Richard Branson

Starmer rejects MP’s call for referendum on death penalty for criminals

Keir Starmer is right. The death penalty is never the answer for any country. It’s inhumane, costly & doesn’t deter crime. It has no place in the civilised world. Most of Europe abolished the death penalty decades ago & has been better, safer without it:
www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/new...

Justice For Toforest Johnson For 24 years, Toforest Johnson has been on Alabama’s death row for a crime he did not commit. The State’s lawyers continue to seek his execution.

4 former Alabama Supreme Court Justices
2 former State Governors
1 former State Attorney General
1 former Alabama Senator
The District Attorney
The Original Trial Prosecutor
are all calling for a new trial for Toforest Johnson
Why is Alabama still trying to execute him?
www.toforestjohnson.com

The Elders call for Marwan Barghouti’s release to spur moves to two-state solution The Elders call for the release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison as an important step towards reviving a lasting two-state solution.

I join with The Elders in calling for the release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison. This is as an important step towards reviving a lasting two-state solution: theelders.org/news/elders-...

(3/3) The death penalty for drug offences is no deterrent. Singapore would be better off without it: www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/10/13/i...

(2/3) His open letter to Singapore’s President and Home Affairs Minister raises all the right questions: “What does this serve? What do the authorities actually want to achieve?” Hamzah deserves clemency.

If disruption is the goal, why execute me? A final letter from death row Scheduled for execution on 15 October 2025, Hamzah bin Ibrahim accepts responsibility but questions the justice of his sentence. He cooperated with authorities, received a Certificate of Substantive A...

(1/3) Hamzah bin Ibrahim is scheduled to be hanged in Singapore tomorrow for a non-violent drug offence, despite giving substantive assistance to investigating authorities: www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/10/13/i...

A Land for All is possible | Virgin Richard Branson discusses 'A Land for All' - a bold and audacious vision that would enable both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs to flourish and prosper on a common understanding of the ground benea...

A wonderful day for the hostages & prisoners on both sides being released. Now all parties must do their best to keep the peace. A fair, collaborative two-state solution will be critical to that. A Land For All’s pragmatic framework is the best way to get there: www.virgin.com/branson-fami...

The Last Appeal – an original podcast from Dateline NBC’s Lester Holt Is Texas about to execute an innocent man? Lester Holt examines Robert Roberson’s controversial death row case.

Lester Holt investigates the urgent case of #RobertRoberson — an innocent Texas father facing execution Oct. 16 for a crime that never happened. Listen to new NBC Dateline podcast trailer here: www.nbcnews.com/thelastappeal

Hit Putin hard now or attacks will worsen Only by using all its political, financial and military means will the West deter Russian mischief

Hard words are not enough. The West must use all its political, financial, and military means to be taken seriously by Putin. As Edward Lucas put it: “Hit Putin hard now, or attacks will worsen": www.thetimes.com/article/8ca6...

The U.N. Must Listen to President Zelensky and Ukraine "Now, more than ever, it is vital that Ukraine remains at the forefront of global debate," writes Richard Branson.

When it comes to Ukraine - the world must listen & act. Ukraine has endured unspeakable losses & its struggle is a test of international resolve. My thoughts on why we must stand for Ukraine, which is fighting the frontlines of global freedom: time.com/7319512/u-n-...

A good news round-up to start the week: www.positive.news/society/good...

Stop the Oct. 16 Execution of Robert Roberson Add to your name to stop Texas from executing an innocent person.

(2/2) Robert could soon become the first person in the U.S. to be executed based on the debunked and discredited “shaken baby syndrome” hypothesis. Add your name to help save an innocent man: bit.ly/48Qkdzj #SaveRoberson

Stop the Oct. 16 Execution of Robert Roberson Add to your name to stop Texas from executing an innocent person.

(1/2)Time is running out to save an innocent father.

Texas has set an Oct. 16 execution date for Robert Roberson, who has spent more than 20 years on death row for a crime that never occurred. bit.ly/48Qkdzj

The ‘war on drugs’ has failed. There’s another way to solve the US fentanyl crisis | Letter Letters: To defeat the cartels, governments should decriminalise personal use and create legal drug markets, says Richard Branson. And Richard Kilroy decries US military action against suspected drug-...

The ‘war on drugs’ has failed. There’s another way to solve the US fentanyl crisis: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

How to Arm Ukraine for Negotiations For a durable peace, Trump must get the order of talks right.

