Our editors will be looking ahead today to these developing stories ...
Launch of Shenzhou-8 docking module imminent
China is expected to launch as early as tomorrow its first spacecraft capable of docking with a space module it put into orbit last month, in what will be a crucial test of its growing space programme. The unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft will blast off atop a Long March-2F rocket at the remote Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert and will later attempt to dock with the Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, space laboratory module. Officials with the space programme have said the docking tests will provide experience necessary for the building of a permanent manned space station around 2020.
Case of jailed mentally disabled man returns to court
A court in Henan province will tomorrow rehear the case of a mentally disabled man imprisoned for nearly three years after being charged with robbery. Lu Tianxi, 34, was jailed three years ago for stealing 55 yuan (HK$67) from a 91-year-old man in the city of Luoyang. Lu's family was not told of his imprisonment until July this year because Lu had given interrogators a wrong name and family address. Lu was released in August. The case gained attention after media reported Lu's condition dated back to childhood.
Nato declares end of mission in Libya
Nato is expected to end its mission in Libya, declaring its mandate to protect civilians fulfilled. Alliance warplanes will wind up the mission after flying more than 26,000 sorties and bombing almost 6,000 targets in a seven-month operation that helped a ragtag rebel force oust Muammar Gaddafi. The conflict ended in controversial fashion when Gaddafi was shot dead on October 20, a killing criticised even by Western allies of the interim National Transitional Council regime. Facing global criticism over Gaddafi's death, the NTC has vowed to bring his killers to justice.