Wednesday 11 March 2026 When missiles fall, geography matters. So do expectations. So does preparation. The recent Iranian bombardment of targets across the Gulf — including reported strikes or attempted strikes in and around Dubai — has produced a torrent of images: shaken skyscrapers, disrupted flights, foreign residents crowding into hotel basements, influencers broadcasting from dimly lit corridors as sirens wail over the desert. For many in the Gulf this is the first exp

Wednesday 11 March 2026 There is a particular illusion, fostered by cinema and sometimes by bravado, that driving in a war zone is a matter of speed and courage alone — foot hard to the floor, engine screaming, the road a blur between incoming rounds. In truth contemporary conflict has rendered that mythology obsolete. Modern war zones are not defined only by artillery and ambush, but by drones, electronic surveillance, precision munitions and ubiquitous digital traceability.

Wednesday 11 March 2026 The narrow waters of the Strait of Hormuz have long been one of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical fault lines. In the present Middle Eastern war they are once again assuming the character of a decisive battlefield. Although the conflict between Iran and the United States together with Israel has so far been fought largely through air strikes, missile exchanges and proxy warfare, the struggle for control of this maritime chokepoint may soon become

By Matthew Parish Wednesday 11 March 2026 Large language models are frequently described as though they were mysterious black boxes, capable of producing essays, legal memoranda or software code without any clear explanation of how their apparent knowledge is organised. In reality their learning and refinement follow processes that resemble, in an abstract way, familiar educational methods used for human students. They are trained through vast quantities of text, but they are