Some 3,000 volunteers took part in the show, which organisers have entitled Enlightenment
The Queen has declared the London 2012 Paralympics officially open, during a spectacular opening ceremony watched by some 80,000 spectators.
Paralympics chief Lord Coe told the crowd: "Prepare to be inspired, prepare to be dazzled, prepare to be moved."
Earlier, athletes paraded around the Olympic Stadium, with ParalympicsGB entering last to huge cheers.
'Games to remember' The opening ceremony signalled the start of 11 days of competition by 4,200 athletes from 164 countries, including more than 300 athletes from the home nation.
Wheelchair basketball, shooting, swimming and track cycling are among the events set to feature on the opening day.
Lord Coe told the crowd at the east London stadium: "It is my great honour to say welcome home to the Paralympic Games."
He said Britain "was ready" and the crowds in attendance would be "unprecedented", adding: "These will be a Games to remember."Eight members of the British under-22 wheelchair basketball team were given the honour of carrying the Paralympic flag into the stadium. It was raised by members of the armed forces, before the Queen declared the Games open.
British swimmer Liz Johnson, a medallist from Beijing 2008, wheelchair rugby judge Richard Allcroft and David Hunter, who is coaching the ParalympicsGB equestrian team, each stepped forward to take the official oaths on behalf of competitors and officials.
At the close of the ceremony, 24-year-old Royal Marine Commando Joe Townsend - an aspiring Olympic triathlete, who lost both legs while serving in Afghanistan - descended on a zip wire into the stadium from the top of the nearby Orbit tower.
He handed the flame to David Clarke, a member of the ParlympicsGB five-a-side football team, who passed the torch to Ms Maughan, who won gold in archery at the 1960 Rome Paralympics.
She lit a tiny flame on the ground, igniting more than 200 copper petals. Long stems then rose towards each other to form a cauldron, signifying unity.
'Big bang' The ParalympicsGB athletes earlier entered the stadium to David Bowie's Heroes, led by Peter Norfolk, the two-time Paralympic wheelchair tennis champion, who carried the union jack. He later described it as a "wow moment".
In one heart-stopping moment during the show, six Paralympians and former competitors - including Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson - were flown into the stadium in gold wheelchairs.
Disabled ex-serviceman David Rawlins flew a twin-engined Tecnam P2006 light aircraft over the stadium to kick off the proceedings.A sphere ignited the "big bang" - something which Prof Hawking, a world-renowned physicist who has motor neurone disease, has written about extensively - to start the show and fireworks lit up the stadium.
Professor Hawking and actor Sir Ian McKellen played prominent roles in the ceremony, which also featured a host of deaf and disabled artists, local children and performers newly-trained in circus skills.
Some 3,000 volunteers took part in the event, which organisers entitled Enlightenment and said was "profoundly about science and humanity".
Throughout the ceremony, Prof Hawking acted as a guide to Miranda - a character from William Shakespeare's play The Tempest, who was central to the show - while actor Sir Ian played Prospero, another character from the play.
Inspired by uncertain British weather, umbrellas were also a big theme in the ceremony, which was described as "both spectacular and deeply human" by organisers.
The Queen was welcomed by Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, before the union jack was carried in by representatives of the armed forces.
It is the first time the monarch has officiated at the openings of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Teams from all 164 countries paraded into the stadium to music mixed and played by three London-based DJs.
The Paralympic torch began its journey in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, the spiritual home of the Paralympic Games, on Tuesday night.
It was carried by 580 torchbearers in total, and after being carried past some of London's most famous landmarks, was used to light a scaled-down version of the Olympic cauldron.
The torch had earlier been delayed but Games organisers Locog confirmed the flame arrived at the stadium in time to light the cauldron.
UK Sport and the British Paralympic Association have set a minimum target of 103 medals this time from at least 12 sports, including swimming, athletics and rowing and hopes are high that ParalympicsGB will emulate the success of Team GB.
