Virgin Galactic Descend System Deployed Early

The investigation into the fatal Virgin Galactic spaceship crash has found one of the pilots deployed the "feathering" function too early.

Camera footage from inside SpaceShipTwo revealed that the key safety feature which helps the craft descend was unlocked by the co-pilot.

But the head of America's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Christopher Hart, stressed he was not saying this had been the cause of the disaster and that the investigation was still in its earliest stages.

Michael Alsbury, 39, was killed in Friday's crash

Mr Hart said the "feathering" function - which involves the rotation of the tail boom - should have been deployed when the vehicle was travelling about 1.4 times the speed of sound. 

But the feather began rotating when the vehicle was travelling at Mach 1.0.

Video: Watch The Feathering Process

"Normal launch procedures are that after the release, the ignition of the rocket, and acceleration, the feathering devices are not to be moved," he said.

"The lock/unlock lever is not to be moved into the unlock position until the acceleration is up to Mach 1.4. Instead, as I indicated, that occurred at approximately Mach 1.0."

Mr Hart also said the craft's fuel tanks and engine had been recovered intact, indicating there was no explosion.

He told reporters the fuel tanks and engine showed no signs of "burn through" or of being breached.

Video: Press Should Hang Their Heads

"The engine burn was normal up until the extension of the feathers," Mr Hart told reporters.

Nearly all the important parts of the vessel had been recovered and had been taken to a hangar for examination.

SpaceShipTwo crashed into California's Mojave Desert during its 35th test flight shortly after being released at high altitude from its mothership WhiteKnightTwo.

Virgin boss Richard Branson said the NTSB were doing "an incredibly thorough investigation" and that "irresponsible innuendo" in some sections of the media over the cause of the crash had been "hurtful".

Video: NTSB News Conference

Speaking exclusively to Sky News from his Virgin Islands retreat Necker, he said: "It was incredibly hurtful to the 400 engineers who had worked so gallantly at Virgin Galactic and all the engineers who worked on the manufacture of the spaceship.

"If the press had looked at the photographs they would have seen full fuel tanks and engine intact on the ground.

"Yet they were talking about a massive explosion and of people ejecting out of the plane; we do not have (ejector) seats. The British press at its worst, to be honest."

Virgin Galactic had been aiming to become the first commercial "spaceline" by beginning tourist flights to the edge of space next year.

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1. Gallery: Virgin Galactic Crash Wreckage

   Investigators examine the wreckage of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft which crashed in the Mojave Desert. They claim it could take a year to determine the cause of the accident

2. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team is expected to spend the next week at the crash site in California

3. The ship broke up in mid-air during a test flight on Friday. One of the pilots was killed and the other injured

4. The team has already completed its first full day of the investigation

5. Officials say they are expected to trawl through "extensive data" - which is why the full investigation could take about 12 months or so

7. The craft's debris was spread over an area measuring five miles from end to end

10. Police secured the crash site in the Mojave Desert amid fears that some of the debris could be explosive

12. The spacecraft was on its first test flight for nine months when it crashed near the town of Bakersfield

Mr Branson emphasised that the crash occurred during a test flight and that Virgin would not take tourists into space unless it was safe.

"I once said if we had an accident... once we had started carrying passengers in the early days, it would be very difficult to recover from that," he said.

"I think that hopefully this is slightly different, in that we had test pilots testing the spacecraft, in extreme situations, to make sure it was safe for passengers."

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Virgin Galactic Crash: What We Know So Far

Sky News looks at the details that have emerged since the Virgin Galactic spaceship crashed in California's Mojave Desert on Friday, killing one of the two pilots on board.

:: Feathering Function

Experts say the critical "feathering" function, which involves the tail boom rotating and the wings being placed in an upward position to slow the spacecraft for re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, was performed too early.

According to investigators from America's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the feathering system was deployed when SpaceShipTwo was flying at a speed of around Mach 1.0 (the speed of sound), instead of the faster speed of Mach 1.4.

But the NTSB said is too soon to speculate on whether this caused the crash and that the investigation is still in its earliest stages.

:: Warnings

A rocket-propulsion expert with the Netherlands-based International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety has claimed multiple warnings about the spacecraft's motor were issued to Virgin since 2007 when three engineers died during a ground-based rocket test.

Carolynne Campbell's warnings related to nitrous oxide, reportedly used as a fuel component in the craft along with a new substance derived from nylon plastic grains.

Ms Campbell said she outlined her concerns to Virgin Galactic in a subsequent telephone conversation, but her warning again went unheeded.

"Based on the work we've done, including me writing a paper on the handling of nitrous oxide, we were concerned about what was going on at Virgin Galactic," Ms Campbell said.

"I sent copies of the paper to various people at Virgin Galactic in 2009, and they were ignored."

