TSVETANA Pironkova

Thursday July 1, 2010

Wimbledon dream come true for giant-killer Pironkova

TSVETANA Pironkova had never played on a grass court until five years ago but now the Bulgarian giant–killer is just one match away from reaching the Wimbledon final.

Pironkova has defied her lowly position in the world rankings to make it to the last four at the All England Club after a sensational 6-2, 6-3 win over five–time champion Venus Williams in the quarter–finals on Tuesday.

That stunning triumph, which followed a victory over 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli in the previous round, provided much–needed proof that it is not impossible to break the Williams sisters’ domination of the women’s game.

“We have no grass courts in Bulgaria actually. I think it was five years ago here at Wimbledon at the qualifying when I first played on grass,” Pironkova said.

“Back then, I thought, ‘Wow, it’s impossible. How can I play on this surface?’

“But with every match I play on grass I feel better and better.”

Growing up in Plovdiv, Pironkova was taught tennis by her father Kiril, a former canoe champion, and developed well enough to turn professional.

Her progress was slower after that and when she beat Venus in the first round of the 2006 Australian Open it seemed like a once in a lifetime result for the teenager.

All that has changed in the last 10 days as she came from nowhere to make the last four.

To beat a player who had appeared in eight of the last 10 Wimbledon finals and to do it at the Grand Slam she always wanted to succeed at, left Pironkova shaking her head in disbelief.

“I still cannot believe that I reached the semi–finals. This is truly like a dream to me,” she said.

“Wimbledon has always been a religion to me. It’s the oldest tournament and growing up, every player is looking at Wimbledon. They say, ‘One day I want to play there.’ That’s like a dream.”

With her dreams fulfiled, it would hardly be surprising if Pironkova suffered a hangover in the semi-final.

But she is determined to learn from the aftermath of her win over Venus in 2006 when she lost in the next round.

“When I beat Williams at the Australian Open, there was so much attention. I was shocked,” she said.

“In the next match, I just couldn’t focus because of all the attention. Right now I think I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll just try to focus.”

While Pironkova tries to keep her cool, Zvonareva, who defeated Kim Clijsters 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, can’t wait for her shot at reaching a first Grand Slam final.

The 25–year–old, who was beaten in the Australian Open semi–finals in 2009, has often been let down by her fragile temperament but she believes it is improving with age.

“I think it comes with experience,” she said. “You’re more mature.

“You know it is important just to forget what was before and try to concentrate on the next point. Right now I have learned a lot from the past, and I can do it much better now.” – AFP

Karl Kraus

90-year-old man accused of raping 4 Thai sisters

Australian Karl Kraus (center) is escorted by Thai policemen after being arrested, in Chiang Mai

A 90-year-old Australian was arrested and charged with raping four young sisters whom he allegedly lured to his home in Thailand with imported chocolates and English lessons, police said Wednesday.

One girl was 5 when the alleged abuse began. The sisters are now 7 to 15.

Karl Joseph Kraus was arrested Tuesday at his home near the northern city of Chiang Mai, where police confiscated about 100 photographs of naked children, said Doi Saket police chief Kritapol Yeesakorn.

Some photos showed the elderly man posing naked with other children, and police are trying to identify them and contact their families, Kritapol said. He said police were investigating if Kraus was part of a pedophilia network, noting many of the pictures were emailed overseas.

Kraus, who has lived in Thailand more than a decade, approached the girls' family in 2008 with an offer to teach the sisters' English, said Kritapol.

"He would lure them into his house with sweets, usually chocolate from aboard or luxury sweets, and he would ask them to perform sexual acts with him," Kritapol said. "For the eldest of the four sisters, he recently gave her 4,000 baht instead of sweets." The sum is about US$120.

The parents recently noticed the girls had lost interest in playing outside and asked them what was wrong, and then took them to police who immediately sought an arrest warrant, the police chief said.

He was charged with rape and sexual abuse.

Kraus' Australian passport says he was born in Berlin.

Kritapol said Kraus does not have a lawyer yet and has refused to talk to police until he has one.

Neighbors described Kraus as an active 90-year-old who still drove his own car, police said.

But when police arrested him he acted weak, walked with a cane and complained of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Police took him to a Chiang Mai hospital where he remains under surveillance. - AP

Anna Chapman

Russian 'femme fatale' delights tabloids

(AFP)

30 June 2010, 8:36 AM

Portrayed as a flame-haired, green-eyed femme fatale, a 28-year-old Russian businesswoman has emerged as a tabloid darling in an alleged spy ring uncovered by US.

