The Arab world has a new English-language daily newspaper. The National was launched on April 17 in Abu Dhabi , one of the six wealthy emirates that form the . “The role of The National,” writes Martin Newland, 46, the daily’s editor-in-chief, “is to reflect society, help that society evolve and, perhaps most importantly, promote the bedrock traditions and virtues that must be preserved even in times of change.”

Down the road in Dubai, the 7th Annual Arab Media Forum last week featured a scroll of speakers and themes focused on "Bridging Arab Media Through Technology," but also controversy as participants criticized the Arab League's latest suppression of nascent media freedoms throughout the Middle East--a media charter, signed by 20 of the league's 22 member nations, that gives regimes the power to shut down television stations or deny them access to satellites.

Read my full report on "The Media Landscape in the UAE."