Briefly

UNITED KINGDOM

Supreme Court rules Rwanda plan unlawful

The United Kingdom's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the government's plan to send some migrants to Rwanda is unlawful, striking a major blow to a key policy of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government that has drawn international attention and criticism. A five-judge panel said asylum-seekers would be "at real risk of ill treatment" because they could be sent back to their home countries once they were in Rwanda. Britain and Rwanda signed a deal in April last year to send some migrants who arrive in the UK across the English Channel to the East African country, but no one has yet been sent there as the plan was challenged in the courts.

JAPAN

Economy contracts in blow to Kishida

Japan's economy has gone into reverse, government data showed on Wednesday, in a further blow to struggling Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The world's No 3 economy shrank by 0.5 percent between June and September compared with the second quarter, preliminary data showed, worse than the consensus forecast of minus 0.1 percent. The drop, which followed two straight quarters of growth, was on the back of continued low consumer spending and weakness in the global economy hitting Japan's exports. Kishida's poll ratings have hit their lowest levels since he took office two years ago as consumers reel from rising prices.

DPRK

New solid-fuel engines for missiles tested

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has developed new-type high-thrust solid-fuel engines for intermediate-range ballistic missiles, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday. The country's missile industry successfully conducted the first ground jet tests of the first-stage and second-stage engine on Saturday and Tuesday respectively. The tests were aimed at evaluating the technical specifications of the newly developed engines for intermediate-range ballistic missiles, the report said.

Agencies - Xinhua