Featuresp16 Interview Tony Benn p26 Stopping Richard the War Branson with the The Virgin grand old Megastar man of talks to the left Varsity Reviewsp30 Issue No 666 Friday Nov 16 2007 varsity.co.uk e Independent Cambridge Student Newspaper since 1947 Attacks at Trinity Hall » Intruders to Bishop Bateman Court ‘throttle’ one student and assault others » Room raider claimed to be a ‘foreign student’ » At least one intruder still on site when police arrive but unnoticed by CAMILLA TEMPLE; Bishop Bateman Court (right), which was broken into by unknown intruders on Saturday night; students’ belongings, including a RICHARD GARDNER offi cial search laptop (top left) from ransacked rooms were discarded outside and on the roof of the building Camilla Temple at around 4.35 am. drain pipe outside and my fountain and made a search of the property Chief News Editor Cheshire reported that at six pen and medical card were also ly- but no one was found.” Natalie Woolman o’clock, “A hand came through ing around in the building.” However, complaints have been An accommodation block belong- my window and was on my lap- Camilla Winfi eld said that she made about police procedure and Don’t sell your ing to Trinity Hall was broken into top. They couldn’t take the lap- awoke at around 4.30am to see a response to the accident. Fanego and students there were attacked top because it was held by the man clawing at her window and alleges that when the police came soul to in their rooms in the early hours of speaker wires. They took my trying to force it open. “It was they took no notes and were un- Saturday morning. Latin books though and left them like a scene from a horror fi lm”, interested in what he had to say. the Two students, who were asleep on a windowsill outside. The first she said. He thinks this may have been be- in rooms in Bishop Bateman Court intruder could hardly walk but David Fanego said that he heard cause he is Spanish and his Eng- corpo- on Thompson’s Lane, were at- the second one was quite agile.” the screams of his neighbour when lish is not fl uent. tacked by the intruders and one Cheshire said that his door had one of the intruders entered her Students claim that the intruder rate student’s room was ransacked. not been locked. room. He claims he then heard the must still have been on the proper- The intruders went through the Julia Tilley was in her boyfriend’s muffl ed words, “help me” and the ty at the time of the police search. giants students’ belongings and then left room when an intruder came in. sound of something being forced There are reports that he was them in a variety of locations in- “Someone walked into the room,” into her mouth. He took a knife subsequently seen at around 6am cluding the roof of the building and she said. “My boyfriend shouted from the kitchen and opened her searching in the undergrowth at p12 the garden area. ‘Who the hell are you?’ and he re- door but the intruder had escaped. the back of Bishop Bateman Court One of the victims, Tom Chesh- plied ‘I’m a foreign student’ and The victim of this attack returned and was then seen falling asleep in ire, said: “I just woke up and this then left. home on Saturday in shock. a bush. guy was throttling me. His trou- “When I got back to my room in A spokesperson for Cambridge- Cambridgeshire Constabulary Letters 10 sers were undone and he didn’t the morning, my laptop was gone shire Constabulary said: “We were said, “That’s their report. Unless have his shirt on. I was quite and my room was ransacked. I felt called at 5.50am by Julia Tilley and we’re told there are people hiding Comment 12 scared. At fi rst I thought it was violated and disturbed. They had arrived at 6.05am.We had reports in the bushes we wouldn’t search my friend who also has a shaved left a rolled-up ten pound note, of an intruder trying doors, having the bushes outside as that is not a Idler 13 head so I told him to stop it, but probably for coke, on my desk. It got in through a window. sensible use of police time.” then he whacked my girlfriend. I was really upsetting. “We were told that the inform- The police were called again in wrestled him off and then he said, “They also put all my knickers in ant had not been attacked and no the morning when they received Reviews 30 ‘Sorry, I’ve got the wrong person’ a box and then left them outside in assaults were reported. We re- and left.” This incident took place the garden. My laptop was on the corded it as a suspicious incident CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The Anorak 37 Chief News Editors: Katherine Faulkner, Katy Lee and Camilla Temple Friday November 16 2007 2 NEWS [email protected] varsity.co.uk/news In Brief Scientists discover fat Stress is good genes Controversial author and scientist Nick Lane has told Cambridge Sue Kirk students that some forms of stress may be good for health. Speaking Researchers in Cambridge Uni- at a talk organised by the Biologi- versity’s Department of Clinical cal Society on Monday, Lane sug- Biochemistry have discovered that gested that the low-level physi- genes dictate why some people put ological stresses encountered in on more weight than others. every day life can allow us to live Working in collaboration with longer, healthier lives. Exercise, Oxford University and Cancer Re- calorie-restriction and “mild tox- search UK, a group led by Professor ins” found in some foods and al- Stephen O’Rahilly has discovered a cohol could make the body better gene which exists in two forms, one adapted at reducing the normal of which is implicated in obesity. injury caused by daily metabolism. Those with one copy of this ‘fat He even speculated that “short gene’ are on average one and a half periods of psychological kilograms heavier than those with- stress” could have out, while those who have two cop- similar benefi ts. ies – approximately one in six of the Xiaoyan UK population – are three kilograms Xue heavier, with 15 per cent more body fat. This group are also more likely to have type two diabetes. The gene is responsible for produc- ing an enzyme which can act to mod- ify DNA, and may act as a switch to turn on and off other genes involved in weight control. It is located in the part of the brain responsible for ap- petite and feelings of fullness, and John’s beat application so may affect the way the brain per- record ceives hunger. The biological function of this gene St. John’s has broken the record is not yet fully understood, and the for undergraduate applications for next step in the research will be to courses beginning in Michaelmas UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, WILMINGTON establish its exact nature. 2008. For this cycle the college These fi ndings form part of a con- received 863 applications from stu- certed effort to establish the causes of dents across the world, making St Underwater tutorials obesity, which scientists have found John’s the most over-subscribed Dr Annelise Hagan, Visiting Scholar in Cambridge University’s Coastal Research Unit, is broadcasting hard to tie to particular genes. If the college for one admissions cycle from Aquarius, the world’s only fi xed underwater research station. Dr Hagan is living and working role of genes in obesity can be estab- ever. Natural Sciences received lished, it will have wide implications 140 applicants, which is twice the in the Aquarius, which is 60 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Florida for new treatments and therapies to number of the 2004 admissions Keys. She broadcasted live lessons on physical oceanography over the Internet on Wednesday. reduce the risk of weight gain. cycle. The college’s Senior Tutor, Matthias Dörrzapf, told Varsity: “The college has made a tremen- dous effort with admissions – from hosting symposiums for teachers Burglary and assault University short of and more open days, to dispatch- ing thousands of prospectuses.” He also emphasized that every appli- at Trinity Hall CompSci applications cant will be subjected to a fair ad- mission process despite the large number of applicants. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Vishnu Parameshwaran another report, this time of a bur- whether the college holds students Clemmie Dowley career potential is limited to ‘uni- glary and an assault. “Somebody has responsible because many did not versity research laboratories and reported that they woke up with an lock their doors, Dr Bampos said, Cambridge University is experienc- fi elds of cubicles with displays and New diabetes drug intruder near their bed and started “The College makes every effort to ing a signifi cant decline in applicants keyboards’. screaming when he put his hand ensure that all accommodation is se- for its computer science courses. Professor Peter Robinson, depu- Cambridge scientists have discov- over the victim’s mouth. He fi rst ran cure and all locks operational. It ap- Applications to study the sub- ty head of Cambridge’s Computer ered that a previously-developed into the toilet and then escaped out pears that some students leave their ject at Cambridge have been Laboratory, has pointed out that drug has the potential to treat type of the room.” doors unlocked overnight.