Family and friends of the teenage 800 metres world champion, South African Caster Semenya, have expressed their support for the athlete, amid a gender controversy. Semenya's rapid improvement over the past year, in which she has cut more than eight seconds off her personal best in the two-lap race, prompted the International Association of Athletics Federations to order a gender test.
The World Cup football tournament kicks off in one week, and host South Africa is busy putting on the finishing touches. But not everyone is looking forward to the tournament. Authorites in cities including Cape Town are being accused of clearing the poor from the streets - to create a good impression for visiting fans. Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa has more.