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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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: 'Feathering' - How Galactic Slows

"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: Branson On 'Irresponsible Innuendo'

"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 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."

Leading British rocket scientist Carolyn Campbell-Knight has told Sky News that the crash was an accident waiting to happen.

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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

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

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

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

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

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

She said: "I was shocked and upset but I wasn't surprised. It was always my opinion sooner rather than later something would go wrong with this device."

But Virgin Galactic has rejected the claim. The firm had been aiming to become the first commercial "spaceline" by beginning tourist flights to the edge of space next year.

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.

Video: Astronaut On Risks Of Space Travel

"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."

::  Virgin Galactic Crash: What We Know So Far

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Worrying Rise In Crystal Meth Use In Europe

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

A Sky News investigation has seen how Vietnamese gangs operating in the Czech Republic are fuelling a "concerning" increase in crystal meth use across continental Europe.

Abuse of methamphetamine in Germany has risen by 51% in the most recent crime survey and there is evidence more professionals are starting to take the drug, which is relatively cheap to produce and highly addictive.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) says that EU member states need to work on a proper response to the growth of the drug which "has the potential to cause significant harm".

Prague is now the epicentre of the crystal meth industry

Sky News travelled to Prague, which is now the epicentre of the crystal meth industry, to try to find out why it's the source of a staggering 95% of all batches consumed in Europe.

In the Czech Republic crystal meth is known as Pervitin, the brand name of the drug used by Adolf Hitler to keep his military alert.

Video: Crystal Meth Production Grows

When the Iron Curtain swept across the continent, the then Czechoslavakia became the centre of the Communist empire's pharmaceutical industry, making the source material for crystal meth easily available.

At that time little was known about the damaging effects of crystal meth, which is relatively easy to "cook" from ephedrine-based cold remedies and is versatile in its use, as explained by Dr Jiri Prisl, who tries to wean addicts off the drug.

"You can swallow it, whether in powder or in dilution, so you can drink it, swallow it, sniff it, you can smoke it, you can inject it into your veins. In all possible ways," he explains.

He said most white collar workers still prefer cocaine because crystal meth is seen as a socially inferior drug, but those who work in a mobile needle exchange in the centre of Prague told us that pattern is beginning to change.

Fanda, a homeless man who's been addicted to the drug for nearly two decades, says he's noticed the changing profile of crystal meth users.

"For instance here in Prague I know that it's not only people on street. It's also just normal people who work in office, in kitchens or on construction sites. I know about a thousand such people in the whole of the Czech Republic," he said.

In July 2014, a German MP Michael Hartmann admitted taking the drug to improve his work performance, while in affluent gay circles in London and Paris the drug, known as "Tina", is commonplace among those looking to enhance sexual pleasure.

Video: Changing Face Of Crystal Meth Users

Researchers at the EMCDDA believe the global financial crisis could be partly to blame, but police say it's also down to a much more sophisticated production and distribution network run by Vietnamese gangs based in the Czech Republic.

Colonel Jackub Frydrych, who heads the team trying to disrupt the trade, said success in breaking up the triads' traditional money-maker in counterfeit goods, led the gangs to look for other potential revenues.

They are looking at worldwide expansion, he said.

"There are booming markets. I will give you an example: in Japan there is a big mark up of about £435 on each gram of crystal meth.

"From a profit perspective it is one of the most dynamic markets."

So the drug that started in kitchens of Czechoslavakia has now moved to the factory production line: six tons of the drug were seized in raids last year even though the number of raids fell.

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Virgin Galactic Descend System Deployed Early

An investigation into the fatal Virgin Galactic spaceship crash has found the function to help it descend was deployed early.

Christopher Hart, the head of National Transportation Safety Board, said the craft's fuel tanks and engine had been recovered intact indicating there was no explosion.

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

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

More follows...

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Boko Haram: Schoolgirls 'Married Off'

More than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram have all converted to Islam and been "married off", according to its leader.

The video message by Abubakar Shekau contradicts claims by Nigeria's government that the students would soon be freed.

He also denied agreeing to any ceasefire with the authorities.

