In 1988, British magnate and investor Sir Richard Branson took a call from an anonymous young caller on a BBC children’s TV show.
“Have you ever thought of going into space?” the child asked.
Mr Branson laughed.
“I’d love to go into space: in fact, I can think of nothing nicer. In fact, I think I’ll go Sunday!” was his answer. It took 33 years, but Mr Branson is closer than ever to keeping his word.
On Sunday July 11, the founder of Virgin Group, 70, is travelling to space aboard a supersonic space plane on a trip paid for by his rocket venture Virgin Galactic. founded in 2004.
The flight will be the 22nd test launch to space on the rocket ship VSS Unity, with a crew of four pilots and four specialists including Mr Branson himself.
Here’s what you need to know about the billionaire.
Who is Richard Branson?
Mr Branson describes himself as a “tie-loathing adventurer, philanthropist & troublemaker, who believes in turning ideas into reality. Otherwise known as Dr Yes at Virgin,” in his Twitter bio.
It is an accurate description of a man who seeks the thrill of adventure in his work and personal lives.
The billionaire was born Richard Charles Nicholas Branson in 1950 in Surrey, southern England.
He struggled at school owing to dyslexia, which causes difficulty in identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words.
At 16, he decided to drop out for good, but credits his learning disorder with giving him the imagination and creative thinking needed to succeed as an entrepreneur.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t dyslexic. In the real world, dyslexia can be a huge advantage. I’ve always let my imagination run wild and have thought creatively about how I could make my big dreams happen,” he wrote in a blog post on the topic in January.
How did he get rich?
Mr Branson made his first million with Virgin Records, which began as a discount music shop in London.
His career hasn’t been without its failures, and includes rocky phases with several ventures, including Virgin Cola, Virgin Cars, he calls his “learning tools”.
Between all this, he wrote bestselling books on entrepreneurship, business and his life. He has a daughter and a son from two marriages.
Branson’s biggest adventures
Once he made his millions, the race was on to start breaking records.
In 1985, Mr Branson was rescued while attempting the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing, according to Forbes magazine. But he smashed the world record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic in his powerboat, Virgin Atlantic Challenger II, the year after.
The business mogul, whose net worth is about $5.9 billion, has also driven an amphibious car from England to France and climbed Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. He kitesurfs frequently as a hobby.
In 1991, Mr Branson and Per Lindstrand, a Swedish aeronautical engineer, adventurer and entrepreneur, crossed the Pacific Ocean in a hot-air balloon, setting a distance record of 10,782 kilometres.
In March 2000, Mr Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace in London for “services to entrepreneurship”.
Foray into space
Mr Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004.
That year, his dream space project faced a huge setback when Virgin Galactic’s first commercial SpaceShipTwo spaceliner, VSS Enterprise, crashed over California’s Mohave Desert, killing one co-pilot and seriously injuring another.
But the company bounced back and Mr Branson was placed in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list in 2007.
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Rio Angie, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
