China keeps a close eye on US midterm shake-up

The US midterm elections have resulted in the Democratic Party taking control of both chambers of the US Congress, leaving Donald Trump as a lame duck president for the remainder of his term. Professor Steve Tsang of the SOAS China Institute tells FRANCE 24 that, while a weakened Trump could strengthen Beijing's negotiating position, the Chinese leadership is aware that Congress has relatively little sway over foreign policy and is keen to maintain warm personal ties between the two presidents.

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Joshua Wong, one of the best-known faces of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, has been sentenced to a further 10 years in prison under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law for "colluding with foreign forces". He is the only person to have been prosecuted twice under the controversial law, and the ruling has drawn criticism from human rights groups and Western governments.

Meanwhile, the Indian film "Ramayana" has hit cinemas worldwide. Based on a beloved ancient Hindu epic, it has been described as Bollywood's answer to "Star Wars". With a mega-budget of more than €400 million, the film is the biggest production in Indian cinema history and has been dubbed into nearly 40 languages.

Finally, Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture has appointed two cats as its tourism ambassadors. Siblings Yamato and Chidori have been serving as stationmasters at Shiwaguchi Station, one of many unmanned stations on a railway line facing possible partial closure due to declining passenger numbers.