The Church of England has defended a tweet it posted offering “prayers for Prof Dawkins and his family” after Dawkins suffered a stroke. The post was retweeted, as thousands of Christians adopted the hashtag #PrayForDawkins.

Others, however, argued that the Church of England showed a lack of respect by offering prayers to Dawkins, who has spent his life campaigning against religion.

The Communication Director of the Church of England issued a statement responding to allegations from former politician Nikki Sinclaire that its comments were “ignorant and sarcastic” and that the tweet was a form of “trolling”.

Rev Arun Arora responded that “many recognized the tweet for what it was, a genuine tweet offering a prayer for a public person who was unwell”. Arguing that critics had misunderstood the purpose of the prayer, he wrote, “Some of the Twitter reaction assumed that

Christians only pray for other Christians. In fact Christians pray for all kinds of people. They pray for their friends and families. They pray for their community,” he wrote. “Poets write poetry, musicians play music, Christians pray. And they love,” Arora added.

Many Christians defended their use of the hashtag. “It’s a strange world where the Church of England has to ‘defend’ praying for someone,” one church member tweeted.

The Oxford Humanist society told Cherwell, “In the absence of any concrete evidence to the contrary, we assume that the call for prayers for Richard Dawkins is made out of genuine concern and for no other reason. Naturally we do not expect such prayers to have any effect on Professor Dawkins, but understand them as, ‘Best wishes for a speedy recovery’. We seek to make a better world for everybody based on the principles of reason and compassion, and believe that dialogue and co-operation with religious groups can further this aim. We do not represent Professor Dawkins, whose personal opinion regarding prayers for him may differ from ours.”

Dawkins has claimed that his stroke was brought on from the stress of his embroilment in a Twitter controversy, after he retweeted a video likening feminists to Islamists.

The previous Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Andrew Hamilton, was the highest single earner of university chiefs, according to a report issued earlier this month by the University and College Union (UCU.) The report, which investigated 159 institutions, found Hamilton received a salary of £462,000 in 2014-5.

This meant that Hamilton had the third-highest annual salary of university chiefs, but the two universities who paid higher wages had two heads each. University bosses received an average salary of £272,432, an increase of three per cent on the previous year and 6.7 times the average pay of their staff. The report shows that while Vice-Chancellors’ pay has risen 14 per cent over the last five years, staff pay has only risen by five per cent.

Sally Hunt, the UCU general secretary, stated, “The time has finally come for a frank and open discussion about pay and transparency in higher education. The huge disparities in the levels of pay and pay rises at the top expose the arbitrary nature of senior pay in our universities.”

When asked if the Vice-Chancellor pay at Oxford seemed justified, an Oxford spokesperson told Cherwell, “[Oxford] is consistently ranked among the handful of best universities in the world. The Vice-Chancellor’s salary reflects that.”

The spokesperson also highlighted an inconsistency, saying, “The UCU are saying that Professor Hamilton’s total package (including pensions) went up from £442k to £462k. They are not comparing like with like. The comparable figures are £454,000 for 2014 and £462,000 for 2015 – a total rise of 1.7 per cent.”

Oxford’s current Vice-Chancellor Richardson has stated, “The argument for the salaries Vice Chancellors are paid is that universities… have to compete globally if we are to attract the best university leaders. Compared to many university staff, Vice Chancellors are indeed very highly paid, but [not] compared to bankers and footballers.”

On Sunday evening, the Magdalen and Wadham JCRs each voted in favour of motions to donate £250 to Movement for Justice (MFJ) to support the organisation’s protest next month at the Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre. A similar motion was proposed at New College’s JCR meeting, although it was not passed.

The detention centre holds over 350 detainees, overwhelmingly women, who are awaiting either the approval of their asylum applications or deportation.

The centre has faced controversy since opening in 2001, including allegations of human rights abuses. Yarl’s Wood was burnt down during protests by detainees in 2002. In a report last summer, Nick Hardwick, chief inspector of prisons, described the centre as “a place of national concern”. According to the report, 15 of the detainees had been held without charge for over six months.

According to the Surround #YarlsWood demonstration’s Facebook event, Movement for Justice ‘‘Will be returning to Yarl’s Wood in force to demand that ALL the women are freed, Yarl’s Wood is SHUT DOWN and ALL detention Centres are closed once and for all!’’

