Monday 25th May 2026

News

New College JCR President loses no-confidence motion four weeks before end of term

President of New College JCR Harry Aldridge was removed from office late last night in a motion of no-confidence.

Sheldonian Series concludes for academic year with panel on the power of satire

The 2025-2026 Sheldonian Series ended on Wednesday 20th May with a panel discussion on the power, use, and limits of political satire. Held in the Sheldonian Theatre, the event brought together leading figures from British comedy and public commentary to reflect on satire’s role in the current political moment.

Oxford study warns ‘friendly’ AI chatbots are more likely to mislead users

AI models trained to seem warm and empathetic make significantly more errors, and are far more likely to agree with users even when they're wrong, according to new research published in Nature by Oxford Internet Institute (OII) researchers Lujain Ibrahim and Luc Rocher.

Oxford SU to hold referendum on NUS membership

At a Conference of Commons Room (CCR) vote concluding on 20th May, JCR and MCR presidents voted to hold a referendum on the Student Union’s (SU) membership of the National Union of Students (NUS).

New Warden for Wadham

The Natural History Museum’s director, Sir Neil Chalmers, is to become the next warden of Wadham College. Wadham made the announcement following the news...

Wanks, but No Wanks

Indecent exposure was reported last week, when a female student at Lady Margaret Hall was left disturbed by a pervert early on May morning....

Rebel’s Talk

A Rebel Labour MP is set to speak in Oxford on 16 May at the Town Hall, writes Hoda Mahmoud, in a discussion on...

Golden Letter

A Somerville student won a gold award at the British Council’s first International Student Awards, writes Katherine Pateman. Yimon Aye, who is reading chemistry,...

Brotherly Love

A 22-year old medical student has been arrested for attempting to sit his sister’s junior college science paper. Dasart Suresh put on a wig...

Beaver Porn

Police are investigating claims that a porn film was shot in a hall of residence, after the janitor reported seeing camera crews and naked...

Richest Student

Gunn-Britt Marklund was checking her bank balance over the internet to see whether her loan had come through, when she discovered a clerical error...

Going Back to the Classics

This week visual arts in Oxford was nowhere near boiling-point. The new exhibitions in the Ashmolean such as Spectacular Impressions and An Englishman’s Travels...

John Evelyn

It came as some surprise to Evelyn to learn this week that a stalwart of good manners and solid behaviour, Union Treasurer Huw ‘Hugsy’...

On the Town

I’m on the town every night. If you see me, wave. I’ll be at the back, fast-forwarding through a cheap imported Mexican video showing...

Three is a Magic Number

In Martin Amis’ autobiography Experience, Dad Kingsley (for it is he) memorably describes Terminator 2 as a “flawless masterpiece.” With accolades like that from...

The Forgotten Paradise

It was a moonless night in early September in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil. I had spent the last two days on crowded but...

Pub: The Grapes, George Street

Most of the really great pubs in Oxford are something of a hike from the centre of town, but The Grapes is a gem...

Food Ma Belle

Entertaining one’s grandparents is always tricky. So much must be borne in mind: will the place serve sherry at Granny’s preferred lukewarm temperature? Can...

Peter Harness and the ‘cunningly structured’ Mongoose

Peter Harness isn’t brooding. He doesn’t have furious, intense eyes and he smiles a lot. I mention this because the Harness I have in...

Word on the Street

Eva, 26, sells the Big Issue on Broad Street and lives in a tent just outside Oxford.“I come from the south of Spain and...

X Marks the Spot a Second Time

The ‘X-Men’ comic books and cartoon series have attracted a fierce loyalty from fans since its genesis in the 60s. The first X-Men was...

Clooney’s Big Clanger

Welcome to Collinwood is to Ocean’s Eleven what Danni Minogue is to Kylie: a less fashionable little sister. Sharing producers (George Clooney and Steve...

Fine and Dandy

The Dandy Warhols are a band emblematic of student cynic chic: their we-take-drugs lyrics on Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia evoked a supremely stylish...

International Rescue

The New Noakes International, fronted by Pete Oxley, played the Wheatsheaf to promote their latest album Blue In Black and White. New Noakes comprise...

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