South Africans Support Caster Semenya

The new women’s 800 metres world champion has received an enthusiastic welcome in her native South Africa. Eighteen-year-old Caster Semenya was greeted by thousands of cheering fans and well-wishers at Johannesburg airport. She hit the headlines last week after officials at the World Athletics Championships questioned her gender. She finished the race a massive 2.45 seconds ahead of the runner-up and defending champion. The BBC reports that athletics authorities tested Ms Semenya hours before the final. The results showed testosterone levels three times higher than those that are usual in females. Officials decided to test her because her personal best time improved by seven seconds in the month before the race.

South Africans are furious at the way the athletics body has treated Ms Semenya. President Jacob Zuma personally welcomed her at the airport. He publicly congratulated her and spoke of his “displeasure” at the International Amateur Athletics Federation for “publicly humiliating” her. Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie told a press conference: "We are here to tell the whole world how proud we are of our little girl." There is now a Facebook group called In Support of Caster Semenya and African Women. It started "to show support for the running sensation who has received unfair treatment". The president of Athletics South Africa said Caster’s gender was a non-issue, saying: “It's very simple: She's a girl.”

www.breakingnewsenglish.com

Australia May Need Extra Seasons

An Australian scientist says his country needs an extra couple of seasons. And he isn’t joking. Dr. Tim Entwisle, boss of Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, told Australia’s ABC News that Australians should stop thinking there are four seasons. He said this idea was “inherited” from Britain centuries ago. Dr. Entwisle said Australia really has at least five or six seasons. The country has many different regions and weather conditions. The far north is tropical and the south gets snow. In between there are deserts and mountains. Entwisle suggested some names for the new seasons. He proposed "sprummer" is the season between spring and summer, and "sprinter" covers the post-winter, early-spring period.

There is actually a lot of sense in Entwisle’s proposal. Aboriginal Australians have up to eight seasons. They have lived on the land for thousands of years and are experts in understanding local conditions. By contrast, non-indigenous people living in the north of Australia say there is just a dry and wet season. Some northerners say there is an extra "mango madness" season when it gets really humid. Dr. Entwisle believes different regions would need a different number of seasons, saying: "Five or six seasons would better reflect what we experience. If we're going to detect changes due to climate change, it's important that we get our seasons a little more in tune with the environment." He didn’t say whether there would be a silly season.

www.breakingnewsenglish.com