SpaceX expected to launch Starlink services in Vietnam from fourth quarter
"The Ministry of Science and Technology aims to license the pilot services using low-orbit satellites immediately after the investor completes investment procedures and establishes a legal entity in Vietnam, with the goal of deploying the services in the fourth quarter of 2025," deputy minister Pham Duc Long said, according to the Tuoi Tre newspaper.
SpaceX is currently working with the Ministry of Finance to complete the procedures required to set up a wholly-owned unit in Vietnam, the report said.
Two sources told Reuters in April that SpaceX was readying a ground station in the Southeast Asian country for Starlink satellites and planned many more.
Vietnam's government said in March it would allow SpaceX to launch its services in the country on a trial basis, with no foreign ownership limit. It said the trial period would last until the end of 2030.
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BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
Legoland Shanghai: China bets on Western theme parks to lift spending
Tourists flocked to China's first Legoland theme park as it opened in Shanghai earlier this month, marking another step in the country's efforts to establish itself as a global travel is the latest amusement park to be launched in China by a Western brand. Warner Brothers' Harry Potter and Hasbro's Peppa Pig are set to consumer spending remains sluggish, Beijing hopes large attractions like this will attract visitors from both China and abroad to help revive the world's second largest park developers are being drawn by local government investment but face challenges in a highly competitive market dominated by big names like Disney and Universal Studios. The $550m (£410m) Legoland Shanghai is the largest park run by the UK-based theme park operator, Merlin park is home to 75 rides across eight areas and structures built from millions of plastic bricks, including a miniature version of Shanghai's of visitors can be accommodated at its hotel, which has rooms themed around things like pirates and park opened after years of collaboration between Merlin, Lego's parent company and the local government. They are hoping it will attract the famously frugal domestic population as well as foreign a ceremony to mark Legoland Shanghai's launch, a local authority official called it a much-needed boost to the district's economy as it will create jobs and support backers have also supported other projects, with a government-controlled building firm owning more than half of Disneyland and other branded parks will be keen to capitalise on huge fanbases of children and young people, especially in a market as large as China, said Xiaofeng Zeng, vice president of consumer market research firm Niko China's lacklustre domestic spending, its 1.4 billion people present a huge potential studies have shown that Chinese parents are splurging more on their children, even as overall consumer spending dips, Mr Zeng added. Spending in China may currently be slow, but the country's focus on boosting local consumption make it attractive to park was among the key focuses of China's latest five-year economic blueprint, which promised more resorts and theme encourage investment Chinese authorities are offering tax breaks and other help to finance new attractions, said Nandini Roy, a senior research analyst from Future Market example, the state has backed the Legoland park with new public transport links and major also rolled out 570m yuan (£59m; $80m) of subsidies through vouchers and offers as part of a nationwide campaign to spur tourism within the country."These measures lower out-of-pocket costs for families and indirectly benefit parks through higher footfall," said Ms parks help bring in investors and tourists as well as create jobs, said economist Gu Qingyang from the National University of brands like Lego will also help China to project a more open and international image, he said. But theme parks like Legoland also face challenges to stand out among the roughly 400 such attractions in Artem Kapnin, who visited Legoland Shanghai during a preview in June, said it had clearly made efforts to cater to Chinese audiences but lacked the atmosphere of Disneyland."I personally love Disneyland more because of the general atmosphere in the park, the characters, and I really enjoy the firework displays," said Mr Kapnin, a student based consumer spending in China remains sluggish, Prof Gu says investors are eyeing this vast nation's economic prospects many years into the future."It's important to note that building a large-scale theme park often takes close to a decade - so a long-term perspective is essential."
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How Australia will be 'begging for migrants' as the nation's birth rate crashes to new low
Australia is hurtling towards a population crisis, with birth rates plummeting so fast experts warn the country will soon be begging for migrants just to keep the economy afloat. The nation's birth rate is at an all-time low, according the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with the number of babies born not high enough to sustain the population. Renowned Queensland-based evolutionary psychologist Dr Bill von Hippel has warned the global decline in babies 'raises alarms' that humanity could begin to shrink without urgent intervention. In Australia, the trend is already well underway, with the birth rate plunging from 3.55 children per woman in 1960 to just 1.5 today - well below the level of 2.1 births per woman needed to sustain the nation's population of 27million. Dr von Hippel said low birth rates would inevitably drive governments to 'fight to let migrants in, not keep them out' to support an ageing population, workforce needs, and public services. 'If you look at the current population of the globe, it's meant to peak somewhere between 2070 and 2090, probably around eight billion and some change,' he told the Diary of a CEO podcast. 'And then it starts to go down, and then it may continue to go down forever.' Dr von Hippel said many Asian countries and half of western Europe had populations shrinking 'crazy fast' with Japan demolishing homes because there was nobody to buy them. That declining birth rate trend across rich, industrialised nations will propel them to outbid each other to lure migrant workers to live there. 'In 50 years, that argument is going to be how can we convince people of country X to come into our country because we're going to shrink and disappear,' he said. 'There are a lot of countries that are going to be literally half their size by the year 2100 because they're shrinking so fast.' Dr von Hippel said humans may start to have more children if robots take over some of the hard slog of parenting. Futurologist Rocky Scopelliti said in the future, nations won't fight wars over oil, they'll compete over nurses, engineers, and coders. 