Search continues for missing after Israeli strikes
Beirut, April 11: Civil defence crews used cranes on Saturday to search through partially collapsed apartments, three days after Israeli strikes hit a six-story building in Beirut’s seaside neighbourhood of Caracas. The Israeli military struck some 100 sites that it said were connected to Hezbollah in the capital and other parts of Lebanon Wednesday, killing more than 300 people, including more than 100 women and children. Civil defence officials said six people were killed in the Caracas building and a missing teenager was believed to be buried under a collapsed roof. Najib Merhi, the owner of a snack shop on the bottom floor, said the strike came as a shock because “this is a touristic area, a safe area, an area that is shared between all the social fabric of this country”. (AP)
Civilians killed, others missing in Balochistan
QUETTA, April 11: Human rights organisations have reported renewed allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Pakistan’s Balochistan region. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said the bodies of two civilians, 17-year-old student Sadiq Noor and 40-year-old driver Muslim Dad, were found in Turbat, Kech district, months after they were allegedly forcibly disappeared by security forces in September 2025. Another 19-year-old student, Qamber Baloch, was also reported killed after being previously disappeared and later found with signs of torture. The BYC condemned the killings, calling them part of a systematic pattern of violence and lack of accountability. It urged international human rights bodies to intervene, citing ongoing abuses including enforced disappearances and torture. Separately, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) reported that five civilians, including students, a labourer, and a teacher, were forcibly disappeared in different incidents across Balochistan and Karachi in April. The group said victims have not been presented before any court, with families left without information about their whereabouts, and demanded their immediate release. (IANS)
Child found locked in utility van since 2024, unable to walk
Paris, April 11: A 9-year-old boy was rescued in eastern France after reportedly being locked inside his father’s utility van since 2024, according to prosecutors. Police in the village of Hagenbach were alerted by a neighbour who heard a child’s voice coming from the vehicle. When officers forced it open, they found the boy malnourished, naked under a blanket, lying among rubbish and excrement, and unable to walk due to prolonged immobility. The boy’s father was detained and faces preliminary kidnapping charges, claiming he confined his son to “protect him” amid concerns from his partner about psychiatric treatment. Prosecutors said there was no evidence of prior mental illness and that the child had performed well at school. The father’s partner was also charged for failing to assist a minor. Authorities are investigating whether others knew about the child’s confinement, while social services have taken custody of two other children in the household. (AP)
