Lebanon: Two people missing, new violence feared

The disappearance of a Lebanese man and his teenage neighbor has provoked fears of a return to kidnapping and sectarian violence, as well as appeals for calm. Ziad Qabalan, 25, and Ziad Ghandour, 12, disappeared on Monday after they left their homes in the West Beirut district of Wata al-Mseitbeh and went for a drive. Police listed them as "missing" on Tuesday. Both Qabalan and Ghandour are Sunni Muslim and belong to the Progressive Socialist Party of Druse leader Walid Jumblatt. Leaders of both sides of the political divide and some newspapers are regarding their disappearance as a kidnapping, and are trying to contain the tension in a country where political violence has claimed nine lives in recent months.