:: No Explosion

Witnesses to Friday's crash say there were no obvious signs of an explosion before SpaceShipTwo broke apart and hurtled to earth.

Despite crashing from an altitude of 45,000ft (13,700m) the spacecraft's fuel tanks and engine were recovered intact.

This almost certainly suggests the disaster was not caused by the fuel tanks exploding and that the engines were operating normally up until the moment the feathering function was executed.

"The engine burn was normal up until the extension of the feathers," the head of NTSB, Christopher Hart, said.

:: Safety

After the crash, Virgin boss Richard Branson said that safety was Virgin's paramount concern.

"Safety has always been our number one priority," he said, adding the company would not "push on blindly" with its space programme until the causes of the accident had been determined.

"I find it slightly irresponsible that people who know nothing about what they're saying can be saying things before the NTSB makes their comments," he told reporters.

Virgin Galactic's chief executive George Whitesides also cautioned against early speculation of the causes of the crash.

"In the space community you will be able to find people who have favourite technologies of different types," he said.

"One group will say their type of technology is better than another," he told the Financial Times.

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Three Bodies Found Near Swiss Tourist Spot

Three people have reportedly been shot dead in a car park near a popular Swiss tourist destination.

The bodies were found near a train station in the Swiss Alps town of Wilderswill on Monday morning.

Police said they had been alerted to the presence of the bodies in the town near the  tourist destination of Interlaken at 7am, but gave no further details.

Local media said the trio - all thought to be Portuguese - were killed in a shooting and police were carrying out a forensic search of a hotel balcony that overlooks the car park.

Police have been searching a hotel balcony overlooking the crime scene

Police said one body had been found inside a car and the two others near the vehicle.

Early accounts suggested that a man had killed his wife and child, but the respected Tages Anzeiger newspaper has reported that the gunman killed his ex-wife and her new husband before shooting himself.

An acquaintance of the woman reportedly said her ex-husband had rung her doorbell and killed her with a shot to the head when she answered the door. 

When the woman's husband of two months arrived at the scene, he was also shot dead.

The killer also reportedly tried to get into the house, where his three children aged seven to 18 live, but his daughter managed to shut the door on him.

The man is thought to have been harassing his ex-wife for some time before the shooting.

Police, who have not confirmed the reports, blocked off a large area around the crime scene, and train carriages were reportedly moved to block visibility of the scene from a nearby school.

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Jailbreak: Blast Frees 130 Nigerian Inmates

More than 130 prisoners are on the run after dynamite was used to free them from a jail in Kogi state, central Nigeria.

Jacob Edi, a spokesman for the area governor's office said: "There were 145 prisoners at the time of the attack. One died, eight have been recaptured and four surrendered voluntarily. The rest are at large."

More follows...

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British Banker Held Over Suitcase Murder

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent, in Hong Kong

Police in Hong Kong are continuing to question a British banker over the murder of two young women, one of whom was discovered inside a suitcase.

Rurik Jutting, 29, who attended University of Cambridge and Winchester College, was arrested after the bodies were discovered in an apartment in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district.

It is understood that police arrived at the apartment in the early hours of Saturday morning after receiving a call from the suspect, who until recently worked for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Rurik Jutting recently left his banking job. Pic: Facebook

Officers arrived to find the body of a woman, aged between 25 and 30, lying naked in the living room with knife wounds to her neck and backside. They also encountered a small amount of cocaine in the flat.

Assistant Commander Wan Siu-hung told reporters: "We believe the death was caused by a sharp object which cut the throat of the deceased.

"This led to copious bleeding. When the police found her, she was lying in the living room. The room was messy."

Eight hours later, at about noon on Saturday, police widened the forensic examination of the apartment and made the second discovery.

Police have been searching the flat where the women's bodies were found

The body of a second woman was found wrapped in a blanket inside a brown suitcase on a balcony at the apartment.

She too had wounds to the neck, and it is believed the victim had been dead "for quite some time". Police sources have told local media that the second victim is a 25-year-old who they believe worked in the sex industry. 

A police spokesman added: "From what we can see it was intentionally hidden because it was put in a travel suitcase."

Neighbours told Sky News the smell from the apartment on the 31st floor was "horrendous" and had even permeated to the 26th floor.

Police have confirmed no further details regarding his identity or nationality though it is understood one of the women was from Indonesia, while the other was from the Philippines.

One of the bodies was found hiden in a suitcase on the balcony

Mr Jutting studied history and law at Cambridge University.

He had worked for Merrill Lynch from 2010 until only a couple of days ago, spending three years at their offices in London before moving to Hong Kong in July last year. Prior to that he worked at Barclays in London.

The neighbourhood of Wan Chai is effectively Hong Kong's red light district. A large number of women from southeast Asia spend time in the district's many bars and clubs.

