The convoluted plots and the conventions of the opera seria style, with their long da capo (repeat) arias, were thought to make them unperformable.

ECONOMIST: Handel's anniversary

It seems that, long before The Da Vinci Code, writers were effectively weaving esoteric cults into the plots of their mysteries.

FORBES: A Forgotten Poe

The region's largest country, Brazil, is in the hands of a long-time Castro ally, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva .

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Snatching defeat?

United lost to a long-range Rodrigo Tello strike that was helped on its way past goalkeeper Ben Foster by a Rafael da Silva deflection.

BBC: Sir Alex Ferguson unfazed by lost European record