World briefs

UNITED NATIONS Former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres has been sworn in as Secretary-General of the United Nations, taking over from Ban Ki-moon at the end of the month. The 67-year-old Guterres becomes the ninth U.N. chief in the world body’s 71-year history.

HONG KONG arrested 29 current and former staff of five financial institutions, including four banks, for alleged bribery connected with obtaining confidential customer information to market personal loans, the city’s anti-graft agency said, in an operation named “Mirabilis.”

US-VIETNAM The United States has called on Vietnam to refrain from reclamation and militarization activities in contested South China Sea waters following reports that Hanoi has carried out dredging in the area.

PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to accept an arms deal being offered by China under concessional terms, in the latest sign of cozying relations between the once-hostile neighbors.

SOUTH KOREA Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who had a largely ceremonial job until President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment last week, now must face off against North Korea and deal with edgy relations with Japan as the country’s interim leader.

INDIA A cyclone slammed into India’s southeastern coast yesterday, killing at least two people and causing authorities to evacuate thousands of people from low-lying areas. Schools and offices were closed and state authorities were on alert in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh states as Cyclone Vardah hit the coast.

AFGHANISTAN Officials say at least two civilians were killed when their motorcycle struck a roadside bomb in southern Zabul province while a policeman died in another roadside bombing elsewhere in the same province.

TURKEY’s police rounded up more than 200 people, mostly Kurds, as the country yesterday mourned the dozens killed in a bombing attack near an Istanbul soccer stadium.

KENYA President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday criticized the International Criminal Court as “not impartial,” saying his government “will give serious thought” to its membership of the court.

GERMANY Chancellor Angela Merkel says that her country, Europe’s biggest economic power, won’t be changing its policy on China and Taiwan after President-elect Donald Trump raised questions about the future U.S. stance.

BRAZIL Tens of thousands of people have celebrated at Rio de Janeiro’s annual gay pride parade at Copacabana beach. Organizers said this year’s parade was focusing on passing legislation in Brazil that would allow adults to legally change their gender on identity documents.