WASHINGTON — US Vice-President Kamala Harris vowed to keep fighting for the ideals that powered her presidential campaign on Wednesday in a concession speech that acknowledged President-elect Donald Trump’s win while warning of potential dark times to come.

“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she told supporters, many of them in tears, at her alma mater Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington.

Ms. Harris, her voice at times wavering, pledged to continue fighting for women’s rights and against gun violence and to “fight for the dignity that all people deserve.”

She said she had called Mr. Trump, congratulated him on his triumph in Tuesday’s presidential election and promised to engage in a peaceful transfer of power.

“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say — hear me when I say: The light of America’s promise will always burn bright,” she said.

The somber mood was in striking contrast to the homecoming celebration a few weeks ago on the Howard campus when thousands of students and alumni gathered ahead of what they hoped would be the election of the country’s first graduate of historically Black Colleges and Universities as president.

Ms. Harris addressed a crowd on Wednesday that included former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, aides in President Joseph R. Biden’s White House and thousands of fans. Ms. Harris’ campaign anthem, Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” played as she entered the stage.

Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, joined the crowd.

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it,” Ms. Harris said, in a nod at Trump’s efforts, before he won, to sow doubt about the legitimacy of the election.

Mr. Trump claims falsely that he won the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden.

Ms. Harris encouraged her supporters, especially young people, not to give up even in their disappointment and said: “Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.”

Ms. Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket in July after Mr. Biden stepped aside. She brought newfound enthusiasm and cash to the effort, but she struggled to overcome voters’ concerns about the economy and immigration.

“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing: America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars… the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service,” she said.

Thousands had gathered at the school on Tuesday night for what they hoped would be a historic victory for the first woman to become president. They came back on Wednesday to show their support and rue her loss.

Jamela Joseph, 31, a doctoral student at Howard, said: “America had its opportunity to move forward in a progressive and intentional manner, and as a nation it has, you know, shown that it’s going to repeat itself and its history and its legacy of upholding white supremacy racism, in terms of treating women as second-class citizens.”

Donna Bruce, 72, said she had come to show love and respect for what Ms. Harris had done. She noted she had just seen a little girl with a T-shirt that said: “A Black girl will save the world.”

“I still believe that,” Ms. Bruce said. “It may not be this Black girl, but I believe a Black girl will.” — Reuters

PARIS — France’s highest civil court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by the heirs of a former sultan who sought nearly $15 billion from Malaysia’s government, drawing a line under a lengthy legal battle stemming from an 1878 land deal.

Malaysia’s law minister described the ruling as a “historic victory,” while Paul Cohen, a lawyer for the heirs, said they were disappointed by the decision as it made “no sense.”

Malaysia had been left stunned when the Filipino heirs of the last Sultan of Sulu won a $14.9-billion award in a French arbitration court in 2022, prompting them to go after Malaysian assets.

But a Paris court later upheld the Malaysian government’s challenge against enforcing a partial award. The Cour de Cassation on Wednesday confirmed the decision, ruling that the award was inapplicable and void.

The 1878 deal signed between European colonists and the Sultan of Sulu for use of his territory, which spanned islands in the southern Philippines and parts of present-day Malaysia on Borneo island.

Independent Malaysia had paid a token sum annually to the sultan’s heirs to honor the agreement but stopped in 2013, after supporters of the former sultanate launched a bloody incursion to try to reclaim land from Malaysia.

The heirs have maintained they had no involvement in the incursion and sought arbitration over the suspension of the payments.

In a Facebook post late on Wednesday, Malaysia’s law minister Azalina Othman Said said the ruling would “definitively settle the matter in favor of the Malaysian people.”

The heirs have instituted a claim against the Spanish government for alleged interference, their lawyer Mr. Cohen said in a statement to Reuters.

The Spanish arbitrator who had awarded the $14.9 billion to the heirs was convicted of contempt of court earlier this year. — Reuters

CANADA on Wednesday ordered Chinese-owned TikTok’s business in the country to be dissolved, citing national-security risks, but added the government was not blocking Canadians’ access to the short-video app or their ability to create content.

“The government is taking action to address the specific national security risks related to ByteDance Ltd.’s operations in Canada through the establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc,” Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement.

Ottawa last year began reviewing TikTok’s plan to invest and expand its business in Canada. ByteDance is TikTok’s Chinese parent company.

Under Canadian law, the government can assess potential risks to national security from foreign investments, such as the TikTok proposal. The law prevents the government from revealing the details of such investments.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” Champagne added.

TikTok said it will challenge the order in court.

“Shutting down TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone’s best interest, and today’s shutdown order will do just that,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

Canada has banned the TikTok app from government-issued devices, saying it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

TikTok and ByteDance sued in US federal court in May, seeking to block a law signed by President Joseph R. Biden.

The law, signed by Mr. Biden on April 24, gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell TikTok or face a ban. The White House has said it wants to see Chinese-based ownership ended on national-security grounds but not a ban on TikTok. — Reuters