Wednesday 3rd December 2025
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Arwa Elrayess elected Oxford Union President for Trinity 2026

Arina Makarina
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Arwa Elrayess elected Oxford Union President for Trinity 2026

Arwa Elrayes running for the #ENGAGE slate has been elected Union President for Trinity Term 2026 with 757 first preferences, by a margin of around 155 votes over Liza Barkova.

Parjwal Pandey was elected Librarian-Elect with 653 first preferences. Catherine Xu was elected Treasurer-Elect with 693 first preferences. Harry Aldridge was elected Secretary with 700 first preferences.

The following candidates were elected to the Standing Committee, from highest to lowest order of votes: DK Singh, Milo Donovan, Vishnu Vadlamani, Oliver Douglas, Claire Luo, and Ben Ashworth.

The following candidates were elected to the Secretary’s Committee, from highest to lowest order of votes: Henry Nicholls, Fadel Semane, Saara Lunawat, Matteo Brunel, Toby Bowes Lyon, Euan Willis, Adil Rahoo, Shahmir Aziz, Ea Marty, Daniel Ratajczyk, and Santiago Vazquez.

Regarding her presidency campaign and the Union, Arwa Elrayess told Cherwell: “The Union is an incredibly special place, facing very difficult times. I think we need a fresh start with more transparent governance, financial responsibility, and to affirm our position as the last bastion of free speech.”

The Magdalene Songs: Giving a singing voice to victims

Natalie Conboy
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The Magdalene Songs: Giving a singing voice to victims

★★★★★

Trigger warning: abuse

Modern slavery, abuse, and human rights violations are not something you would usually expect to be tackled in an evening of classical music. Yet Deidre Brenner, pianist and instigator of The Magdalene Songs, felt it was the perfect way to honour the women of the Magdalene laundries, a group of punitive institutions for ‘fallen women’ run by religious orders which from 1922 to 1996 incarcerated over 10,000 women and girls in the Republic of Ireland.

The performance is part of the Oxford International Song Festival, a champion of classical song for 24 years. This year’s theme was “Stories in Song”, with 67 performances covering music from around the world: The Magdalene Songs were perfectly placed here to give voice to the experience of a group of women institutionally silenced for well over a hundred years.

A sentence in a Magdalene laundry meant infinite detention with no legal basis. They provided numerous religious bodies, state agencies, and government departments in Ireland – including the President’s house – with laundry and needlework services without paying their workers. This system was well-known and well-integrated into Irish society. Women and girls as young as nine were brought to the laundries by police, clergy, orphanages, hospitals and abusive families, their ‘crimes’ ranging from unmarried motherhood and perceived promiscuity, to childhood abuse and mental illness.

The Magdalene Songs collection is an ongoing project by Deirdre Brenner in collaboration with many prominent female Irish composers, including Deirdre McKay, Rhona Clarke, Elaine Agnew, and Elaine Brennan. It was created in order to honour the victims of the Laundries by giving voice to their experiences in the hope of encouraging further dialogue about the human rights abuses committed by the Laundries. 

I attended the pre-concert discussion, led by Deirdre Brenner and human rights lawyer Maeve O’Rourke, internationally recognised for her work interviewing the Magdalene laundry victims. “Every woman I ever interviewed thought they would die in there”, she tells us, describing the conditions faced by the victims.

The evening performance was captivating from the start. Set in the Holywell Music Room, each song put to music the words of testimonies from individual survivors interviewed as part of The Magdalene Oral History Project, which O’Rourke was a part of. Both Brenner and the mezzo-soprano, Lotte Betts-Dean, were dressed in green and black signaling the grief of Ireland, and after a brief introduction to the project and the Laundries, we were thrown into the testimonies. 

Betts-Dean had just the right amount of storytelling ability to elevate the colloquial Irish dialect from the page, although it would have been more natural had she been Irish herself.  Nonetheless, the words and music themselves were enough to convey the trauma. With dissonant, deliberately uncomfortable chords and melodies in the first few songs, the breathy voice of the mezzo-soprano sung testimonies of being “put…on the wooden table” in punishment, and individuals who “went in as a baby”, with just the right amount of anger and shame, avoiding the pitfall of overperformance. 

From the third testimony it was anger that reigned, emphasised by traditional hymn-like chords being broken off, never-ending scales, and hand slams on the piano. Unconventional techniques, such as deliberately loud breathing and hitting and plucking the piano strings, rather than playing the keys, made the performance truly interesting as an exercise in translating trauma into musical terms.

The last two songs were the culmination of this project, the penultimate relying on just one sentence of testimony: “She denied she was my mother.” This one sentence was captivating, repeated and gradually building in long phrases. The dissonant harmonies vanished and were replaced by a return to traditional Irish sean-nós keening (a rhythmically free, expressive lament). The piano was reduced to a near-single line, weaving in and out of the melody and focusing our attention on the devastating words. The whole audience listened in tense silence, and a collective breath was let out at the end.