Prime Minister David Cameron says the Paralympics will "inspire a lot of people and change people's views on disability"
More than 2.4 million tickets for events have already been sold, including half a million to overseas visitors.
In a statement released before she opened the Games, the Queen said: "It is with tremendous pride that the people of London and the United Kingdom welcome the world to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
"The Games are returning to the country where they first began, more than 60 years ago.
"We look forward to celebrating the uplifting spirit which distinguishes the Paralympic Games from other events, drawing on Britain's unique sporting heritage."
"30 August 2012 Last updated at 00:20 GMT"
PATTAYA, Thailand: Japan's Ai Miyazato fired a blistering seven-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead in a gripping third round of the $1.5 million Honda LPGA Thailand tournament on Saturday.
Miyazato is 14-under for the event, but hot on her heels is defending champion and world number one Yani Tseng from Taiwan who also shot a fine 65.
A further shot behind is second round leader Australia's Karrie Webb, who had to settle for a 71 on Saturday, and Korean Shin Ji-Yai who fired a 68.
Another Korean, Amy Yang is in fifth place after a 68, with world number two Suzann Pettersen from Norway another shot back.
Much cooler weather than the previous two days at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course brought out the best in Miyazato, who sank eight birdies against one bogey.
"I enjoyed the cooler conditions," she said. "The previous night's rain also made the greens more receptive."
Miyazato, who won the tournament two years ago, was brilliant around the greens and chipped in three times.
"My short game is in good shape, especially my putting," she said. "And my chipping was pretty good too."
Miyazato, who was in the same group as Tseng, was roared on by a large gallery of Japanese fans who also gave generous applause to the Taiwanese star.
The pair will be together again in the final round which will guarantee a huge gallery.
"It's great to have lots of Japanese people cheering me in Thailand," Miyazato said.
Tseng was pleased with her round, hitting 65 for the second successive day.
"I'm feeling good," she said after a faultless round of seven birdies and no bogeys. "The greens are very tough, so I am pleased with my score although I missed some birdie chances."
Tseng said she was looking forward to a great battle with Miyazato and the other contenders in the final round.
"I really want to win this tournament," she said. "After all, I am the defending champion."
Webb was not at her best but said it could have been worse.
"I was really struggling with my swing and it got worse as the round progressed, so I will take one-under," she said.
"In the end I made some good pars out there. I'm not out of it."
Thrilling the local fans was 16-year-old Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn who shot a superb 65, including two eagles and four birdies against one bogey, to move up into seventh place on nine under.
"When I suffered a bogey at the sixth I thought I'd be happy with an even-par round," said the calm Thai teenager. "But then came the two eagles in four holes and that gave me a big boost of confidence."
- AFP/de
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NEWPORT, United Kingdom: China's Ding Junhui swept past England's Shaun Murphy 6-2 to reach the Welsh Open final on Saturday.
The 24-year-old, who laid the foundations for victory by taking a 4-1 lead in the best-of-eleven-frame clash, will tackle Mark Selby, who defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-2, in Sunday's final.
It will be Ding's first ranking final since he lost to Mark Williams in the 2010 China Open.
"The past couple of years have been difficult because I have been travelling to and from China so I haven't been able to practise properly," said Ding.
"If I stay here for two or three months then I miss home and I want to go to China for a week.
"In the last few weeks I have had my best practice for a long time and I feel my game is getting better. I'm really happy to be in the final and I played well today."
Murphy praised Ding for his contribution to the sport, both on and off the table.
"Ding is very hard to read but he's a lovely lad and a credit to the game," he said.
- AFP/de
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BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund earned a 1-0 win at struggling Hertha Berlin on Saturday to open a three-point lead at the top of the German league as Bayern Munich were held to a goalless draw at bottom-side Freiburg.
Bayern, who drop to third in the table, were out-played by Freiburg in the first 45 minutes and although they improved when Dutch winger Arjen Robben came on after the break, the Bavarian giants could not break down the home defence.
