TRIPOLI: As economic barriers fall between Libya and the West, a boom-town atmosphere fed by the novelty of consumer culture has gripped its capital Tripoli.

AL-QUDS PLANT: For many Iraqis, progress in rebuilding a nation reduced to rubble by years of war and destruction is measured by the flick of a switch.

TOKYO: Japanese office worker Satoshi Tada pays for shopping, wins free food and gets store discounts all by waving his cellphone.

TEHRAN: Sebastian Straten is going against the flow. As some Western corporations pack up and mothball projects in Iran under pressure of sanctions, the entrepreneurial Dutchman is preparing for the day when tourists flock to the Islamic state.