As we wrap up Activities Week, we’re thrilled to continue our SLT Interviews series! This week we’re shining a spotlight on the 2025/26 members of the Student Voice Team, including: Heads of Academia and Scholarship, Valentina and Libby, Unconquered Peaks editor-in-chief, Cecilia, and our Sports Captain, Mia.
As the Guardian highlights, ‘Iraq’s oil boom is blamed for worsening water crisis in drought-hit south’. Iraq is the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, where the oil industry is not only important, but necessary, for the Iraqi economy. In 2023, the government received $115 billion in revenue from the oil industry, accounting for 95% of the annual governmental budget. In a world where energy sources continue to be diversified and transitioned, Iraq relies on its expanse of oil fields, which inject millions of barrels of water every day, draining out any last drop of water left. In recent years, the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have declined significantly, partly due to climate-related temperature shifts, but largely exacerbated by the regional oil infrastructure. How far can this go before change is irreversible, or is it already too late?
For an unathletic person like me, Sports Day awards have never seemed remotely attainable. And honestly, who decided that the only prizes worth winning are for running, jumping, and throwing things? So, in the spirit of fairness and fun, I’ve concocted some totally unofficial, yet utterly essential awards for all the Houses, just to add some extra amusement to the day.
At its centre, Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’ is an exploration of the human condition. Set in the 1950s, at a time where women were expected to conform to societal norms, roles, and expectations, it seeks to examine the challenges of finding meaning in a world that often attempts to define us, while highlighting the psychological toll this can bring. Throughout the novel Plath explores themes of existentialism, feminist philosophy, and the ultimate pursuit of authenticity, all of which are displayed through the protagonist’s struggle for meaningful existence.
Colonialism is often perceived as a relic of the past, disconnected with the actions and policies of governments today. Likewise, modern day conflicts are regularly viewed through a vacuum, with little understanding of the historical background behind them. However, to understand the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, one must look at historical events that altered the borders of the regions — The British Mandate, the UN partition of Palestine and 1948 Arab Israeli war that followed, and the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The struggles over land, sovereignty, and a representation of identity are results of several border changes in the region throughout the past century. Borders provide a vital sense of clarity and security in an uncertain world and are thus powerful tools. However, when borders fail to reflect the interests of a group of people, they can become a site of resistance and conflict, underscoring the limitations of borders in fully encapsulating the complexities of nationhood and self-determination.