"We have lost two more points to Dortmund," said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. "Normally, you shouldn't allow such lapses as we did here.
"The team believes they have enough ability to be successful but with teams who are in the relegation fight like Freiburg, that doesn't always work.
"In the first half, we were too sluggish, we played like I wanted us to in the second-half, but we have to do that over the full 90 minutes."
With Bayern to face FC Basel in Switzerland on Wednesday in the Champions League Round of 16, first-round tie, watching Basel coach Heiko Vogel would have seen little to worry his team.
The draw leaves the bottom three teams - Kaiserslautern, Augsburg and Freibury - all on 18 points while Bayern lag four points behind Dortmund.
The leaders' only goal came when a bullet header from Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski was parried by Hertha goalkeeper Thomas Kraft with winger Kevin Grosskreutz on hand to hit an over-head shot on 66 minutes.
Berlin's Olympic Stadium was a 74,244 sell-out for the game which saw Dortmund play without injured Japan winger Shinji Kagawa and coach Jurgen Klopp starting Lucas Barrios as the lone striker.
"That was really hard work, the pitch was greasy and it was difficult to control the ball," said Klopp.
"I was thrilled by the will and attitude of the team. I think we deserved the win."
Hertha, who sacked coach Michael Skibbe last Sunday after five straight defeats, remain 15th in the league and Otto Rehhagel, who led Greece to the Euro 2004 title, will take over on Sunday.
Borussia Moenchengladbach took their chance to take second place from Bayern after a 2-1 win at Kaiserslautern.
The win came at a price as midfielder Patrick Herrmann scored Gladbach's first goal after only nine minutes, but was later carried off with a broken collarbone and is expected to be out for the next six weeks.
"It was no surprise to us how hard it was here," said Gladbach's Lucien Favre.
"Luckily, we managed to create two goals, we wanted to get a third, but then we conceded one.
"At the end of the day, we are happy with the win, because it won't be easy for the other teams to get three points from Kaiserslautern."
Werder Bremen, fifth in the league, earned the bragging rights in the north German derby with a 3-1 win at Hamburg.
Bayer Leverkusen, who were beaten 3-1 at home by holders Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek, bounced back to stay sixth with a 4-1 win over Augsburg, who are second from bottom.
Nuremberg pulled themselves up to 12th and out of the relegation mire with a 2-1 win at home to Cologne, who drop to 14th, just two places from the relegation zone.
On Sunday, Schalke 04 need a win at home to VfL Wolfsburg to stay amongst the title contenders while Hanover host Stuttgart.
- AFP/de
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MADRID: Real Madrid went 13 points clear of Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday as Karim Benzema grabbed a double in a 4-0 win over 10-man Racing Santander.
Jose Mourinho's men have given Barca little margin for error having now won 18 of the last 19 games since they drew 0-0 at Santander at the end of September.
On Saturday, they weren't so forgiving towards Racing as they stayed on track for their first league title since 2008.
"It was not a brilliant performance but we won without too much effort and it was a good result," said Mourinho.
A Cristiano Ronaldo header hit the post as Real came out all guns blazing and after six minutes they were a goal up with Kaka crossing for Ronaldo to head in from less than a yard out for his 28th league strike of the season.
Real were given a further boost by the harsh dismissal of Domingo Cisma after 38 minutes when he was adjudged to have handled the ball.
On the stroke of half-time Benzema doubled the lead when he clipped the ball in from an acute angle and after the break Real remained firmly in control.
Xabi Alonso had a shot from the edge of the area which went narrowly past the post before substitute Angel Di Maria, returning from injury, hit a shot into the back of the net although goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez perhaps should have done better.
Benzema completed the rout with a deflected strike a minute from the end.
Mourinho said he was happy to see Di Maria as well as Sami Khedira return to the side particularly with Champions League matches on the horizon.
"They have come back at the right time and especially Di Maria gives us options which we lacked when he was injured in terms of winning the ball back and attacking. It's good to have Khedira available now we are starting to play every three days."
