The decision, which came into force on 1 September, could also be motivated by the fact that the majority of residents are non Muslim. But official data is lacking about this country with a frenetic growth pace, which is fast becoming the commercial hub of the entire Arab world.
Capital movements due to fears over a possible US-Iran war, financial speculation or market meltdown are driving crude prices upward.
Current oil output should translate into lower oil prices and enable Iran to build conventional oil-burning plants, not nuclear plants. Its nuclear programme is really meant to give its leaders a nuclear card against Israel.
China's size but also Beijing's inaccurate statistical data explain today's news reports about a richer China.
For Archbishop Louis Sako, things are certainly better than during Saddam's times and, where there's safety, there's reconstruction. Christians, who are generally better off, are not persecuted "as a group", but are associated by some with the Americans.
Texas court to decide whether it has jurisdiction or not
Whilst sales in Europe are expected to grow by 1-2 per cent, in Asia they should leap by up to 16 per cent: a sign of optimism and widespread wealth?
Going beyond the triumphant slogans of environmentalists, today's decision carries the risk of encouraging pollution-intense production to move to India and China. Lomborg, former ecologist, proposes that "scant climatic benefits" be sacrificed to guaranteeing drinking water, hygienic services, medical care and education to all the world's population.
China's low energy efficiency means that for every cent added to the price of oil, China's production costs rise three times more than those of the US. Saudi and Iranian interests diverge.
An end to Chinese export quotas will have negative repercussions on the world's major garment manufacturers, starting with those in Asia.
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