Katrina feels unsafe

Katrina Kaif is feeling unsecured and threatened over poor security. She is desperately looking for a new house following increasing number of intruders barging into her house.

Confirming the news, Kat said, “I don’t feel safe any more. I’m a free-spirited working girl and pretty confident about making my way through the concrete jungle. But when strangers reach your door, it’s time to worry because there’s just me and my faithful maid in the house.”

But Katrina is paying the price of being a celebrity. “I’ve looked at a number of places. But the minute they know it’s someone famous, they hike the price. I need to move into a place where I feel safer living alone. No matter what it costs,” said the actress.

Katrina’s effort to secure her place ended in a smoke after her new maid had a difference with the old one. “The new maid couldn’t get along with the first maid, so I had to ask her to leave,” added Katrina.

Katrina’s sister Isabel is learning acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute and the actress said the she will feel secure after her sister joins her in Mumbai but there is some more time as she is still in the learning process.

Exclusive pictures from star studded Kambakkht Ishq press meet

Kambakkht Ishq that is expected to do big as assured by its makers, however, had a star studded press meet attended by celebrities like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor and no doubt big and tall Akshay Kumar was also at the meet to promote the movie. According to Kareena Kapoor, ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ is a “power-packed film which is going to rock today and tomorrow”. However in meantime, watch some pictures from the press conference.

All-sister finale

Afp, London

Venus and Serena Williams clash in a fourth all-sister Wimbledon final on Saturday determined to prove that their domination of the event is not a backward step for the sport's future welfare.

Despite 128 players starting out in the first round last week, the two Americans are once again left to contest the final for the second successive year and for the eighth time in a Grand Slam final.

Venus won last year to clinch her fifth Wimbledon title and a seventh major; Serena was the champion in 2002 and 2003 and has captured 10 Grand Slam trophies in all.

Despite the success, Russia's Dinara Safina, still without a major, and who was humiliated 6-1, 6-0 by Venus in the most one-sided Wimbledon semifinal in 40 years on Thursday, remains a contentious world number one.

The sisters, who are level 10-10 in career meetings, are desperate to put the controversy over rankings to one side and put on a competitive Centre Court showpiece.

"I think women's tennis is fantastic. I would never be down on it. I happen to have enormous respect for Dinara," said Venus after her 51-minute demolition of the Russian.

"I'm not the number one seed so I shouldn't be expected to win but I have more experience playing on grass courts."

Venus, bidding to win a hattrick of Wimbledon singles titles, is more concerned about quelling the competitive instincts of her sister who saved a match point in her three-set semifinal win over Elena Dementieva.

At 2hr 49min, it was the longest women's semifinal in history.

Venus recalled the first time she witnessed Serena's battling qualities when she was still a rookie on the tour back in 1998.

"We were playing in Sydney at White City and she was playing Lindsay Davenport. She was down 1-6, 2-5 and I'll never forget that she came back and won," said Venus.

"It was so intense. I just learned so much from that, her fight. I think that actually had a huge impression on my career, that one incident."

As always the final will be closely scrutinised for its competitive edge.

Twelve months ago, Dementieva, who had been defeated by Venus in the semi-final, appeared to suggest that the winner would be a "family decision" although she quickly corrected herself, claiming her remarks had been misinterpreted.

The sisters are sensitive to such accusations.

They haven't played the Indian Wells tournament since 2001 when fans reacted furiously to Venus's decision to withdraw from the semi-finals with an injury.

Venus won a closely-fought final here in 2008 and the sisters have served up two three-setters since, in Dubai and Miami.

"I'm happy for Serena to be in the final, but I have to face her and defeat her. I don't necessarily want her to lose, but for sure I want me to win," said the defending champion.

"Maybe that doesn't make sense. But when I'm playing someone else, I want them to lose. I don't like to ever see her disappointed in any way. But at the same time, I don't want to see myself disappointed. I need to get my titles, too."

Serena says the final is another step on their journey to fame and fortune which began in the tough Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton.

"The more we play, the better it gets. When we play our match on Saturday it's for everything," said the world number two.

"This is what we dreamed of when we were growing up in Compton 20 something years ago. This is what we worked for, and this is what we want."

Murali blow for SL

Afp, Galle

Muttiah Muralidaran was on Friday ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan with a knee injury, dealing a huge blow to Sri Lanka's bid to win the emotionally-charged series.

