It is hard to say ‘ag shame’ as Virgin flies into Covid storm – The Wall Street Journal

The owner of the Virgin Group, billionaire Richard Branson's call for a UK government loan to keep his airline Virgin Atlantic afloat has been met with derision in his home country with some suggesting he should sell his private island to make up for his staff wages. A decision to force his airline's staff to take a pay cut and unpaid leave and a recent High Court battle to sue the country's National Health Service, that is so central to fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the UK for an £82m contract, which he won, have also not endeared him to the Brits. Branson is a well-known face in South Africa as he owns a private game reserve within the Sabi Sand Reserve in the Lowveld and has recently launched a Centre of Entrepreneurship in South Africa. But the lack of diversity in a photo that Branson tweeted with a lily white team at the opening of the centre got him in to trouble locally as well. Branson apologised for the tweet and later posted a slightly more diverse group of people. When the businesses of billionaires who own tropical islands, game reserves and have ventures that can send people into space run into trouble; it is hard to find an 'ag shame'. As governments have to dig deep into their treasure chests for extra funds to help those in distress during the Covid-19 outbreak, can the Richard Branson's of this world expect sympathy. The Wall Street Journal charts how Branson's empire is sailing into a "meltdown" during the Covid-19 pandemic. – Linda van Tilburg

Richard Branson fights to save travel, tourism empire

By Benjamin Katz and Alistair MacDonald

(The Wall Street Journal) – LONDON—Two months ago, Richard Branson launched the Scarlet Lady, the first cruise ship in a globe-spanning travel and tourism empire bearing his Virgin Group brand.

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