The silence was continued as the mezzo lit a candle, before concluding with the final song, ‘Litany to the Magdalene Dead’. The focus shifted back to the piano, as Betts-Dean recited in monotone the names of 72 of the 1,867 women known to have died in a laundry, arranged so that the initial of their last names spelled out ‘DOLOREM’: Latin for sorrow. The audience, reading along in their programs, looked like they were praying. Each woman’s name was chanted, along with the laundry and her date of death: they ranged from 1847 to 2015. The piano perfectly conveyed the poise and grace of the funeral atmosphere, and the final silence after Betts-Dean blew out the candle stretched for a few seconds before the first smatterings of applause grew to a standing ovation lasting five minutes. It was the perfect, dignified homage to those who were denied dignity during their lives.

The Magdalen laundries remain a polemical debate in Ireland. The 2013 investigation by the Irish government into them was focused only on the extent of state involvement, rather than the treatment of women, and worked with sealed religious documents which were given by the Orders on the condition that they would return undisclosed to the public. 

Although the enquiry resulted in the establishment of a compensation scheme, with €32.8 million having been paid to over 800 victims by March 2022, the religious orders who ran the laundries have refused to contribute to this scheme.

 
We still don’t know the names of many of the women who were admitted into these institutions, or the truth of their experiences. I hope that The Magdalene Songs, as it continues to grow and move people, will encourage and inspire reparations campaigns for these systematic violations against human rights.

We must separate Church and University

Lilly Law
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We must separate Church and University

If I had attended Oxford just over 150 years ago, I would have had to swear loyalty to the Church of England. Of course, if I were attending Oxford in the mid-nineteenth century as a woman, I would have had bigger problems than religion, but we’ll put that aside for now. From 1581 to 1871, every Oxford student had to declare their fealty, not only to Christianity, but to its Anglican denomination. Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Catholics, and many more were all excluded from its halls.

Obviously, this is no longer the case. The University’s ‘Opening Oxford’ exhibition in 2021 showcased the various ways Oxford has become more welcoming over the past century, presenting it as a secular place of education where religion is not a factor in treatment or experience. The problem is that this is not entirely true. Financially, culturally, and quasi-judicially, the Church of England remains part of the furniture in both the city and the University.

Fifteen colleges have senior members of the Church of England as their Visitor, making them the ultimate authority on college statute interpretation. This, admittedly, sounds quite dry – college statutes tend to include lofty preambles and regulations for trustees. But they also set out the administration of a college, the disposal of revenue, and the powers of investment. A Visitor essentially acts as a judge, interpreting the meaning of words within these statutes, then stating how they should be applied to a given situation.

A dispute about statutes would not go to the County Court, but to the Visitor, resulting in considerably increased expenses and a financial barrier to appeal. They hold considerable theoretical power over a college. But on what grounds? What expertise does the Bishop of Winchester have to determine how Trinity College is governed? With Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P) calling for divestment from various arms companies, what qualifies the Archbishop of York to determine what The Queen’s College’s investment powers include? This is not a coincidence. The appointments are made ex officio, meaning that the Visitor for some of Oxford’s wealthiest, most influential colleges (including St John’s College, All Souls College, and Magdalen College) will always be the person holding a certain ecclesiastical position. This requirement imports an apparent religious influence into a key area of college for no reason other than historical precedent.

This is not entirely innocuous. The provisions that import members of the Church into colleges can be rigid and poorly-worded, and do not lend themselves to easy removals in the event of difficulty. In Christ Church, the statutes made it incredibly difficult to remove the head of the College, who until 2023 had to be a member of the clergy. This changed as the result of a six-year legal battle with the previous Dean, involving a pay dispute, an allegation of sexual harassment (which was settled), and £6.6m of college funds. With the Church of England beset with scandals, it is reckless to continue importing such figures into colleges with no safeguards. 

In a subtler way, the Church of England is presumed as the default throughout college life. It’s not the only religion in Oxford – the colleges are non-denominational – and yet the vast majority still perform Anglican services. Yes, Mansfield follows the Nonconformist tradition, Harris Manchester has a Unitarian congregation, and various permanent private halls (PPHs) have Roman Catholic affiliations. The Anglican chapels too have an outward-looking perspective, and regularly arrange multi-faith services. But the novelty of such services underscores the foundational premise that the Oxford colleges are spiritually first and foremost spaces for the Church of England. You no longer have to swear an oath of fealty, but your pidge will be overflowing with leaflets for their services.

Christianity is centred and universalised in sharp contrast to other religions.This risks isolating atheist or non-Christian students from college welfare support, which is frequently tied up with the chapel. While Christian services make their way into colleges, other religions remain academic disciplines with associated societies. The University has a Centre for Islamic Studies and an Oxford Jewish Centre. Both are open to the public and members of the University for prayer, as well as study of the religions. An Anglican student at, say, University College, would walk past their chapel every day in college, able to reach it in minutes to attend a service. A Jewish student would face a 20 minute walk to Jericho. A Hindu student wouldn’t have anywhere to go at all – only last year was a community centre secured, and the University is yet to show direct support. Such an exclusion is doubly insidious given the presentation of the chapel and the chaplain as a welfare space. 