The spin wizard hurt his patella tendon during training on Thursday and will sit out of the opening game of the three-Test series starting at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday.

The series opener will be the first Test match between the two nations since gunmen fired on the Sri Lankan team bus during a visit to Pakistan on March 3.

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said he was hopeful that Muralidaran, who boasts world records for his 770 Test and 505 one-day wickets, will be available for the second match from July 12.

"He was doing his warm-ups and he suddenly felt a bit of discomfort in his right knee," said Sangakkara. "The scan report showed a slight tear.

"The risk of him tearing his tendon in the first Test is very high. I don't think we want to risk him getting injured for a long time just for the sake of one Test. Hopefully he will be fit by the second Test."

Seven Sri Lankan cricketers were injured and eight local securitymen were killed in the March attack in the city of Lahore that forced the cricket world to abandon Pakistan as a venue for international cricket.

The series starts just 13 days after Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the final of the World Twenty20 at Lord's in London on June 21.

The Sri Lankan selectors have summoned left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and rookie off-spinner Suraj Mohamed to join the squad in Muralidaran's absence.

Herath last played a Test for Sri Lanka in December against Bangladesh, while Mohamed claimed four Pakistani wickets in the three-day tour opener in Colombo which ended in a draw on Wednesday.

One of the two is expected to partner prolific wicket-taker Ajantha Mendis for the first Test on a wicket that has traditionally favoured spin.

Muralidaran's absence will hurt Sri Lanka, who have never beaten Pakistan in a home Test series and are hoping to avenge their defeat in last month's World Twenty20 final.

Of their five series in Sri Lanka so far, Pakistan have won three -- including the last two in 2000 and 2006 -- and drawn the other two.

Its an extraordinary achievement considering that Sri Lanka, led by Muralidaran's amazing bowling feats, have proved almost unbeatable at home in recent times.

Of the 19 home Tests Sri Lanka have played in the last five years, they have won 13, drawn four and lost just two -- one of them to Pakistan by eight wickets in Kandy in April 2006.

However, Younus Khan's Pakistan have not experienced the rigours of a Test match on foreign soil since a two-match series in India in December 2007.

Even at home, Pakistan have played just one series over the last two years due to security concerns in the volatile nation, and that too had to be abandoned after the attack on the Sri Lankan team.

After the Galle Test, the teams move to Colombo where the second Test will be played at the P. Sara stadium from July 12-16 and the third at the Sinhalese Sports Club from July 20-24.

The rivals are also scheduled to play five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match after the Tests.

SQUADS
PAKISTAN (from): Younus Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbahul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

SRI LANKA (from): Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Malinda Warnapura, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Suraj Mohamed, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Dhammika Prasad, Kaushal Silva, Suranga Lakmal.

Umpires: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG)

Real unveil Albiol

Afp, Madrid

Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano has defended his side's spending spree on new players like Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the cash-rich club can afford it.

"Real Madrid is the richest club in the world. It generates a lot of money and this is why it recruits first rate players," he said after unveiling new defender Raul Albiol, who joined Real from Valencia for a reported fee of 15 million euros late Thursday.

Valdano made the comment when asked by reporters about the criticism by UEFA president Michel Platini over the more then 200 million euros which Real has shelled out for new talent.

Real paid 93 million euros to recruit Ronaldo, the 2008 FIFA World Footballer of the Year, from Manchester United and 65 million euros to secure Kaka, the FIFA World Footballer of the Year, from AC Milan.

In an interview published Thursday in French sports daily L'Equipe, Platini said the huge sums of money spent by clubs like Real in the transfer market was "not normal".

Last month he said UEFA was planning action to put an end to football's excesses.

"These transfers are a serious challenge to the idea of fairplay and the concept of financial balance in our competitions," he said, adding the new set of rules being developed was UEFA's "top priority today".

Real is the world's largest revenue-generating club in the world, ahead of Manchester United and Barcelona, according to an annual ranking compiled by business advisory firm Deloitte.

The club boosted revenues from t-shirts and other souvenirs after it began signing top players like France's Zinedine Zidane and England's David Beckham in 2000.

Real Madrid's capture of Brazilian star Kaka could be worth 100 million dollars a season in additional revenues to the Spanish club, according to sports business consultancy Weber Shandwick Sport.