Anna Chapman’s Facebook photo was plastered on Tuesday on the front-page of the New York Daily News following her arrest along with 10 other alleged members of a sophisticated network of US-based Russian sleeper agents.

Dubbed the “Red Head” by the New York Post, Chapman is alleged to have passed on information to a Russian official during scenes that could have come straight out of a John Le Carre novel.

The criminal complaint filed by US Justice Department describes how on 10 Wednesdays between January and June 2010 she “covertly exchanged electronic communications via a private wireless network” with her Russian handler.

To avoid having to meet, Chapman and this unidentified man, who the FBI repeatedly observed entering Russia’s UN mission in Manhattan, used specially configured laptops to exchange messages.

Russia angry as US seeks to limit spy fallout Moscow on Tuesday angrily rejected allegations by Washington that it had cracked an undercover Russian spy ring but U.S. officials said the Cold War-style cloak and dagger saga would not undermine a thaw in relations. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said U.S. police who arrested 10 suspected spies in four cities in the eastern the United States on Sunday had gone “out of control”. “I hope that all the positive gains that have been achieved in our relationship will not be damaged by the recent event,” Putin told visiting ex-U.S. President Bill Clinton in Moscow. An 11th suspect was arrested in Cyprus on Tuesday and freed on bail, police on the Mediterranean island said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said those arrested in the United States were Russians and the charges against them were baseless. In Washington, administration officials said the case would not set back President Barack Obama’s drive to “reset” ties with Russia, one of the signature diplomatic initiatives of his administration. “I think we have made a new start to working together on things like in the United Nations dealing with North Korea and Iran,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. “I do not think that this will affect those relations.” The suspects, some of whom lived quiet lives in American suburbia for years, were accused of gathering information ranging from data on high-penetration nuclear warhead research programs to background on CIA job applicants. Obama-Medvedev Meeting Gibbs said President Barack Obama knew about the spy investigation before he met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Washington late last week, but did not mention it during their talks. “The choice of timing was particularly graceful,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists sarcastically during a trip to Jerusalem. Other Russian officials also suggested the timing was no coincidence. “We do not understand what prompted the U.S. Justice Department to make a public statement in the spirit of Cold War espionage,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said lawyers and diplomats should be given access to the suspects. The U.S. Justice Department said all proper consular procedures were being followed. With buried banknotes, coded communications and other details, the U.S. accusations echoed spy scandals of the 20th century and the more recent chill in relations with a Kremlin which, under the 2000-2008 presidency of ex-KGB spy Putin, often accused the West of trying to weaken Russia. Britain and Ireland both said they were checking reports suspects had traveled on false passports from their countries. Moscow has repeatedly accused Western powers of maintaining spying operations against Russia despite the end of the Cold War. Western powers also complain of Russian activity, especially in the commercial and scientific areas. “We’re moving towards a more trusting relationship. We’re beyond the Cold War,” Gordon said. “But ...I don’t think anyone was hugely shocked to know that some vestiges of old attempts to use intelligence are still there.” U.S. Russia analyst Samuel Charap of the Center for American Progress said the fallout could be contained due to the fact that none of those accused in the case thus far were diplomats and the charges did not include espionage. Lingering Distrust But he added that the case exposed lingering distrust on both sides, which could reverberate in the U.S. Senate where the administration hopes to persuade some sceptical Republicans to back the ratify a new U.S-Russia disarmament treaty. Russian analysts said the timing suggested it was an attempt to undermine improving relations, although Justice Department officials said the arrests were ordered because it was feared one suspect was about to leave the country. “It’s a slap in the face to Barack Obama,” said Anatoly Tsyganok, a political analyst at Moscow’s Institute of Political and Military Analysis. He predicted Russia would follow Cold War etiquette and uncover an equal number of alleged U.S. spies. A senior State Department official noted one of the expressions of Russian outrage was from Putin, who was a spymaster in the late 1990s when, according to the allegations, some of the suspected agents were already in place. “It would have been nice if he’d have thought about that first,” the official said. Tatyana Stanovaya, political analyst at Moscow’s Center for Political Technologies, said the accusations could widen a rift in Russia’s elite between advocates and opponents of better U.S. ties. Stanovaya said it could dent the authority of Medvedev, who is struggling to emerge from Putin’s shadow and has made engagement with Washington a hallmark of his presidency. The U.S. Justice Department accused the 11 people of operating as “illegals”, meaning agents infiltrated under false identities, rather than officers who use diplomatic or other legitimate cover. They were accused of collecting information ranging from research programs on small-yield, high-penetration nuclear warheads to the global gold market, and seeking background on people who applied for jobs at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), according to criminal complaints filed in a U.S. court.