The mass kidnap in April promoted a high-profile social media campaign

Laughing, he said: "The issue of the girls is long forgotten because I have long ago married them off.

"In this war, there is no going back."

Video: 12 May, 2014: Taken Girls On Show

More than 270 students were taken from a boarding school in the in the remote northeastern town of Chibok in April, prompting a high-profile political and social media campaign using the hashtag #Bring Back Our Girls.

Dozens of the girls escaped on their own in the first couple of days, but 219 remain missing.

Those who managed to flee have have described the physical torture, rape and forced marriage that many endure in the group's secret forest camps.

Video: 20 June 2014: Fighting Boko Haram

Shekau's denial of the ceasefire appears supported by the violence that has continued since the government announced it two weeks ago.

As well as raising doubts about the actual influence of Danladi Ahmadu - the man with whom the government has been negotiating - and will further undermine the authority of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election in February.

The five-year-old insurgency by Boko Haram has killed thousands of people and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes in northeast Nigeria.

Video: Life in Boko Haram Captivity

The group poses the biggest threat to the security of Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer.

Boko Haram has attacked targets almost every day for weeks and recently seized control of Mubi, the home town of Nigeria's defence chief Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, who had announced the ceasefire.

The government has blamed the violence on Boko Haram's allied criminal networks that the group cannot control.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Boko Haram Leader

   Abubakar Shekau is the leader of Boko Haram. He took control of the Islamist group after the death of founder Mohammed Yusuf in 2009.

2. Little is known about him, although he was born in Shekau village in the northeastern state of Yobe and is now thought to be in his early 40s.

3. Shekau is Nigeria's most-wanted man and was designated a terrorist by the U.S. government in 2012. A reward of $7m (£4.6m) and 50m Nigerian naira (£182,000) has been issued for information leading to his location.

4. Shekau is also known as "Darul Tawheed", a reference to his knowledge of an orthodox doctrine of Islam centred on the oneness of Allah.

5. Nigerian authorities thought he had been killed in 2009 during clashes with security forces, but he reappeared in a video in 2010 to claim leadership of Boko Haram.

6. Shekau is believed to have been behind the August 2011 bombing of the UN compound in the capital Abuja, which killed at least 21 people.

7. In a video released after the abduction of 276 girls from a boarding school in the village of Chibok on April 14, he described the youngsters as "slaves" and threatened to "sell them in the market".

There are believed to be several competing factions within the group.

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Brit Held Over Woman's Body Found In Suitcase

A British man, thought to work for a top bank, has been arrested in Hong Kong after the bodies of two women were found at an apartment, including one inside a suitcase.

The other woman, aged between 25 and 30, is believed to have had her throat cut.

She had wounds to her neck and buttock and was found unconscious in the living room by police officers who said they were called by the suspect.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene in the Wan Chai district.

Assistant Commander Wan Siu-hung said: "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."

Police later found the body of the second woman, who also had neck injuries, in a suitcase on a balcony.

She was bloated, wrapped in a blanket, and police estimate she could have been dead for some time, according to reports.

Officers are investigating the double murder

Officers were called to the address in the early hours on Saturday. A knife was seized inside the property and a small quantity of cocaine was also found.

Police in the former UK colony said a 29-year-old British man was arrested at the scene over the double murder.

A statement said: "Police are investigating a murder case in Wan Chai in which a foreign woman aged between 25 and 30, and another woman were killed.

"At about 3.42am, a 29-year-old foreign man made a report and requested police to investigate a case in a unit at 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai.

"Police sped to the scene and an unconscious woman aged 25 to 30 was found lying inside the unit. Sustaining cut wounds to her neck and buttock, the woman was certified dead at the scene.

"In the course of investigation, police found a suitcase at the balcony of the unit, and a female dead body with neck injuries was found inside the suitcase.

"Police arrested the 29-year-old man at the scene for murder."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British national has been arrested in Hong Kong.

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

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Nigeria Girls Detail Horrific Boko Haram Abuse

Girls who escaped Nigerian terror group Boko Haram have described the physical torture, rape and forced marriage that many endure in their secret forest camps.