Hong Kong police can hold their suspect for up to 48 hours without charging or releasing him.

Assistant Commander Wan Siu-hung said both victims had injuries to the neck

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a British national had been arrested in Hong Kong, although did not specify the nature of the crime.

"We are in touch with the local police and stand ready to provide consular assistance," she said.

The case is unusual in Hong Kong, which has one of the world's lowest homicide rates.

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Elections Taking Place In Rebel-Held Ukraine

Controversial elections backed by Russia are being held in the areas of Ukraine that are currently in dispute.

Separatists have been in control of part of eastern Ukraine since earlier this year.

The polls in the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic are not recognised by the Ukrainian leadership or the West.

But some in those areas have welcomed the chance to take part in what they see as a democratic process.

Tatyana Ivanovna, 65, was one of those waiting to cast her ballot in Donetsk's school number 104, when she told AFP: "I hope that our votes will change something.

"Perhaps we will finally be recognised as a real, independent country."

Valery Vitaliyevich, 50, added: "We need to be able to live normally. It's terrible being afraid for your family at every bombardment.

"I will vote hoping that this will help the authorities to defend our interests against Kiev."

Donetsk has been under regular bombardment as Ukrainian forces have attempted to take back control of the areas from separatists.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko blasted the election as a violation of a deal signed on 5 September.

He called them "pseudo-elections that terrorists and bandits want to organise on occupied territory".

The polls come after days of heavy fighting across the region.

Russia, which supports the rebels but denies sending troops to fight on their side, says it will recognise the results of the elections.

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Aussie Surfs Whale Carcass As Sharks Circle

An Australian daredevil has been pictured climbing on top of a dead whale as killer sharks circled to feast on the carcass.

Harrison Williams, from Perth, jumped off a boat and mounted the mammal, which already had bite-sized chunks of its flesh missing.

At least two tiger sharks, along with a great white shark, began to surround the adrenaline junkie, who insisted that he was only trying to see if he could help the animal, although it was already dead.

Mr Williams said: 'My Mum thinks I'm an idiot, Dad's not too proud either'

"Mum thinks I'm an idiot, Dad's not too proud either," Mr Williams said after his encounter off the coast of Rottnest Island.

His stunt has been criticised by whale experts, who fear that other thrillseekers will try and get similar photographs out at sea.

After the stunt, he hopped off the whale carcass and returned to the boat

Will Jones told News.com.au: "No one's been daft enough to do it before, and hopefully they won't again."

Swimming close to whales in Australian waters – whether dead or alive – is illegal, the academic added.

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Woman Jailed For Watching Volleyball In Iran

A British-Iranian woman has been sentenced to one year in prison – after she tried to attend a volleyball match in Tehran.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, who was arrested outside the Freedom Stadium, was given no reason for her conviction.

The law graduate, from Shepherd's Bush in west London, had been accused of "propaganda against the state".

Iranian officials maintain she was detained for security reasons. The 25-year-old, an alumna of the School of African and Oriental Studies, went on hunger strike after she was moved to the "brutal" Evin Prison in June.

A campaign calling for her immediate release has attracted more than 700,000 supporters to date.

Amnesty International has labelled Ms Ghavami's continued incarceration as "appalling", and described her as a prisoner of conscience.

Its director, Kate Allen, said: "It's an outrage that a young woman is being locked up simply for peacefully having her say about how women are discriminated against in Iran.

"The authorities should investigate allegations that Ghoncheh was subjected to death threats by her interrogators and provide compensation for her arbitrary detention and her prolonged solitary confinement."

A family spokesman added: "A fair and just legal process, according to Iran's legal framework, is the basic right of every Iranian citizen. Why are these rights not upheld in Ghoncheh's case?"

Prior to the volleyball match between Iran and Italy, women were barred from attending the event altogether.

Gen Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam, chief of the national police, had said it was "not yet in the public interest" for men and women to share the stands.

Women are already banned from Iranian football matches, but authorities insist this rule is designed to protect them against inappropriate behaviour from men.

"We have concerns about the grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial and Ms Ghavami's treatment whilst in custody," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

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Branson Vow To Continue Space Race After Crash

Sir Richard Branson has vowed to continue his space tourism venture despite a Virgin Galactic spacecraft crashing during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert.

The Virgin Group founder arrived in the desert today, and has described the journey to the crash site as "one of the most difficult trips I have ever had to make".

In a post on his website, Sir Richard said: "Space is hard - but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together."

"We've always known that the road to space is extremely difficult - and that every new transportation system has to deal with bad days early in their history," he added.

One pilot died in the crash and another was seriously injured when he ejected from the rocket plane and parachuted to the ground.