Barcelona, who tackle third-placed Valencia on Sunday, return to La Liga action after a 3-1 victory at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and keeper Victor Valdes says that they need to continue the form they showed against the Germans.
The Catalan side have a difficult home clash against Valencia but it is their performances away from the Nou Camp, where they have won only four from eleven matches, that have given them a mountain to climb if they are to retain their title.
"Our Champions League progress is the path we need to follow in the league. It was an important match for us to win against Leverkusen because they were difficult opposition," said Valdes.
"We cannot relax, we need to keep believing in ourselves and the results will follow. We still believe that we can win the league but we have to go match by match.
"We are in the final of the King's Cup and we hope to retain the Champions League trophy. Other teams know us better now, so maybe that is one of the reasons why we haven't done so well away from home."
Espanyol moved into fourth place despite being held 1-1 by mid-table Getafe.
Espanyol were looking to bounce back from a surprise defeat against Zaragoza last week which brought to an end a seven-match unbeaten run, but they started slowly as Abdelaziz Barrada and Jaime Gavilan missed chances to put Getafe in front.
Espanyol had openings of their own with Philippe Coutinho in particular shooting just wide before the break.
Nicolas 'Miku' Fedor saw a header well-saved by Espanyol goalkeeper Francisco Casilla after 65 minutes before substitute Alvaro Vazquez clinically finished to give Espanyol the lead.
The advantage lasted less than a minute, however, as Miku was hauled down by Thievy Bifouma with Miku himself dispatching the penalty.
Casilla was the busier of the two keepers while Getafe were unable to take advantage when Espanyol defender Ernesto Galan was given a second yellow card with 10 minutes to go.
Jose Miguel Gonzalez 'Michel' had his first victory as Sevilla coach with his side beating Osasuna 2-0 with goals from Gary Medel and an injury time strike from Piotr Trochowski.
- AFP/de
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LOS ANGELES: Four-time major winner Phil Mickelson clung to a share of the lead after 54 holes of the Northern Trust Open on Saturday, alongside 2011 US PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Keegan Bradley.
Bradley, whose outstanding 2011 campaign included a major title with his playoff victory in the PGA Championship, had six birdies in a five-under 66 on the par-71 Riviera Country Club layout and was the first in the clubhouse on seven-under 206.
Mickelson, who began the day with a one-shot lead, got to one-under for the day with a birdie at the par-five 11th, but couldn't find another birdie the rest of the way in his erratic one-under 70.
Mickelson and Bradley were one shot in front of Americans Bryce Molder, Jonathan Byrd and Pat Perez.
Molder also posted a 66, while Byrd carded a 69 and Perez a 70.
The crowded leaderboard included another three players just two shots back on 208, including defending champion Aaron Baddeley of Australia - who shot a 66 - Dustin Johnson (67) and Bill Haas (68).
Australian Jarrod Lyle (71) and Ryan Moore (68) were a further shot back on 209.
Bradley had seized a share of the lead with his fourth birdie of the day at the 10th, a driveable par-four where he two-putted from the front edge of the green.
"Probably couldn't hit it in a more perfect spot," he said. "It's a tough hole, and I just was able to two-putt for birdie."
Although he gave a shot back with a bogey at the par-five 11th, Bradley responded with back-to-back birdies at the par-three 16th and par-five 17th. He made a nine-footer for par at the last to ensure he'd play in the final group on Sunday with Mickelson, a two-time winner at Riviera who is seeking a second title in as many weeks after winning at Pebble Beach last Sunday.
"That's kind of why I was excited to make that putt on the last hole," said Bradley, who added he "really looks up" to Mickelson. "Any time you play with Phil means you're playing pretty well. I enjoy the atmosphere and everything that comes with playing with Phil."
Bradley, nephew of LPGA great Pat Bradley, said he was familiar with the history of Riviera long before he played this tournament as a tour rookie last year.
