in offering such transparency and control, with plans to expand the feature beyond Reels to Explore and other sections of the app.The tool launched Wednesday in the United States and will roll out globally in English “soon,” the company said.The move came as Australia, in a world-first, banned people under age 16 from a raft of popular social media apps, including Instagram. The government said it aimed to “take back control” from tech giants and protect children from “predatory algorithms.”   

US President Donald Trump has blasted media reports questioning his state of health as “seditious, perhaps even treasonous,” sparking pushback Wednesday by one of the major outlets behind the stories.In a long, late-night social media post, the oldest elected president in US history raged about stories in The New York Times and elsewhere suggesting that at the age of 79 he is slowing down.”There has never been a President that has worked as hard as me! My hours are the longest, and my results are among the best,” Trump said in the nearly 500-word screed on his Truth Social network.”I actually believe it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean  ‘THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.'” The Republican added that he had been through “long, thorough, and very boring” medical examinations and had been able to “ace” cognitive tests that he claimed other presidents had not taken.Trump added that the “best thing that could happen to this Country would be if The New York Times would cease publication because they are a horrible, biased, and untruthful ‘source’ of information.”The outburst comes despite the fact that Trump regularly accuses the media of having failed to cover the health of his predecessor Joe Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 election after a shambolic debate performance raised concerns about the Democrat’s age.He has also long contrasted his vigor with that of Biden — whom he dubs “Sleepy Joe” and described at the rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday as a “sleepy son of a bitch.”- ‘False and inflammatory’ -Trump and the White House were incensed by a New York Times article in November that reported he had sharply reduced public events, domestic travel and working hours compared to his first term.The scrutiny on Trump’s health intensified after he appeared to be fighting to stay awake at a series of events, along with the revelation that he had an MRI test during an extra medical check-up in October.”Americans deserve in-depth reporting and regular updates about the health of the leaders they elect,” New York Times spokesperson Nicole Taylor said in a statement to AFP.”Mr Trump welcomed our reporting on the age and fitness of his predecessors; we’re applying the same journalistic scrutiny to his vitality.”The newspaper said its reporting was “heavily sourced” and based on interviews with people close to the president and with medical experts.”We won’t be deterred by false and inflammatory language that distorts the role of a free press,” Taylor added.Trump’s post on Tuesday night came after a vigorous performance at a more than hour-long campaign-style rally on affordability in which he joked, sang, danced — and lashed out at migrants and the “fake news.” In his Truth Social post, he rejected claims that he was slowing down or “maybe not as sharp as I once was.””I will know when I am ‘slowing up,’ but it’s not now!” he said.

The US Federal Reserve is expected to deliver a further interest rate cut Wednesday despite divisions among its ranks, with chief Jerome Powell’s ability to secure support from fellow policymakers put to the test.Financial markets expect a third consecutive 25 basis points reduction, bringing levels to a range between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent. This would be the lowest in around three years.But fissures within the Fed have grown even as policymakers slashed rates twice in recent months to boost the weakening employment market — and the central bank faces a turbulent year ahead.Officials opened their second day of deliberations at 9:00 am (1400 GMT), with their decision to be unveiled later Wednesday.”We look for at least two dissents in favor of no action and one in favor of a larger cut,” said Michael Feroli, chief US economist at JP Morgan.”There are almost equally compelling reasons to cut and to hold,” he added in a recent note.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.Powell noted in October that inflation separate from President Donald Trump’s tariffs is not too far from officials’ two-percent target.But goods costs have risen on Trump’s sweeping levies, and some officials are concerned that higher prices could become persistent.The Fed pursues maximum employment and stable prices, although these goals can sometimes be in conflict. Lower rates typically stimulate the economy while higher levels hold back activity and tamp down inflation.- ‘Risk management’ -Powell will likely be able to “persuade several hesitant policymakers to support a third consecutive ‘risk management’ rate cut,” said EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco.The most recent available figures confirmed a slowdown in the jobs market, while a government shutdown from October to mid-November delayed the publication of more updated federal data.But Daco also expects Powell to signal “firmly that additional easing is unlikely before next spring,” unless there is material weakening in the economy.This is because rates are close to “neutral,” a level that neither stimulates nor restricts economic activity.Feroli of JP Morgan observed that most Fed governors appear to favor lowering rates, while most reserve bank presidents seem inclined to keeping them unchanged.But New York Fed President John Williams’s remarks that there was room for another cut in the near-term tilts the balance.”We believe he was speaking for the rest of the leadership,” Feroli said, referring to Powell and Vice Chair Philip Jefferson. “This should weigh the votes firmly toward a cut.”Meanwhile Fed Governor Stephen Miran, who is on leave from his role heading the White House Council of Economic Advisers, is expected to push for a larger cut.- Political pressure -This week’s gathering is the last before 2026, a year of key changes for the Fed — including the accession of a new chief and tests of the central bank’s independence as political pressure mounts.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, and Powell’s term as Fed chair ends in May.Trump earlier hinted 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.Hassett chairs the White House National Economic Council and appears to be in lockstep with the president on key economic issues.Miran’s term as governor also ends in January, creating an opening among top Fed officials. And Trump has sought to free up another seat in attempting to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook this year.Cook challenged her ousting, and the Supreme Court awaits oral arguments in the case in January.