Pakistan builds third nuclear reactor for bombs: report "Satellite images show work progressing rapidly at Khusab, 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Islamabad, where the other two reactors are sited, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said in a report." Nuclear war The headline implies a further levelling of the global playing field. Once it was the United States which held a monopoly on nuclear weapons. Although America still enjoys an overwhelming lead, other nations, such as Pakistan, are enhancing their capabilities. Since political power on the international level appears as increasingly segmented, nuclear weapons are likely to be employed by state and possibly non-state actors at some stage in the future, not least by the US itself, whose edge in conventional weaponry is gradually declining. See also: France Test Launches Sea-Based Strategic Missile

Toll rising from bullets that rain down on Rio "Businesses and schools in the line of fire have been shuttered. Thousands of children are staying home. Even air travel is affected — domestic jet routes were diverted from Rio's downtown airport when shooting flared up in a slum near Copacabana beach that the planes had to fly over." Internal disintegration Today's megacities in developing countires, such as Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City may be found to be ungovernable as we move towards a dark age. Meanwhile, expect security measures to be tightened continuously in western cities.

Indian Army Commissions BrahMos Cruise Missiles "BrahMos is designed to destroy surface targets flying at an altitude as low as 10 meters (30 feet) and at a speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the U.S.-made subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile." International disintegration Levelling the playing field. The days of effortless domination, when it was the Gatling gun against spears and blowpipes, are gone forever.

Scramjet hits Mach 10 over Australia "Aircraft flying at Mach 10 could cut travelling time between Sydney and London to as little as two hours." Innovation (failure) The news may remind us that over thirty years ago the Concorde was commissioned by Air France and British Airways. At that time, many were hoping that supersonic travel would soon become the norm.


Rate Rise Pushes Housing, Economy to `Blood Bath' "The national median home price is poised for its first annual decline since the Great Depression, and the supply of unsold homes is at a record 4.2 million, the National Association of Realtors reported." Intern(ation)al disorganisation ahead? It is impossible to foresee how many loops of organisation, i.e. economic relationships will eventually unravel due to the bursting of the "housing bubble". What seems reasonable to say from a long-term perspective is that the United States' economic potential of today can hardly compare with that of the 1950s and 60s. It looks as though the "booms" are less significant, in the sense that they do not result, in, say, higher salaries, longer holidays etc. for most ordinary people.

Police stations raided in Somalia...Curfew after Somali grenade blast African dark age

Swiss open world's longest land tunnel "The tunnel, which took eight years to build and cost 4.3 billion Swiss francs (US$3.5 billion; €2.6 billion), will trim the time trains need to cross between Germany and Italy from 3 1/2 hours to just under two." Pro-organisation Facilitating transport and travel in Europe.

Sanitation workers fight rising tide of trash "Across the capital, particularly west of the Tigris River, trash is piling. Trash collectors, most of whom are Shiite, refuse to work in the mainly Sunni areas of western Baghdad because of sectarian violence." Internal disintegration-disorganisation coupling Life getting worse in what was seen as an emergent nation 30 years ago.

Scrap metal thieves target churches "Thieves are stripping churches of valuable metals at the rate of more than one church a day to cash in on scrap prices kept high by heavy demand from China." Internal disintegration There is a strong aspect of discohesion to this news, too.

Guatemala mob kills suspected organ thieves "Lynch mobs have killed hundreds of people in the poor Central American country since 1996...Many experts blame the vigilante justice on exposure to violence during the war, combined with a lack of faith in the crumbling criminal justice system." Internal disintegration When people begin to take the law into their hands in a similar fashion in the wealthy nations of the West, one can be certain that the onset of the dark age proper lies not far ahead.

Robberies soar as Italy frees 15,000 inmates "The number of bank robberies has risen nationwide, official statistics say, including a staggering 102 per cent increase in Piedmont, in the north. There have also been marked increases in Veneto (85.1 per cent) and the Marche region (86.9 per cent),...When the amnesty was introduced, Italy's prison population was 62,000; its jails have a capacity of 45,000." Internal disintegration? Crime statistics are often unreliable; nevertheless, what can be said for many western countries is that prison populations have been on the rise for decades and that overcrowding has become the rule rather than the exception.

Drink and drugs fuel rise in teen sex disease "A report, published by the Government’s Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health, says that high rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are related to the culture of drinking and drug-taking among the young." An expression of internal discohesion It may appear paradoxical that the West's ageing societies exhibit an obsession with youthfulness as well as widespread contempt for the elderly. The advertising industry has recognised this and has succesfully managed to manipulate the thoughts, fears and desires of ordinary people to a considerable extent. In turn, the influence of the family and local community on the individual's behaviour has declined. Youngsters are being left to their own devices, adrift and bewildered and without an idea of what their role in society is. It is clear that in every epoch there are advantages and drawbacks. We are not advocating a return to the Victorian age, where the individual was often crushed in order to prepare him/her for his duties in his/her respective class. The question we are interested in is: How will our highly individualist, atomised societies react to a sudden and severe shock in the guise of an economic depression, macro-war etc.?

Economists attack Iran policies "Inflation is said to be at unprecedented levels and that is visible in the shops where many housewives can no longer afford meat or fruit." Internal disorganisation Iran is in for a major political crisis, possibly leading to the expression of secessionist desires in parts of the country. The prediction is based on the observation that the number of political units and borders has increased over the last few decades.

Nine killed by gunmen in Pakistan...Bomb explodes on Philippine bus...Seven troops die in Thai bombing Internal disintegration low intensity conflict has become common in many threshold countries since the end of WW II. It is difficult to view these societies - despite their young populations - as pillars of stability in the foreseeable future and as bastions against a possible dark age.

Cheap alcohol wiping out Russians "The research suggests that despite Russia's economic resurgence in the past decade, it still faces social and health problems, especially in provincial areas." Internal disorganisation The economic reality beyond that of the Moscow stock market, where the success of the oil and gas magnates and weapons manufacturers are depicted, looks bleak. Russia still belongs to the first class carriages in the train heading towards a dark age.

Home of the autobahn losing car buyers "The average age of a car registered in Germany is eight years, the highest since the Association of German Automakers began statistics." Innovation failure You do not have to be a member of some automobile lobby to argue that this trend may be taken as a rough indication of overall societal stagnation. It would be a different matter if Germans were beginning to zip around in hyper-modern, cheap aircraft which would be making cars redundant. Obviously, that's not what's happening.