World briefs

U.S.-RUSSIA Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned U.S. President Donald Trump to thank him for a CIA tip that helped thwart a series of bombings in St. Petersburg, the Kremlin and the White House said. More on p15

PHILIPPINES A slow-moving storm has left more than 30 people dead and several others missing mostly due to landslides and floods and stranded thousands of holiday travelers in the central Philippines. More on p13

MYANMAR’s presidential spokesman said yesterday that the president authorized the arrest last week of two Reuters reporters for allegedly violating the state secrets act.

TURKEY’s president has slammed a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militant group and said he’ll clear his country’s border with Syria of “terrorists.”

SOUTH AFRICA Counting of votes for the next president of the ruling African National Congress party has begun. More than 4,700 ANC delegates have gathered on the outskirts of Johannesburg to vote for a new party leader, who is likely to become South Africa’s next president.

CENTRAL EUROPE A planned gas pipeline to link Russia with Germany that bypasses Ukraine and Poland threatens central Europe’s security, Poland’s new prime minister said yesterday.

AUSTRIA Sebastian Kurz (pictured, left) was sworn in yesterday as Austria’s new chancellor, making him Europe’s youngest leader at age 31, after his Austrian People’s Party formed a coalition with the nationalist Freedom Party that is expected to move the country’s politics to the right.

FRANCE The first group of African refugees benefiting from a new initiative bringing those deemed to be especially vulnerable directly to Europe arrived in France yesterday.

HONDURAS President Juan Orlando Hernandez (pictured) has been declared the winner of Honduras’ disputed election, but that did little to quell unrest from weeks of uncertainty as challenger Salvador Nasralla called for more protests yesterday.

CANADA Toronto homicide detectives have taken over the investigation of the deaths of billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife after autopsies showed they died from “ligature neck compression.”