So ill he could not move, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart supposedly sang parts of his final masterpiece, "Requiem," from his deathbed. Two centuries later, the exact cause of the Austrian composer's premature death, in December 1791 at age 35, is still a mystery. Theories abound. It's known that his entire body was so swollen he couldn't turn over in bed; some say jealous rivals poisoned him, while others suggest scarlet fever, tuberculosis, or lethal trichinosis from undercooked pork. Now, ...

Sometimes bad breaks can bring great fortune. A few years ago, Peter Jackson, the Lord of the Rings movies, planned a big-screen version of the Halo video-game universe and tapped Neill Blomkamp to direct it. When that project collapsed after a few months, Jackson proposed that Blomkamp turn his science-fiction short Alive in Joburg into his first feature film. It would be set in Blomkamp's native South Africa, focus on the country's traumatic tradition of apartheid, have characters who ...

By measure both of blood and of treasure, the war in Afghanistan is a costly business. To date, 782 U.S. troops have been killed there, and the conflict is costing Washington $4 billion a month. Is that a good investment? Some suggest it may be a lot more cost-effective to simply pay those currently earning their keep as gunmen for the Taliban to stay out of the fight. The notion may have ...

If you are behind the wheel of your car, someone may be on to you. More and more cities are equipping patrolmen, toll booths and even access roads with computer sidekicks that can keep track of vehicle movements; but by doing so, they are not only changing the face of 21st century law enforcement but sparking debate over privacy issues. Automated license plate recognition systems mounted in patrol cars, are capable of processing 1,500 license plates a ...

One man's trash is another man's mystery. Five years ago, Nick DiMola's rubbish removal company was hired to clean out a Manhattan apartment following the death of the owner, abstract artist Clinton Hill. The contents of a barrel that DiMola salvaged from the trash then has today raised a series of questions. What DiMola holds are about 60 artifacts and pieces of artifacts that he thinks are from Mexico, dating to between 300 B.C. and 500 A.D. The mystery, which ...

Nicaragua's total ban on abortion is a "cruel, inhuman disgrace" that's led to the rise in maternal deaths, human rights organization Amnesty International has said. The Central American country's revised penal code on abortion came into force in July 2008 and criminalizes all forms of abortion regardless of the circumstances, even in cases of rape or incest, a deformed fetus, or when the mother's life is in danger. Amnesty's researchers visited the country on a fact-finding mission to ...

At least five Iranian pilgrims were killed and dozens more wounded Wednesday in an attack northeast of Baghdad, security officials said. Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown, who is resigning from the government later this week, said: "We definitely don't have enough helicopters," adding that "mobility" was vital for operations in southern Afghanistan, where British troops are battling a resurgent Taliban. Malloch-Brown also questioned Prime Minister Gordon Brown's claim that the war was being fought to prevent Afghan terrorists carrying ...

The wise old men and their young colleagues gave the world all the entertainment it needed this weekend. While 59-year-old, self-proclaimed "geezer" golfer Tom Watson mounted a heroic effort to win the British Open, only to fall short in a four-hole playoff against a much younger rival, that great gray sorcerer Albus Dumbledore led Harry Potter to the biggest opening for any film in the series. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will have taken in nearly $80 million ...

Morris Chang is living proof of Taiwan's ability to transform its economy. In 1985, the China-born Chang, once a long-serving executive at Texas Instruments in the U.S., was lured to Taiwan by the government as part of its effort to develop a high-tech industry. He was hired to manage a state-funded research institute, but shortly after his arrival, an influential technocrat, Li Kuo-ting, called Chang to his office and told him: "Think about how you want to start a ...

Sonia Sotomayor spent her first week at Princeton University obsessing over the sound of a cricket. Growing up in New York City, her only notion of this insect was Jiminy from "Pinocchio." She tore her dorm room apart looking for the critter every night. PRINCETON, New Jersey (CNN) -- Sonia Sotomayor spent her first week at Princeton University obsessing over the sound of a cricket. Growing up in New York City, her only notion of this insect was Jiminy from ...