Some victims are also forced to take part in attacks and carry ammunition for fighters during battle. Others have been used as 'bait' to lure Christian men to their deaths.

The abuse is detailed in a Human Rights Watch report, which includes first-hand accounts from some of the schoolgirls who escaped after April's Chibok kidnappings.

The group has waged war with a long-running bombing campaign

More than 270 were taken from a boarding school in the north-east of the country, prompting a high-profile political and social media campaign using the hashtag #Bring Back Our Girls.

It comes after a weekend during which another 30 youngsters - some of them girls aged as young as 11 - were abducted in northeast Nigeria by suspected Boko Haram rebels, according to a local village chief.

Video: 12 May, 2014: Taken Girls On Show

In a video released after the abduction the group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls were "slaves" and threatened to "sell them in the market".

The Nigerian government has said a ceasefire deal with the militant Islamist group is on the verge of freeing the group, but last week more were kidnapped.

Human Rights Watch says new "shocking details" emerged from its interviews.

It reports that the group targets students and Christians, threatening them with whipping, beating, or death unless they convert to Islam, stop attending school, and wear the veil or hijab.

Forced marriage, forced labour, physical torture and rape are also common.

Video: 20 June 2014: Fighting Boko Haram

A 19-year-old student, from Borno State, described how militants ambushed her and five friends and threatened to kill them for going to school.

One of the men shouted: "Aha! These are the people we are looking for, so you are the ones with strong heads who insist on attending school when we have said 'boko' is 'haram.' We will kill you here today."

The girls were held for several days in the Sambisa forest and only released after they promised to convert to Islam and give up school.

Boko Haram translates roughly from the Hausa language as "Western education is forbidden" and has carried out a campaign of bombings in Nigeria over the past five years, killing 7,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch.

More than 500 girls and woman are said to have been been kidnapped by the group since 2009.

1/7

1. Gallery: Profile: Boko Haram Leader

   Abubakar Shekau is the leader of Boko Haram. He took control of the Islamist group after the death of founder Mohammed Yusuf in 2009.

2. Little is known about him, although he was born in Shekau village in the northeastern state of Yobe and is now thought to be in his early 40s.

3. Shekau is Nigeria's most-wanted man and was designated a terrorist by the U.S. government in 2012. A reward of $7m (£4.6m) and 50m Nigerian naira (£182,000) has been issued for information leading to his location.

4. Shekau is also known as "Darul Tawheed", a reference to his knowledge of an orthodox doctrine of Islam centred on the oneness of Allah.

5. Nigerian authorities thought he had been killed in 2009 during clashes with security forces, but he reappeared in a video in 2010 to claim leadership of Boko Haram.

6. Shekau is believed to have been behind the August 2011 bombing of the UN compound in the capital Abuja, which killed at least 21 people.

7. In a video released after the abduction of 276 girls from a boarding school in the village of Chibok on April 14, he described the youngsters as "slaves" and threatened to "sell them in the market".

Girls who escape the group's clutches are often ignored despite having vital intelligence about Boko Haram's inner workings, says the report.

For example, they often have information on chain of command, ammunition, and how the fighters keep tabs on Nigeria's military.

But Human Rights Watch claims the government "rarely, if ever" interviews the girls.

The report - called Those Terrible Weeks in Their Camp: Boko Haram Violence against Women and Girls in Northeast Nigeria - includes evidence from 46 witnesses and victims of the group.

Daniel Bekele, Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, says the Nigerian government must do more to protect and rehabilitate the girls, and also to track down those behind the abuse.

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Prosecutors To Appeal Oscar Pistorius Verdict

South Africa's state prosecutors say they will appeal against the conviction and sentence handed to Oscar Pistorius.

They say they are not happy with the five-year jail term that he was handed last Wednesday, or the manslaughter offence for which he was convicted.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Mncube said on his Twitter feed: "Oscar Pistorius judgement, NPA will be appealing both the conviction and sentence."

Mr Mncube said the next step was to file papers in court.