Ronaldo winning again-

Ap, Sao Paulo

Four months into his remarkable return to soccer, Ronaldo is getting used to winning titles again.

The veteran striker helped Corinthians clinch the Brazilian Cup on Wednesday, lifting his second trophy in a row since recovering from the third serious knee injury of his career.

Ronaldo already won the traditional Sao Paulo state title with Corinthians in May, and Wednesday's win caps off the striker's successful comeback to competitive soccer.

“I have to be thankful. My return to football has really been fantastic,” Ronaldo said. “I couldn't imagine things would happen like this.”

Although he is yet to reach the form that made him a three-time world player of the year, Ronaldo has been key for Corinthians since debuting with the popular Brazilian club in March.

He has scored 11 goals, including decisive ones in the final of the Sao Paulo state championship and in the first leg of the Brazilian Cup final two weeks ago in Sao Paulo, when Corinthians won 2-0. Ronaldo didn't score Wednesday in the 2-2 draw in Porto Alegre, but set up the team's second goal.

“It was a great final,” Ronaldo said. “This group showed a lot of strength, it deserved this title.”

The victory adds another trophy to Ronaldo's long list of triumphs, which include the 1994 and 2002 World Cups with Brazil. He also was successful at club level in Europe, winning trophies with PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Wednesday's victory also gave Corinthians a berth in next year's Copa Libertadores, Latin America's most important club competition and the team's main objective for next year. It could end up helping persuade Ronaldo to extend his contract with the club past the end of 2009.

“Lets see how it goes, but the tendency is to stay, I think we are headed that way,” Ronaldo said.

Corinthians president Andre Sanches said it's likely the 32-year-old star will remain at the club for 2010.

“Everything is going as planned,” Sanches said. “So automatically, we are halfway through to adding another year to his contract. Ronaldo is happy to be playing with Corinthians and we are happy to have him here.”

Ronaldo signed with Corinthians in December 2008 despite doubts he would never recover from the knee injury he sustained with AC Milan in February of that year.

Ronaldo and Corinthians will return their focus to the Brazilian league, in which the team is sixth in the 20-team standings with 11 points from eight matches. Corinthians is trying to win its fifth Brazilian league title

Wimbledon Championship 'Serena is like Roddick'

Afp, London

Beaten Wimbledon semifinalist Elena Dementieva on Thursday compared the brutal serving power of Serena Williams to facing Andy Roddick, the fastest server in the men's game.

The Russian fourth seed lost an epic semi-final, the longest in the history of the women's tournament, 6-7, 7-5, 8-6 to the two-time champion and wasted a match point in the 10th game of the decider.

"It's not easy to fight against her. She's a great champion and she served so well that I wasn't sure if I was facing Serena Williams or Andy Roddick out there," said Dementieva, who lost to Venus Williams at the same stage in 2008.

"Her first serve percentage was huge, she was serving around 120mph."

Olympic champion Dementieva, whose best Grand Slam performances remain runners-up spots at the 2004 French and US Opens, said she regretted her choice of shot on match point when she led 5-4 in the final set.

With Williams approaching the net, the Russian went cross-court, rather than down the line, and the American gleefully accepted her opportunity with a simple saving backhand.

"That's my only regret. I should have taken more of a risk by going down the line," said the 27-year-old.

"A passing shot is my favourite shot to make. Maybe it was all too quick. I didn't see that she was moving to cover the cross-court. I should have gone down the line or even used a lob."

Serena, who will now face sister Venus in Saturday's final for the fourth time at Wimbledon and the eighth occasion in Grand Slams, admitted her serve was key to her escaping to victory.

She fired down 20 aces in the match, a statistic which made up for a host of unforced errors on her forehand.

"I owe it all to my serve. I was hitting aces on key points and to serve so well is very exciting," said the 2002 and 2003 champion.

"It was one of my most dramatic victories. I was down for pretty much the whole match so to come through was a great feeling.

"The only problem was my forehand didn't show up. I think she went to Hawaii."

Williams also praised Dementieva whose service game has radically improved in recent seasons.

"She didn't give me an inch. She played at 100 per cent," said the American.

"I have never seen her serve so well in my life. She was serving at 90mph, the low 100s, and to keep it up consistently is not easy."

Wimbledon Championship Federer on the cusp of history

Afp, London

Roger Federer reached a record 20th Grand Slam final and a seventh straight Wimbledon title match with a 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over German veteran Tommy Haas in the semifinals on Friday.