'Australia's fertility rate has dropped to 1.5, well below the replacement level of 2.1,' he said. 'This means fewer taxpayers, fewer workers, and a growing burden on a shrinking younger population to support an ageing one. 'By 2060, there will be just 2.7 working-age Australians for every person over 65, down from 7.4 in the 1970s. 'That spells serious strain on our healthcare, pensions, housing, and productivity.' Mr Scopelliti said as birth rates fell, a global talent war was brewing, with skilled migrants poised to become the world's most coveted asset. 'Australia can't assume it will stay on top,' he said. 'Canada has already outpaced us in attracting young, skilled migrants with streamlined visa processes and family-friendly resettlement policies. 'Australia must modernise its migration strategy, making it easier for workers, families, and students to stay long-term and integrate. 'If we hesitate, we'll lose out to more nimble nations.' Mr Scopelliti said countries such as Japan and South Korea were examples of what happens when demographic inertia sets in with fewer births, lower economic growth, and a struggle to fund basic services. 'Australia is not immune,' he said. 'We're at a pivotal crossroads. While slower population growth may benefit the planet in environmental terms, without strategic foresight, it could also lead to economic stagnation and declining innovation.' He said Australia has a unique opportunity with world-class education, political stability, lifestyle, and proximity to Asia. 'But we must improve liveability, housing affordability, and pathways to permanent residency,' he said. 'We need a bold migration brand strategy. 'If migrants are the gold of the 21st century, Australia must become the vault everyone wants to be in.' Outspoken billionaire Elon Musk has warned the world about declining birth and fertility rates. Musk, a father of 12, said the trend poses a significant risk to humanity. 'Population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilisation than global warming,' he said in 2022. Musk said: 'A lot of people are under the impression that the current number of humans is unsustainable on the planet. 'That is totally untrue. The population density is actually quite low.' Emeritus Professor of Demography Peter McDonald from the Australian National University in Canberra stated that there are several reasons why young Australian women are delaying having children, or not at all. 'Establishing themselves in career, younger people have been putting off life and settling down, by staying in education longer, by travelling and all of those things lead to things occurring later,' he said. The professor said governments could pull two policy levers to increase fertility rates. 'One is affordable housing, and the other is affordable childcare,' he said.
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Japanese PM's coalition loses majority in upper house election
Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition has failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election, NHK public television said. Mr Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito needed to win 50 seats on top of the 75 seats they already had to reach the goal. With two more seats to be decided, the coalition had only 46 seats. Advertisement The loss is another blow to Mr Ishiba's coalition, making it a minority in both houses following its October defeat in the lower house election, and worsening Japan's political instability. Voters fill in their ballots at a polling station in Tokyo (Eugene Hoshiko/AP) It was the first time the LDP had lost a majority in both houses of parliament since the party's foundation in 1955. Despite the loss, Mr Ishiba expressed determination to stay on to tackle challenges such as US tariff threats, but he could face calls from within his party to step down or find another coalition partner. 'I will fulfil my responsibility as head of the number one party and work for the country,' he said. Advertisement Mr Ishiba had set the bar low, wanting a simple majority of 125 seats, which meant his LDP and its Buddhist-backed junior coalition partner Komeito needed to win 50 to add to the 75 seats they already had. Mr Ishiba could face calls from within the LDP party to step down or find another coalition partner (Shuji Kajiyama, Pool/AP) Exit poll results released seconds after the ballots closed on Sunday night mostly showed a major setback for Mr Ishiba's coalition. The LDP alone won 38 seats, better than most exit poll projections of 32, and still the number one party in the parliament, known as the Diet. 'It's a tough situation. I take it humbly and sincerely,' Mr Ishiba told a live interview with NHK. Advertisement He said the poor showing was because his government's measures to combat price increases had yet to reach many people. Sunday's vote comes after Mr Ishiba's coalition lost a majority in the October lower house election (Eugene Hoshiko/AP) The poor performance in the election will not immediately trigger a change of government because the upper house lacks the power to file a no-confidence motion against a leader, but it will certainly deepen uncertainty over his fate and Japan's political stability. Mr Ishiba could face calls from within the LDP party to step down or find another coalition partner. Soaring prices, lagging incomes and burdensome social security payments are the top issues for frustrated, cash-strapped voters. Stricter measures targeting foreign residents and visitors also emerged as a key issue, with a surging right-wing populist party leading the campaign. Advertisement Sunday's vote comes after Mr Ishiba's coalition lost a majority in the October lower house election, stung by past corruption scandals, and his government has since been forced into making concessions to the opposition to get legislation through parliament. US president Donald Trump has added to the pressure, complaining about a lack of progress in trade negotiations (Alex Brandon/AP) It has been unable to quickly deliver effective measures to mitigate rising prices, including Japan's traditional staple of rice, and dwindling wages. US president Donald Trump has added to the pressure, complaining about a lack of progress in trade negotiations and the lack of sales of US vehicles and American-grown rice to Japan despite a shortfall in domestic stocks of the grain. A 25% tariff due to take effect on August 1 has been another blow for Mr Ishiba. Advertisement Mr Ishiba resisted any compromise before the election, but the prospect for a breakthrough after the election is just as unclear because the minority government would have difficulty forming a consensus with the opposition. Frustrated voters were rapidly turning to emerging populist parties. But the eight main opposition groups were too fractured to forge a common platform as a united front and gain voter support as a viable alternative.
