Free Republic

... The SpaceShipTwo plane, designed to run the first ever passenger flights into space, split into pieces and fell to earth two minutes after being launched mid-air from a carrier plane over California's Mojave Desert. Wreckage rained from the sky as one pilot managed to eject from the cockpit using a parachute, while the other was reportedly left strapped to his seat as he plummeted to earth and died. The pilot who ejected also suffered serious injuries and is now in hospital. Virgin has not yet said who the pilots were - though only four men were cleared by the...

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has committed £1.6bn over 10 years to fight global warming.... will hand over all the profits from the Virgin Group's transport business to support the cause. (snip) [Branson] said the profits from Virgin's train and airline businesses would be invested in efforts to find renewable, sustainable energy sources.

Sir Richard Branson's airline Virgin Atlantic is to begin flying relief supplies to Iraq, and plans to reintroduce scheduled services to Baghdad. Sir Richard said: "The first few flights would be humanitarian flights delivering doctors, nurses and much-needed aid and supplies to the Iraqi population. "We're working with aid agencies and hope to operate flights as soon as we can. "In addition, by reintroducing scheduled air services we would play our role in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq." Sir Richard added: "Flights to and from Baghdad will be a key element in helping Iraq's long term regeneration, and reuniting families...

A Virgin Atlantic Airways flight bound for London from San Francisco International Airport was canceled Monday night after suspicious behavior by several passengers was reported to authorities. Virgin's Flight 20, scheduled to leave at 4:30 p.m., was barred from departing "based on suspicious activity by some passengers,'' said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the federal Transportation Security Administration. The FBI later took charge of the case, according to a San Francisco police spokesman.