A historical influence is one thing – Oxford is the city of dreaming spires, after all, and many of those spires are attached to chapels. But the Church should not be influencing how the University operates, nor how colleges spend money, nor how students are treated. It shouldn’t be doing so in opaque, unclear ways that are difficult to predict – when applying to Brasenose, I certainly didn’t know that the Bishop of Lincoln would be my ultimate authority. 

The Church of England has been affiliated with Oxford for so long that it has blended into the background. Its influence over culture and governance is found in obscure PDFs, and bubbles under the surface until a scandal bursts the situation wide open. At the same time, it subtly reinforces the idea that, whilst Oxford is a place for everyone,  it still welcomes some people more readily than others. This is not to say that Christianity has no part in Oxford. Merely, when roughly 50% of Britons say they have no faith, and global religions are growing faster than ever, Anglicanism should not be presumed default, and certainly not the authority. 

Bloomberg investigation sparks scrutiny over Oxford’s handling of sexual misconduct

Mercedes Haas
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Bloomberg investigation sparks scrutiny over Oxford’s handling of sexual misconduct

CW: Sexual harassment; sexual assault

Oxford University is facing mounting media scrutiny after a Bloomberg investigation alleged that the University has consistently mishandled sexual harassment complaints involving senior male academics. The investigation, which took place over nine months and drew on interviews with almost 50 people, describes an environment in which complaints were often addressed slowly, quietly, or not at all. Several of the individuals interviewed by Bloomberg said they feared retaliation or other repercussions for coming forward, particularly given the significant power imbalances within departments.

A University spokesperson told Cherwell: “Sexual harassment has no place at Oxford. Our sympathies and thoughts are with anyone who has experienced harassment or misconduct. We strive to ensure that Oxford is always a safe space for all students and staff. We take concerns seriously, applying robust procedures. 

“Support for those affected is a priority, and we take precautionary and/or disciplinary action where justified. We reject any suggestion that the University tolerates harassment or puts reputation before people’s safety. While we cannot comment on individual cases, we are committed to continuous improvement and have strengthened our approach over recent years.”

The Bloomberg report outlines numerous cases in the past two decades, revealing what many staff and students characterised as a persistent pattern of institutional inaction. According to the investigation, seven women reported alleged rapes or sexual assaults across the University in the past five years, while more than 30 women described direct experiences of harassment or bullying during the past 20 years.

Over the course of this year, Oxford has become the subject of two legal actions concerning harassment, while also conducting three internal inquiries. Cherwell understands that one of these concerns a senior figure at the Institute for Ethics in AI, as well as a senior figure at the Saïd Business School.

Cherwell also recently reported that Professor Mette Morsing has been named interim Dean of the Saïd Business school, following the resignation of Professor Sourmitra Dutta. A five-month internal investigation upheld three harassment allegations against Dutta made by a female academic. At the time, the University had stated that it would address concerns via “established procedures” and maintain a “strong framework of support… for staff and students… subject to harassment.”

Some of those interviewed told Bloomberg that action was frequently taken only after a series of complaints, rather than in response to the first allegation. In several cases, outcomes of investigations were kept confidential, enabling accused individuals to move to posts at other institutions without the circumstances being known. Two women further alleged that the University had breached their privacy during the handling of their cases. Staff quoted in the report described a culture in which the public standing of prominent academics often seemed to be prioritised over the well-being and safety of students and junior researchers.

Bloomberg’s investigation also touches on safeguarding concerns within individual colleges. At New College, five people told reporters that several academics were well known for predatory behaviour towards more junior women. At Balliol College, interviewees described unsympathetic attitudes toward alleged victims and flawed safeguarding practices. The collegiate structure, in which responsibility for welfare is divided between colleges and the central University, was cited by several people as exacerbating these issues.

In response to the article, New College circulated an email to all students addressing the concerns raised. The message, signed by Tutor for Welfare Jonathan Black, described the behaviour detailed in the Bloomberg article as “distressing” and encouraged any student affected to contact the College welfare team or the chaplaincy. New College made a point of stating that it was not aware of the details of the historic allegations described in relation to a 2018/19 University-handled case and therefore could not comment on them. A spokesperson at New College told Cherwell: “New College cannot comment on any individual allegation, but the College takes allegations of sexual harassment very seriously, has robust procedures in place and invests in both training and welfare in support of this.” 

Social media reaction to the Bloomberg investigation further amplified concerns about Oxford’s handling of misconduct allegations. Several academics publicly shared their experiences and frustration, including one former Oxford researcher who wrote that his wife had been sexually harassed by a senior social psychologist during her PhD. One high-profile Oxford professor who was referenced in the Bloomberg report also issued a brief statement denying the allegations and noting that he was pursuing legal remedies, while expressing gratitude to those who had supported him.

If you’ve been affected by issues in this article:

• You can access the University’s Sexual Harassment & Violence Support Service for confidential, specialist support (no report required). The service includes an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA).  Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service | University of Oxford. 

• Reporting options: Under the Student Disciplinary Procedure (Non-Academic Cases) student cases are handled by the Proctors and the University’s disciplinary panels. You may choose whether to make a University report or a police report; University support is available regardless. See the summary page Supporting Students at Oxford: Preventing and Responding to Harassment and Sexual Misconduct | University of Oxford and the Non-Academic Disciplinary Procedure. 

