WIRED Middle East

Gear News
The Tech Behind Dubai’s Crackdown on Loud, Illegally Modified Cars
Smart noise-detection radars are being rolled out across Dubai to identify vehicles that exceed sound limits.

Buying Guides
Emergency Tech Preparedness: 11 Gadgets to Keep in a Go Bag
In modern emergencies, staying connected can be just as critical as food or water. Here are 11 compact devices that can keep power, communication and information flowing when systems break down.

Environment
Kuwait Monitors Radiation Levels as Israeli Strikes Hit Iran Energy Sites
As strikes hit energy and nuclear-linked infrastructure across the region, Kuwait’s environmental sensor network is constantly scanning the air, water and sea for signs of contamination.

Logistics and Transportation
The Iran War Is Throwing Global Shipping Into Chaos
The war with Iran is throwing global shipping routes into chaos, forcing cargo companies to reroute vessels and abandon ports across the Middle East.

Security News
Lebanese Residents Are Getting Fake Evacuation Calls From Spoofed Numbers
Cyber experts have warned of psychological warfare after Lebanese residents received automated evacuation notices over the phone.
Security

Cyberattacks and Hacks
How Handala Became the Face of Iran’s Hacker Counterattacks
Amid a paralysing breach of medical tech firm Stryker, the group has come to represent Iran’s use of “hacktivism” as cover for chaotic, retaliatory state-sponsored cyberattacks.

Big Tech
Iran Warns US Tech Firms Could Become Targets as War Expands
Companies including Google, Microsoft and Palantir were listed as targets by Iranian media as the conflict with Israel and the US spills into digital infrastructure
Computers and Software
GPS Is the New Battlefield: Why Your Maps Aren’t Working
It’s not just you – delivery apps are glitching and navigation routes are changing abruptly across the GCC, thanks to electronic warfare disrupting the satellite signals that power everything from missiles to your ride home.
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Health
Evidence That Israel Used White Phosphorus Over South Lebanon, HRW Says
Investigators say Israeli artillery shells burst over the town of Yohmor, scattering burning fragments capable of igniting homes and harming civilians.
The Big Story
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The Big Story
Meet The Music Streaming CEO Who Built a Global War Map
Frustrated by fragmented war news, Anghami's Elie Habib built World Monitor, an open-source platform that fuses global data streams, like aircraft signals and satellite detections, to track conflicts as they unfold.

The Big Story
This Startup Wants To Backup Life On Earth Before It's Too Late
Colossal Biosciences wants to freeze DNA from endangered species before they disappear. Its first BioVault, built in Dubai, could test whether the same technologies behind de-extinction might also help protect life that still exists.
The Big Story
Saudi Arabia’s Giga Projects Are Entering Their Reality Check
With construction falling behind schedule, funding squeezed and expectations being recalibrated, the future of Saudi Arabia’s giga projects is increasingly uncertain.

The Big Story
How Starlink Broke Iran’s Internet Blackout
During Iran’s most comprehensive shutdown yet, thousands of illegal satellite terminals kept footage flowing — and exposed how fragile the regime’s “national internet” really is.

The Big Story
Crypto in the Grey Zones of North Africa
Under strict financial controls and unclear regulation, Tunisians are using stablecoins to build a shadow financial system that works, even when the official one doesn’t.
Business

Big Tech
Nvidia Is Planning to Launch an Open-Source AI Agent Platform
Ahead of its annual developer conference, Nvidia is readying a new approach to software that embraces AI agents similar to OpenClaw.

Web 3
Iran’s Crypto Sector Was a Lifeline Through Sanctions. War Could Shut It Down
Cheap electricity turned Iran into an unlikely crypto mining hub. Now military strikes could threaten the power grid that powers it.

Business
Here’s Every Country Directly Impacted by the War on Iran
As the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate, more than a dozen countries in the region have reportedly been affected by airstrikes.

