A letter to our readers in Abu Dhabi and beyond

From today, Gulf News is doing something we have wanted to do for a long time: bringing Abu Dhabi even closer to the heart of how we cover the UAE.

We have covered the emirate since Gulf News was launched in 1978, recording its incredible transformation into an international cultural capital. But we know we need to do more.

Every Monday to Friday, a dedicated Abu Dhabi section will now appear inside the Gulf News newspaper, alongside expanded coverage online in a dedicated Abu Dhabi section and across our social media platforms. We are also launching a new Abu Dhabi Edit newsletter, which you can sign up for today.

This is all being made possible by the opening of a new and modern Gulf News office in the heart of Abu Dhabi, with more than ten journalists and members of staff working from the capital every day.

Read and watch an exclusive interview with Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi here.

This is not a small step. Abu Dhabi is the seat of the UAE's government, the engine of much of its economic diversification, and increasingly a global centre for culture, sport, sustainability and innovation.

The stories that shape the emirate deserve reporters who are there, in the room, asking questions in real time, not filing from a distance.

For our readers in Abu Dhabi, this means faster, deeper and more relevant coverage told by journalists who know the emirate because they are part of it.

For Abu Dhabi itself, it means a stronger, more consistent record of its own progress, and one read not only across the capital, but by the millions who follow Gulf News across the UAE and the rest of the world every day.

For those who live across the other emirates, it's an opportunity to see how our nation's capital is developing while highlighting the incredible attractions and events that bring people in from across the globe.

We firmly believe great journalism is built on trust, but it is also built on proximity: to the people, the places and the institutions. When so many people report on the UAE from the outside, we can tell the real story as we are right here on the ground.

This expansion is our commitment to that principle, and to Abu Dhabi. We look forward to telling its story, every day, from the inside.

— The Gulf News Team