Aliens have surveyed Szolnok and one of their ships has been hovering above the Hungarian city.

The vehicle flew several hundred feet above ground before its bright light dimmed and it changed shape, apparently due to advanced technology not yet available on Earth. "There was a light ten times as bright as Venus, 300 metres high, with an unbelievable flight path, tracing zeds in the sky," UFO Magazine said.

Mock this news about a close encounter of the Hungarian kind at your peril because the story's author, Gyorgy Keleti, is now Hungary's Defence Minister.

His brief also encompasses the negotiation of Hungary's entry into Nato under the auspices of the Partnership for Peace programme as well as monitoring more esoteric threats to Hungarian security.

UFO Magazine is one of many manifestations of Eastern Europe's growing interest in the paranormal. Witchcraft, unidentified flying objects and the occult are growth industries in a region where many people are dazed and confused by the transition from communism and capitalism.

The old certainties of Marx and Lenin have been replaced with new beliefs. Every main Hungarian city has a UFO society and this year the country hosted an international UFO conference.

"People don't care about political parties shouting at each other, they are fed up with politics. But these phenomena are interesting because they are unexplainable and they are miracles," said Sandor Pusztay, the editor of UFO Magazine.

Many Hungarians in search of such miracles can be found at the Red Raven witchcraft studio in Pest. The studio's waiting room is full every day with people seeking answers to life's problems from Jozsef Meszaros, Hungary's chief witch, for a price. Red Raven offers ritual magic, love spells, curse removal and reincarnation hypnosis at prices ranging from 2,000 forints to 10,000 forints (12UKP to 60UKP [$18 to $90]).

Mr Meszaros says he has 8,000 members in his "church", which is registered as a religion in Hungary although his more established rivals frown on it.

"The Bishop of Esztergon told his congregation to have nothing to do with us. The same night the cathedral roof caught fire and they have not identified a cause," the chief witch said.

Profits from the studio, set up in 1991, will go towards the witch's temple. "It is not necessary to have a church, witches can work out of the room, but it is a matter of prestige. Professional witchcraft rituals are difficult to organise in small east European flats," said Mr Meszaros.

The studio sells 72 kinds of polarised water, each of which, it is claimed, can cure a different disease. However, the Ministry of Health said the water was identical to normal water and brought legal proceedings against the studio. .