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1. Gallery: Images Showing Wreckage Of SpaceshipTwo In The Mojave Desert

   SpaceShipTwo and its mother ship WhiteKnightTwo are pictured before the test flight. Pic: Virgin Galactic/Scaled Composites/Jason DiVenere

2. Part of the wreckage from the Virgin Galactic SpaceshipTwo lies in California's Mojave Desert after it crashed

3. Photographer Ken Brown said the craft was released from the plane that carries it to high altitude, ignited its rocket motor and then exploded

4. Two pilots were on board. California authorities said one died and the other was badly hurt

5. A witness said the space tourism craft exploded during a test flight over the desert

6. The aim of such flights was to assess SpaceShipTwo in preparation for suborbital trips to the edge of space about 62 miles above the Earth

7. Hundreds of people have already reserved seats and paid a deposit on the $250,000 (£156,000) ticket price for the flights. Pic: Virgin Galactic

8. After several delays, Sir Richard Branson's company had hoped to start taking passengers to the edge of space in 2015

9. But space expert Marco Caceres said: "You are not going to see any commercial space tourism flight next year or probably several years after that."

The fatality is the project's fourth, with three killed in an explosion in 2007 while working for Scaled Composites, the company working with Virgin Galactic to build the rocket plane SpaceShipTwo.

Virgin Galactic, part of British billionaire Sir Richard's Virgin Group, had been aiming to begin tourist flights to the edge of space next year.

SpaceShipTwo has been under development at the Mojave Air and Spaceport.

The tragedy occurred after SpaceShipTwo fired up its rocket following a high-altitude drop from Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo mothership.

Stuart Witt, chief executive of the space port, said the cause of the crash remains unclear.

Video: Deadly Crash May Hit Space Tourism

Virgin Galactic said it will work with authorities to determine the cause of the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.

It is the second disaster involving a US spacecraft this week.

On Tuesday, another private company's unmanned rocket exploded six seconds after launch on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Virgin Galactic's 60ft (18 metre) long SpaceShipTwo was testing a redesigned rocket motor as it made its first powered flight since January.

The rocket plane, which was attached to the underside of WhiteKnightTwo, took off at 9.19am local time (4.19pm GMT) on Friday in California.

Video: Space Crash 'An Incredible Tragedy'

It is not the first accident involving SpaceShipTwo.

During testing for the development of its rocket motor in July 2007, an explosion at the Mojave spaceport killed three workers and critically injured three others.

Virgin Galactic aims to become the world's first commercial "spaceline", sending customers willing to pay up to $250,000 (£156,000) for a short journey into zero gravity and a glimpse of the planet from the edge of space.

The company previously said it has accepted more than $80m (£50m) in deposits from hundreds of people who hope to be among the first space tourists.

British physicist Stephen Hawking, comedian Russell Brand, actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher, and singer Justin Bieber are said to have signed up.

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Two Soldiers Fight For Burkina Faso Presidency

Doubt has emerged over who is leading Burkina Faso, after a second soldier announced that he was replacing Blaise Compaore, the impoverished nation's long-serving president.

Gen Honore Traore, the joint chief of staff, had declared he was taking charge at a packed press conference on Friday – sparking renewed protests and sending him into hiding.

His standing is now being threatened by Col Issaac Zida, who has confirmed that he will serve as acting leader because his rival's bid was null and void.

Col Issaac Zida has said his rival's presidential bid is 'null and void'

In a televised address, the colonel said that the nation's borders had been closed and its constitution suspended indefinitely.

Compaore had demanded presidential elections commence within 90 days, but Zida is yet to confirm when a vote will take place.

"I salute the memory of the martyrs of this uprising and bow to the sacrifices made by our people," the soldier said.

"This is not a coup d'etat but a popular uprising. The people have hopes and expectations, and we believe we have understood them."

Gen Honore Traore first declared he was leader, but hasn't re-emerged since

Compaore, who was Burkina Faso's president since 1987, had been seeking to secure a fifth term as leader. In mass protests outside parliament, dozens of demonstrators were shot and three people were killed.

Protesters cheered as they heard news of his resignation on their handheld radios.

"This is a new revolution and a chance to get it right," one shopkeeper said. "At least tomorrow, we are not going to wake up with the same face of the same president."

One law student referred to Compaore's departure as the start of a "sub-Saharan Spring", and insisted that the movement "must continue with all the presidents who are trying to hang on to power in Africa".

According to Zida, Compaore has been "in a safe place" since he left office, but his exact location remains unknown.

Blaise Compaore had been Burkina Faso's president since 1987

The uncertain situation in Burkina Faso is being monitored closely by the US and France, which have become close military allies of the nation in recent years.

Ranked 183rd out of the 186 countries on the UN human development index, poverty is endemic amongst Burkina Faso's 18 million people. Its economic prosperity fluctuates wildly, as it hinges upon gold and cotton prices.

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