The complaint describes how on one occasion Chapman sat herself by the window of a Manhattan coffee shop. Her handler passed by 10 minutes later in a minivan, close enough to pick up her communications on their covert network.

Last week an FBI agent, purporting to be a Russian consulate employee, arranged an undercover face-to-face meeting with Chapman in another coffee shop in downtown Manhattan, saying he had something urgent to give her.

During their meeting, detailed exhaustively in the criminal complaint, Chapman is asked to give a fake passport to another Russian agent, presumably another undercover FBI operative.

Asked if she is ready to carry out this “next step,” Chapman replies: “Shit, of course,” according to the charge sheet.

Chapman appeared in federal court for the first time on Monday in Manhattan, where Judge James Cott ordered her detention.

Dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, she spoke for several minutes with a lawyer after being released from her handcuffs.

According to the New York Post and the Russian news website lifenews.ru, Chapman moved to New York in February from Moscow after a divorce.

In an interview posted on video-sharing site Youtube, Chapman described herself as a start-up specialist, seeking to build a recruitment agency targeting young professionals in Moscow and New York.

In the Youtube video, part of a series titled “Online School for Start-Up” Chapman says she worked for several years in London in an investment company. In Moscow she set up a property search website.

In New York, she had launched a business “Time Venture”, specializing in “technology, Internet, media and leisure activities,” she adds, claiming to develop global strategies for new businesses.

On Chapman’s Facebook page, meanwhile, the budding business tycoon sets out a bold personal philosophy. “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it,” she comments.

During Monday’s court hearing, Chapman’s business was valued at 2 million dollars.

Her lawyer Robert Baum argued vigorously against Chapman’s incarceration, claiming she was an innocent, who had wrongly caught in the FBI dragnet.

“The complaint alleges the conspiracy has been going on since 1990. But my client did not place foot in the United States until 2005,” Baum said, adding that Chapman’s visa had been revoked last Saturday.

Judge Cott rejected her court-appointed attorney’s pleas however. “The defendant was not just the innocent by-stander. The defendant will be detained,” he said.

Suspected spies include Russian citizens: Russia

Some of the suspected spies arrested in the United States are Russian citizens, Russia’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged Tuesday, but it insisted they did nothing to hurt U.S. interests.

The ministry statement said Russia is counting on the U.S. “to show proper understanding, taking into account the positive character of the current stage of development of Russian-American relations.”

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin delivered the same message during a meeting at his country residence with former President Bill Clinton, who was in Moscow to speak at an investment conference.

“I understand that back home police are putting people in prison,” Putin said, drawing a laugh from Clinton. “That’s their job. I’m counting on the fact that the positive trend seen in the relationship will not be harmed by these events.”

The Foreign Ministry would not say specifically how many of the 11 alleged deep-cover agents are Russian.

NTV television identified two of the defendants as Russian and showed their photographs from a social networking website. NTV said Mikhail Semenko had moved to the U.S. in 2008 and Anna Chapman, said to have an English husband, moved to the U.S. in February of this year. Both are in their late 20s.

The FBI announced the arrests of 10 suspects Monday, and an 11^th person allegedly involved in the Russian spy ring was arrested Tuesday in Cyprus. Court papers said the operation goes back as far as the 1990s and many of the suspects were tracked for years.

Semenko and Chapman, however, were listed in a separate complaint and said to use their real names. Most of the other suspects were accused of using fake names and purporting to be U.S. or Canadian citizens while really being Russian.

They are accused of attempting to infiltrate U.S. policymaking circles while posing as ordinary citizens, some of them as married couples.

Oleg Gordievsky, a former deputy head of the KGB in London who defected in 1985, said Russia probably has about 50 deep-cover couples spying inside the United States.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev would know the number of illegal operatives in each target country but not their names, the 71-year-old ex-double agent told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Countries often have a number of intelligence officials whose identities are declared to their host nation, usually working in embassies, trade delegations and other official posts.

