World

China’s first manned spacecraft has entered orbit, making it the third country to send a human into space.
A Long March 2F rocket blasted off from the Gobi desert launch pad at 0900 (0100 GMT), and the Shenzhou V spacecraft was orbiting Earth 10 minutes later.
The craft, carrying a single astronaut, Yang Liwei, is expected to circle the planet 14 times, returning to Earth after a flight of about 22 hours.
President Hu Jintao was present for the launch, and said it was “the glory of our great motherland and a mark for the initial victory of the country’s first manned space flight”.
I feel good, see you tomorrow,” Yang Liwei told mission control from space.
The launch was to have been shown live on national television, but Chinese state TV decided it would only show it later.
However, programmes were interrupted to announce the successful launch.
The English-language channel CCTV-9 echoed the words of American Neil Armstrong when he became the first man to walk on the Moon.
“If these were small steps, then now we are taking a giant leap into space,” the announcer said.