Five-time Wimbledon champion Federer, who is chasing a record 15th Grand Slam crown, now tackles either Britain's Andy Murray or Andy Roddick of the United States in Sunday's final.

Watched by Grand Slam greats Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver, comfortably installed in the Royal Box, the world number two put on a magnificent show of serving against the German 31-year-old, not giving up a single break point.

"Tommy played great so I knew that there was a danger. I'm happy with my performance and it's unbelievable to be in another final," said Federer.

"I have had a lot of pressure over the years but I am looking forward to another great match and a chance to get into the history books."

Federer said he was looking ahead to the challenge of the final.

"I have had great matches with Roddick. You can never underestimate him with that serve," he said.

"Murray's at home. My record against him is not that good. He's shown over the last 18 months that he can be a Grand Slam contender."

The opening set on Friday was dominated by serve, but the Swiss second seed was the strongest in the tiebreak.

He went to three set points when Haas unleashed a loose forehand with the world number two wrapping up the set when the German, stranded behind the baseline, pushed a backhand into the net.

It was the dream start for the five-time champion after the nightmare beginning he suffered against the same opponent at the French Open last month when he had to recover from losing the first two sets in the fourth round.

Former world number two Haas, playing in his first Wimbledon semifinal, had to save a set point, which was also the first break point of the match, at 4-5 in the second set.

But the Swiss broke through in the 12th game for a two-sets lead when another Haas forehand went long.

Haas cracked for the last time in the eighth game of the third set when he netted an easy approach having saved four break points.

Federer then wrapped up the semifinal in just over two hours on his first match point with a spectacular, athletic smash.

In Friday's second semifinal, third seed Murray will be looking to become the first British men's finalist since Bunny Austin in 1938. Fred Perry was the last British men's champion in 1936.

Roddick, the sixth seed and 2003 US Open winner, was runner-up here in 2004 and 2005, losing both finals to Federer.

Jackson's will to be filed in court Wednesday

© AP Photo
Michael Jackson rides a bumper car at his ranch








LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Heavy construction equipment and workers passed through the wrought-iron gates of Neverland Ranch, fueling speculation that it could soon be hosting a funeral or a permanent memorial to Michael Jackson.

The activity occurred Tuesday, the day before Jackson's will was expected to be filed in court. Santa Barbara County officials said there were no final decisions by the Jackson family for any funeral or memorial service in the county or at Neverland.

All the same, more than a dozen vehicles, including a tractor, a cement mixer and a backhoe, along with groups of gardeners and florists bearing huge wreaths, were spotted on the property about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Related: A Tribute to Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

At once a symbol of Jackson's success and excesses, Neverland — the 2,500-acre property nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara County's wine country — became the site of a makeshift memorial after his death Thursday.
Michael Jackson/BAC Pictures/Bleu Azur Corp./Retna Digital
Photos: Jackson's final days

Members of Jackson's family met Tuesday with officials from the Los Angeles police and California Highway Patrol about funeral services, but "details are still pending," according to Fran Clader, a spokeswoman for the patrol.

The patrol would need to be consulted if the body was moved from Los Angeles to Neverland.

Fearing the narrow, two-lane Figueroa Mountain Road that runs past Neverland will be overwhelmed by media and fans, county officials said Wednesday that they'll start enforcing parking restrictions.

It was unclear whether Jackson could be legally buried at the ranch. The state's health and safety code makes interring any uncremated remains outside of a cemetery a misdemeanor. Cremated remains can be kept in a home or private mausoleum outside a cemetery, he said.

Jackson's will was to be filed Wednesday in Los Angeles. A person with knowledge of the document told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it gives guardianship over his children to the singer's mother and leaves all his assets in a trust fund.

The will was signed on July 7, 2002, and named as executors Jackson's longtime lawyer John Branca and John McClain, a music executive and a family friend, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the topic.

The family said in court documents Monday that it believed the 50-year-old entertainer died Thursday without a valid will and moved swiftly to take control over his lucrative, but debt-encumbered, estate.

In response, Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted Jackson's 79-year-old mother, Katherine Jackson, temporary guardianship of her son's three children, who range in age from 7 to 12.

The judge also gave her control over some of her son's personal property that is now in the hands of an unnamed third party. But the judge did not immediately rule on her requests to take charge of the children's and Jackson's estates.