• Statute XI (Student Conduct): guidance on how conduct cases are assessed and the Proctors’ role is set out on the University website Student conduct | University of Oxford 

• Independent advice: Oxford SU Advice can support students considering a University or college process. 

Oxford Canals reopen following long drought

Mimi Hudson
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Oxford Canals reopen following long drought

The Canal & River Trust has announced that the southern section of the Oxford Canal has been fully reopened for navigation following a long period of drought.

It is the first time since July that water levels have been high enough to allow for boats to move through the locks. Storm Claudia’s prolonged rains earlier this month have helped this recovery following an extremely dry spring and summer.

A spokesperson for the Canal & River Trust, a registered charity which maintains the canals and rivers across England and Wales, told Cherwell: “The Oxford Canal felt the effects of the drought and prolonged dry weather across the country this summer and autumn. Our charity’s teams and volunteers worked round the clock to manage water levels but, with reservoir holdings dwindling, some locks had to temporarily close to boats. This helped us save water to keep boats afloat, protect the wildlife that lives in the canal, and safeguard the canal infrastructure itself. 

“After such an extended dry period, sustained rainfall over several weeks was needed to top up the reservoirs that feed the canal. As soon as water levels allowed, we got the locks back open for boating. We know how frustrating navigation restrictions are and we’re grateful to boaters for their support.”

The stretch of the canal from Claydon Top Lock to Aynho Weir Lock via Marston Doles is now accessible to boaters. Somerton Deep Lock and Dashwood Lock will remain closed for planned winter works.

The closure has heavily impacted businesses along the canal. Historic drydocks, such as Tooley’s Boatyard in Banbury, have seen an estimated 80% loss in business since the beginning of summer. The lifting of restrictions will come as a relief for both boaters and businesses, with the canal likely to see an uptake in pleasure cruises and trade.

The annual social and economic value of England and Wales’s canals is estimated to be worth £6 billion, with thousands of businesses benefiting from the waterways. The trust estimates that more boats are using their canal network today than at the height of the Industrial Revolution, sparking a so-called “second golden age of canals”. 

The Trust’s spokesperson also told Cherwell that “any decision to close navigation on any of the 2,000 miles of waterways our charity cares for is a last resort, and would be based on a range of data”. This data includes real time electric monitoring of water levels as well as weather forecasts. Combined with the Trust’s centuries of experience and knowledge of lock usage, the teams who run the waterways are able to predict how much water is needed to keep navigation open.

The spokesperson added: “Knowledge gathered in previous droughts allows us to identify improvements in water management, but there is no doubt that climate change is making what were previously unusual drought or flood conditions happen more frequently.”

Why More Entrepreneurs Are Moving Their Startups to Cyprus

External Contributor
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Why More Entrepreneurs Are Moving Their Startups to Cyprus

The global race to become the next big tech hub is always evolving. A fresh breed of entrepreneurs is looking to venues beyond the conventional tech hubs with a holistic enablement and better quality of life instead of only financial incentives. A prime example of this is Cyprus, which has transformed from a Mediterranean treasure into a vibrant launching pad for international startups. 

This movement is driven by strategic business advantages and an evolving cultural landscape, shaped by forward-looking companies dedicated to creating exceptional life experiences. These organizations are building the very infrastructure for a sophisticated lifestyle. A visit to the official website of PUNIN GROUP provides a clear case study of this ecosystem approach, showcasing how the company develops premium, interconnected projects across gastronomy, real estate, and culture.

The Strategic Advantages: More Than Just Sunshine

While the island enjoys an idyllic climate and a beautiful landscape, the increasing number of entrepreneurs relocating here does not happen for just those reasons. Cyprus has designed a business-friendly environment to attract creative business opportunities and provide a competitive advantage on a global basis. This foundation makes for a nice place to live and a smart place to do business.

The benefits mentioned above can help startups scale efficiently.

  • Cyprus is a full member of the European Union and as such it provides access to the single market of one of the world’s largest economic blocs. Being at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa itself makes it a key operational hub for global aspirants.
  • Cyprus has a flat corporate tax rate of just 12.5%, one of the most attractive in the European Union. With various tax benefits for innovation and investment, startups can reinvest more profit back into the business for growth.
  • Cyprus offers a legal system which is based on English Common Law. This provides a transparent and reliable framework, which is familiar to international entrepreneurs and investors. These areas should be fairly stable to facilitate business agreements.
  • The island has educated personnel who are bilingual in nature with a high percentage of English speakers. In this way it becomes easy to put together a varied international team who can work across many markets.

As a result of these factors, a secure and highly efficient operational base will be created. Startups can take advantage of the stability found in an EU nation, while leveraging options that are precious and necessary in the early days of development so that precious resources can be focused on innovation and marketing.

Building Connections: The Community Aspect

The advantages on paper are not the whole story. What makes a real difference is the community. Cyprus has a compact and connected business scene where expats and local innovators mix easily. This makes networking feel natural, not forced. The vibe is more collaborative than cutthroat. Regular tech meetups and industry gatherings feel less like formal obligations and more like a gathering of peers. This supportive atmosphere is a powerful asset for founders. This close-knit environment helps new startups find support and integrate quickly, a personal touch that larger, more anonymous tech hubs often lack.

