Pistorius appeal verdict out tomorrow

JOHANNESBURG • South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal said yesterday it will announce tomorrow its verdict on an attempt by state prosecutors to have Oscar Pistorius convicted of murder for shooting his girlfriend, the court registrar said.

The Paralympic sprinter was found guilty last year of the lesser crime of culpable homicide for killing Ms Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. But he was released from jail on parole in October after serving one year of his five-year sentence.

If found guilty of murder, he would face a minimum of 15 years in prison.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Bid for Red Sea-Dead Sea canal launched

AMMAN • Jordan yesterday launched a call for tenders for the construction of a canal linking the Red Sea to the shrinking Dead Sea for a project aimed at battling regional shortages.

The ambitious project has been in the works for more than a decade and aims to provide much-needed water to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Water is a rare resource in Jordan, where 92 per cent of the land is desert.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE