Pistorius handed 5-year sentence

SOUTH AFRICA: Athlete Oscar Pistorius was sent to prison yesterday after Judge Thokolize Masipa sentenced him to five years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Mr Pistorius was previously cleared of murder but found guilty of culpable homicide.

A crowd vented its anger at the sentence as his prison van left the court. Lawyers say he could serve as little as 10 months behind bars.

Reward offered for animal attack info

UNITED STATES: A $5,000 (£3,100) reward has been offered for information that could lead to the arrest of an animal-killer.

A Tasmanian devil at Albuquerque BioPark zoo in New Mexico died mysteriously last week when its head was bashed in with a lump of Tarmac.

The animal had been on loan from Australia as part of a breeding programme for the endangered species.

‘Terrorist’ attack soldier dies

CANADA: One of two soldiers hit by a car in what appears to have been a terrorist attack died yesterday.

Assailant Martin Couture Rouleau was shot dead after driving into the soldiers in Montreal.

Police said he came from the town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and was known to have been influenced by “radical Islamists.”

Strike ban bid fails

GERMANY: The state labour court in Hesse rejected a bid by airline Lufthansa yesterday to have a pilots’ strike ruled illegal.

The Vereinigung Cockpit union began a 35-hour walkout for short-haul flights on Monday and extended it to long-haul flights yesterday.

The court said it found no grounds to declare the strike illegal.

‘Put pay in budget’

SRI LANKA: Trade unions protested yesterday for pay rises to be included in the country’s budget due this week.

Unions are asking for an extra £50 a month for government employees and a £25 relief allowance for private-sector workers.