Six years after American journalist Austin Tice went missing in Syria, his family along with the US administration believe that he is still alive, although little is known about his condition or location.
Mr Tice's family spent the anniversary of his disappearance on Tuesday publicising efforts to bring their son home, believing that keeping their son's case in the spotlight will ensure the US government stays focused on his release.
"It is time to see Austin walk free. It is time for him to come home," said his mother, Debra Tice.
The former marine and freelance reporter was a 31-year-old working for The Washington Post, McClatchy News, CBS and other news organisations when he was detained at a checkpoint near Damascus on August 14, 2012.
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A month later he appeared in a video blindfolded and in the custody of an unknown group of armed men.
Since then there has been no official information on whether he is alive or dead.
“It seems like, in many ways, the time has gone so quickly, but we know that, for Austin, it must be grinding on,” Debra told NBC. When asked about what keeps them hopeful, his father, Marc Tice said, “well, we know he’s alive, and we’re sure he wants to come home”.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on the sixth anniversary of his disappearance that the administration remains deeply concerned about his well-being and are actively working to bringing him home.
"We believe him to be alive," Ms Nauert said, adding that "we're doing everything that we can to try to bring him home".
Speaking to The Washington Post, his parents said they hoped the President Donald Trump's administration would open direct talks with the Syrian government to secure his release.
"We really do believe that this administration has a greater commitment to bring people home," his mother said.
The quest for his release is ongoing, every single international organisation that is working for press freedom has Austin Tice as their priority case, Ayman Mahanna, the director of the SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom in Lebanon, told The National.
“We are following the lead of Austin’s family, Marc and Debra Tice have been exceptional individuals who are dedicating their lives for Austin’s safe return with so much energy and faith,” Mr Mahanna said.
“If there is one reason to believe that he will come back safely it’s because of the passion of his family,” he said, adding that it’s time to have full transparency on Austin’s case.
“It’s time to end this painful chapter and let him go back home,” Mr Mahanna said.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are continuing to work closely in supporting the Tice family in every effort to bring Austin home, Margaux Ewen, RSF's North America director told The National.
"Continuing to raise awareness on Austin's case keeps him at the forefront of the ongoing efforts to secure his return home, and is crucial to ensure that his case, and his work as a journalist to document the crisis in Syria, are not forgotten by the American public or the international community," Ms Ewen said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists say that Syria remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters. In the first half of this year, 47 journalists worldwide were killed, while more than half of the 54 foreign reporters held hostage are in Syria.
Mr Mahanna said that although the international community is focusing on Austin's case, we must not forget the others.
"There are three journalist’s who are still missing in Syria, Samir Kassab who went missing in October 2014 with his colleague the Mauritian reporter Ishak Moctar of Sky News Arabia," he said. "Another is Palestinian journalist who was the bureau chief of Al Hurra in Istanbul, Bashar Fahmi Al Qaddumi".
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
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RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
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Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
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Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
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TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15 (First Test)
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July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24 (Second Test)
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KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS
Ligue 1: Appearances - 29, Goals - 15, Assists - 8
UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1
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The specs
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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Where to donate in the UAE
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