Gordievsky, who spent nine years working in the KGB directorate in charge of illegal spy teams, said he estimates there are 400 declared Russian intelligence officers in the U.S., as well as up to 50 couples charged with covertly cultivating military and diplomat officials as sources of information.

He said the complexity involved in training and running undercover teams means Russia is unlikely to have significantly more operatives now than during his career.

“I understand the resources they have, and how many people they can train and send to other countries,” Gordievsky said. “It is possible there may be more now, but not many more, and no more than 60 (couples).”

The ex-KGB officer said deep-cover spies often fail to deliver better intelligence than their colleagues who work in the open.

“They are supposed to be the vanguard of Russian intelligence,” Gordievsky said. “But what they are really doing is nothing, they just sit at home in Britain, France and the U.S.”

The Foreign Ministry’s first reaction to the U.S. arrests was less amicable, and some senior Russian lawmakers said some in the U.S. government may be trying to undercut President Barack Obama’s warming relations with Moscow.

“These actions are unfounded and pursue unseemly goals,” the ministry said in a statement issued earlier Tuesday. “We don’t understand the reasons which prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to make a public statement in the spirit of Cold War-era spy stories.”

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that U.S. authorities announced the arrest just days after Medvedev had visited the United States and met Obama at the White House.

“They haven’t explained to us what this is about,” Lavrov said at a news conference during a trip to Jerusalem. “I hope they will. The only thing I can say today is that the moment for doing that has been chosen with special elegance.”

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service refused to comment on the arrests of its alleged agents.

Nikolai Kovalyov, the former chief of the main KGB successor agency, the Federal Security Service, said some of the U.S. charges against the alleged spies resembled a “bad spy novel.”

Kovalyov, now a lawmaker, said the arrests were an attempt by some “hawkish circles” in the United States to demonstrate the need for a tougher line toward Moscow. Kovalyov added that Russian-U.S. ties will continue to improve despite the spy scandal.

“Our two great powers must stand together,” he said.

Some lawmakers suggested a tit-for-tat Russian response, but Kovalyov said Russia would reciprocate only “if the Americans don’t stop at that and risk evicting our diplomats,” the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Other senior Russian lawmakers also alleged that some in the U.S. government resented warmer ties with Russia.

“This was initiated, was done by certain people of certain political forces, who aren’t in favor of improving relations between Russia and the United States, and I feel deeply sorry about that,” Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house, the State Duma, told Associated Press Television News.

“Not all of them support Obama’s policy,” Mikhail Grishankov, a deputy head of the Duma’s security affairs committee, told AP. “There are forces interested in tensions.”

Viktor Kremenyuk, a deputy head of the U.S. and Canada Institute, a Moscow-based think tank, said the spy case could threaten a planned ratification of a new nuclear arms reduction deal signed by Obama and Medvedev in April.

“That may change the atmosphere, that may change the attitudes among Americans toward Russia, (and) that may cause very significant political consequences,” Kremenyuk said.

In Britain, the case stirred memories of the country’s own illegal Soviet spy — Melita Norwood, a civil servant who spent about 40 years passing atomic research and other secrets to Moscow. Authorities ruled against prosecuting the elderly grandmother when she was exposed in 1992. Norwood died in 2005 at the age of 93.

Debrahlee Lorenzana

Is this woman's figure too distracting?

Debrahlee Lorenzana said she strove to look like a Playboy model.

It went viral as the ultimate example of being punished for circumstances beyond one's control: a woman who said she was fired from her banking job because she complained that her male colleagues called her figure a workplace distraction.

Then - after the tabloid headlines, the TV interviews, the New York Times column - came the disclosure that the buxom banker who said she couldn't help the way she looked had, in fact, helped it a lot, through a series of cosmetic surgeries she had extolled on reality TV.

When Debrahlee Lorenzana asked state human-rights officials Monday to investigate her claims against Citibank - which the bank denies - her story had already become a crucible teeming with touchy subjects: sexual harassment, women's workplace fashion, society's obsession with beauty, Americans' mixed feelings about publicity-seeking. It's a morality play for the YouTube era.

But as commentators ranging from legal analysts to comedians debate whether she's a novel form of discrimination victim or a gold digger trying to cash in on male attention she courted, the 33-year-old single mom at the center of it all says she's unbowed and trying to teach corporate America a lesson.

