Syrian government denies holding missing journalist, father says November 12, 2012 -- Updated 1332 GMT (2132 HKT) American photographer Austin Tice last contacted his family on August 13, 2012. Missing American journalist Austin Tice's parents went to Lebanon to seek his release Tice went missing in Syria in August The Syrian government has told the family that it doesn't know where he his, his father said (CNN) -- The Syrian government has told the parents of a missing American journalist that it doesn't know where their son is, the man's father said Monday at a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon. Austin Tice last contacted his family on August 13 while in Syria reporting on the uprising there against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. He was reportedly preparing to leave Syria for Lebanon when he went missing, according to his family. Read more: Family working for journalist's release plans visit to Lebanon In October, a shaky video surfaced on YouTube showing a man believed to be Tice surrounded by armed men walking him up a hill. Tice's father, Marc Tice, said that family members have been in touch, "directly and indirectly," with Syrian government officials, but they have learned nothing about his son's location despite traveling to Beirut to seek his release. "We're reaching out to everyone that we can get in touch with," he said. U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland said Thursday that U.S. officials have no idea where Tice is but have enlisted the help of Poland, which represents U.S. interests in Syria as a "protecting power" after the closing of the American Embassy in Damascus. Read more: Reports: Missing U.S. reporter held in Syria "We continued to work through our various channels, including the protecting power, to urge the Syrian regime to be more forthcoming," she said. Nuland previously said U.S. officials believe Tice was detained by Syrian officials in August as he was preparing to leave the country. Tice had smuggled himself into the country to report on the uprising. State Department officials have questioned the veracity of the October video, which purports to show Tice in the custody of rebels fighting the Syrian government. Tice's mother, Debra Tice, again called on her son's captors to release him. Austin is a cherished son and beloved brother. If he were your son or brother, I ask, what would you do to find him and return him to your family?" she told reporters in Beirut. November 12, 2012 -- Updated 1120 GMT (1920 HKT) For China's leaders, the nation's newfound wealth represents a bumpy road, as they try to steer the economy on a new path. The relationship between Gen. David Petraeus and his biographer has become the subject of speculation since he admitted to having an affair. November 12, 2012 -- Updated 1157 GMT (1957 HKT) Ayen Kuol has a mission: to get men into the kitchen. She saw men going hungry because they couldn't cook and set up a cookery school for refugees.