Pistorius started serving his prison sentence on October 21 after a seven-month trial.

Video: Pistorius Trial: The Sentence

Judge Thokozile Masipa acquitted him of murder and found him guilty of a lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door in his home.

As things stand, the Olympic runner is eligible for release after 10 months so he can complete his sentence under house arrest.

Sentencing options available to the judge in a culpable homicide case included up to 15 years in jail, a suspended sentence, a correctional supervision or a fine.

Video: ANC Women's League Reaction

Pistorius' legal team argued during the trial that he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and believed they were both in danger.

During the trial, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel had argued that only 10 years' imprisonment would satisfy the public.

He said that any lesser sentence could result in a widespread loss of faith in the justice system.

Video: South Africa's Appeal Process

Reeva Steenkamp's family initially said that the "verdict is not justice", but later welcomed the five-year term.

But the decision drew criticism from some legal experts who said the judge had made an error in her interpretation of a legal concept that holds a person accountable for the foreseeable consequences of their actions.

Known as Blade Runner because of his carbon-fibre prosthetics, Pistorius achieved global recognition at the London 2012 Olympics when he reached the semi-finals of the 400m against able-bodied athletes.

Video: Pistorius Faces First Night In Jail

Mr Mncube had previously refused to be drawn over whether prosecutors would appeal, saying only that: "The matter is under serious consideration and the announcement will be made in due course."

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Canada: Ottawa Parliament Gunman Made Video

The gunman who killed a soldier and stormed Canada's parliament made a video of himself before the attack, authorities have said.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Bob Paulson said the video was "persuasive evidence" that Michael Zehaf-Bibeau had "ideological and political motives."

The video is being analysed in detail and has not yet been released.

Zehaf-Bibeau gunned down Corporal Nathan Cirillo at Canada's war memorial in Wednesday's attack in Ottawa.

He was later killed by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers when he caused chaos by storming the capital's parliament building.

Video: Family's Tribute To Shot Soldier

A knife carried by the 32-year-old was taken from his aunt's house in Mount Tremblant, Quebec, but detectives are still investigating the origins of the rifle.

"It is an old and uncommon gun. We suspect that he could have similarly hidden the gun on the property but our inquiries continue," they said a statement.

Police added that Zehaf-Bibeau had worked in oil fields in Canada's Alberta province to buy a car and pay for his activities leading up to the attack.

However, in the days leading up to the shooting he had been living in a homeless shelter in Ottawa.

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1. Gallery: How The Ottawa Attack Unfolded

   At around 10am on Wednesday, 32-year-old petty criminal Michael Zehaf-Bibeau killed a soldier standing guard at Ottawa's war memorial

2. He then ran into the nearby Canadian Parliament building where he was shot to death by the ceremonial Sergeant-at-Arms

3. Conservative and Liberal MPs were holding their weekly caucus meetings at the time

4. Cabinet minister Tony Clement tweeted that at least 30 shots were heard inside Parliament

5. In a national TV statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: "We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated"

6. It was the second deadly attack in three days against members of the Canadian military

7. On Monday, a man Harper described as an "ISIL-inspired terrorist" ran over two soldiers in Quebec, killing one and injuring another before being shot to death by police

8. Witnesses said the soldier killed in the latest attack, Cpl Nathan Cirillo, was gunned down at point-blank range by a man carrying a rifle and dressed all in black, his face half-covered with a scarf

9. One said: "The honour guard dropped to the ground, and the shooter kind of raised his arms in triumph holding the rifle"

10. At least three people were treated for minor injuries

11. Some people fled the complex by scrambling down scaffolding erected for renovations

12. Others took cover inside as police with rifles and body armour took up positions outside and cordoned off streets

13. The two attacks have raised fears Canada is being targeted for reprisals for joining the air campaign against Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria

14. The National War Memorial contains an arched granite cenotaph, or tomb, with bronze sculptures commemorating World War I

15. The gunman had convictions for assault, robbery, drug and weapons offences, and other crimes. Swipe through for more images of the attack and its aftermath

Possible links with others who may have helped the killer are also urgently being investigated.