MFJ goes on to describe the protest as ‘‘fighting to win the most basic of demands as human beings.’’ The JCRs’ donations are to be spent by the Movement for Justice on “coaches to the demonstration and advertising for the demonstration’’.

Ella Sackville Adjei, who proposed the Wadham JCR motion, described Yarl’s Wood as ‘‘A truly horrific institution, where people who have committed no crime are forced to endure prison-like conditions’’ and ‘a source of national shame’. Ms Sackville Adjei went on to tell Cherwell, “The money raised will go towards subsidising the Oxford coach, and paying for coaches from elsewhere in the country so that people who otherwise could not afford travel to the demo in Bedfordshire will be able to attend – it is vital that activist spaces are open to all, regardless of financial status, and I think it is really important that institutions with as much spare money as Oxford colleges help to facilitate this.”

Movement for Justice described the JCRs’ decisions as “so exciting”, telling Cherwell, “The donation from Magdalen means so much to us because it means we can continue to make getting ex-detainees and asylum seekers to the demonstrations seats – we want no one to feel they cannot come because of lack of money, these donations help make that happen.”

John Stephens of Magdalen, told Cherwell that at a talk earlier this month by Movement for Justice, students were “shocked by accounts of the conditions in Yarl’s Wood,” which included allegations of “withholding of vital medication and sexual assault by guards”.

In its motion, Magdalen JCR notes, “The demonstration aims to bring together activists, organisers and asylum seekers from across the country to help build a network of campaigners and create links between movements.

“It is also an opportunity for detainees (many of whom are not native English speakers) to contact campaigners and access legal counsel.”

In response to Cherwell‘s request for comment, A Home Office spokesman said, “Detention and removal are essential parts of effective immigration controls, helping to ensure that those with no right to remain in the UK are returned to their home country if they will not leave voluntarily. 

“We take the welfare of our detainees extremely seriously, which is why the Home Secretary commissioned the Stephen Shaw review which was published last month. We are now working on significant reforms in relation to mental health, how those “at risk” are considered and ensuring there is a stronger focus on removal so that people spend the minimum amount of time in detention before they leave the country.” 

Serco, the firm responsible for operating Yarl’s Wood, did not respond to Cherwell’s request for comment.

A William Blake book containing a first draft of Thom Yorke’s ‘Airbag’ was found at the Oxfam charity shop on St Giles. It is projected to be sold at auction in March for upwards of £3,500. Yorke has agreed to donate the proceeds from the sale of Songs of Innocence and Experience to Oxfam.

The book, Songs of Innocence and Experience, was donated by Yorke in early 2015 along with a batch of other books. Mispriced initially by volunteers working in the shop who weren’t aware of who its donor was, the book was found by volunteer Alexander Barker in the 50 pence section of the shop.

‘Airbag’ is the opening song on Radiohead’s classic 1997 album OK Computer, inspired by a car crash Yorke and his girlfriend had in 1987.

Barker, a political theory tutor at St Benet’s Hall, who has been volunteering at Oxfam since 2003, said that it was luck that he made the discovery, not having expected anything of the sort when he opened the book. He said that prior to finding the Yorke lyrics, the most exciting thing he had found in Oxfam shops were annotations by prominent academics in books they had donated.

Barker, who is himself an avid Radiohead fan, told Cherwell, “I’m obviously happy about it. Everything else pales in comparison to finding this.” Still beaming, he said that another positive for him was that it was, “Nice to work in an environment where absolutely everyone involved is gaining something.”

He added that he and another volunteer, Andrew Chapman, knew immediately how valuable the discovery was, both as memorabilia for hard-core Radiohead fans and as an insight into Yorke’s creative process.

Chapman, who works as an airline pilot but has moonlighted as Oxfam’s rare books specialist for the past 16 years, has experience with discoveries like this one. In 2007 the Oxfam branch in which he worked found a first edition copy of Graham Greene’s Rumour at Nightfall, which ended up being sold for £15,000.

Regarding the Blake book, he told Cherwell, “Radiohead is one of the few bands that will only increase in popularity. With this discovery, we get to see Thom’s working method.

It looks like he wrote these lyrics in about 20 minutes, but in a good way. There is an immediate sense of potency when you see what he’s written.” But he also said it was difficult to determine exactly how much it was worth, a sentiment that was shared by Lydia Wilkinson of

Bloomsbury Auctions, the group that Oxfam uses to sell books that are likely to be too expensive for usual store customers – usually anything that is worth more than £1,000.

