Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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Releasing non-native pets poses a serious risk to our native wildlife
Fearful beasts have been spotted beside the canal in Northamptonshire. Deerstalker hat on, I rushed to investigate
ENCOUNTERS OF A NEW KIND: (Right to left) An albino Burmese python, Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula and a barred grass snake, which is native to our country
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ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
LAST year along the canal towpath in rural Northamptonshire we started to hear tales of sightings of a large, exotic and colourful snake, or maybe, more than one.
The similar descriptions from the few people who had had a decent sighting suggested it might be the albino Burmese python — a beautiful golden-blond snake — favoured both by pet-keepers as well as by exotic or even erotic dancers.
It is all too easy to buy a pet python on the internet or from a specialist dealer. You don’t need a special licence. Snakes are being caught in the wild and then illegally imported using forged papers suggesting they were bred in captivity. A six-foot python might cost between £50 and £250 from an internet dealer.
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