How to arm Ukraine for negotiations, and finally bring Russia’s devastating invasion to an end: www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/how-a...
@foreignaffairs.com

Iran: Call to halt increasing executions and impose moratorium on death penalty Iranian authorities have executed at least 841 people since the beginning of the year and up until 28 August 2025, according to information gathered by the UN Human Rights Office – ignoring multiple c...

This year alone, Iran has executed at least 841 people already. Signs of a corrupt and inept regime in fear of its own people. The mullahs’ brutality knows no bounds.
www.ohchr.org/en/press-bri...

John Bolton raid is a chilling sign of rule by vendetta Former US security adviser was courageous in his criticisms of Trump’s approach to Putin — his treatment is alarming

Poignant analysis by Lord Hague. Whatever you think of John Bolton – he knows Trump, and he knows Putin. And he was targeted for his sharp criticism of the current US approach to Russia. Americans should be able to agree to disagree without fear of retribution: www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Senegal reaches historic milestone by eliminating trachoma | News | Sightsavers Thanks to support from Sightsavers and other organisations, millions of people in Senegal are no longer at risk from losing their sight to the eye disease.

Brilliant to see Senegal eliminate eye disease trachoma as a public health issue. Sightsavers (a Virgin Unite partner) worked with Senegal’s ministry of health to deliver 4.2mil doses of antibiotics & provide 30k operations for patients with advanced trachoma: www.sightsavers.org/news/2025/07...

California’s death penalty is bad business. Newsom can help dismantle it | Opinion “California death penalty prosecutions in the last five years alone have led to court costs of more than $300 million.”

The death penalty is bad business for California. Very compelling piece by Matthew Stepka highlighting why Governor Newsom should commute his state’s death sentences: www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-e...

World Humanitarian Day: Attacks on aid workers hit another record, humanitarians call for urgent action (Geneva/New York, 19 August 2025): A shocking new record of 383 aid workers killed in 2024 must be a wake-up call to protect all civilians in confli

(5/5) This #WorldHumanitarianDay sends a strong message that the normalisation of violence against aid workers must end. We must protect the humanitarians who put their lives on the line. And those who attack them must be held to account: www.unocha.org/news/world-h...

(4/5) The 2024 death toll is a 31% increase from 2023. It is the highest death toll ever recorded, but 2025 could be even worse.

Ukraine: defending freedom with Oleksandr Usyk | Virgin Ukraine: defending freedom with Oleksandr Usyk

(3/5) Last year alone, 383 humanitarian workers were killed. Many more are injured, kidnapped, or detained - like Eddy Scott, a British volunteer medic I met who was severely wounded after his vehicle was attacked by Russia in Ukraine: virg.in/4lCEG0p

(2/5) Where bombs fall or crises hit, humanitarian workers offer lifelines for millions of people. But those who help are increasingly being killed and injured themselves.

World Humanitarian Day: Attacks on aid workers hit another record, humanitarians call for urgent action (Geneva/New York, 19 August 2025): A shocking new record of 383 aid workers killed in 2024 must be a wake-up call to protect all civilians in confli

(1/5) The humanitarian response movement is underfunded, overstretched and under attack: www.unocha.org/news/world-h...

Government plans to bring more Gazan children to UK for treatment The government says it is working

Encouraging to see the UK government plan to bring more Gazan children to the UK for treatment. Immensely proud of Project Pure Hope (which we support through Virgin Unite) for helping to bring more Gazan children to the UK for urgent medical care: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Most Nihilistic Conflict on Earth Sudan’s devastating civil war shows what will replace the liberal order: anarchy and greed.

Important read on the forgotten war in Sudan and the breakdown of the international order: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Forget the two-state solution. This Israeli-Palestinian group offers another path to peace ***

A persuasive look at why A Land For All offers the most compelling pathway to peace in Palestine and Israel:
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Russia and Ukraine must seek a proper framework for talks, says Juan Manuel Santos Others with a stake in Ukraine’s security and relations with Russia must stay engaged too, argues the Nobel Peace Prize winner

Russia and Ukraine must seek a proper framework for talks, says Juan Manuel Santos, chair of @theelders.bsky.social
economist.com/by-invitatio...

President Announces Trade Deal With South Korea

(2/2) What counts is the rule of law. I hope Brazil’s institution will not cave in to bullying. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

President Announces Trade Deal With South Korea

(1/2) The latest round of US tariffs imposed on Brazil is a blatant example of wielding economic power as a blunt instrument to pervert the course of justice. Coupled with sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes - a direct attack on Brazil’s sovereignty.