Charlotte Hocquet

Earlier this month, Ed Sheeran dropped his new single ‘Azizam’, Persian for ‘my darling’. The song already features Iranian melodies, instruments, and vocals from Iranian pop legends like Arash and Andy. Ed Sheeran also said that a full Farsi version of Azizam is even on the way. This might’ve surprised some listeners, but for many Iranians, it felt like a breakthrough.c

A Dutch modest fashion brand launched a Ramadan campaign featuring the Eiffel Tower in a hijab, while Pakistan International Airlines promoted flights to Paris—both sparking discussions about secularism, marketing, and perception.

Were these just creative ads, or did they unintentionally touch on deeper tensions?

Last week, the V&A Museum hosted a special Open Iftar, bringing together people of all faiths and backgrounds to mark Ramadan in one of London’s most historic spaces.

Organised by the Ramadan Tent Project, this iftar was part of the Ramadan Festival, which celebrates connection and community during the holy month.

As the call to prayer echoed through the museum, guests broke their fast with dates before gathering for a shared meal. Events like these highlight the diverse traditions that shape Britain today, creating space for understanding and reflection.

13 years after Marie Colvin was killed in Syria, her reporting still shapes how we understand war. With the Assad regime now fallen, her work in exposing its brutal tactics remains a key part of the story.

The rise of artificial intelligence in recent years has transformed the way we access information, with large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the newer Chinese model, DeepSeek, shaping online discourse.

But despite being marketed as impartial, these AI tools often reflect the biases of the companies behind them—whether political, social, or economic.

To put this to the test, we have asked both ChatGPT and DeepSeek a series of political questions, covering issues from Gaza and Palestine to China’s treatment of the Uyghurs.