On its face, the move by Jackson's family to proactively take legal action does not seem to conflict with the singer's stated desire to have his children put under his parents' care and their financial welfare assured.

Experts said the personal bankruptcy of Jackson's parents in 1999 could work against Katherine taking control of the estate.

Court documents show Katherine and Joe Jackson filed for Chapter 7 and listed nearly $24 million in debts that included court judgments, auto loans and credit cards. The only valuable asset listed was a house in Las Vegas then valued at $290,000. The bankruptcy was terminated in March 2007, but the documents gave no further details.

"I think it would be a negative factor but not necessarily a disqualifier," said Beth Kaufman, a Washington-based attorney specializing in estate tax issues. "It could indicate that she is not capable of sound financial management."

More details emerged Tuesday about the recent state of Jackson's finances. In the most detailed account yet of the singer's tangled financial empire, documents obtained by the AP show Jackson claimed to have a net worth of $236.6 million as of March 31, 2007.

More: Michael Jackson news, features and photos

Since that time both Jackson's debts and assets grew substantially — he refinanced loans later that year that increased his debt load by tens of millions of dollars, but the Sony/ATV Music Publishing joint venture he is a part of also spent hundreds of millions acquiring new songs.

Jackson's own health was a concern in his final days. A nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid said Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative, despite warnings it could be harmful.

Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said she got a frantic phone call from Jackson four days before his death that made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep.

Lee said Jackson in the call complained that one side of his body felt hot and the other side was cold, prompting her to believe the "somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system."

"He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out," she said.

But a photographer who took pictures of Jackson's rehearsals two days before his death had a different impression.

"From the way he was performing, to me he was 100 percent. He was the same Michael that I have photographed numerous times. I was happy for him. He was extremely happy," American photographer Kevin Mazur told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, thousands of Jackson fans crammed into New York City's famed Apollo Theater for a public tribute to the performer, clutching photographs, cheering and dancing to his music at the legendary venue that launched the one-time child star's career.

"He knew he was loved, but he didn't know he was this loved," said one participant, Rosiland Sargent, 59, of West Orange, N.J.

The Championships Wimbledon Venus in last four

Defending champion Venus Williams closed in on a sixth Wimbledon title on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska whose quarterfinal challenge melted in the searing heat.

World number one Dinara Safina reached semifinals for the first time with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1 win over unseeded German teenager Sabine Lisicki.

Despite losing the first set by double-faulting on a tie-break, the top-seeded Russian recovered to beat the world number 41 in two hours, 28 minutes on Centre Court.

Safina faces defending champion Venus Williams, the third seed, for a place in the final.

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva also eased into the last four for the second successive year after crushing unseeded Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-2.

Dementieva made it at the All England Club for the first time last year before losing to eventual champion Venus Williams.

The Russian will hope to go one step further this time when she faces either Serena Williams, the second seed and two-time champion, or eighth seed Victoria Azarenka in the last four.

Since losing the finals of the French and US Opens in 2004, Dementieva has been unable to make it to the title match of a Grand Slam.

Venus, bidding to become the first woman to win a hattrick of Wimbledon titles since Steffi Graf's three-in-a-row from 1991 to 1993, next faces either top seed Dinara Safina or Germany's Sabine Lisicki for a place in the final.

The 29-year-old American, seeded three, has now won 32 consecutive sets at the All England Club since Japan's Akiko Morigami took the second set of their third round match in 2007.

She breezed through the first set in 27 minutes, serving up two love games on her way to a 5-0 lead before the 11th seeded Radwanska got on the board.

The Polish girl broke to love to lead 2-0 in the second set but that was as good as it got for the slender 20-year-old who had no answer to the American's brutal hitting power.

Venus ran away with the next six games to claim victory after 68 minutes.

"I really had to play well. It was close at the start of the second set. She's a good grasscourt player so I'm happy just to get through," said the American who has now reached her eighth semi-final in 10 years.

"If it was an all-Williams final that would be fantastic but we still have great players to meet and will have to bring our best tennis to the court."

Later Tuesday, two-time champion Serena Williams, the second seed, takes on Belarusian eighth seed Victoria Azarenka who is aiming to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.

The last quarter-final features London-based Italian Francesca Schiavone, bidding to reach her first semi-final in a major, against Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva who made the last four here last year.