North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket, defying international warnings

The rocket, launched at 09:49 local time (00:49 GMT)on Wednesday Dec 12,2012, appears to have followed its planned trajectory, with stages falling in expected areas.

North Korea's Unha-3 rocket lifts off from the Sohae launch pad in Tongchang-ri, North Korea

The three-stage rocket was launched from a site on North Korea's west coast.The rocket had been scheduled to pass between the Korean peninsula and China, with a second stage coming down off the Philippines.

North Korea says a satellite has been placed in orbit; the US confirmed an object had been put into space.
South Korea, the US and Japan have condemned the launch as a disguised test of long-range missile technology.

A UN resolution passed in June 2009 after North Korea's second nuclear test banned Pyongyang from ballistic missile tests.