China weighs US midterms as Democrats take Congress and Trump enters lame-duck term
US midterm elections have given the Democratic Party control of both chambers of Congress, leaving Donald Trump a lame-duck president for the rest of his term. Professor Steve Tsang of the SOAS China Institute told FRANCE 24 that a weaker Trump could improve Beijing’s negotiating position, but that Chinese leaders know Congress has relatively little sway over foreign policy and still want warm personal ties between the two presidents.
In a separate item, Joshua Wong, a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, was sentenced to a further 10 years under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law for “colluding with foreign forces.” He is the only person prosecuted twice under that law; human-rights groups and Western governments criticised the ruling.
The Indian film “Ramayana,” based on the Hindu epic and billed as Bollywood’s answer to “Star Wars,” has opened worldwide. With a budget of more than €400 million it is described as the biggest production in Indian cinema history and has been dubbed into nearly 40 languages.
Hiroshima Prefecture has appointed two cats, siblings Yamato and Chidori, as tourism ambassadors. They already serve as stationmasters at Shiwaguchi Station, an unmanned stop on a line that may face partial closure because of falling passenger numbers.
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