SYRIA: Nearly 30,000 children of fighters and their supporters of various nationalities are suffering abuse in camps, prisons and rehabilitation centres in the war-torn country’s north-west, an independent commission said today.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said the living conditions at the al-Hol and Roj camps “amount to cruel and inhuman treatment and outrages on personal dignity.”

INDONESIA: Rescuers recovered more bodies as waters began to recede after flash floods and landslides caused by torrential rains on Indonesia’s Sumatra island which have killed at least 26 people and left 11 missing.

Monsoon rains and rising rivers have submerged nine districts and cities in West Sumatra province since Thursday. 

PAKISTAN: A court sentenced student Junaid Munir to death and gave teenager Abdul Hanan a life sentence in two separate cases after finding them guilty of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, a defence lawyer and officials said today.

Mr Hanan’s lawyer and family were not immediately available for comment.

But Mr Munir’s father, Munir Hussain, denied the charge against his son, saying he was in contact with his legal team to file an appeal, as “my son is innocent and he was implicated in a false case.”

AUSTRIA: Provisional results from Sunday’s elections in the Austrian city of Salzburg show the Socialist Party winning 26.2 per cent of the vote with the Communist Party of Austria winning 23.3 per cent.

In the election for mayor there will be a run-off in two weeks time between socialist candidate (29.9 per cent) and the communist candidate Kay-Michael Dankl (28 per cent).

The previous mayor was from the right-wing Austrian People’s Party.