by Sam Reeves © Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — British tycoon Richard Branson on Tuesday urged Singapore to spare the life of a mentally disabled Malaysian facing execution, telling AFP the death penalty was a “horrible blotch” on the city-state’s reputation. Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, convicted of trafficking a small amount of heroin into Singapore, is due to be hanged on Wednesday after more than a decade on death row. The planned execution has […]
Tag: Branson
‘Experience of a lifetime’: Billionaire Branson achieves space dream
by Lucie AUBOURG Agence France Presse British billionaire Richard Branson flew into space Sunday aboard a Virgin Galactic vessel, a voyage he described as the “experience of a lifetime” — and one he hopes will usher in an era of lucrative space tourism. The mission’s success allowed the swashbuckling septuagenarian to one-up fellow tycoon Jeff Bezos — who owns space company Blue Origin and is set to launch on July 20 — in the […]
Virgin Galactic seeks space tourism boost with market launch
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic will merge with a New York-listed company to become the world’s first publicly-traded space tourism venture, the British billionaire’s group announced Tuesday. “By embarking on this new chapter, at this advanced point in Virgin Galactic’s development, we can open space to more investors and in doing so, open space to thousands of new astronauts,” Branson said in a statement. Virgin Galactic and public-investment vehicle Social Capital […]





