The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with its Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf.
The shock announcement comes after a year of unprecedented disruption in the men’s professional game following the launch of LIV Golf circuit.
The two tours signed an agreement that would combine the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s commercial businesses and rights into a new, yet-to-be-named for-profit company. The agreement includes DP World Tour, also known as the European PGA Tour.
The rival circuit launched in 2022 and has lured a number of big-name players from the PGA Tour, including Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson, former world number one Dustin Johnson and reigning PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka.
The LIV Golf series is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and critics have accused it of being a vehicle for the country to attempt to improve its reputation in the face of criticism of its human rights record.
In a statement, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: “After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love.
“This transformational partnership recognises the immeasurable strength of the PGA TOUR’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organisation that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.”
As part of the deal, the sides are dropping all lawsuits against each other effective immediately.
Image: Brooks Koepka became the LIV golfer to win a major since the new tour formed
It is unclear what form the LIV Golf League would take in 2024.
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In response to the news, golf legend Phil Mickelson, who had led prominent players away from the PGA Tour to help form LIV, tweeted: “Awesome day today”.
‘A momentous day’
DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “This is a momentous day. We are delighted to be able to not only reignite our relationship with PIF, but also to have the opportunity to build on our current Strategic Alliance partnership with the PGA Tour.”
Reports first emerged of plans for a rival league to the PGA Tour as far back as 2019, but it was only in late 2021 that the proposal truly began to take shape. LIV Golf Investments was formed, with PIF – the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia – its majority shareholder.
Image: World number three Rory McIlroy had previously criticised players who joined LIV Golf
An anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour was originally filed last August by 11 golfers before being taken over by LIV Golf. It was due to be heard in 2024.
In April, the DP World Tour won its legal battle against 12 LIV players who committed “serious breaches” of the Tour’s code of behaviour by playing in LIV Golf events without permission.
The subsequent increased fines and suspensions prompted Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to resign their memberships and become ineligible for the Ryder Cup.
Those players could now return to the fold, with the tours pledging to establish a “fair and objective process” for players to re-apply for membership after the end of this season.
The decision to merge comes less than two weeks before the third major championship of the men’s golf season, the US Open.
Fashion giant Shein has opened an investigation after a shirt was advertised on its site, modelled by a man bearing a striking resemblance to Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering a US healthcare chief executive.
The image with Mangione’slikeness, wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt, has since been taken down.
Shein, one of the world’s biggest fast fashion retailers, told Sky News: “The image in question was provided by a third-party vendor and was removed immediately upon discovery.
“We have stringent standards for all listings on our platform. We are conducting a thorough investigation, strengthening our monitoring processes, and will take appropriate action against the vendor in line with our policies.”
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The listing was taken down on Wednesday afternoon, according to reports.
As news of the image spread across social media on Tuesday, and ‘Luigi Mangione Shein’ reportedly began trending, many speculated that the picture had been created by AI or photo-shopped.
Some supporters of Mangione accused Shein of using his likeness, while his critics have also described using the photo as a new low.
More on Luigi Mangione
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Mangione, 27, is facing trial for fatally shooting UnitedHealth’s insurance CEO, Brian Thompson, outside a New York City hotel in December.
Image: UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson.
Pic: UnitedHealth Group/AP
Mr Thompson, 50, was shot dead as he walked to a Manhattan hotel where the company, the largest private health insurance firm in the US, was hosting an investor conference.
Mangione denies the state and federal charges against him, including first-degree murder “in furtherance of an act of terrorism”, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of stalking and a firearms offence.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if he is convicted, saying Mangione targeted Mr Thompson and that he “presents a future danger because he expressed an intent to target an entire industry, and rally political and social opposition to that industry, by engaging in an act of lethal violence”.
After the killing, Mangione was portrayed as a folk hero by some of those opposed to the US healthcare system.
Rallies took place outside court during his appearances and some supporters pledged funds to his defence.
Shein, founded in China in 2012, has built its global reputation on inexpensive, fast-moving fashion trends that attract Gen Z and younger millennials. Its products are shipped to more than 100 countries.
In January, a senior company lawyer was unable to say if the company sells products containing cotton from Xinjiang, the region of China where it’s alleged members of the Uyghur ethnic group are forced to work against their will, accusations China denies.
At least 15 people have been killed and 18 are injured after the iconic Gloria funicular in Lisbon derailed and crashed, emergency services have said.
Five of the injured are in a serious condition, the National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement.
Footage from the site showed the tram-like funicular, which is popular with tourists, practically destroyed and emergency workers pulling people out of the wreckage.
Authorities would not identify the victims or disclose their nationalities, but said some foreign nationals were among the dead.
The UK Foreign Office has said it is in touch with authorities in Lisbon and is ready to “provide consular assistance if there are any affected British nationals”.
Lisbon’s mayor Carlos Moedas has said there will be three days of mourning for the victims of the “tragic accident”.
He added: “I extend my heartfelt condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning.”
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It is not immediately clear what caused the crash which happened at around 6pm – the start of evening rush hour.
Eyewitnesses told local media that the funicular careered down the hill, apparently out of control.
Images show how the yellow and white carriage fell apart as a result of the crash.