The X-Factor: Quality of life and a Thriving Ecosystem

Cyprus stands out in its combination of business environment with quality of life. Today’s entrepreneurs are beginning to understand that a good work-life balance is not a luxury, but is essential to remain creative. The laid-back Mediterranean style of life, low crime rates and welcoming people create an environment that enables the founders and their teams to flourish.

This is where the vision of certain firms becomes so integral to the island’s appeal. By creating a network of high-end restaurants, luxury residential and commercial properties, and cultural institutions, they are creating high-quality jobs, actively developing the Cypriot economy, and directly contributing to the quality of life that makes the island so attractive.

The focus on aesthetics, quality and curation, and a spirit of experience, ensures that the living infrastructure of the island keeps pace with its development as a business centre. For an entrepreneur, this means access to a world-class outside-of-office environment essential to attracting and retaining talent.

A Hub for Innovation and Growth

The positive impact of this unique combination is clear in the results. Cyprus’s startup scene is not just growing; it’s exploding. Tech companies have flocked to the island, especially in the fintech, software and entertainment sectors. Both private initiatives and a commitment from the government are behind this momentum. The state actively fosters innovation through a clear national strategy, and the country enjoys global recognition for its business‑friendly environment and efficient procedures for startups.

Transferring a startup to Cyprus is ultimately more than just one benefit. It is about selecting a site where strategic advantages harmonize with a unique lifestyle to create a fertile ground for innovation. The more entrepreneurs discover this powerful combination, the more Cyprus will become a preferred business destination.

Simple Pleasures That Feel More Luxurious Than Any Resort

External Contributor
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Simple Pleasures That Feel More Luxurious Than Any Resort

Luxury doesn’t always cost thousands of dollars per night. Sometimes the most expensive feelings come from simple things. Morning coffee on the balcony with a city view. A drive on an empty highway at dawn. A conversation with a stranger who unexpectedly becomes a friend. Five-star hotels offer comfort, but real luxury — these are moments that can’t be booked in advance.

Dubai taught many to look at pleasures in a new way. Here you can find lamborghinis for rent in Dubai and feel like the hero of your own story without spending a fortune on staying in a luxury room. Car rental Dubai opens freedom of movement that no hotel transfer can replace. You go where you want, when you want, stop where your soul asks.

Why simple things are sometimes better than expensive resorts

Hotels sell service packages. Breakfast from 7 to 10, pool works until 22:00, spa by appointment. Everything is organized, but there’s no spontaneity. Simple pleasures work differently — they happen when you don’t expect them.

Rentals understands the value of freedom. New cars with minimum mileage, 2024 models, car delivery to any place. Wanted to go to the desert at three in the morning to look at the stars? Please. Decided to drive around all the emirates in one day? No problem, 300 km already included in car rental per day.

Moments you can’t buy with money

Some things just happen. They can’t be planned or added to the itinerary:

  • A sunset that caught you off guard in the middle of the road, when the sky turned orange and you stopped just to watch.
  • A random meeting with a local resident who showed you a place that’s not written about in guidebooks.
  • A moment of silence in the car when the music ended and you’re just driving, thinking about nothing specific.

These moments give more than any spa massage or dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant. They stay in memory for a long time.

Freedom to choose the route

Hotel excursions follow a schedule. A group of thirty people, a guide with a flag, stops by the minute. Everything is predictable.

With a car everything is different:

  • You can turn not where you planned and find something unexpected.
  • You stop where you want, as long as you want.
  • You change plans on the go without penalties and worries.

Luxury cars turn the road into pleasure itself. When you drive in a comfortable cabin with good music, the journey becomes more important than the destination.

Early mornings are worth more than late breakfasts

Hotels are proud of late breakfasts until noon. But there’s something special about getting up before dawn and going to meet the sun. The city is empty, roads are free, the air is still cool.

Luxury car rentals allows you not to depend on reception working hours or driver schedules. Want to leave at five in the morning? The car is already yours, the keys are with you.

These early trips give the feeling that the city belongs to you alone. Skyscrapers haven’t woken up yet, there are no tourists, just you and the road.

Food not from restaurants is sometimes tastier

Yes, Dubai has world-class restaurants. But sometimes shawarma from a street cart or fresh dates from the market give more impressions than seven courses of a tasting menu.

With a car you can:

  • Find local cafes where residents themselves eat, not tourists.
  • Buy products at the market and have a picnic somewhere with a view of the bay.
  • Try street food in different districts of the city in one evening.

Conversations on the road

Hotel animation entertains according to a program. Conversations at the pool bar are often superficial. But when you drive with someone in a car for several hours, conversations become deeper.

For some reason people open up on the road:

  • There’s no pressure to maintain small talk.
  • Landscapes outside the window give pauses for reflection.
  • Joint travel creates a sense of team.

Sometimes it’s nice to drive the car yourself and control the speed. Sometimes you want to sit as a passenger and just observe the city.

Night drives through an empty city

Dubai at night looks fantastic. Skyscrapers are glowing, roads are almost empty, temperature is pleasant. Car rental Dubai for several days gives the opportunity to explore the city at different times of day.

