Colombia, rebels to sign new peace accord today

BOGOTA • Colombia's government and Farc guerillas will sign a new peace accord today after a previous agreement to end their half-century-old war was defeated in a referendum, both parties said.

The revised accord will be submitted to Congress for approval, rather than put to another referendum, they added.

Last month, voters taking part in that referendum surprisingly snubbed the first accord. Critics said it went too easy on the rebels, who have been waging what is now Latin America's last major insurgency.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

HIV-positive man who had sex with 100 gets jail

NSANJE (Malawi) • An HIV-positive Malawian man who said he had sex with at least 100 girls and women in traditional cleansing rituals was sentenced to two years in jail for "harmful practices".

Eric Aniva, 45, was prosecuted on the orders of President Peter Mutharika after publicly speaking about his role as a "hyena" in a BBC radio documentary earlier this year.

"I convict you to serve 24 months' imprisonment," judge Innocent Nebi told Aniva in a packed courtroom in the remote southern district of Nsanje on Tuesday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

China arrests 3 Aussies for promoting gambling

SYDNEY • Three Australian employees of billionaire James Packer's Crown Resorts have been formally arrested in China, both countries said yesterday, as Beijing cracked down on high-roller gambling promotions.

Eighteen Crown staff, including the three Australians, were held in raids in October on suspicion they were organising gambling activities overseas for Chinese nationals.

Gaming companies are not allowed to explicitly advertise gambling in China.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE