The Middle East

With foreign workers long constituting a majority of the population in Qatar, snags in the labour market have often developed an international dimension to them. Nowadays too, the labour market is going through a period of important change. Some overseas suppliers of skilled and non-skilled workers have been tightening up on their expatriate numbers, while foreign workers already in Qatar are becoming more organised. At the same time, some companies are beginning to see overseas workers as not just a source of cheap labour, but as a useful market for their products.

Even the most enthusiastic of risk-takers wavers at the prospect of doing business in a war zone - and these days, Turkey is feeling this reluctance particularly keenly. Following the kidnapping and murder of several Turkish truck drivers by insurgents in neighbouring Iraq, it came as little surprise when Turkey's transporters' association decided at the beginning of this month to suspend the delivery of goods to US forces stationed there.

Executives in Turkey's tourism sector are likely to have a spring in their step these days. Figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for July have put the country on course for a record-breaking year thanks to an insatiable inflow of foreigners. However, while some analysts argue that Turkey has yet to realise its full potential as a tourist magnet, translating potential into reality can be a tricky and costly task.

News that Qatar is to have a new body to oversee the development of its IT sector was broadly welcomed by industry insiders this week, adding to other good news for the country's internet and telecoms sectors. With IT expanding at a rapid rate of knots, Qataris are now positioning themselves well to take advantage of regional developments, too.

Turkish economists can afford a smile or two these days, particularly after last week's meeting of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave the country a qualified thumbs up. Turkey is making good progress under its IMF stand-by arrangement, triggering the release of another $661m loan package. However, while a positive development, this move still highlights the need to address a number of domestic problem areas.

Turkish rail authorities have endured a barrage of criticism over the past few days, after a high-speed train hurtled off its tracks last week, leaving 37 dead. Two further railway disasters then followed, with collisions between trains, a minibus and a car. Now, with the condition of the rail system under great public scrutiny, many onlookers are wondering to what extent the accident reflects the more general state of Turkey's transport infrastructure.