WIRED Middle East
SPECIAL EDITION
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Business
Artificial Intelligence
The Trump Administration Is Lifting Its Export Controls on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable AI Models
The White House is easing restrictions on Anthropic’s most advanced AI models weeks after ordering the company to suspend access for foreign nationals.
By Hugo Lowell
Business
FIFA’s New Hydration Breaks Are About More Than Water
FIFA says hydration breaks protect players from heat. Critics say they also create football’s first guaranteed commercial breaks.
By Malak Saleh
Big Tech
Here’s How to Opt Out of Google Search’s New AI Data Training Feature
Google’s Search history update stores media uploads from your interactions, like images used in reverse image searches, for training its AI models.
By Reece Rogers
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Business
Meta’s Very Own Smart Glasses Go on Sale for $299
The new Meta-branded glasses have the same camera, microphones and chatbot as the Ray-Bans. They come in three styles, one of which was codesigned with Kylie Jenner.
By Julian Chokkattu
THE BIG STORY
Invisibile Labour
Over 600,000 Syrian Refugees Have Left Lebanon. Nobody Knows the Economic Cost
Lebanon can estimate how many refugees are leaving. It cannot accurately measure what their departure means for its economy.
By Yasmina El Zein
Security News
Hassan Akkad Released After Detention in Post-Assad Syria
Hassan Akkad, once jailed by Assad, returns home only to face detention again over a viral campaign demanding accountability.
By Dana Alomar
THE LAUNCH ISSUE
Our First Print Issue Is Here. It's About the Future, And Who Gets To Shape It
In the AI era, being connected is more crucial (and complicated) than ever before.
By Carla Sertin
GETTING HANDSY
I’ve Covered Robots for Years. This One Is Different
From sorting chicken nuggets to screwing in light bulbs, Eka’s robotic claw feels like we’re approaching a ChatGPT moment for the physical world.
By Will Knight
SILENT DAMAGE
Black Rain Fell on Tehran. Then the Real Damage Began.
From toxic smoke and oil spills to rising emissions, poisoned soil and damaged ecosystems, war can reshape the environment long after the fighting stops.
By Chris Hamill-Stewart and Ruchi Kumar
Science
Environment
Heatwave in Europe Causes More Than 1,300 Deaths in a Single Week
Climate change and rising temperatures characterised a deadly first week of summer across Europe – the fastest-warming continent in the world.
By Javier Carbajal
Space
ESA’s Euclid Space Telescope the Most Detailed Image of the Centre of the Milky Way
The most detailed image ever taken of the crowded galactic bulge opens doors for a variety of scientific applications – from measuring as-yet-undiscovered exoplanets to stellar motions and dust within the galaxy.
By Marta Musso
Environment
Colossal and the US Government Are Creating an Endangered Species “BioVault”
The move comes as the Trump administration is trying to weaken the act that’s meant to protect endangered species from going extinct in the first place.
By Emily Mullin
Environment
London Climate Action Week Foiled by Climate Change
As record-breaking heat crushes Europe, organisers are moving events online to avoid exposing people to dangerously high temperatures.
By Isabella Ward
Security
Security News
The UK Just Lost Its Sixth Prime Minister of the Decade
Keir Starmer’s resignation on Monday morning paves the way for yet another leadership battle.
By Isabella Ward
Security
OpenAI Launches Full-Scale Effort To Patch Open-Source Bugs as It Takes on Anthropic’s Mythos
Amid concerns about AI models’ cybersecurity capabilities, OpenAI revealed an improved version of GPT-5.5-Cyber and its “Patch the Planet” initiative to fix open-source software bugs.
By Lily Hay Newman
Security News
The UAE Is Banning Children Under 15 From Social Media
The UAE has banned children under 15 from social media, forcing platforms to verify users’ ages and strengthen safeguards.
By Dana Alomar
Cyberattacks and Hacks
World Cup Scams Are Getting Smarter. How Do You Know What’s Real?
From fake tickets to cloned websites, AI is magnifying World Cup scams. Can fans distinguish between what’s real and what’s not?
By Jumana Naim
Culture
Culture
Egypt vs Iran at the World Cup: A Century of History on One Pitch
For these countries, football is more than a game. As the two nations meet in a decisive World Cup clash, we explore why this fixture carries the weight of history, identity and collective pride.
By Donia Ismail
Culture
Here's Where Every Arab Nation Stands at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Eight Arab teams qualified in a historic turn of events at the 2026 World Cup. Here's your update on how they're doing
By Hajar Elkahlaoui
Video Games
After More Than a Decade of Waiting, GTA VI Is Finally Around the Corner
The world's biggest game is finally here–but in the Gulf, questions remain over where GTA VI will actually be available.
By Boone Ashworth
Movies and TV
A24 Knows You’re Mad About the Google AI Collab
Indie movie fans are upset about Google DeepMind’s $75 million investment in the studio, which comes as AI companies are deepening their influence in Hollywood.
By John Semley
The Iran War
Logistics and Transportation
The Strait of Hormuz Has Been Closed for 100 Days. Why Isn’t Oil Higher?
President Trump says a secret mission moved 100 million barrels of oil through the blocked Strait of Hormuz. That number is impossible to verify.
By Carla Sertin
Water Risk
Iran Reports Attack on Water Facilities. How Resilient Is the Gulf's Desalination System?
The Gulf’s water system is built with layers of backup, but it relies on continuous operation to hold.
By Dana Alomar
Logistics and Transportation
Iran Says the Strait of Hormuz Is Closed. US Says Otherwise. What’s Happening?
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most sensitive pressure points in the global economy.
By Carla Sertin
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Security
Is the Iran-Israel War Over? What Does A Ceasefire Actually Mean?
Most people think a ceasefire ends a war. History, law and decades of conflict suggest otherwise.
By Megan Tomos
Gear
How To and Advice
Your Whatsapp Username Might Already Be Taken: Here’s How To Reserve It
WhatsApp is the de facto messaging app in the region, so you might want to snag your username now to stop giving out your phone number.
By Reece Rogers
Gear News
Apple Raised Their Prices Because of AI – These Are the Products Affected
Apple raised prices across its Mac and iPad line-up overnight, and it’s all because of AI. This is how much their products cost in the UAE now.
By Carla Sertin
Buying Guides
The Best Prime Day Deals On Gaming Gear in the UAE
It is 43 degrees outside and the PlayStation is calling. Here’s everything worth buying for a gaming station upgrade.
By Megan Tomos
Gear
How Qatar Became FIFA’s Technology Test Lab
Qatar has become the place where FIFA experiments with the next generation of football technology.
By Rim Zrein