At night you can:

  • Drive along Sheikh Zayed Road without traffic and enjoy the view of Burj Khalifa.
  • Stop by the embankment and just sit, listening to the sound of water.
  • Find a 24-hour cafe in an unexpected place and drink coffee at three in the morning.

These spontaneous trips are more memorable than pre-planned excursions.

Silence as luxury

Resorts are noisy. Animation, music by the pool, conversations in the corridors. Silence becomes rare. But sometimes it’s exactly what you need most.

A trip to the desert gives this silence. You turn off the engine, get out of the car — and around there’s nothing except sand and sky. No sounds of civilization, only wind.

Exotic cars are created for such moments. Powerful, beautiful, but capable of taking you to places where there’s nothing but nature. Lamborghini for rent in dubai — this is not only about speed and status, this is about the freedom to choose where to go.

Ability to make mistakes and change plans

Hotel packages are rigid. Booked an excursion — cancellation with a penalty. With a car, mistakes aren’t scary. Went the wrong way — turned around. Got tired — stopped to rest. Found an interesting place — changed the route.

Prestige class gives not only comfort but also confidence. Reliable cars that won’t let you down even if you decided to go off the usual route. And if something goes wrong, the personal manager is always in touch.

Sense of ownership for the rental period

When you rent a car, it becomes yours. For several days this is your space, your rules. You can leave a jacket on the back seat, adjust mirrors for yourself, choose a radio station.

In a taxi or transfer you’re a guest. In a rented car — the owner.

Spontaneity instead of schedule

Hotels live by schedule. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, entertainment — all by the hour. But the best moments in travel often happen spontaneously.

Examples of spontaneous pleasures:

  • Saw a sign of an interesting place and turned to look.
  • Met someone and went to show the city.
  • Just decided not to go anywhere and spent the day exploring one district on foot, and the car waited in the parking lot.

300 km per day that are included in the rental give freedom to experiment. No need to count every kilometer and worry about extra charges.

You create memories yourself

Resort impressions are often the same. The same pools, the same shows, the same excursions. You tell friends later — they’ve already heard similar stories from others.

When you travel yourself by car, the stories turn out unique:

  • How you got lost and found an incredible place.
  • How you met the sunrise in the desert completely alone.
  • How you tested lamborghini for rent in dubai on an empty road and understood what real power is.

These stories are more interesting to listen to because they’re real. Not rehearsed, not photoshopped, not from a resort’s Instagram.

The luxury of being yourself

Maybe this is the most important thing. Hotels have dress codes, behavior rules, expectations. Sometimes you just want to be yourself, without the need to meet someone’s standards.

In a car you’re free. You can drive in shorts and a t-shirt or in a suit — as comfortable. You can sing, you can be silent, you can stop in the middle of the road because you saw something interesting.

Simple pleasures beat expensive resorts because they’re real. They’re not sold in a service package. They happen when there’s freedom, time and desire to notice the good. Car rentals in Dubai can give exactly this freedom — to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Oxmas

Elizabeth Bourn
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It’s beginning to look a lot like Oxmas

I begin listening to Christmas soundtracks in September. I theorise decorations in October and, by November, I have made my way through a few chocolate Advent calendars. I have been this way for as long as I can remember. Being born in late November means either embracing Christmas early or rejecting it entirely. I am a firm believer in the former. Each year, my birthday present was a Christmas tree in the corner of my bedroom, aglow with small golden lights and rosy-pink tinsel. I would wake to it, the sound of baubles rustling from wagging tails, my dogs excited by the commotion. 

Each of my new years, new starts, begins with Christmas. I was born in London, where Christmas is celebrated so beautifully. I was raised in a loving family, where Christmas is spent enjoying each other’s company. And so the idea of finding myself in an unfamiliar place for the beginning of the holiday made me feel a sense of unease, another reason to dread the move to university. That is, until I experienced Christmas in Oxford.

Michaelmas term of my first year was laden with gaping holes. On the day I moved to Oxford, I spent the morning crying. I loved my hometown, I loved my school, and I loved the people I waved to everyday as I passed their windows. I loved my friends and my street and my childhood room. I spent the day rattled with nostalgia. University, to me, was a rug pulled out from under my feet too fast. I spent the first few weeks blurry-eyed, a feeling of homesickness mingled with lonesomeness that seemed to colour my every interaction. When late November came, I rushed home, determined to find some familiarity. I fell asleep the night before my 19th birthday with the genuine wish to wake up aged 13, or 15, or even 18 again, anything that meant I didn’t need to leave when the weekend was up. My birthday was spent safely within the confines of my comfort zone, the familiar Christmas lights blinking in the corner of my room, telling me I made the right choice.

I spent the train back thinking of the postcard of Oxford that has been pinned to my corkboard for years. How determined, how courageous, how passionate I’d been to have applied. How delighted I’d been to know my dream was becoming a reality. But I was filled with fear, terrified that I hadn’t found a home here yet. The walk between the station and college was silent. I remember the wheel of my suitcase getting stuck as I crossed to Broad Street, but when I turned, I saw the Christmas market for the first time. Music was playing, a song that looped around my living room on Christmas day, and I could smell a mixture of sweet and savoury, festive scents I knew from markets in London.

