World News Roundup: Abiy resists diplomatic pressure to halt offensive; COVID restrictions to be widened in Paris and more

Democratic challenger Joe Biden predicted victory on Wednesday after winning two key U.S. states, while President Donald Trump alleged fraud, filed lawsuits and demanded recounts in a race yet to be decided a day after polls closed.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Paris mayor Hidalgo: COVID restrictions to be widened in Paris

Paris will be placed under more restrictions to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, including a requirement for more shops to close in the evening, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told BFM TV on Thursday.

Video evidence confirms lone Vienna gunman theory: minister

Video evidence confirms the theory that a gunman who killed four people in Vienna on Monday acted alone, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told reporters on Wednesday. Slovak intelligence had informed Austria about the gunman's attempt to buy ammunition but the information about the Islamic State sympathiser got lost in a communications breakdown, he added, announcing an independent panel would look into what went wrong.

Pope censures key department over London real estate deal

Pope Francis, in an unprecedented move to contain the damage from a London real estate deal, has stripped the Vatican's Secretariat of State's control over its own funds and put them under the supervision of Holy See economic offices. The pope's decision, announced in a statement and a papal letter on Thursday, comes after Francis in September fired the cardinal involved the Secretariat's purchase of a luxury building in London as an investment.

France says its faith in U.S. institutions validating vote results

France's foreign minister said on Thursday he had faith good sense would prevail in the U.S. election and that its strong democratic values would ensure the correct results. "I have faith in U.S. institutions validating the results of the election," Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio.

South Korea's top diplomat to visit U.S. amid election uncertainty

South Korea's top diplomat plans to visit Washington next week, officials said on Thursday, as Seoul pledged a solid alliance with the United States regardless of the presidential election results. Democratic challenger Joe Biden predicted victory on Wednesday after winning two key U.S. states, while President Donald Trump alleged fraud, filed lawsuits and demanded recounts in a race yet to be decided a day after polls closed.

Africans amused but alarmed by U.S. election's aftermath

For plenty of Africans, President Donald Trump's actions in the aftermath of the U.S. election have been a cause for dark humor, but others have reacted with dismay or disbelief. In countries whose own recent elections were marred by accusations of cheating and violence, some expressed alarm about the signal that Trump's premature declaration of victory, allegations of fraud and flurry of lawsuits might send to their own leaders.

Kosovo President Thaci resigns after war crimes indictment confirmed

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci resigned with immediate effect on Thursday after learning that a war crimes tribunal in the Hague had confirmed his indictment for war crimes. Thaci told a news conference in the Kosovo capital Pristina that he felt his resignation was necessary "to protect the integrity of the state" because the judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chamber would not allow him to appear as president.

Kremlin says lack of clarity at U.S. election could have bad impact on global economy

The Kremlin said on Thursday that the lack of clarity after the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election so far could have a negative impact on the global economy and world at large, but declined to comment further. Democrat Joe Biden moved closer to victory in the U.S. presidential race on Thursday as election officials tallied votes in the handful of states that will determine the outcome and protesters took to the streets.

Ethiopia's Abiy resists diplomatic pressure to halt offensive

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed showed no sign on Thursday of halting a military campaign in the Tigray region, despite international pressure to avert civil war with a powerful ethnic faction. A humanitarian source said shelling and shooting had been heard in the region since the early hours of Thursday, and nearly two dozen soldiers had been treated at a clinic near the border with the Amhara region. The source did not say which side of the conflict the injured troops were drawn from.

New bill set to expand Russian ex-presidents' immunity from prosecution

Russian ex-presidents' immunity from criminal prosecution could be extended to any offences committed in their lifetimes, not merely while in office, under a bill submitted to parliament on Thursday. The bill, published on a government website, is one of several being introduced following constitutional reforms that, among other things, allow President Vladimir Putin to run again when his term ends in 2024.