The battered live events sector, from summer music festivals to business conferences and boat shows, has finally been promised a Covid cancellation insurance scheme. Campaigners have long been pleading for insurance support to help the sector get back on its feet, because commercial insurers have not provided cover for Covid-related cancellations. While welcomed, the announcement comes far too late for a string of festivals and events that have already been abandoned. – Guardian
Virgin Galactic has said it will open ticket sales on Thursday for space flights starting at $450,000 a seat, weeks after the company’s billionaire founder, Richard Branson, took a high profile flight to to the edge of space. The space-tourism company said Thursday it is making progress toward beginning revenue flights next year. It will sell single seats, package deals and entire flights. – Guardian
Qatar Airways has grounded Airbus aircraft after discovering fuselages were “degrading at an accelerated rate”. Some 13 Airbus A350s, which have a carbon composite body that makes them lighter and more fuel-efficient, have been taken out of the service, the state-owned airline said. – Telegraph
Crispin Odey, the hedge fund manager, has taken on “meme stock” traders by betting against the fortunes of AMC Entertainment, the US cinema group that also owns the Odeon chain. Mr Odey, 62, said that investors using trading apps such as Robinhood to back AMC had left the US company “way overvalued on any grounds”. – Telegraph
Cairn Energy is moving closer to receiving $1.7billion in compensation as part of a long-running tax dispute with the Indian government. Delhi is planning to settle lengthy tax disputes by introducing proposals for an amendment to its tax law. The move sent Cairn’s shares up by more than a quarter yesterday. – The Times