Image: Pic: AP
Image: Pic: AP
The Gloria, which can carry more than 40 people, is one of three funiculars in the Portuguese capital and is classified as a national monument.
It connects downtown Lisbon with the neighbourhood of Bairro Alto and is commonly used by both residents and tourists.
Two carriages attached to the same haulage cable run parallel to each other as they shuttle up and down the hill for a few hundred metres.
The second carriage was apparently undamaged, but footage aired by CNN Portugal showed it jolting violently, with several passengers jumping out of its windows, when the other one derailed.
Image: Emergency services at the scene. Pic: AP
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Mr Moedas told the Portuguese news site Diario de Noticia: “It is a tragedy that has never happened in our city. The moment is for action and help. I thank you all for the response in a few minutes. The only thing I can say is that it is a very tragic day.”
It comes as Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has offered his condolences to families affected by the tragedy.
Meanwhile EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has written on X: “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous ‘Elevador da Glória’. My condolences to the families of the victims.”
Portugal’s defence minister Nuno Melo said: “The accident in Lisbon with the Gloria elevator was a tragedy that caused strong commotion and consternation in Portugal and in the world… I express all my solidarity and offer heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.”
An investigation into the cause will begin once the rescue operation is over, the Portuguese government said in a statement.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
China’s status as a military superpower was on full display as Beijing marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Tens of thousands of troops, tanks and armoured vehicles moved through Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, along with a fearsome array of missiles. Fighter jets soared overhead.
“They want to advertise to the world that they’re doing old and new,” military analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News. “So they were showing the enormity of what they’ve got in in traditional terms, but also some of the new things.”
Indeed, the event featured many weapons and equipment that had never been seen in public before.
In this story, Sky News looks at what units and military hardware were on display in the Chinese capital.
Image: Flags flutter as soldiers participate in a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Pic: Reuters
Land forces
Huge numbers of soldiers from various wings of China’s armed forces made up the bulk of the parade, marching in perfect lockstep in neat rows.
As well as the traditional elements from the army and navy, the procession also featured newer pieces like the cyberspace unit.
The new unit is in charge of cybersecurity defence measures, the Xinhua state news agency says, and also took part in live-fire drills.
Another new unit was the information support force, which was created in 2024 to build network information systems to support military combat readiness.
Image: Tanks as part of the military parade
Nuclear triad on display for the first time
Also rolling through the square were an array of missiles, including those that form China’s strategic nuclear capability.
For the first time, Beijing unveiled its nuclear triad of air, land and sea-based missiles.
This included the JL-1 air-based long-range missile, JL-3 submarine-launched intercontinental missile, DF-61 land-based intercontinental missile, and the new type DF-31 land-based intercontinental missile.
The weapons are China’s strategic “ace” power to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and nation’s dignity, according to Xinhua.
China is one of four countries known to possess a nuclear triad, along with the US, Russia and India.
Other missiles on display included hypersonic anti-ship missiles that China has previously tested against mockups of US aircraft carriers, such as the Yingji-19, Yingji-17 and Yingji-20.
“These are designed to frighten the United States,” Mr Clarke says, with reference to the Pacific Ocean where US warships patrol from their 7th Fleet headquarters in Japan.
China also put a number of its unmanned weapon systems on display, evidence of the changing nature of modern warfare.
Arguably the most interesting were the so-called ‘robot wolves’.
Image: ‘Robot wolves’ carried on vehicles
There were also underwater drones such as the AJX002, a long, black tube-shaped craft that looks like a narrow submarine with a rear propeller.
The military also showed off unmanned helicopters that are designed to be launched from ships.
Image: Air-defence laser weapons that have been recently developed. Pic: Reuters
Like other militaries, China has also been developing laser weapons to defend against drone attacks – one of which was on display today as well.
As attack drones get more advanced – and numerous – a counter drive to develop cheaper ways of shooting them down is ongoing.
“The one that they kept under wraps was this laser gun,” Mr Clarke said. “It was all under tarpaulin in the rehearsals – and suddenly there it was. It was like a big searchlight on a vehicle.
“Laser guns, despite James Bond films, are not quite as ground-breaking as people think, but there it was: a new laser gun.”
Air force
Beijing has developed a number of advanced aircraft in recent years, and several of them were on display on Wednesday.
Soaring above the parade were China’s two fifth-generation fighter jets, the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-35A.
Image: J-16D, J-20, and J-35A fighter jets fly over Tiananmen Square. Pic: Reuters
Both have stealth capabilities and are designed to try to rival the US air force’s F-35 jet.
China has two of the five fifth-generation fighter jets currently known to operate globally. The others are the American F-35 (also operated by the UK and other allies) and F-22, as well as the Russian Su-57.
China showing off its range – and numbers
“What they’re showing here is that they’ve got a full panoply of weapons systems,” Mr Clarke says, pointing to the various land, sea and air assets.
“Whether they can link them together in combined arms warfare, we don’t know, because they haven’t fought a major war since the 1950s… but on paper it’s extremely impressive.”
He added: “It’s not as big as the American military yet, but it certainly rivals it. And it certainly worries American military planners.”