According to the compass screwed onto the bow, Max was sailing directly for it, due north-northwest, and yet the city lights were growing fainter.

NEWYORKER: Max at Sea

The northwest-to-north winds were punctuated with gusts topping 80 mph at some Southern California points.

NPR: Windy Spring Storm Sweeps Through Calif., Arizona

If that sounds sort of familiar, that's hardly a surprise: At times, this storyline seems to be a combination of James Bond-meets-Alfred Hitchcock in "North By Northwest, " (1959) with Newton playing the role portrayed by Eva Marie Saint in the Hitchcock film.

CNN: 'Mission: Impossible 2': A hero, a babe, a motorcycle

The country's most recent long-range missile launch happened in April 2009 from a base near Musudan-ri, on North Korea's northwest coast, and flew eastward over Japan before crashing in the Pacific Ocean about 1, 270 kilometers east of Japan.

WSJ: U.S. Warns North Korea Over Rocket Launch

The Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia lies in the northwest of Russia's troubled North Caucasus region.

BBC: Karachay-Cherkessia profile

In a speech to the nation on his return to Seoul last week, President Kim suggested South Korean trains could travel non-stop to London or Paris if the line connecting Seoul and Sinuiju in the northwest corner of North Korea were relinked.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Korea: Korea's Big Show