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Tom Watson Is The Latest To Want Answers On The PGA Tour’s 2023 Deal With Saudi Backers

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LA – Tom Watson, an eight-time major winner, wrote PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on Monday to clarify the new business relationship between the Tour and Saudi investors in LIV Golf. Watson also questioned whether the arrangement was the only approach to address the Tour’s financial difficulties.

In the letter, obtained by The Associated Press and addressed to Monahan, the PGA Tour board, and “my fellow players,” Watson asked several questions, including that one.

He claimed that the hypocrisy in ignoring the moral issue “compounded” the questions.

The day after Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open and became the sport’s newest major champion, attention returned to a problem that had dominated golf for the previous three years. The PGA Tour announced on June 6 that it had partnered with the European Tour and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to house commercial enterprises under one roof.

During a meeting two weeks ago at the Canadian Open, Monahan, who has referred to it as a “framework agreement,” had few responses for the players. Before the Travellers Championship in Connecticut on Tuesday, a meeting of the Player Advisory Council is scheduled.

Monahan, who left for a “medical situation” on Wednesday, is not anticipated to go. The daily management of the trip is under the direction of two of his senior executives.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund, was listed as the chairman of the new firm and Monahan as the CEO in the Tour’s release on June 6. Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne, two other PGA Tour board members, would join them on the executive committee.

watson

Tom Watson, an eight-time major winner.

According to a person who has read the agreement, it guarantees that the Tour would maintain a controlling voting interest in the new commercial organization regardless of how much the PIF invests.

According to the source, the arrangement provides for a financial contribution from PIF and the pooling of the three companies’ existing and future golf-related assets. The source spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the contract has not been made public. LIV Golf would be a part of that.

According to the deal, the PGA Tour would nominate most of the new company’s board members. The PGA Tour would still completely control how its competition is managed.

Important information, such as LIV Golf’s future, still needs to be added. Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson have stated that they are preparing for the 2024 season.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, hinted on Sunday that congressional hearings would take place in the coming weeks.

The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is presided over by Blumenthal. On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” he claimed that the subcommittee wanted specifics on the factors that led to the purchase, the people involved, and the organization’s structure and governance.

Blumenthal remarked, “There are very, very few details. But keep in mind; he added, “What we have here is essentially an oppressive, autocratic foreign government taking control over an iconic, beloved American institution for the clear purpose of cleaning its public image.”

All legal disputes were resolved as part of the agreement. To avoid having to give depositions in the litigation, the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf filed a request on Friday to dismiss with prejudice the antitrust complaint LIV players filed in August, the countersuit the Tour filed in September, and even a PIF appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They are not resubmittable.

watson

Tom Watson, an eight-time major winner.

Monahan said the lawsuits had caused the Tour a “significant” blow. A trial date was not anticipated until at least the middle of 2024, with plenty of filings in between.

Is the PIF the only practical solution to the Tour’s financial issues, Watson questioned in his letter? Was there or is there a backup strategy? And once more, what transaction exactly?

He made two references to hypocrisy, particularly about criticism of the Tour’s cancellation from organizations like 9/11 Families United.

“My loyalty to golf and this country live in the same place and have held equal and significant weight with me over the course of my lifetime,” stated Watson. “Please educate me and others in a way that allows loyalty to both, in a way that makes it easy to look the families of 9/11 in the eye and ourselves in the mirror.”

Tom Watson, an eight-time major winner.

Among his inquiries, Watson is not by himself. Since last summer, the Justice Department’s antitrust division has scrutinized the golf industry. Now, it is beginning to investigate whether the Tour’s relationship with the Saudis violates federal antitrust laws. Since the deal is still being finalized and is just a few weeks old, the investigation is still in its early stages.

According to Monahan, everything in the framework agreement would require board approval.

According to Blumenthal, a hearing might happen “within weeks.”

“The American people deserve a clear look at the facts here,” he declared. “Again, I’m not going to predict the results. But the Saudis need to hire a single player or seizing control of a single team in this situation. They are effectively running the entire sport, and it’s not just one Saudi player. There is a regime.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Returning to the UK a “No Go” for Prince Harry and Meghan

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Prince Harry and Meghan
Prince Harry and Meghan - Facebook Image

A source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claim that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do not want to return permanently to the United Kingdom. Prince Harry will stay stationed in the United States, where he resides with his wife and their children.

It is known that worries about his and his family’s safety in the UK still exist.

According to the BBC, Prince Harry and Meghan are also unlikely to wish to abandon the business and charitable endeavours they developed while residing in the US.

There have been rumours of a disgruntled prince in California, who is getting close to turning forty and is unhappy with his life among the unrooted rich, trying to re-establish ties with his former life in the UK before he resigned as a working royal.

However, reliable sources have asserted a different story, stating that a return to royal life in the UK is not likely.

They contend that Prince Harry can visit the UK again and is just as capable of funding his charitable endeavours and charities from the US.

He flew back to the US after visiting the UK last week for his uncle’s memorial ceremony.

Claims that Prince Harry and Prince William had not talked throughout the church service in Norfolk, despite their growing frigid distance from one another, accounted for a large portion of the attention around the ceremony.

Prince Harry appeared to have maintained strong ties to the late Lord Robert Fellowes, who was Princess Diana’s brother-in-law on the Spencer side of the family.

The prince was spotted beside his Spencer family members during an Invictus Games service held at St. Paul’s Cathedral earlier this summer. Senior royals were not present at the event.

As soon as it was known that King Charles had cancer, the prince swiftly left for the UK, meeting briefly with his father in London.

