A court in the Egyptian town of Tor 400 kilometres southeast of Cairo has sentenced an Israeli to life in prison with hard labour for smuggling an illegal substance into Egypt.

The man - Haim Halaby - was sentenced in his absence.

He fled Egypt while on bail two days after customs officers found him in possession of about 250g of khat leaves, which are chewed as a stimulant in many Middle Eastern and African countries.

The accused man said it was for his personal use.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service