World News Roundup: First to fall after Brasilia riots: the Bolsonarista running capital security; Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister and more

In his book "Spare", King Charles's younger son recounts his two tours of Afghanistan, first as a forward air controller in 2007/08 and again in 2012, when he was a co-pilot gunner in Apache attack helicopters, and the number of people he had killed. Fighting rages over Ukraine's Soledar despite mercenaries' claim of control Russian and Ukrainian forces were engaged in intense fighting on Wednesday over the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine - a stepping stone in Moscow's push to capture the entire Donbas region - with the Russians appearing to have the upper hand.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

First to fall after Brasilia riots: the Bolsonarista running capital security

When Brazilian rioters stormed government buildings in Brasilia on Sunday, the man tasked with keeping the city safe was a continent away in Florida - the same state his ex-boss, former President Jair Bolsonaro, had relocated to after losing last year's election. Anderson Torres, Bolsonaro's justice minister from 2021 to 2022, took a job as Brasilia security chief after leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office on Jan. 1.

Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister

Africa should not be an arena for competition between world powers, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday, opening a new headquarters for a pan-African health body at the start of five-country Africa tour. Qin visited facilities of the African Union in Addis Ababa, including the new headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. China financed the complex's construction, as it previously did for the headquarters of the AU itself, also based in the Ethiopian capital.

Flights delayed across United States after FAA system outage

U.S. flights were delayed and airports told passengers to check with their airlines for updates on Wednesday as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) scrambled to fix a system outage. The FAA said it was working to restore a system that alerts pilots to hazards and changes to airport facilities and procedures that had stopped processing updated information.

Prince Harry hits out at press over reports of Afghan killings in book

Prince Harry has hit back at "hurtful" responses to his record-selling memoir, saying he was particularly upset by the "lie" he had boasted that he had killed 25 people in Afghanistan when serving as a military helicopter pilot. In his book "Spare", King Charles's younger son recounts his two tours of Afghanistan, first as a forward air controller in 2007/08 and again in 2012, when he was a co-pilot gunner in Apache attack helicopters, and the number of people he had killed.

Fighting rages over Ukraine's Soledar despite mercenaries' claim of control

Russian and Ukrainian forces were engaged in intense fighting on Wednesday over the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine - a stepping stone in Moscow's push to capture the entire Donbas region - with the Russians appearing to have the upper hand. The mercenary group Wagner, which has spearheaded the assault, on Tuesday claimed to have taken control of the small salt-mining town but said pockets of Ukrainian resistance were holding out in the centre.

Man wounds six people at Paris Gare du Nord station

A man attacked and wounded six people at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris on Wednesday morning, leaving one with serious injuries, before being shot by off-duty police officers, authorities said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters the man attacked travellers with what looked like a home-made weapon at 0642 CET (0542 GMT) at the entrance and inside the station. Police had earlier said the man had used a knife or blade.

NATO, EU to boost protection for pipelines, key infrastructure

NATO and the EU are launching a task force to boost protection of critical infrastructure in response to last year's attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and Russia's "weaponising of energy," the organisations' leaders said on Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the sabotage of the Russia-to-Germany pipelines in the Baltic Sea last September showed the need "to confront this new type of threat".

Exclusive: Myanmar junta chief family assets found in Thai drug raid - document

Thai officials found assets belonging to adult children of Myanmar's junta leader during a raid on the Bangkok apartment of a Myanmar tycoon charged with drug trafficking and money laundering, according to an official record and two people with knowledge of the case. Title deeds and bankbooks belonging to Min Aung Hlaing’s daughter and son were found at the home of Tun Min Latt, 53, when he was arrested in the Thai capital last September along with three Thai nationals on charges of conspiracy to traffic narcotics and money laundering.

China imposes transit curbs for S.Korea, Japan in growing COVID spat

China introduced transit curbs for South Korean and Japanese nationals on Wednesday, in an escalating diplomatic spat over COVID-19 curbs that is marring the grand re-opening of the world's second-largest economy after three years of isolation. China removed quarantine mandates for inbound travellers on Sunday, one of the last vestiges of the world's strictest regime of COVID restrictions, which Beijing abruptly began dismantling in early December after historic protests.

Factbox-Why Russia is targeting the Ukrainian town of Soledar

Russian and Ukrainian forces were engaged in intense fighting on Wednesday over the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine - a stepping stone in Moscow's push to capture the entire Donbas region - with the Russians appearing to have the upper hand. Moscow's capture of Soledar and its salt mines would have symbolic, military and commercial value for Russia. Here is a look at why.