Early on in the 2004 supernatural Russian thriller Night Watch, the protagonist, trying to prevent a witch from casting a spell on his unborn child, yells at the top of his lungs in protest. For English-speaking audiences, the subtitles do more than just translate the literal meaning: the words "no" and "stop" with three exclamation points are shown on different parts of the screen in large, moving letters. In another scene, as a swimming character hears a voice in his head causing his ...

Having tucked into his first bottle of vodka earlier than usual, Anatoly Zhbanov goes on an afternoon stroll to buy another one along the dirt road through Lopotova, a dying village on Russia's western edge, in the region of Pskov. It is mid-April, and clumps of snow are still melting at the roadside where Zhbanov, a local artist, stops to peer inside a lopsided cabin, the home of a local bootlegger. In the window stands a plastic ...

Brazilian Alexandre Pato scored twice as AC Milan stunned Real Madrid 3-2 in a thriller at the Bernabeu to get their Champions League Group C challenge back on track. Madrid took a 19th minute lead when Milan goalkeeper Dida dropped Esteban Granero`s head-high shot, despite appearing to have it under control, and an alert Raul nicked the ball away from the Brazilian before side-footing into an empty net for the 66th Champions League goal of his career. However, completely ...

As President Obama navigates his way through a series of issues as controversial as they are vital, he's getting a yellow flag from the American people. For the first time since Obama took office, fewer than half of Americans agree with the president on issues important to them, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday. A majority, 51 percent, disagree -- a jump of 10 percentage points since April. Despite the majority disagreement on issues, the poll also ...

Nikolay Davydenko avenged last year's Tennis Masters Cup final defeat by Novak Djokovic to upset the world No. 3 in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday. The Russian sixth seed triumphed 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-1) in a three-hour epic to earn a showdown with world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, who had an easier passage into the final when Feliciano Lopez became the tournament's ninth injury victim. Davydenko, beaten by Djokovic when the Chinese city held the season-ending finale ...

World number one-elect Serena Williams has crashed out of the China Open, beaten in three sets by Russian Nadia Petrova just two days after reclaiming the top position. Second seed Williams battled back several times but was unable to overcome the 13th seed, who reached the quarterfinals 6-4 3-6 7-6 in Beijing. The 28-year-old Williams looked lethargic in the first set, with her ground strokes sailing long and her serve broken twice to hand her 27-year-old opponent the early lead. ...

Sebastian Vettel will begin the Japanese Grand Prix in pole position after the Red Bull driver produced the fastest lap in an action-packed qualifying session which saw Formula One Championship leader Jenson Button penalized five places. The German held his nerve in a session which saw three red flags and two drivers taken to hospital to clock a time of one minute 32.160 seconds ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who also secured a place at the front of the grid ...

Liverpool's Champions League hopes took a blow as teenage Montenegro international Stevan Jovetic scored both goals to give Italian side Fiorentina a deserved 2-0 Group E victory. It was Liverpool's first away defeat in Europe since the semifinal loss at Chelsea in April 2008, and only their ninth away reverse in 38 attempts under manager Rafael Benitez. The home side took the lead in the 27th minute when Cristiano Zanetti's through-ball found Jovetic running from an on-side position -- and ...

Four people were killed Tuesday night in a suspected U.S. missile strike in Pakistan's tribal region, according to a Pakistani intelligence official and a local government official. It was Liverpool's first away defeat in Europe since the semifinal loss at Chelsea in April 2008, and only their ninth away reverse in 38 attempts under manager Rafael Benitez. The home side took the lead in the 27th minute when Cristiano Zanetti's through-ball found Jovetic running from an on-side position -- and ...

Brazilian-born Liedson kept alive Portugal's slender World Cup qualifying hopes with a late equalizer against Group 1 leaders Denmark in Copenhagen. Defeat would have all but spelt the end for Portugal, who made the semifinals in the 2006 World Cup and boast the world's most expensive footballer in Cristiano Ronaldo. Liedson, who plays for Sporting Lisbon and recently became a Portuguese citizen, scored with a header three minutes from time to give his new country a 1-1 draw. But Carlos ...