She followed the bank's dress code and tried to do her job, she says, and so what if she strove to look - in her own words - like a Playboy model?

"There's nothing wrong with that," Lorenzana said at a news conference Monday. "One thing has nothing to do with the other."

Then she went off to work at her new job at another bank, dressed in a yellow sleeveless top, a form-fitting ecru skirt and tan stiletto peep-toe pumps.

Lorenzana isn't the first woman to take legal action over workplace dress requirements; famous examples include a Nevada casino bartender who unsuccessfully sued after she was fired for refusing to wear makeup. But many such cases revolve around claims that the woman was pushed to look more like a sex object - not less, as Lorenzana alleges.

Her claim that she was dressed down by bosses who said she was too alluring to wear turtlenecks or pencil skirts seized the cultural moment because "it just sounded so sort of 'Mad Men'-esque," said Brenda Weber, a gender and cultural studies professor at Indiana University, referring to the AMC television series that often dwells on masculine privilege in a 1960s advertising firm.

It's no surprise the frenzy only intensified after the revelation of Lorenzana's plastic surgery, Weber said.

In a culture that cherishes ideals of genuineness and meritocracy, "there's this sort of stripping of her authenticity that then, in an American context, we really sort of dislike," she said, but "it doesn't mean that we're not fascinated."

Lorenzana began working at a Citibank branch in September 2008, in a job soliciting and opening up new accounts for businesses, according to her new complaint to the state Human Rights Division and a lawsuit she filed last fall.

Managers soon began hassling her about her work wear, saying she looked "too distracting" for her male colleagues to handle, her lawsuit said. When she pointed out that some co-workers wore more revealing clothes than she, a manager told her that "your body is very different from them" and that because the others "are short or fat, it's OK for them to dress like that," her human-rights complaint said.

She complained repeatedly to Citibank human-resources officials and was transferred to another branch.

After what she calls a deliberate campaign to keep her from meeting performance targets - including by giving her an out-of-the-way desk where customers couldn't find her - she was fired in August, according to her complaints.

Citibank, part of banking giant Citigroup Inc., says that poor performance was the sole reason for her firing, and that the bank is confident it will prevail in the legal fights.

"Her current attempts to gain personal publicity are as transparent as her legal claims," Citibank spokeswoman Natalie Riper said in a statement Monday.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, is headed for arbitration. The human-rights complaint will trigger a separate investigation that could ultimately spur a ruling from an administrative judge. The agency declined to comment Monday.

The alternative newspaper The Village Voice first wrote about Lorenzana's lawsuit on June 1. Soon, fashion editors assessed her work wardrobe. Bloggers decocted the effects of beauty on the beholder, and the holder. Newspapers weighed in, some calling the case a flashpoint for debate over workplace sexual harassment.

Within days, Lorenzana made the rounds of network morning shows. Times columnist Maureen Dowd examined her case in light of studies on societal responses to people's attractiveness. A panelist on NPR's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" pronounced her predicament "the most flattering way ever to get fired."

Then the Daily News disclosed that Lorenzana - who had told the paper, "I can't help how I look" - had been featured in a 2003 Discovery Channel series called "Plastic Surgery New York Style" as she planned her fourth breast enlargement, to a size 32-DD.

"I know men have a fantasy of having a Playboy Playmate - that's what I want to be," she says on the show, noting that she had also had a tummy tuck and liposuction.

Lorenzana said Monday that she was simply trying to restore her curves after breast-feeding, and that the show directed her comments. Discovery Channel representatives didn't immediately return a call Monday.

The twist in Lorenzana's story only sparked more dissection of whether she was standing up for women's rights or setting them back.

In one of the most curious debates, National Organization for Women President Terry O'Neill faced off against actor and radio personality Danny Bonaduce on CNN's "The Joy Behar Show," while Behar wondered aloud about whether women's enduring concern for their appearance marked a failure of feminism.

While Bonaduce lambasted Lorenzana as an attention-seeker, O'Neill says the banker shouldn't have been subjected to the kind of attention Lorenzana says she got.

"If a woman has breast implants, that really doesn't justify inappropriate comments," O'Neill said in an interview Monday.