The first time I felt at home in Oxford was that very week. I remember walking into Blackwell’s and being enveloped by warmth, the kind that induces a sigh of relief and thaws frozen noses. I remember shopping for Oxford-themed gifts to bring back to my family, and the act brought a haze of excitement to sixth week that I hadn’t felt before. I remember dressing as reindeers with friends, laughing over shared make-up and cheap wine. While, throughout first year, I continued to feel slightly out-of-place and tentative, the Christmas season was a kind of olive branch, a gentle nudge from the city to take just one more step outside of my comfort zone.

Michaelmas term of my second year has been a slightly different story. Last year, I stood in awe of my college’s carol service, tucked away in the back row; this year I am performing. I walk to the chapel, bundled in a coat from last year’s wish-list, each and every step taken for that fearful girl on the train. This year, I attended Oxford’s ice-skating society from the very first week of term and have loved every moment of it. I hug friends tightly and play Christmas music while I brush my teeth. I stop and notice the fading light behind the Ashmolean and delight in sending letters through the post-boxes I know so well. I perform in a nativity and sit in the wings of dreamy theatres and spend my welfare week making medieval princess crowns. I choose to stay in Oxford for my 20th birthday. I feel at home.

So, as I set a small Christmas tree in the corner of my room – the one my grandmother sent with love – I feel an acute longing to reach across the divide of time. To that train, to the birthday girl of last year, to tug her hand firmly and, even for the briefest of moments, have her experience her new reality. The ups, the downs, and the Christmas lights that still warm the scene.

‘Everything is constantly emotion’: An interview with the cast and crew of ‘Doctor Faustus’ 

Lara Machado
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‘Everything is constantly emotion’: An interview with the cast and crew of ‘Doctor Faustus’ 

Seabass Theatre has carved out a niche for itself producing original takes on canonical texts, most memorably last year’s plant-inspired Hamlet staged at the former Music Faculty. When discussing their interests as a production company, Director Seb Carrington says: “Part of our ethos is presenting works that centre around one or two very psychologically complex characters.” Describing their approach, Carrington goes on to state a preference for contemporary aesthetics, explaining that for her this “strip[s] everything away that is restrictive to time or place and strip[s] away things that may be unnecessary to putting forwards a very impactful psychological take, while still offering something interesting interpretation-wise.” Audiences should certainly expect an original take on Faustus and one which the entire creative team is clearly united behind. 

Last week I met online with the director (Seb Carrington), the composer (Lucian Ng) and the actress playing the Good Angel (Amber Meeson) to discuss their thoughts about the production. It was immediately clear that they have a strong vision for the play, controversial as it may be for readers who find Faustus at least a partially sympathetic character: “We are interpreting the character of Faustus as a distinctly fascist character. The word omnipotence in the first soliloquy really struck us as the deciding factor of what this production is all about: his kind of quest seeking for infinite power, infinite money, physical/sexual gratification, everything that comes into what does the fascist mindset do.” Carrington is very clear about how she considers the text to be particularly relevant to the present moment, citing the rise of people like Trump and the Tate brothers in the United States: “It is terrifying how much of the play draws an almost direct parallel to current events such as the climbing of the social ladder and the weaponisation of moral things in a very selfish way.”

You may be thinking: what does this actually mean for the performance? Many OUDS shows start off with daring ideas that end up translating poorly onstage, but the team clearly broke down how their conceptual concerns would be communicated onstage. Carrington certainly comes off as a strong leader, with a cast and crew clearly dedicated to bringing their ideas to life. 

Although the set designer was not on the call, Carrington briefly described what seemed to be an interesting set-up: “There’s two projectors we are using that are constantly changing the landscape of the play aesthetically with words that snake in and out of the scene or different graphics, different colours. There’s different stage effects with blood and liquids that get thrown around the floor and cleaned up, etc. Everything is constantly emotion.” Beyond the visual effects, the set – I am told – will be very minimal consisting of a white sheet and altar. Carrington explains that this makes lighting and sound crucial in the production to evoke “what the situation is” along with the acting. 

Like a lot of bigger venue OUDS shows recently, Doctor Faustus boasts an original score composed by sound designer, Lucian Ng. In explaining the choice to have an original score, Carrington emphasises that the play is written in verse which “itself has a very musical quality” and that the events of the play themselves lend themselves to musical accompaniment. The score is sprinkled throughout and will not accompany the entirety of the action. Ng points out that the play is “inherently very religious” and that a lot of the music that he has written is “liturgical music that is based around plain chant”. He is using “the original plain song melodies” but warping or corrupting them by the way that they are harmonised, drawing on “atonality”. Seabass Theatre has a live choir which will sing  “arrangements of plain song melodies” at different points of the show. Carrington explains that “the play as originally conceived by Marlowe was about Catholicism versus Protestantism and Marlowe [was] taking a cynical, agnostic point of view criticising both sides” and so the melodies chosen will relate to the events happening onstage. They explain that “melodies of the Church decay” along with the decay of the space of the play. 

