Nexus - 1604 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

GLOBAL NEWS Scott S. Reuben, had faked data EUROPE'S AGE DEMOGRAPHICS used in the studies which were BEGIN TO BITE published Jin several lhe working-age population of the anaesthesiology journals between Teuropean Union (EU) will peak 1996 and 2008. next year before tipping into decline Dr Reuben, a spokesperson for for half a century. This will cause a Pfizer (which paid for fo th “ nis relentless rise in pension and health and Dr ) Administr: in IEDR costs that risk asphyxiating the an rug ministration ( ), region's economy, urging the agency not to restrict the use of many of the painkillers he A new report by the European studied, citing his own data on their Commission says t at this financla safet ‘and effectiveness. (FDA crisis could turn into a "permanent y : shock to growth" from which Europe analysts conservatively estimate never fully recovers unless it moves that Vioxx alone caused between y 88,000 and 139,000 heart attacks, 30 quickly to bring its public debts to 40 per cent of which were under control. . probably fatal, in the five years in Every EU country has a fertility which the drug was on the market.) rate below 2.1 births per woman, the The hospital has asked the Minimum to keep the population medical journals to retract the 21 Stable. The average is 1.51, chiefly studies, most of which reported caused by women waiting late into favourable results from the use of their 20s or 30s before having painkillers like Pfizer's Bextra® and children. This stretches out the Merck & Co.'s Vioxx—both since generations. The ageing crunch is withdrawn—as well as Pfizer's expected to hit hardest from 2015 to Celebrex and Lyrica®. 2035. Last month, the journal Anesthesia Britain is expected to fare & Analgesia retracted 10 of Dr _ relatively well, helped by immigrants Reuben's studies and posted a list and, some say, by its unwed teenage on its website of the 11 studies mothers who have lifted the fertility published elsewhere. The journal rate to 1.8. The British working-age Anesthesiology said it has retracted cohort will be the biggest of any EU three of Dr Reuben’s articles. country by mid-century at 45 (Source: The Wall Street Journal, 1 — million, followed closely by France. March 2009, http://tinyurl.com/agxoac) Germany's working population will [pid You BRING TE THis ot May BE goilé To PLAGUE. 4 — EUROPE'S AGE DEMOGRAPHICS BEGIN TO BITE lhe working-age population of the European Union (EU) will peak next year before tipping into decline for half a century. This will cause a relentless rise in pension and health costs that risk asphyxiating the region's economy. A new report by the European Commission says that this financial crisis could turn into a "permanent shock to growth" from which Europe never fully recovers unless it moves quickly to bring its public debts under control. shrink by 29 per cent to just 39 million, while Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and the Baltic states will all see drops of over 40 per cent. The EU "dependency ratio” will soar: there will be two workers to support each person over 65, compared to four today. (Source: The Telegraph, UK, 29 April 2009, http://tinyurl.com/dg6ddh) G20 BACKS GLOBAL CURRENCY Ihe world is a step closer to a global currency, backed by a global central bank running monetary policy for all humanity. A single clause in point 19 of the communiqué issued by the G20 eaders at the end of the Apri summit amounts to revolution in he global financial order. "We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which wil inject $250bn (£170bn) into the world economy and increase globa iquidity,” it said. SDRs are Special Drawing Rights, a synthetic paper currency issued by he International Monetary Fund (IMF) that has lain dormant for hal a century. In effect, the G20 leaders have activated the IMF's power to create money and begin globa "quantitative easing”. In doing so, they are putting a de facto world currency into play. It is outside the control of any sovereign body. (Source: The Telegraph, UK, 7 April 2009, http://tinyurl.com/dxbcn6. See Andrew Marshall's article, "The Financial New World Order", in this edition.) Every EU country has a fertility rate below 2.1 births per woman, the minimum to keep the population stable. The average is 1.51, chiefly caused by women waiting late into their 20s or 30s before having children. This stretches out the generations. The ageing crunch is expected to hit hardest from 2015 to 2035. Britain is expected to fare relatively well, helped by immigrants and, some say, by its unwed teenage mothers who have lifted the fertility rate to 1.8. The British working-age cohort will be the biggest of any EU country by mid-century at 45 million, followed closely by France. Germany's working population will US BLACK BUDGET GROWS TT Pentagon wants to spend just over US$50 billion on classified programs next year, according to newly released US _ Defense Department budget documents. "That's the largest-ever sum," says Aviation Week's Bill Sweetman, a long- time black-budget seer, and it's a three per cent increase over last year's total. It makes the Pentagon's secret Se , Strife 8 ¢ NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2009 www.nexusmagazine.com