He missed the cut by one stroke and "sulked" for a week. Since going on to win the Byron Nelson Championship and then the PGA Championship, however, that disappointment seems a long time ago.
"I have come a long way," Bradley said. "I can barely remember it honestly. It's pretty remarkable to see in one year I get to come back here as a major champion, a tournament winner, and have a chance to win."
- AFP/de
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MUNICH, Germany: Vitali Klitschko unanimously out-pointed Dereck Chisora for a 10th successive defence of his World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title in a stormy clash at the Olympiahalle on Saturday.
After being slapped by Briton Chisora at Friday's weigh-in, Ukrainian Klitschko got revenge over his provocative challenger but he spent a lot of the fight on the back foot before earning scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 119-111 from the judges.
"He was very motivated. It was not easy but I saw every punch, he was slow. I am upset because I wanted to finish the fight before the 12th round," said Klitschko.
The Briton said: "The only thing that beat me tonight was experience. I don't hold back. I keep coming and I want a rematch."
Despite the wide margin of the scores, Klitschko's 40-year-old legs were made to work for every moment of the 12 rounds in a plucky effort from Chisora.
Klitschko won the title in 2004 but 'retired' later that year through injury only to resume his untroubled reign four years later.
Like all the other younger challengers who have stepped up to face the 6ft 7in Ukrainian, 6ft 1in Chisora fell short but he did give Klitschko some worrying moments.
Germany-based Klitschko improved his record to 44 wins, and two losses with his 41st stoppage while Zimbabwe-born Chisora, who moved to London aged 16, suffered his third defeat in his 18th fight.
It means all the world title belts remain in Klitschko hands, with Vitali's younger brother Wladimir owning the other three.
Chisora, 28, had lost his previous fight -- controversially on points to Finland's Robert Helenius for the European title in December -- but his aggressive start showed the Briton had bad intentions for Klitschko and was not intimidated, unlike a lot of Vitali's previous challengers.
Chisora climbed through the ropes to a chorus of boos from 13,000 German fans who had turned up to see Dr Ironfist for one of the last times in his career.
The challenger had hardly endeared himself to the locals by slapping their hero at Friday's weigh-in and there were more antics from Chisora moments before the fight.
Chisora continued to upset by Klitschko by threatening to pull out of the fight an hour before it started.
Vitali's younger brother Wladimir - the IBF, WBA and WBO champion - asked for Chisora's hand wraps to be reapplied and the challenger initially objected.
The row was eventually resolved and the fight delayed but Chisora's outrageous antics were not over.
Chisora got in Vitali's face as soon as the champion climbed through the ropes and then spat water in Wladimir's face which may earn him another fine from boxing authorities.
Despite the wind-ups Klitschko, who won the belt in 2004 only to retire later that year through injury before making a comeback in 2008, still made a reserved started.
Chisora marched forward in the second round but got caught by a right on the temple before landing a short right hook of his own.
So many of Klitschko's fights have been one-sided but Chisora made the early rounds competitive.
Klitschko, who was six inches bigger, began having success with the right over the top but it did not discourage Chisora from walking on to the champion.
Klitschko refused to let his hands go, no matter how provoked he had been, and preferred to build up a comfortable points lead by the halfway mark.
Chisora kept pressing and in the sixth landed a good right on the counter attack before making a furious start to the seventh with another big right.
But Klitschko was in command again by the ninth and his jarring jab ensured he continued to rack up the points before avoiding any big shots in a furious finish from Chisora.
Klitschko, who spends more time on his political career in the Ukraine than boxing, declared that after fighting Chisora he would have one more fight before considering hanging up the gloves.
Another Briton, David Haye, would be Klitschko's choice but the former WBA champion, who lost his belt to Vitali's younger brother Wladimir in the summer, has not agreed to the terms being offered for a summer showdown.
- AFP/de
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LONDON: Arsenal's season of woe took another miserable turn on Saturday as the Premier League giants crashed out of the FA Cup in a 2-0 defeat at Sunderland.
