Swiss Pardon Europe's Last Executed Witch

Carole A. Smith claims religious discrimination got her canned

(NEWSER) - Carole A. Smith ranked among the top 10% of workers when it came to catching weapons on the X-ray machine at New York's Albany International Airport. So why did the TSA fire her? She says it was over her religious beliefs: Smith is a practicing Wiccan, or, as she calls it, a witch, and one of her co-workers said she was afraid of Smith because Smith once cast a spell on her car. But "that's not what Wicca is," Smith explains to MSNBC . "We don't cast spells." And "if I had that kind of power, I wouldn't be working for TSA. I would go buy lottery tickets and put a spell on the balls." More»

...which means they have to pay income taxes

(NEWSER) - Romania's witches aren't happy about a change in the country's labor laws that makes witchcraft a recognized profession. The move, part of a crackdown on tax evasion, will make it harder for witches to avoid paying income tax, AP reports. One witch has threatened to cast a spell using black pepper and yeast to create discord in the country's government as revenge. More»

(NEWSER) - A British tourist attraction is seeking to conjure up a new resident witch, the BBC reports. Wookey Hole Caves has advertised for a witch willing to live in the site's caverns and practice her—or his—trade for an annual salary of $75,000. Applicants need to have strong cackling skills, the site's manager says, and can't be allergic to cats. More»

Growing number of kids suspected of witchcraft worldwide

(NEWSER) - Children dubbed “witches” are facing increasing abuse in Nigeria and elsewhere, advocates say. “They would take my clothes off, tie me up and beat me,” said a 14-year-old, whose grandfather concluded he was a “witch” 2 years ago when he cried at the threat of being beaten with a broom. “Nigerian witches are terrified of brooms,” the grandfather tells CNN. More»

People lash out during tough times, researchers explain

(NEWSER) - "Witch-hunting” is a hot term these days as angry Wall Street investors pine for revenge—but in some countries they take it literally, Tim Harford writes in Slate. In Tanzania, Bolivia, and India, elderly women are often targeted as witches when resources are scarce. Tanzanian women are killed by their own families: "The machete is the weapon of choice," Harford writes. More»