A Saudi woman was beheaded after being convicted of practicing "witchcraft and sorcery," according to the Saudi Interior Ministry, at least the second such execution for sorcery this year.

The woman, Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar, was executed in the northern Saudi province of al-Jawf on Monday.

With the cooperation of politicians and grassroots organizations, Bolivia is set to pass the Law of Mother Earth which will grant nature the same rights and protections as humans. The piece of legislation, called la Ley de Derechos de la Madre Tierra, is intended to encourage a radical shift in conservation attitudes and actions, to enforce new control measures on industry, and to reduce environmental destruction.

French archaeologists have discovered an extremely rare example of a neolithic "earth mother" figurine on the banks of the river Somme.
The 6,000-year-old statuette is 8in high, with imposing buttocks and hips but stubby arms and a cone-like head. Similar figures have been found before in Europe but rarely so far north and seldom in such a complete and well-preserved condition

A man with his own blood dripping over his torso makes guttural noises, before placing his hands on a pilgrim to cleanse him.
The bloodied entity embodies the spirit of a Viking, and is believed to have healing powers.
In a trance, he pushes the pilgrim to the ground, who appears shocked and dulled.
Thousands of followers of the cult of Maria Lionza enter into such purifications, spiritual acts and rituals every October.

Night was falling when I parked, as instructed, at an intersection on a canyon road north of Los Angeles. Carrying a foam pad, water bottle, and blanket, I cautiously approached the house. “Are you here for the ceremony?” asked a woman seated in shadow on the porch. “The shaman’s running late,” she added. After a few minutes of small talk on topics ranging from root chakras to Reiki, she asked me bluntly, “Have you drunk before?