Serena Williams gets emotional and cries after win at Wimbledon

Serena Williams called the past year disastrous.

Rewind back to the constant nagging foot problems which led to the tennis star undergoing surgery which later led to a life-threatening blood clot in her lungs. News that Serena Williams suffered from a pulmonary embolism was the final blow to Serena Williams, who suffered a series of medical setbacks since winning Wimbledon in 2010.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion was expected to miss up to a year so you can understand why Serena Williams was reduced to tears after defeating France’s Aravane Rezai in the first round of Wimbledon.

“I usually don’t cry…but it’s just been so hard,” Serena Williams told reporters covering the tournament. “I never dreamt I would be here right now. And then to win. I just wanted to win at least one match here.”

“It’s been a disaster year, but I’ve been praying,” Williams said. “To be able to come back at Wimbledon is pretty awesome. I didn’t expect to play. And I didn’t expect to even do anything. So I’m just excited. I’ve never cried with joy for anything.”

Women’s sports are notoriously under covered by sports sections, but this is truly one of the best stories going on this summer. Serena Williams rebounding from a near life-threatening and career-threatening series of medical issues is equally as interesting as Tiger Woods attempting to come back from his injuries.

Both can make history, both have dominated their sports from a competitive and cultural perspective, both make headlines for their lives outside of their respective sports — of course Tiger’s headlines haven’t always been so positive.

SF Bay transit cop convicted in killing released

A white former San Francisco Bay area transit officer convicted in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man that has drawn continuing protest was released from jail early Monday after serving one year of a two-year sentence, officials said.

Johannes Mehserle managed to slip away from the Los Angeles County's Twin Towers jail shortly after midnight unseen by a few protesters in the street as well as waiting reporters.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore told The Associated Press that Mehserle was freed from custody at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Mehserle's attorney, Michael Rains, told KTVU-TV on Monday that precautions were taken because there were too many safety concerns to let his client just walk out of jail.

When asked if Mehserle can go home again, Rains said sounded optimistic.

"Well, we don't know. We'll know more about that in the next 10 days to two weeks," Rains said. "We hope he will be able to go home because he has always called Northern California home and he really doesn't want to call any place else home.

"But if he can't go home, he's going to call another place home and he will go there with his family and he will live a productive life."

Mehserle, 29, was convicted last July of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Grant, 22, on a Bay Area Rapid Transit train station platform in Oakland on New Year's Day 2009.

He served his time in Los Angeles after his attention-getting trial was moved to Southern California.

The shooting continues to spark debate, racial tension and occasional protests that have turned violent. Last fall, more than 150 people were arrested in Oakland hours after Mehserle's sentencing.

On Sunday, about 300 protesters held a fairly peaceful demonstration in downtown Oakland as they vented their continued frustration over the shooting and the Mehserle's release.

"The people know it was wrong," said Jabari Shaw, 32, a protester who had also attended Mehserle's trial. "As much as we want justice, we're still not getting it."

A judge ruled Friday that Mehserle should be given credit for time served and good conduct.

The shooting was recorded by bystanders, and video posted online showed the Bay Area Rapid Transit officer firing a bullet into the back of Grant, 22, as he lay face down after being pulled off a train, suspected of fighting.

The videos were subsequently used as evidence during Mehserle's murder trial and posted online, further stoking the racial tensions brought on by the shooting.

Facing a second-degree murder charge and a maximum 14 years in prison, Mehserle tearfully testified at his trial that he meant to use his stun gun instead of his .40-caliber pistol.

Jurors found that while Mehserle didn't mean to kill Grant, his behavior was so negligent that it was criminal. He received a two-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter.

Grant's uncle, Cephus "Bobby" Johnson, was among those waiting in vain outside the L.A. County jail late Sunday night to witness Mehserle's release.

"There's much rage in our community," he said. "It's a shame that our children still have fear from police officers that come into our communities."

Grant supporters in Los Angeles later Monday plan to march to the U.S. Attorney's office and demand that the Department of Justice look into possible federal civil rights violation.

A civil lawsuit against Mehserle and several other officers involved with Grant's shooting is still pending.

Grant's family attorney, John Burris, on Sunday urged the Oakland crowd before their march downtown to remain peaceful as they exercised their freedom of speech.

"There's still an opportunity for all of us to continue our sense of outrage, our sense of frustration at the (criminal justice) system and do what we can through public speaking, through organizing, community involvement to continue his legacy," Burris said.

Can get back to business after Davis' release, US to Pak

The US has made it clear that it can 'get back to business' with Pakistan after the release of suspected CIA contractor Raymond Davis, whose arrest in Lahore on murder charges for gunning down two men has become a major irritant in bilateral ties.


During meetings with Pakistan's top leadership yesterday, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman said Washington wanted the immediate release of Davis and that there would be no business as usual until the matter is resolved.

'I'm confident that we can resolve this (Davis) problem and once we do we can get back to business...we can build the relationship between the US and Pakistan,' Grossman said during an interaction with a group of journalists last night.

Grossman repeatedly said the US administration wanted the immediate release of Davis, who was arrested in Lahore on 27 January after he shot dead two armed men he claimed were trying to rob him.

Police rejected Davis' claim of acting in self defence and booked him for murder.

The matter was complicated following reports in western media that Davis was a security contractor working for the CIA.

Separately, reports said the two men Davis killed were operatives of the ISI.

Pakistan's leadership, facing pressure from religious groups, has rebuffed US demands to free Davis and said that his case will be settled by the courts.

The Obama administration continues to insist that Davis should be freed, even though the US needs Pakistan's help for the military campaign in Afghanistan as well as a negotiated settlement in that war-torn country.

Grossman said Pakistan and the US need to remove the 'irritant' of Davis' arrest from their relationship and reminded the Pakistani leadership that both countries 'are best served when we stand together'.

Emphasising the importance of the two sides working in consonance, Grossman said this was also crucial for restoring peace in Afghanistan through a negotiated solution and ensuring stability in the region.

Even as Grossman said Pakistan and the US wanted a mutually beneficial relationship that could enable Pakistan to become stable, democratic and prosperous by freeing itself from extremist violence, he stressed that the real challenge was to determine what constituted the 'mutual interest' that could form the basis of enduring ties.

He said his discussions with Pakistani interlocutors 'underscores...the central point and that is the relationship is based on mutual interest and the challenge obviously is to find that mutual interest, we have to identify that and we are clearly on that'.

Referring to Afghanistan, Grossman called for Pakistan's support for the Afghan-led reconciliation process but one that joined 'both the US and Pakistan' -- an apparent indication that Washington would not accept any move by Islamabad to back groups like the Haqqani network in efforts to find a solution.

In his meetings with Pakistani leaders, Grossman said he had noted the link between the insurgency in Afghanistan and terrorist safe havens in Pakistan's tribal belt and demanded the eradication of these sanctuaries.
The Afghan reconciliation process relies on Pakistan 'taking decisive action' against the Taliban's activities from Pakistani territory, he said.

During their meetings with Grossman, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sought to quell tensions with the US over the arrest of Davis and said the two countries should focus on long-term strategic ties and restoring confidence and trust in key areas, including intelligence sharing.