US chief hostage negotiator calls Syrian secret jails horrifying and disturbing, 'yet fascinating'

The chief US hostage negotiator on Sunday spoke about former president Bashar Al Assad's secret regime prisons in Syria as he continues the search for detained American journalist Austin Tice.

“If I'm stunned by anything, it's just the amount of prisons. I mean, you'd almost think that if you were running a country and you wanted to jail your enemies, you'd have one prison, and it wouldn't be secret – but to have like 35 or 40 secret prisons, I find that just horrifying, disturbing and yet, in a way, fascinating,” Roger Carstens told CBS from Jordan's Amman.

According to the International Commission on Missing Persons, about 150,000 people are unaccounted for in Syria, and many of them are believed to have disappeared into the country's prisons.

Human rights groups have documented torture, sexual violence and mass killings inside the prisons, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that more than 100,000 people died in jails and detention centres since 2011.

“It's not going to shock me to find out that there are prisons that have yet to be discovered and searched,” Mr Carstens said.

He said the US and the “general public” were “on the hunt” for Tice, who disappeared from Damascus in 2012 while he was covering the Syrian civil war as a freelance reporter. US officials, including President Joe Biden, have said they believe he is still alive and that he has been held by the Assad regime.

In August 2022, the US said it knew with “certainty” that the journalist was being held by the Syrian government. Damascus has denied holding Tice. After the fall of Mr Al Assad this month, Tice's family announced they had received new evidence that he is alive and being “treated well”.

Mr Carstens said that Syria's interim leaders have been helpful. “I've been talking to them for, I want to say … probably nine or 10 days, and they've been helpful in conducting the search,” he said, referring to members of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham. “They were definitely helpful.”

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63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat

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England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

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AT4 Ultimate, as tested

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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)

Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)

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'Cheb%20Khaled'

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The biog

Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.

It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.

They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.

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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

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Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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