World News Roundup: China congratulates Biden and Harris on election; Drones light up Seoul sky with messages of hope amid COVID-19 and more

We extend congratulations to Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular daily briefing, referring to Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris. Drones light up Seoul sky with messages of hope amid COVID-19 More than 300 drones lit up the sky over Seoul on Friday in a show the government said was meant to give "comfort and hope" to residents enduring the coronavirus pandemic.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Next move unclear amid China curbs, says Hong Kong democrat, but 'we will be back'

The mass resignation of Hong Kong's opposition lawmakers leaves the pro-democracy movement with no clear option in its fight against Communist Party rulers in Beijing, one of the outgoing legislators said on Friday, but she promised not to give up. "It’s okay to lose. It’s not okay to quit," Claudia Mo told Reuters in her office where she was packing up old campaign posters in cardboard boxes.

"We will be back." Bolsonaro's support falls in Brazil's two main cities: poll

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's support has fallen in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on the eve of municipal elections, according to a Datafolha survey conducted on Nov. 9 and 10 and published in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper on Friday. In São Paulo, Bolsonaro saw his rejection rate rise from 48% to 50% and his government's approval rate drop from 25% to 23%. The President is better rated among the older population, with a 30% approval, and rejected by 66% of the younger population.

China congratulates Biden and Harris on election

China on Friday congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who won the Nov. 3 election that President Donald Trump has not conceded, nearly a week after the former vice president clinched enough states for the win. "We respect the choice of the American people. We extend congratulations to Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular daily briefing, referring to Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.

Drones light up Seoul sky with messages of hope amid COVID-19

More than 300 drones lit up the sky over Seoul on Friday in a show the government said was meant to give "comfort and hope" to residents enduring the coronavirus pandemic. The devices lined up in synchronised light displays, forming multi-coloured images of people wearing masks, and spelling out slogans promoting the government's "Korean New Deal" programme to rebuild the economy.

War crimes feared in Ethiopia's Tigray conflict

Fighting between Ethiopian government forces and rebellious northern leaders could spiral out of control and war crimes may have been committed, the United Nations said on Friday, as repercussions spread around the volatile Horn of Africa. The 10-day conflict in Tigray region has killed hundreds, sent refugees flooding into Sudan, and raised fears it may suck in Eritrea or force Ethiopia to divert troops from an African force opposing al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia.

Special report - The woman who fell from the sky: the pandemic crashes into Russia's space city

The Star City Closed Administrative Territorial Unit is barely an hour's drive northeast of the Kremlin, but for decades the town never appeared on any maps. Only after the Soviet Union fell apart was its location revealed. Even now, it is shrouded by forests, and behind its tall concrete walls lies the somber infrastructure of Russia's legendary space program, and the Soviet-era apartment blocks that its cosmonauts and scientists call home.

UK PM Johnson's Brexit 'brain' Cummings to resign by year end

Dominic Cummings, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's most powerful adviser, will step down by year-end, reducing the sway of Brexit hardliners as Johnson tries to recast his premiership after a series of failures in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. Johnson is grappling with a battle between factions over the future course of the government just as he struggles to contain Europe's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak, establish a rapport with new U.S. president-elect Joe Biden and master the delicate diplomacy of a last-minute Brexit trade agreement.

Explainer: Asia-Pacific closes in on world's biggest trade deal

Fifteen Asia-Pacific economies are set to conclude talks on Sunday and sign what could become the world's largest free trade agreement, covering nearly a third of the global population and about 30% of its global gross domestic product. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which could be approved at the end of a four-day ASEAN summit in Hanoi, will progressively lower tariffs and aims to counter protectionism, boost investment and allow freer movement of goods within the region.

Germany says Russian sanctions related to Navalny unjustified

Russian sanctions against Germany in the case of the poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny are not justified, a German government spokesman said in Berlin on Friday. "A Russian citizen was attacked with a military nerve agent on Russian soil," Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

China warns of action after Pompeo says Taiwan not part of China

China will strike back against any moves that undermine its core interests, its foreign ministry said on Friday, after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Taiwan "has not been a part of China". China calls Taiwan the most sensitive and important issue in its ties with the United States, and has been angered by the Trump administration's stepped up support for the Chinese-claimed yet democratically ruled island, such as arms sales.

(With inputs from agencies.)