Russia may block release of 'Borat'

MOSCOW - A government agency said it would refuse to grant permission for Sacha Baron Cohen's controversial comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" to be shown in theaters in neighboring Russia, its distributor here said Thursday.

The raucous, satiric "Borat" pokes fun at Americans through the guise of Cohen's Kazakh TV journalist character he originated on TV in his "Da Ali G Show." The spoof documentary follows Cohen's Borat on a cross-country trip to report back to his homeland on American culture.

The character suggests Kazakhs drink horse urine, view prostitution, rape and incest as respectable, and are openly anti-Semitic.