Wilkinson told Cherwell, “While this book was very clearly special, we don’t have any precedent, so made the decision to take it to auction.” Though the auction will not begin until 18th March, she said that even in these early stages there had already been a lot of interest.

“I expect that it could make a few thousand pounds at least,” she said. Barker also made a prediction in that range, telling Cherwell that he thought the price could go as high as five or six thousand pounds.

But that said, the book pales in comparison with other charity shop finds. For example, at a charity store in Burlington, North Carolina, one customer paid $2.48 for what was actually one of 20 officially-commissioned copies of the Declaration of Independence. It ended up fetching £331,335 at auction.

Oxfam itself once realised that six Mozart sonatas had been incorrectly bundled with other items and were about to be sold for only £3,000. But in that case, the donors asked for a return of their donation, meaning that Oxfam wasn’t able to profit from the discovery.

Balliol’s recent decision to sponsor George, the Durrell Foundation’s 100-year-old radiated tortoise, follows the return into favour of these cold-blooded creatures as every proud college’s must-have pet animal.

This year’s Comrades Tortoise, the elected tortoise representative in the Balliol JCR, Phoebe Grant-Smith and Lottie Dodd, proposed the motion for Balliol to adopt its own tortoise. It was overwhelmingly approved by the College’s JCR on Sunday of Fifth Week.

The two finalists originally intended to keep the animal on college grounds, but after having discussed the necessity for upcoming student bodies to provide adequate quantities of lettuce and strawberries during the next century or so, the committee opted for sponsoring the Durrell Foundation’s own reptile from a distance.

For a few years now, Balliol JCR members have been forbidden from keeping a tortoise after the last one passed away.

During their election campaign for the Comrades Tortoise position in Michaelmas 2015, Grant-Smith and Dodd were determined to bring the long-missed animals back to Balliol, yet they claimed that “a tortoise is for life, not just the fleeting desires of a student body,” to remind everyone of the serious responsibilities entailed. Grant-Smith told Cherwell, “We had this genius idea of sponsoring a tortoise from the Durrell Foundation so that technically the College has a tortoise but we don’t have to look after it (and potentially accidentally kill it). They can do this for us.”

It came as a disappointment to some members of the JCR that sponsoring a tortoise would not allow them to choose its name.

The Durrell Foundation compromise was not enough to satisfy one first year, who told Cherwell that, “This isn’t getting a tortoise! I am going to call for a vote of no confidence in our current Comrades Tortoise.”

Balliol is not alone in its pursuit of a slow companion. Tempted to join the half-dozen colleges that already have a tortoise, Oriel passed a motion on the Sunday of Fourth Week to start looking for one to adopt.

In answer to animal welfare concerns similar to those raised in Balliol, the species’ habit of hibernating in unused fridges or empty boxes for around five months was mentioned as a way to lighten the burden of the designated tortoise keepers. Unsure of which breed would suit the college’s ideals best, Oriel JCR decided that the matter would be discussed in greater detail in Sixth Week, once practical questions had been thoroughly investigated.

Magdalen, on the other hand, has succeeded in avoiding these difficulties by electing a new “human tortoise” every year. Called Oscar d’Tortoise, this individual participates in Corpus Christi’s historical Tortoise Fair in the Trinity term and is tasked with eating an entire head of lettuce at every meeting of the JCR.

This strict diet is partly in preparation for the tortoise race, the culminating point of the festivities organised by Corpus Christi for charity. In order to facilitate Oscar’s training, a new amendment has just been made to the original ‘Lettuce Allowance’ constitution.

In dedicating 60p of its budget to the regular purchase of the required amount of lettuce, the JCR also encouraged Oscar d’Tortoise to eat only organic lettuce, thus making the most of the money spent by Magdalen JCR.

The present Oscar, Missourian Zachary Klamann told Cherwell, “I find it incredibly demanding on my stomach capacity.” But this is a sacrifice which he is willing to make as part of his vocation. “I’m a big tortoise fan. As they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I just thought I’d flatter tortoises as much as possible.”

When recalling the elections for his position, Klamann noted, “I ran unopposed but still somehow managed to only get 88 per cent of the vote or something like that, so that’s relatively embarrassing, no matter – tortoises don’t cry.”