As for wider questions of sound design, I am told that all of the actor’s voices will be amplified in order to “explore the full range of the actor’s voices”. Ng explains that “the sound world of the play is a lot more than the original score”. He describes the sound design as intense, using lots of drones and found sounds to “underscore tension on a really subtle level, in the sense that you have something playing at a really low level and it slowly rises and you only realise it’s there maybe five minutes after it’s started playing.” Ng argues that sound design in OUDS is often reduced to single sound effects like shots or door slammings but for him “sound is so important to how you can cultivate a world”. 

When looking up information about the show on the Seabass Theatre page before the interview, I noticed a long list of trigger warnings as well as a recommended minimum viewing age. Similarly, crew calls mentioned pails of fake blood. My memory of Doctor Faustus, from reading it years ago, contained more psychological horror than body horror, but a quick search revealed that recent productions of the play seem to lean into gore, especially for the finale. Student shows have a tendency to avoid using fake blood or attempting realistic depictions of violence because of how hard it is to pull it off convincingly so I was curious why this decision had been made here. Carrington explained: “The use of violence as a dramatic technique is incredibly helpful and pertinent, especially for something like this where we’re tapping into the theatrical extremities of the subconscious. You get the invasive thoughts, the subconscious thoughts that lead to this and we are essentially putting those thoughts onto the stage.” 

Carrington acknowledged that this is a tough line to walk, the danger of veering into gratuitousness being ever present, but she reassured Cherwell that this wasn’t being “edgy for edgy’s sake”. The director argued that being graphic about the violence is crucial in “situations where we talk about violence that is deeply rooted in misogyny”, hinting at a finale which involves the culmination  “in a very horrible and twisted way” of the relationship between Faustus and the Good Angel. Carrington explains: “In this way, it does not strike itself as gratuitous, it strikes itself as an incredibly necessary conversation to be having about the impacts of fascism, about the impacts of this mindset on people who are victims.” She explained that about 90% of the crew is made up of women, non-binary, queer people, and global minorities and so that the show really comes “from a place of rage”. 

Carrington had described the Good Angel as a “symbol of female rage” and later told us that she is the only “female-presenting figure in the show”. I asked Amber Meeson how this impacted her performance and she explained that eventually they came to the decision to play the Good Angel as a maternal figure: “It was difficult to tow the line between having this divine figure and also having this figure who all that she wants to do is make sure that Faustus repents and goes to heaven. But there still needs to be some detachment from him in that it has to be his decision, she can’t physically influence him and so, this maternal tone was quite helpful.” She said that playing the Good Angel as a maternal, made it easier to understand how Faustus views her as someone that “he doesn’t really need to listen to”. 

After a 30 minute conversation with the three, it is clear that Seabass Theatre’s production is incredibly ambitious and that a lot of work and thought has been put into bringing this vision to life. You have enough descriptions, it is time for Cherwell readers to go and find out what the show looks like!

You can watch Doctor Faustus at the Keble O’Reilly from 26th-29th November.

Pembroke accommodation ‘Highly Commended’ at Oxford Preservation Trust awards

Sophia Harris
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Pembroke accommodation ‘Highly Commended’ at Oxford Preservation Trust awards

A renovation project, retrofitting and refurbishing student accommodation at Pembroke College, was “Highly Commended” at the 2025 Oxford Preservation Trust (OPT) awards earlier this month. At the awards ceremony, which took place at St John’s College, Pembroke was recognised in the “Adaptive Re-use” category. 

The renovations of 21 to 24 Pembroke Street, comprising four grade II listed cottages in Pembroke’s North Quad, took nine months to complete. They included fabric improvements to the buildings’ facades and the restoration of heritage features, including fireplaces which were lost in previous renovations during the 1960s. 

The OPT Awards acknowledge excellence in design, conservation, and sustainability in Oxford, celebrating projects which enhance the city’s landscape and demonstrate a communal focus. This year, plaques were awarded to eight projects, with thirteen runners-up. Harris Manchester College won in the “Adaptive Re-Use” category for their College chapel renovation. Merton College also took home a winner’s plaque in the “Building Conservation” category, awarded for work done on the stained-glass windows of their Old Library.

A spokesperson for Pembroke told Cherwell: “Everything we do at Pembroke is underpinned by our core purpose, which is to serve the common good through the provision of education and the promotion of scholarship and research, but we know that today this involves adapting to a changing world around us.” 

While the refurbishments have enhanced the buildings’ original character, the installation of a low carbon enabled heating system reflects the College’s commitment to sustainability. Other areas of the College’s site have also been decarbonised. 

Throughout the refurbishment, Pembroke emphasised the importance of student satisfaction. One first year undergraduate who now lives in the renovated staircases told Cherwell: “I love the building. The recent renovations have made living in a college dorm feel more like living in a holiday resort. The rooms, the living areas, the kitchen, the bathrooms, all of it is done to an excellent standard. The price of the accommodation is the second cheapest at Pembroke and yet by far the best accommodation here.”

The renovation plans were drawn up by Ridge and Partners, a built environment consultancy whom the college has worked with previously. Subsequent building work was completed by Benfield and Loxley, the principal contractor for the project.

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