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(CNN)Last month the United Arab Emirates announced it would ease restrictions on foreign business ownership and residency rights in a move to increase investment and attract fresh talent. The changes -- expected to be implemented by the end of the year -- will allow full foreign control of businesses outside of economic free zones and long-term residency visas of up to 10 years for skilled professionals and students. In 2016, Bahrain allowed 100% ownership to certain foreign companies, and in 2017 Saudi Arabia announced a plan for a green card-like program for expatriates and Qatar approved a law granting permanent residency to some skilled workers. "The region is competitive, you need to stay ahead and move with the times," says Tim Fox, chief economist at Emirates NBD, one of the largest banks in the region.

LONDON/ST. PETERSBURG: The World Cup is supposed to bring people together - but for one Qatar-owned broadcaster, it has become a game of political point-scoring, critics say.  BeIN Sport, which owns the rights to broadcast the tournament games in the Middle East and North Africa, has been accused of infringing broadcasting standards by “politicizing” coverage of the football tournament. It has led legal experts to claim that FIFA should launch an investigation into why the broadcaster brought politics into play during coverage of World Cup games. Other commentators have also pointed out that - as with the Al Jazeera news channel - BeIN takes a wildly different political stance on its Arabic and

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The US State Department warned Americans on Friday that terrorists may target World Cup venues in Russia, which is hosting the month-long soccer tournament, but it did not point to any specific threat. "Large-scale international events such as the World Cup present an attractive target for terrorists," the department said in a travel advisory. "Although security for the World Cup will be extensive, terrorists may seek to attack event locations such as stadiums and Fan Fest viewing areas, tourist sites, transportation hubs, and other public venues," it said. As with previous advisories, the State Department urged Americans to reconsider travel to Russia in general due to the threat of terrorism, and because of possible harassment and extortion from law enforcement and other officials.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai has offered his condolences on the death of four UAE servicemen, who died while performing duties as part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition's 'Operation Restoring Hope' in Yemen. Sheikh Hamdan offered condolences today during his visits to the families of martyr Khalifa Saif Saeed Al Khatri in Ras Al Khaimah; martyr 1st Warrant Officer Ali Mohammed Rashid Al Hassani in Al Ain; martyr 1st Corporal Obaid Hamdan Saeed Al Abdouli and Martyr Sergeant Khamis Abdullah Al Zeyoudi in Fujairah.

A 15-year-old boy has surprised doctors by contracting cowpox, a historical disease now so rare it has not been seen in Wales for more than a decade. The teenager, who lives on the Wrexham-Cheshire border, developed lesions on his hands after feeding calves. Public Health Wales said the last reported human case in Wales was some 10 to 15 years ago. Cowpox was more common in the 18th Century when milking maids often caught it. The virus, which is not contagious from person to person, has all but disappeared because industrial farming methods mean less people milk cows by hand. Now it is very rare in both humans and animals, according to Public Health Wales, with feral cats most likely to catch

Our selection of some of the most striking news photographs taken around the world this week.