SAUDI ARABIA: Kingdom steps up hunt for ‘witches’ and ‘black magicians’
When the popular 46-year-old Lebanese psychic Ali Sibat went on-air and made his predictions about the future, the phone lines of the satellite television station Sheherazade used to be flooded with calls.

But what the star psychic probably did not predict was that his claims to supernatural prowess would land him a death sentence. Read full story from latimes.com

Killer son stabbed ‘witch’ mother 21 times
A divorced father of three stabbed his mother 21 times after becoming convinced that she was a witch and had put a curse on him, a court heard today.

Kayode Kuye tortured and killed Christina Kuye, 69, because he believed she had ruined his life with a black magic spell, the Old Bailey was told. Read full story from independent.co.uk

The pagan gardener
There’s no way around it; gardeners suffer from split personality, I guess. Because as we head to Christmas, or the Winter Solstice if that is your preference, we seem to take the whole garden inside. Trees, shrubs, branches – things we strictly kept out of the house all summer, we now excitedly drag inside to create, let’s face it, a garden space under our roof and inside our four walls. Read full story from westisland.com

Forest vicar warns against dabbling in the occult
Gloucestershire vicar Nick Bromfield is warning Foresters not to dabble in the occult after a sheep’s head was put on a pole outside one of his churches.

The churchman says he has spotted several signs of black magic worship while out and about in the Forest of Dean. Read full story from thisisglouceshire.co.uk

Goat’s head found in Lira municipality office
Fear gripped Lira municipality officials on Monday morning when they reported for duty and found a goat’s head in the office of the town clerk.

The goat’s head, believed to have been used to perform rituals, was discovered near the visitors’ seat. Read full story from newsvision.co.ug

Archaeologists Recount a Buddhist Tale
“In a 60-square-meter pit dug out with care, two meters deep,” or a 650-square-foot pit 6 feet deep, “fragments of Buddhist statues were methodically laid down, the heads along the sides and the larger bits, torsos, and stela slabs in the central area. Some were only partially preserved. A number were reassembled after a delicate restoration job. Some reveal traces of a fire, others were repaired in ancient times with iron clasps.” Read full story from nytimes.com

Second arson attack at Sri Lankan Buddhist temple
TORONTO — An early morning fire that damaged a Buddhist temple used by Toronto’s Sri Lankan community for the second time in six months has been classified as an arson. Read full story from nationalpost.com

Diverse group unites to give thanks
More than 100 community members, young and old, filed into the First United Methodist Church Thursday morning, to give thanks for their peers and acknowledge the common ground among members of different faiths. Read full story from dailytidings.com