Europe

'Magic Flute' Singers End Up In Lake Constance

In Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, Tamino and Pamina can't get married unless brave Tamino passes three tests. At a performance in Austria this week, the trials by silence and fire were no sweat — water turned out to be a bit trickier. A gondola carrying three characters capsized.

Why Were The Baboons So Sad? Many Theories, No Answers

At a zoo in the Netherlands, 112 baboons suddenly started acting oddly. They turned their backs to visitors. They moped around. They didn't want to eat. It was a week before they got back to normal. Were they upset by a storm or an earthquake that people didn't feel? Maybe aliens? It's a mystery.

Former Soviet Republic's Democratic Transition Questioned

The former Soviet republic of Georgia passed an important test of democracy last year. After a bitter campaign, the government changed hands peacefully in a free election. But the losing party says democracy in Georgia is threatened because the new government is arresting officials from the old government and putting them on trial for corruption and abuse of power.

American Tourist Accidentally Breaks Statue

Just about every museum in the world has the same rule: no touching. A rule one man failed to observe on a family vacation to Florence, Italy. He was comparing his own finger to the fingers on a 600-year-old statue when he nudged its ancient pinky and it snapped right off.