US repatriates a child from sprawling camp in northeastern Syria
The department estimates that some 30,000 people from 70 countries remain in al-Hol Camp, most of them wives and children of IS fighters as well as supporters of the extremist group. They include Iraqis as well as nationals of Western countries who traveled to join IS.
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USA Today
11 minutes ago
- USA Today
Antonio Brown, at court-mandated appearance for bankruptcy case, downplays rich lifestyle
In social media posts, Antonio Brown has appeared to be living a life of luxury in the United Arab Emirates. In a court-mandated appearance as part of his bankruptcy case, however, he said the reality is different. Brown fielded questions about his finances and social media activity during an Aug. 1 meeting of creditors in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, downplaying the lavish lifestyle that he has appeared to be living in Dubai over the past seven weeks. The former NFL wide receiver said he does not have any cryptocurrency accounts, does not own any jewelry, does not own any of the expensive sports cars that he has been seen driving in social media posts and is not paying rent in the United Arab Emirates. "I'm actually staying out here with some people, brother," Brown said when asked about his living arrangements. The 37-year-old declined to specify who owns the property at which he has been staying or who is paying the rent, but he said the person is not an American citizen. Attempted murder charge. Bankruptcy. Music. The bizarre post-NFL life of Antonio Brown Brown also indicated that he could soon return to the United States, where he has a warrant out for his arrest after being charged with attempted second-degree murder on June 11. The charge stems from an alleged altercation outside an amateur boxing event on May 16 in Miami. "Hopefully, yes," Brown said, when asked if he planned to return to the U.S. at some point in the near future. The question came in the context of scheduling, as Brown will be asked to sit for a deposition in the bankruptcy case. Because he has an active warrant out for his arrest, he likely would be detained by Customs and Border Protection upon returning to the U.S. A State Department spokesperson declined comment earlier this week when asked by USA TODAY Sports if Brown could be extradited from the United Arab Emirates. The spokesperson cited the department's longstanding policy to not comment on the possible existence of extradition requests. Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024, according to court records, and his case has since been converted to Chapter 7 − a form of bankruptcy in which the court can seize assets and garnish wages to repay creditors. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, who publicly estimated that he made more than $100 million during his NFL career, now owes more than $3.5 million to a handful of creditors. Brown was ordered to appear at Friday's meeting of creditors, which is also known as a 341 meeting, after previously failing to provide the necessary financial documents to the U.S. trustee overseeing his case, Leslie Osborne. Brown joined the meeting several minutes late from what appeared to be a Dubai hotel room. Meetings of creditors are not court hearings and they are not overseen by a judge. But they nevertheless play an important role in the early stages of the bankruptcy process, requiring debtors to answer questions about their finances under penalty of perjury. Friday's meeting was open to members of the public. Osborne's attorney, D. Brett Marks, asked Brown several questions about his life in Dubai and some of his activity on social media, including a June 26 post on X in which the former NFL wideout posted a screenshot of an account balance exceeding $24 million with the caption "bankrupt over." Brown replied that it was an old post and he does not have an account with $24 million. Brown also offered unclear answers when asked about how he is making money and paying for his current lifestyle. When asked about video clips of himself driving luxurious sports cars that he has posted on social media, he denied owning any cars in the United Arab Emirates, then suggested that such clips might have been manufactured by artificial intelligence. Upon further questioning, Brown said he sometimes has access to sports cars as part of a promotional arrangement with a rental car company. Report: Former NFL WR Antonio Brown facing attempted murder charge in Florida Osborne, the trustee tasked with helping Brown pay off his debts, said at the start of the meeting that he had received only two of the requested bank statements from the seven-time Pro Bowler. Brown told Osborne that he would work with his attorney to provide the requested documents − including the original deed of one of the houses he owns in Florida, which could be put up for sale to pay off some of Brown's debts. At the most recent court hearing in Brown's bankruptcy case, on July 24, judge Peter Russin said Brown's case would be "hanging in the balance" if he did not provide financial documents and follow the court's rules. "I really want to explain to him that he's got his future in his own hands," Russin said during the hearing. "He can resolve all these things very simply just by doing what he's obligated to do anyway, and leave here with his financial situation generally intact." Contact Tom Schad at tschad@ or on social media @
Hamilton Spectator
12 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. forestry executive warns against cutting bad deal after U.S. raises tariffs
An executive in British Columbia's forestry industry says Canada should stand up to the United States, even after U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs to 35 per cent from 25 per cent on some goods. Brian Menzies, executive director of the Independent Wood Processors Association of British Columbia, says being 'kowtowed and pushed over' is neither good for Canada nor the United States. Menzies says 'people respect people who stand up for what's important for them,' and if Canada does not stand up now, it won't be in a 'strong position to advocate for what's important.' Menzies' comments come after Trump had announced tariffs of 35 per cent on all Canadian goods outside the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on free trade. Read the full report from The Canadian Press
