NEWS OCTOBER 2003

On 7 October, Californians went to the polls in a recall election. Democratic governor Gray Davis, who had suffered a decline in popularity due to a perceived failure to manage an energy crisis in the state, was recalled with a 55% majority. With 135 candidates running to replace him, the winner was the Hollywood star and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who took 48.6% of the vote and defeated sitting lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante who took 31.5%.

China launched its first manned space mission on 15 October, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Former People’s Liberation Army fighter pilot Liwei Yang was the only astronaut aboard the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, which was launched into orbit atop a Long

March 2F rocket. During his 21-hour mission, he orbited Earth 14 times and communicated with both mission control and his wife. The astronaut has received domestic and international awards, including Russia’s Gagarin medal and the UNESCO Medal on Space Science.

In British politics, prime minister Tony Blair was rushed to hospital on 19 October due to heart problems, later identified as an irregular heartbeat. Ten days later, Iain Duncan Smith resigned after just two years as leader of the Conservative party, having lost a confidence vote triggered by his backbench

MPS. He would be replaced by Michael Howard, who was elected unopposed on 9 November.