DR Congo, Morocco, Brazil

Today's three stories you should know

DR Congo

Fighters from the M23 rebel group have entered the town of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as violence intensified despite a peace deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. Uvira was the last government-held town in the east of the country, where Congolese forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 have been engaged in renewed fighting since the rebels seized the cities of Goma and Bukavu in a lightning offensive in January. The capture of Uvira comes less than a week after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met Trump in Washington.

More from BBC here.

Morocco

At least 22 people have been killed and 16 injured after two adjacent buildings collapsed in the Moroccan city of Fez, according to officials. One building was unoccupied while the other, where eight families lived, was hosting an Aqiqah, a traditional Muslim celebration marking the birth of a child. The city’s prosecutor said the death toll was preliminary and that an investigation was ongoing. Morocco’s housing minister, Adib Ben Ibrahim, said in January that about 38,800 buildings across the country had been classified as at risk of collapse.

More from Reuters here.

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has signed into effect a new law that strengthens measures to combat violence against women after protests were held in 90 cities over a spate of recent high-profile attacks. The measures include restricting gun ownership, removing abusers from victims’ homes, banning contact with victims, and making abusers wear ankle bracelets. Sentences for child rape and killings have also been increased. More than one in three women in Brazil was a victim of sexual or gender-based violence over the course of a year, according to a 2025 report by the think tank Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.

More from AP here.