South Africa's supreme court on Friday increased Oscar Pistorius' murder sentence to 13 years and five months after the state argued that his original sentence of six years was "shockingly lenient".
Pistorius was imprisoned in July last year after being found guilty on appeal of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.
The athlete was not present when the court handed down the minimum 15-year sentence prescribed for murder in South Africa, and subtracted the years Pistorius had already served.
"The sentence imposed ... in respect of murder is set aside and substituted with the following: the respondent is sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 13 years and five months," the court's ruling said.
Pistorius, a Paralympic gold medallist known as the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fibre prosthetics, has said he did not deliberately Steenkamp, a model and law graduate. She was killed when Pistorius fired four shots through the door of a bathroom in his home in the early hours of February 14, 2013. Pistorius has said he thought he was shooting at an intruder.
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Read more:
Pistorius tells South Africa court Steenkamp would want him to be freed
Pistorius must pay for killing my daughter, says Steenkamp’s father
Post-apartheid, inequality still rules in South Africa
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The athlete was originally convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in jail. That conviction was increased to murder by the supreme court in December 2015 and his sentence was increased to six years by trial judge Thokozile Masipa.
There was no immediate comment from the Pistorius or Steenkamp families.
Rights groups in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women say Pistorius received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status.
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
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A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%C2%A0profile
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
