World leaders congratulate Biden and Harris on election win

Although U.S. President Donald Trump wasn't conceding defeat, world leaders swiftly congratulated Joe Biden for his election victory Saturday and expressed hope that the new White House will prioritize the fight against climate change.

Relief was a common theme expressed in many parts of the world to the news that Trump's reelection bid failed.

“Welcome back America !” tweeted the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Congratulations poured in for Biden from world capitals, included in nations governed by leaders who got along with Trump, essentially ignoring his claims that the divisive election race wasn't over.

“The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!” tweeted French President Emmanuel Macron.

Other leaders who sent congratulations included Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’d been known for public displays of bonhomie with Trump. and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a Trump ally.

Hailing Biden's victory and the “historic achievement” of Kamala Harris' election as the first Black woman vice president, Johnson said he looked forward to “working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.”

Cascading around the globe on social media and live news broadcasts, word of the victory in Pennsylvania that pushed Barack Obama’s former vice president past the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to take over the Oval Office sparked cheers in a Rome coffee bar and celebrations elsewhere.

A city official in Berlin said, “After the birth of my son, the election of Joe Biden is by far the best news of...