CNN
34 minutes ago
- CNN
US envoy Witkoff visits Gaza aid distribution site as starvation crisis deepens
The Middle East Israel-Hamas war The UN FacebookTweetLink Steve Witkoff, the United States' special envoy to the Middle East, on Friday visited a controversial US-backed aid distribution site in Gaza, one of three such locations near which hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach scarce food supplies. Witkoff said he spent five hours in Gaza on Friday to better understand the humanitarian situation in the enclave and to relay it to Donald Trump. The US president said earlier this week that there was 'real starvation' in Gaza, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims. 'I spoke to Steve Witkoff. He had a great meeting with a lot of people, and the primary meeting was on food,' Trump said early Friday evening. 'And he had, he also had some other conversations that I'll tell you about later, but he had a meeting on getting the people fed, and that's what we want.' Along with US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Witkoff visited an aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – one of only three such operational sites in the blockaded enclave. The GHF was created to sideline the United Nations' role in distributing aid, after Israel complained that UN aid was reaching Hamas. But the new group has been criticized for failing to improve conditions as Gaza's starvation crisis deepens. The UN refused to participate in the new scheme, saying the GHF model violates basic humanitarian principles. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while trying to get food, hundreds of them near GHF sites, according to the UN. The GHF disputes this. For two months, the scenes at GHF distribution sites have been chaotic, with the Israeli military seen firing towards scores of Palestinians, some of whom have been crushed in the scramble to reach aid. Ambassador Huckabee praised GHF after his Gaza visit, saying Hamas 'hates' the organization because its food reaches Palestinians in Gaza without reaching Hamas. Despite Israel's claims that the UN allowed aid to reach Hamas, an internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza. Huckabee also praised GHF for distributing more than 100 million meals to Gaza since it was launched in May. But other aid agencies have warned that this is insufficient. If 100 million meals have been distributed to each of Gaza's 2.1 million people, that works out at just over one meal a day for 47 days for every resident. The GHF has been operating for nearly 70 days. A senior Hamas official condemned Witkoff's trip as little more than a photo opportunity. 'Mr. Witkoff, Gaza is not an animal farm that requires a staged personal visit to take some personal photos in front of the death traps overseen by your American companies,' Basem Naim, a former Palestinian health minister in Gaza, said in a statement shared with CNN. Palestinians said that the Israeli military shot at them while they waited to receive food near the same distribution hub visited by Witkoff on Friday. The nearby Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said it had received at least three people who were killed and six who were injured by gunfire near the hub. It said many other injured people were being treated at a Red Cross field hospital. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it fired warning shots to prevent a group of people advancing toward its troops, after calling on the group to distance itself. The IDF said it was not aware of any casualties as the result of its fire but was investigating the incident. A US embassy spokesperson also said it had not received 'reports of clashes or injuries of any kind in the vicinity of the visit.' CNN has asked the GHF for comment. Eyewitnesses told CNN the Israeli military shot at people who had gathered at Al Tina, where residents wait before moving on to the distribution site at al-Shakoush. Abu Armanah, who was being treated for a gunshot wound to his abdomen at Nasser hospital, added: 'People are literally battling each other. Witkoff and his visit are nonsense.' 'As soon as Witkoff was in the area, there was random gunfire. The shooting intensified, along with drones and quadcopters in the air, and they started firing at people,' Ahmad Abu Armanah told CNN shortly after the incident. Bodies were 'scattered all over the place,' he said. Mahmoud Awad, another witness, told CNN he was 'shocked' by the violence he saw at the hub. 'Today was madness,' he said. 'As we arrived, young men started getting shot. There was gunfire, and it was direct,' he said. 'We were shocked to hear that the American envoy could come under these conditions.' Witkoff's trip to Israel was his second in two weeks. Last week, he abruptly pulled US delegates out of Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar, accusing Hamas of negotiating in bad faith. He said the Trump administration would explore 'alternative options' to bring the hostages home and 'create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.' Hamas reportedly later chose to stop engaging in peace talks. A senior Israeli official said Thursday that Israel and the US are forming a new understanding on Gaza, following Hamas' reported withdrawal from negotiations. 'An understanding is forming between Israel and the United States that, in light of Hamas's refusal, there is a need to shift from a framework focused on the release of some of the hostages to one aimed at the release of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip,' a senior Israeli official said on Thursday. 'At the same time, Israel and the United States will work to increase humanitarian aid, while continuing military operations in Gaza,' the official added. Meanwhile, in a Thursday statement, Hamas said it is committed to continuing negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, provided the humanitarian crisis in the enclave improves considerably. 'It is essential to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation significantly and to obtain a written response from the enemy regarding our response,' Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas' political bureau, told CNN. 'This is a condition to go back to negotiations.' CNN's Betsy Klein, Jennifer Hansler, Eyad Kourdi, Eugenia Yosef and Jeremy Diamond contributed reporting
