News in Brief

By Unknown Author

Minister Attacked

Farming Minister Lord Whitty was cornered by pro-hunt protestors outside the Examination Schools last week, where he was due to address a conference on farming subsidies. During the demonstration members of the Countryside Alliance brandished placards and confronted the minister until police intervened.

Bodleian online

Up to a million books from the Bodleian Library are to be digitised and made available on the internet search engine provider Google. The mass-digitisation agreement between Google and Oxford University will involve the scanning of up to one million books; 15 per cent of the collection's total. The Bodleian Library is one of five world institutions involved in the online project.

Smoking Ban

A recent survey by the public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has found 80 per cent of students would support a smoking ban in their student bar. Of the 23 per cent of respondents who smoked themselves, a total of one third were also in favour of new legislation.

Suspensions lifted

Late LAST term Oxford University's Disciplinary Court overturned a previous ruling that would have seen Oxford Student journalists Patrick Foster and Roger Waite rusticated for two terms and a single term respectively. Instead, the court imposed a fine of £150 on Foster and £120 on Waite following their involvement in an Oxford Student story about potential security loopholes in the University's IT network in Trinity Term 2004.

Gift of the Gab

Oxford Union debaters Jonathan Bailey from St Catherine's College and Alex Just from Wadham College reached the semi-final of the World Universities' Debating Championship in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. It is the first time in a decade that the debating society has progressed to the penultimate round of the competition.

13th Jan 2005