WIRED Middle East

Water Risk

Iran Attacked Kuwait’s Desalination Infrastructure. How Resilient Is the Gulf’s Water Supply?

Kuwait’s damaged desalination facility has exposed one of the Gulf’s biggest and least discussed vulnerabilities.

By Dana Alomar

Digital Culture

Saudi Arabia’s World Cup Exit Became an Internet Block Party

Saudi Arabia's World Cup exit produced an unlikely internet phenomenon: more conversation, not less. The reason may say as much about the future of social media as it does about football fandom.

By Megan Tomos

Gear

How To Watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final in the Middle East

Here’s WIRED Middle East’s complete guide to watching the final weekend of the 2026 FIFA World Cup from the region.

By Megan Tomos

Movies and TV

The Odyssey Is Playing on 41 Perfect Screens, But None of Them Are in the Middle East

Christopher Nolan shot his Homer epic on a format so rare the projectors had to be rescued from storage. The Gulf didn’t get one – so what, exactly, are we missing?

By Megan Tomos

Security News

Six Everyday Online Habits That Could Violate UAE Cybercrime Laws

From Google reviews to WhatsApp forwards, the UAE's cybercrime laws cover far more than hacking and online scams.

By Omnia Al Desoukie

SPECIAL EDITION

THE 2026 WORLD CUP ISSUE

Business

Fintech

Tabby Taught You to Pay Later. Hosam Arab Says You Should Save Now

The launch of Tabby Cash sparked a conversation with cofounder Hosam Arab about credit, savings and financial stress.

By Dana Alomar

Big Tech

Microsoft Investigated Its Role in Gaza. Will Big Tech Follow?

As Microsoft publishes the findings of its human rights inquiry, other tech companies facing scrutiny over their work with Israel are being asked why they haven't done the same.

By Jumana Naim

Big Tech

OpenAI’s CEO of AGI Deployment, Fidji Simo, Is Stepping Down

The move comes after Simo took significant medical leave. She will stay on as a part-time adviser.

By Maxwell Zeff

Startups

Messi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. Mo Salah Is Playing a Different Game

Messi and Ronaldo are betting on AI, health tech and startups. Salah is taking a more traditional route beyond football.

By Omnia Al Desoukie

THE BIG STORY

The Big Story

This Social Media CEO is Sick of the Algorithm

Upscrolled’s founder Issam Hijazi says algorithms were built to make you addicted to social media platforms. Now he’s trying to build one without them.

By Carla Sertin

Security News

Hassan Akkad Released After Detention in Post-Assad Syria

By Dana Alomar

Invisibile Labour

Over 600,000 Syrian Refugees Have Left Lebanon. Nobody Knows the Economic Cost

By Yasmina El Zein

Digital Deen

Meet the Accidental Editor-in-Chief of Muslim Media

Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh was just trying to find an outlet for Muslim news. Now he has more than 12 million followers.

By Carla Sertin

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

Humane Tech

You Cannot Trust AI, Says Cisco's Global Innovation Officer

To benefit from AI, billions still need internet access, says Cisco’s Guy Diedrich – and humanity may matter more than ever.

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

Science

Health

We Tracked Everything Else. Now We're Tracking Our Blood.

Built for diabetes, glucose monitors are now a wellness accessory for healthy people too. But should they be?

By Megan Tomos

Health

Lionel Messi's Final World Cup–and the Death of Early Retirement

Messi was supposed to be done years ago. Now, sports science is helping football’s biggest stars rewrite the rules of ageing.

By Malak Saleh

Health

A Gout Drug Accidentally Revealed a Hidden Kidney Function

A recent study of gout medication opened up an as-yet-unknown secondary route for kidneys’ reabsorption mechanism that helps them to maintain the body’s fluid balance.

Science

Why Do Some Football Players Cut the Heels off Their Cleats?

The image of Pedro Neto’s cleats at the World Cup reignited a practice among some football players: modifying their cleats to relieve heel discomfort.

By Jorge Garay

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

Movies and TV

The 10 Best Movies To Stream This Month

Enola Holmes 3, Project Hail Mary and Avatar: Fire and Ash are the movies you should stream this month.

By Dana Alomar

Digital Culture

The UAE Just Banned Social Media for Under-15s. Do These Bans Actually Work?

The UAE is the latest country restricting children’s access to social media. Australia’s data suggests it’s not that simple.

By Megan Tomos

Culture

Why France vs Morocco’s World Cup Match Matters Beyond Football

As France and Morocco meet in the World Cup quarter-finals, the match carries questions of identity, migration and colonial history.

By Hajar Elkahlaoui

Digital Culture

Erling Haaland Is Everywhere at the World Cup. Most of It Is AI

Erling Haaland isn’t just a footballer any more. He’s become an internet character perpetuated by fans and AI.

By Megan Tomos

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 Attacked Kuwait’s Desalination Infrastructure. How Resilient Is the Gulf’s Water Supply?

Kuwait’s damaged desalination facility has exposed one of the Gulf’s biggest and least discussed vulnerabilities.

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

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

Here’s How Apple Is Updating Its Child Safety Features in iOS 27

Apple has announced several new child safety features coming soon to iPhones and other devices. Here’s what’s changing.

By Julian Chokkattu

Gear News

Anthropic Wants You To Pay up for Claude Fable 5

Claude subscribers must soon pay usage-based fees to access Anthropic’s best consumer AI model – a sign that the golden era of AI subscriptions is ending.

By Maxwell Zeff

Gear News

Oura’s New Ring 5 Is Smaller and Lighter – And Adds an AI Health Coach

It’s slimmer, lighter and more durable. But the real upgrade is Oura’s push into AI-powered health insights and proactive monitoring.

By Boutayna Chokrane

Gear News

Shut Those Laptops! Anthropic Puts Its Claude Cowork Agent on Your Phone

Claude Cowork now keeps working on tasks even after you close your laptop. It’s part of a larger push towards smartphone-controlled agents.

By Reece Rogers