World News Roundup: S.African prosecutors charge parliament fire suspect with terrorism; Sudanese medics shaken by attacks on hospitals treating anti-coup protesters and more

The Unites States is also providing one million additional coronavirus vaccine doses to Afghanistan, bringing the total to 4.3 million doses, the White House added. Afghanistan's China envoy leaves after months without pay Afghanistan's ambassador to China, Javid Ahmad Qaem, left his post earlier in January after months without pay from Kabul following the Taliban's seizure of power, he said on Twitter.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

S.African prosecutors charge parliament fire suspect with terrorism

The suspect in a fire that gutted parts of South Africa's 138-year-old parliament building this month was charged with terrorism on Tuesday, appearing in court for a case officials have described as an attack on the country's democracy. Zandile Mafe, 49, had already been charged with arson in connection with the fire that started on Jan. 2, but the additional charge of terrorism was added because he had also been caught with an explosive device, the prosecution said.

Sudanese medics shaken by attacks on hospitals treating anti-coup protesters

On the afternoon of Dec. 30, security forces banged on the windows of Khartoum Teaching Hospital then fired tear gas into an emergency room packed with protesters injured in a nearby demonstration. "We were around the corner trying to hide, it came right past our heads," said a nurse who asked to withhold her name for fear of retribution. "We couldn't breathe and had to rush out."

Taiwan suspends F-16 training missions after jet crashes

Taiwan's air force on Tuesday suspended combat training for its F-16 fleet after a recently upgraded model of the fighter jet crashed into the sea in the latest of a series of accidents. The defence ministry said the F-16V, the most advanced type in Taiwan's fleet, went missing from radar screens after taking off from the Chiayi air base in southern Taiwan for a training mission over a coastal firing range.

Biden administration to give additional $308 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

The Biden administration plans to donate an extra $308 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, bringing total U.S. aid for the impoverished country and Afghan refugees in the region to nearly $782 million since October, the White House said on Tuesday. The Unites States is also providing one million additional coronavirus vaccine doses to Afghanistan, bringing the total to 4.3 million doses, the White House added.

Afghanistan's China envoy leaves after months without pay

Afghanistan's ambassador to China, Javid Ahmad Qaem, left his post earlier in January after months without pay from Kabul following the Taliban's seizure of power, he said on Twitter. In a handover letter dated Jan. 1, also posted on Twitter, Qaem said that many diplomats at the embassy had already left, and Kabul had not sent them salaries since August.

Explainer-N.Korea tests 'hypersonic missiles' in global race for new rockets

North Korea began the New Year with increasingly capable missile tests, including at least one it claims was a hypersonic missile, amid an intensifying race for the next generation of long-range weapons that are harder to detect and intercept. South Korean military officials have cast doubts on North Korea's claim a missile fired last week was hypersonic, but on Tuesday officials in Seoul said the North appeared to have test fired another missile that flew at relatively low altitudes at up to 10 times the speed of sound (12,348 kmh/7,673 mph).

UK PM Johnson under fire over 'bring your own booze' lockdown party

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under fire on Tuesday after it emerged his private secretary had invited over 100 people to a "bring your own booze" party in the garden of Downing Street during the first coronavirus lockdown. Johnson, who won a landslide victory in a 2019 election, has faced intense scrutiny over the past month after a video emerged showing his staff laughing and joking about a Downing Street party during a 2020 Christmas lockdown.

EU will demand Poland pay fine for disciplining judges

The European Union executive is set to demand that Poland pay around 70 million euros ($80 million) of fines for failing to scrap a contentious system for disciplining judges, sources have told Reuters. A spokesman for the European Commission separately confirmed at a news conference on Tuesday that it had received Poland's latest explanation on the dispute, one of the bloc's many battles with Warsaw over democratic standards.

Factbox-Former Kazakh leader's family wealth in spotlight after unrest

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hinted on Tuesday that associates of his predecessor and former patron Nursultan Nazarbayev needed to share their wealth with the public to help alleviate discontent after a week of violent unrest. Nazarbayev, 81, was the longest-serving leader of any former Soviet state, running Kazakhstan between 1989 and 2019, first as Communist Party boss and then as president.

Russia says it's not optimistic on U.S. talks, won't let them drag on

Russia said on Tuesday it was not optimistic after a first round of talks with the United States on the Ukraine crisis and would not allow its demands for security guarantees from the West to become mired in tortuous negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was positive that Monday's talks in Geneva had been held in an open, substantive and direct manner, but Russia was interested only in results.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)