As for Lorenzana, she said Monday that the saga has left her more media-savvy but not sorry: "I don't regret anything in life." - AP

Susana Werner

WAG of: Julio Cesar
Age: 33
Occupation: Model and actress

Susana loves soccer and men who play soccer. After having a long-term relationship with Spain's Real Madrid and Brazilian national team soccer star Ronaldo, she zeroed in on goalkeeper Julio. She has two kids from this relationship.

Christine Bleakley

WAGs shocked as England crashes out of World Cup

Christine watches in horror as England crashes. Image source: Mark Large.

Christine Bleakley, Frank Lampard's girlfriend, and other WAGs looked rather bleak as they watched England crash out of the World Cup.

The TV presenter, whose boyfriend Lampard had his goal denied during the eventful match, was joined in the stadium by John Terry's wife Toni Poole and Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger.

The celebrity fans were put through a rollercoaster of emotions, but eventually left disappointed as Germany beat England 4-1.

Chrissie Chau

Pseudo-models banned from book fair

Chrissie Chau and several other pseudo-models have been banned from conducting their autograph-signing sessions at a book fair (Photo: Sing Tao Daily)

Book Fair organisers in Hong Kong have banned about 10 pseudo-models from conducting the autograph-signing sessions to promote their risqué photo albums.

Among those banned were Chrissie Chau, Dada and Alin.

At last year's event, the models wore revealing dresses and posed in sexy positions that sparked controversial debate.

The organisers have considered their acts "unhealthy" and decided to ban them from the annual event this year.

It was reported earlier that some models have said that they would wear bikinis at their respective autograph-signing sessions at the 21st Book Fair, to be held from July 21 to 27.

A spokesman from Hong Kong Trade Development Council said such activity was not aligned with the book fair's objective to promote healthy reading habits and literary activities among the communities.

He said they have received over 130 applications from the exhibitors including the autograph-signing sessions of the celebrities and models.

Among the applications, about 10 have been rejected, said the spokesman.

Chrissie Chau's agent Roy said the ban order would not affact the sale of the model's photo book.

Cheung Tat-hung, an agent for several models, said he hoped the organisers would issue a proper guideline such as dress code for them.

Despite the controversy, last year's book fair was a success with a new high record of 900,000 visitors - eight per cent more than the previous year.

The photo albums featuring these pseudo-models in revealing and sexy positions were the hottest books.

Source: Sing Tao Daily, Hong Kong

Luna Maya

Luna removes tattoo amid sex scandal

While Luna is still free, Ariel has been detained by the police

More fingers are pointing at Indonesian beauty Luna Maya.

The model/TV host, who is now embroiled in a sex video scandal involving her pop rocker boyfriend, Ariel (of Peterpan), has reportedly got her dolphin tattoo removed in her desperate attempt to avoid prosecution.

Apparently, the dolphin tattoo - engraved on her hips - bears an uncanny resemblance to the one featured in the porn video.

The Indonesian police say they have already questioned Luna's doctor who has alllegedly performed laser treatment on her client.

"We're satisfied with his testimony," confirms a police source. "We will reveal our findings soon."
Source: Agencies

Lisa S

Daniel Wu and Lisa S to have wedding in Hong Kong

Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu and his model girlfriend Lisa S got hitched at a forest in South Africa in early April.

After exchanging wedding vows in South Africa in early April, now newlyweds Hong Kong heartthrob Daniel Wu and top model Lisa S decide to go big with their wedding in Hong Kong.

Set to take place on July 28, the wedding will be followed by two ceremonies – one Chinese and one Jewish – at Las Vegas, revealed Lisa recently.

Lisa said that her parents will be present at the wedding. So will Daniel’s, who will fly in from San Francisco.

Lisa estimated that around 700 guests, mostly her pals in the modelling industry, will be invited to grace the event.

The beautiful bride also revealed that this time, she will not be wearing the white wedding gown she wore in South Africa

“Daniel will foot the bill for the wedding,” said a smiling Lisa.

Salma Hayek

Sexy Salma Hayek loves eating bugs

It may sound disgusting to some, but Salma Hayek says she likes eating insects.

Chew on this: the Mexican bombshell feasts on traditional Mexican delicacies made of ants, worms and grasshoppers.

"These little ants fried are amazing - with a little guacamole. And the worms. There are many different recipes for those," the Bendita star tells David Letterman.

"The little grasshoppers have a smoky flavour to them. It's the way they cook them, and it's really good. Look, I'm salivating! They're delicious."