Arsenal - all but eliminated from the Champions League in midweek following a 4-0 rout by AC Milan - saw their last realistic chance of ending a seven-year trophy drought snuffed out at the Stadium of Light.
Kieran Richardson took advantage of a poor clearance to lash in Sunderland's opener in the 40th minute before more shoddy Arsenal play culminated in a 77th-minute own goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The defeat means Arsene Wenger's side are left with only qualification for next season's Champions League to play for this term, and provides further ammunition for Arsene Wenger's growing legion of critics.
Wenger had uncharacteristically criticised his players in public following the Milan defeat and demanded a response against Sunderland.
However Wenger's men were always struggling to impose themselves as Martin O'Neill's advanced to the quarter-finals with an energetic display.
"I felt we were a bit unlucky. It was a 100 per cent performance from us and their first shot was a goal. Then we had to chase the game, take a gamble and they caught us on the break for the second goal," said Wenger.
"We had a lot of possession, but didn't create a lot of because of some fantastic defending by Sunderland."
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas' problems mounted after his side laboured to a 1-1 draw with lower league Birmingham.
Daniel Sturridge headed home a second-half equaliser to save Chelsea's blushes at a restive Stamford Bridge after David Murphy had fired Birmingham into a shock lead on 20 minutes.
Villas-Boas' position has come under scrutiny following reports of a training ground mutiny by his senior players after last weekend's Premier League defeat against Everton at Goodison Park.
His team have now won just one game in their last six games across all competitions and Villas-Boas was forced to watch as his side were booed off the field following another unconvincing display.
"It is a poor result of course. We had a better performance in the second half compared to the first half," Villas-Boas said afterwards.
"1-1 is not what we expected, but it gives us another chance at Birmingham as we try to win a trophy," added Villas-Boas, who insisted he enjoyed "unconditional" support from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Elsewhere in the last 16, Championship side Leicester claimed a Premier League scalp as David Nugent's second half winner clinched a 2-1 victory at Norwich.
Nigel Pearson's team made the perfect start through Irish defender Sean St Ledger, who headed in Ben Marshall's corner in the fifth minute.
Norwich equalised in the 23rd minute when Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel gave away a penalty with a foul on Elliott Bennett.
Schmeichel saved Wes Hoolahan's spot-kick, but couldn't prevent the midfielder scoring from the rebound.
However, Nugent gave Leicester victory when the former England striker latched onto Jermaine Beckford's flick and fired home in the 71st minute.
Japanese teenager Ryo Miyaichi inspired Bolton as the struggling Premier League side brushed aside Championship outfit Millwall 2-0 at The Den.
Owen Coyle's team, beaten semi-finalists last season, are second bottom of England's top flight, but they quickly took control in south London as on loan Arsenal midfielder Miyaichi marked his first Wanderers start by sweeping a high finish past Steve Mildenhall in the fourth minute.
Former Liverpool striker David Ngog ended Millwall's hopes of a replay when he claimed his third goal of the season with a powerful strike from just outside the penalty area in the 59th minute.
Everton took the express route into the last eight with a 2-0 win over Championship club Blackpool at Goodison Park.
It took only 49 seconds for David Moyes' side to take the lead through Dutch forward Royston Drenthe's emphatic finish and Argentine striker Denis Stracqualursi increased their advantage just five minutes later with a close-range finish.
Blackpool wasted a chance to reduce the deficit in the final minutes when veteran striker Kevin Phillips blasted a penalty over the bar.
English FA Cup fifth round results:
Chelsea 1 Birmingham 1
Everton 2 Blackpool 0
Millwall 0 Bolton 2
Norwich 1 Leicester 2
Sunderland 2 Arsenal 0
- AFP/de
Champions League last 16, 1st-leg results: Leverkusen 1-3 Barcelona; Lyon 1-0 APOEL/ Europa League last 32, 1st leg results: Braga 0-2 Besiktas; Rubin Kazan 0-1 Olympiakos
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