Artificial Intelligence
US-Israel War On Iran Puts Global Chip Supply and AI Expansion at Risk
From helium extraction in Qatar to shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, the semiconductor industry depends on fragile links across the Gulf, raising fears that escalation could ripple through global chip production.
CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER
- Logistics and Transportation
Inside Morocco's Push for Digital Sovereignty
Three startups are rewiring the structures that govern how things are done - Startups
Inside the Startups Rebuilding Everyday Systems in Yemen
In the absence of stable infrastructure, Yemeni entrepreneurs are inventing new ways to power homes, move goods and reconnect global markets. - Startups
Clean Tech Is Quietly Taking Shape in Kuwait
Kuwait’s start-up ecosystem is growing, and some founders are building climate-adjacent businesses designed to fix structural gaps in energy, logistics and food. - Startups
Tunisia’s Start-Up Boom Started With One Exit
BioNTech’s acquisition of InstaDeep was a signal moment – Tunisia’s founders are trying to turn it into a repeatable model. - Startups
Inside Oman’s Quietly Evolving Startup Landscape
In a market shaped by energy, infrastructure and tradition, Omani founders are building companies designed for local realities rather than imported tech models. - Startups
Three Startups Rise Above Crisis to Transform Lebanon’s Economy
Financial independence, energy efficiency and affordable digital security are offering avenues of safety and self-reliance to the people of Lebanon. - Computers and Software
Iraq’s Startups Aren’t Disrupting. They’re Rebuilding
From Mosul’s agritech experiments to Baghdad’s digital health records, founders are stitching together the basic systems Iraq’s economy has long been missing — one clinic and farm at a time. - Environment
Bahrain’s Tech Boom Is Built on Water, Waste and Words
Estedara, Lalaplast and DOO are tackling the Kingdom’s everyday realities — producing water from air, compostable packaging, and AI trained to speak the region’s language. - Computers and Software
How Jordan Is Reworking Water From the Inside
In one of the driest countries on Earth, local startups are building tools that work inside pipes, fields and everyday systems to change how water flows through daily life. - Artificial Intelligence
Palestinian Startups Are Rebuilding an Economy Under Siege
In fraught circumstances beyond their control, three Palestinian startups are leveraging technology to empower their people. - Artificial Intelligence
The UAE’s Start-Ups Are Moving Beyond Hype – and Into Hard Tech
A smart contact lens, AI-powered ecosystem restoration and biotech that turns food waste into fuel—these UAE start-ups show how innovation is shifting from apps to infrastructure. - Startups
Saudi Arabia’s Next Start-Up Wave Is Split Between Compute and Circularity
From a PIF-backed AI platform to KAUST-born climate start-ups, these companies show how the Kingdom is trying to turn innovation into infrastructure. - Startups
Egypt’s AI Boom Is Being Built for Museums, Dialects, and Data Centres
From translating hieroglyphics to building Arabic voice agents and AI chips, Egypt’s start-ups are shaping tools that only make sense at home — and that’s exactly why they might scale. - Startups
Qatar’s Startup Playbook: Fix the System, Then Scale
From data-backed sports consultancy to sustainable packaging and patient coordination, Qatar’s start-ups are turning digital transformation into practical systems people can feel.
Science
Health
Oil Fires Burn Out, But Their Health Effects Can Last for A Lifetime
Strikes on oil infrastructure across the Middle East are sending toxic smoke into the air. Scientists say the health effects of large oil fires can linger for years.
Psychology and Neuroscience
Why War Makes the Everyday Noises Harder To Ignore
Scientists explain how prolonged stress rewires the brain’s threat-detection system – and why ordinary noise can suddenly feel alarming.
Health
Microplastics May Be Disrupting the Body’s Immune System
New research reveals how microscopic plastic particles build up inside the body’s “cleaner” cells, disrupting a key biological process that helps prevent inflammation and disease.

Science
Why Smoke From Iran’s Burning Refineries Is More Dangerous Than Urban Smog
Attacks on Iran’s fuel infrastructure are raising urgent questions about toxic smoke, air pollution and whether refinery fires can affect regions far beyond blast zones.
Culture

Culture
Grammarly Is Offering ‘Expert’ AI Reviews From Your Favourite Authors – Dead or Alive
The tool, offered by the recently rebranded company Superhuman, gives feedback based on the work of famous dead and living writers – without their permission.
Digital Culture
Why Missile Alerts and War Updates Trigger Doomscrolling
War alerts, breaking updates and algorithmic feeds are combining to trap users in a loop of threat monitoring.

Video Games
The Digital World Cup War: How 2026 Changed the Game Forever
The 48-team World Cup is not the only historic event this year. Four titans are vying for control of virtual soccer in the fiercest battle the gaming industry has ever seen.

Digital Culture
The Piracy Problem Streaming Platforms Can’t Solve
Licensing gaps, sanctions, fragile banking systems and high prices mean that for many viewers in the region, accessing films and television often happens outside official platforms.
Gear
Gear
Why Your Phone Battery Dies Faster During a Crisis
Weak signal strength, network congestion and GPS interference can force smartphones to work harder behind the scenes, draining battery during crises.

Buying Guides
Ramadan Rewires Your Routine. These 5 Gadgets Help You Adapt
From sleep-tracking rings to smart tasbih counters, a new generation of technology is helping Muslims manage the disrupted rhythms of Ramadan – from suhoor wake-ups to late-night hydration.

Reviews
This AI Notetaker Could Make Meetings Useful Again
The Plaud Pro is sleek, portable, and a work in progress – in time, it could become a useful companion to professionals.

Gear News
This Home Robot Clears Tables and Loads the Dishwasher All by Itself
Sunday Robotics has a new way to train robots to do common household tasks. The startup plans to put its fully autonomous robots in homes next year.

