1.   Capellas said the original layoff projections took into account eliminating redundancies between the two companies and an ongoing economic slump.

2.   The U.N. projections take into account economic gains as well as lower mortality and fertility rates.

3.   But it warned that its projections took for granted victory in US court battles over challenges to its patents on key antibiotic and anti-depressant drugs.

4.   The projections took into account the expected effect of high-speed trains and video conferencing, which were increasingly squeezing demand for air travel.