There have also been excursions to London’s legal courts, when he fought the tabloids over allegations of illegal information collecting.

His security status in the UK is the subject of a continuing, intricate legal battle with the Home Office that has become a contentious topic in any conversation of a return.

The prince stated that he wouldn’t “bring my wife back to this country” in an interview with ITV because he was afraid for their safety.

But now that the pair has made such a public exit from royal life in the UK—in a Netflix movie and his book Spare—there will undoubtedly be speculative discussions about what will happen to them next.

Prince Harry and Meghan could reside anywhere in the virtual world if they didn’t have a royal duty; currently, that’s WFC (where they work from California).

In addition to their charitable endeavours, Meghan has teased a lifestyle cooking business on social media.

Though it is difficult to imagine they won’t want to stir up more than pots of jam given the impending US presidential election and the likelihood that topics they have brought up, including internet disinformation, would likely be debatable.

There have been other visits as well, most notably to Colombia, but they had so many of the hallmarks of a royal visit that it made one wonder whether they were actually travelling back to the world of the royals they were trying to leave behind.

There will be more inquiries about Prince Harry’s long-term future job as his 40th birthday draws near and there is a great deal of public curiosity.

Related News:

Prince Harry Opens Up About Emotional Distance in Royal Family

Prince Harry Opens Up About Emotional Distance in Royal Family

 

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Uk Weather: Thunderstorm warning for England and East Wales

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Uk Weather Thunderstorm warning for England and East Wales

Uk Weather: Forecasters have issued warnings for thunderstorms and heavy showers for Sunday, protecting a significant portion of England and portions of eastern Wales from the potential for severe weather.

According to the Met Office, the phenomenon could cause “a small chance of flooding and disruption” in some regions. At four o’clock British Summer Time, the yellow warning that urges people to “be aware” goes into effect, encompassing significant portions of southern England, the Midlands, and the north.

Forecasters are warning that thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected to develop in the southern region of England on Sunday morning and move northward during the day.

In England, the warning applies to a region located in the middle of the nation, stretching from the Isle of Wight to Newcastle upon Tyne. The warning has been issued for the counties of Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen, and Wrexham, which are located in the eastern part of Wales.

The Metropolitan Office has warned of flooding and stated that “frequent lightning strikes and hail will be additional hazards” across the southern and central regions of England.

The BBC Weather predicts that the United Kingdom will see a swarm of warm and humid air coming from the south-eastern direction until Sunday. In addition, a series of intense rainstorms will sweep northward over the central spine of England and east Wales.

In the event that these thunderstorms do materialize, there is a possibility that they will be accompanied by intense, gusty winds, lightning, and heavy rain. However, it is also possible that they may be fairly sporadic.

In spite of the fact that pinpointing the precise areas of these showers is rather difficult, it is recommended that you remain current with the most recent prediction since it is subject to change, as stated by BBC weather.

There is a possibility that temperatures may reach as high as 27 degrees Celsius in some regions of south-eastern England as a result of the warmer and more humid air. Temperatures will range from the low to the middle of the 20s Celsius in many locations.

Source: BBC

 

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UK Immigration Raids Increase Risks of Exploitation for Undocumented Migrants

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UK Immigration Raids Increase Risks of Exploitation for Undocumented Migrants

In a growing chorus of concern, over 80 charities, including prominent organizations like Care4Calais, City of Sanctuary UK, and Anti-Slavery International, have called on the Home Secretary to overhaul the UK’s immigration policies.

Their joint letter, coordinated by Migrant Voice, criticizes the government’s recent intensification of immigration raids and deportations, arguing that these measures are exacerbating the risks faced by undocumented migrants.

The letter, sent on Friday, highlights the increasing danger of exploitation faced by migrants who are driven further underground by aggressive enforcement actions.

These policies, they argue, not only fail to address the root causes of undocumented status but also make migrants more vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous employers and human trafficking gangs.

On August 27, the Home Office announced the results of a week-long “intensive operation” targeting illegal working, which saw 275 premises investigated and 135 issued notices for employing undocumented workers.

Despite the government’s assertion that such operations aim to protect vulnerable individuals, the raids led to the detention of 85 “illegal workers.”

The situation has been compounded by a recent record-breaking deportation event. Earlier this month, the government deported over 200 individuals to Brazil, marking the largest single deportation flight on record.

Since the Labour government came to power, there have been at least nine such deportation charter flights.

Nazek Ramadan, Director of Migrant Voice, criticized the government’s approach, stating, “Immigration raids and deportations do not address the fundamental issue that many individuals become undocumented through no fault of their own.

Errors in paperwork or poor communication from the Home Office can result in people losing their status overnight.”

Ramadan advocates for a policy shift towards regularisation, arguing that it would be more cost-effective and beneficial for the economy than current detention and deportation practices.

“Rather than penalising people for their undocumented status, the government should simplify the process for them to regain documented status,” Ramadan suggested.

Many undocumented individuals have established lives and families in the UK, having lived in the country for years or even decades.

The letter contends that regularisation would not only reduce the financial burden of detention and deportation but also boost economic growth by enabling these individuals to contribute more fully to the economy.

“The raids are very traumatising,” Ramadan added. “People who are already vulnerable are becoming more so, retreating further underground. This policy has been tried and failed by many governments.

Regularisation offers a better solution, allowing people to come out of the shadows and live normal lives.”

The Home Office has been contacted for comment on the letter’s allegations and the ongoing concerns raised by the charities.

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