"The RCMP is confident we will have an authoritative and detailed account of the shooting, including a complete reconstruction of the heroic actions of those involved, in the weeks to come," said Commissioner Paulson.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called Zehaf-Bibeau's actions a terror attack.

The country recently joined US-led airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq, viewed by many as ample motivation for a potential revenge attack.

Video: Footage Emerges Of Shooting Hero

The attack came two days after a man described as an "ISIL-inspired terrorist" ran over two soldiers, killing one of them, in a Quebec car park.

That man had been under surveillance, unlike Zehaf-Bibeau, who was not on a list of around 90 "high-risk" individuals.

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Brazil's President Re-Elected In Tight Race

By Karine Mayer, South America News Editor

In one of the tightest races for the presidency in Brazil in the last 30 years incumbent President Dilma Rousseff won a second term in office by a margin of just over 3% of the total votes.

As many as 143 million Brazilians, aged between 18 and 70, in the world's seventh-largest economy went to the polls to choose between leftist Dilma Rousseff and Social Democrat Aecio Neves.

Her win gives the Workers' Party its fourth straight presidential victory.

Ms Rousseff's supporters in Sao Paulo

She said in her victory speech: "The country is not divided… it is searching for a better future."

Looking at the political map it seemed that her challenger Mr Neves won mainly in the rich south, and she won in the poorer north which benefits from her social reforms.

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1. Gallery: All Votes Count In The Final Round Of Brazil's Presidential Elections

   Nearly 143 million people are expected to go to the polls in Brazil's presidential election run-off.

2. Voters will choose between incumbent Dilma Rousseff of the Workers Party and Social Democratic Party rival Aecio Neves.

3. Both parties have been accused of corruption.

4. Fariza, an estate agent, chose Aecio, "Brazil is a young country and needs someone young who inspires hope." Her mother added "it's time to end this monopoly and bring some change."

5. Helena, a pensioner told Sky News "it's with great joy that I vote and press the green button to cast my vote for change."

6. Roberto a lawyer in Rio, said "we need change. That's why I am supporting him" (pointing to the Aecio sticker on his shirt).

7. Joana, a statistician "I am proud to support a government who have done so much socially for this country. Tackling the class differences, and narrowing the gap between rich and poor. I want someone who is going to continue doing this."

8. Marina de Oliveira Baptista , physiotherapist "Brazil has been riding the wave of the success of the former government for the last twelve years. Dilma is only a puppet."

9. Saul Estrela de Oliveira, a 79 year-old retired doctor, whose shirt was covered in Dilma stickers said with a big smile "why change a winning team? You know I wasn't a supporter of the Worker's Party but they're doing such a good job that I'm now a fan!"

10. "You have to be proud of your choice!" Swipe through to see the rest of the images

In her speech, she promised to focus on the economy and to work on fighting inflation which has been creeping back as the Brazilian economy has slowed down for the first time in a decade.

The economy had been the focus of Mr Neves, who had managed to turn around from broke to zero deficit during his time as governor.

Ms Rousseff said she was open to dialogue, leaving a glimmer of hope for her critics who think she may not be able to turn around the economy.

Amid her victory promises she said: "The first and most important reform is the political reform." She was alluding to the corruption scandal of state-owned oil company Petrobras which added to her rollercoaster ride with voter support.

Her popular social programmes include the family allowance "bolsa familia", which helps over 40 million Brazilians out of poverty, and "minha casa, minha vida" (my house, my life), which has helped over 3 million low income families purchase their home.

But public spend to fund these is out of control, and the country is in technical recession.

And yet Brazil still has one of the biggest rich-poor income divides in the world. And this will be a tough obstacle for Ms Rousseff as she tries to put the country's economy back on track and lure back foreign investors.

The reality of a fragmented congress also means that Ms Rousseff will be forced to further dilute her agenda in order to build alliances.

But 51.6% of Brazilians voted for Ms Rousseff. As Saul Estrela de Oliveira, a 79 year-old retired doctor, told Sky News: "Why would you want to change a winning team?"

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