Latest news with #Saudi-owned
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix secures broadcast rights for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing mega-fight
The biggest boxing fight of 2025 has found a home on the biggest streaming service in the world. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, the Sept. 13 mega-fight between pound-for-pound greats for the sport's undisputed super middleweight titles, will be streamed globally by Netflix at no additional cost to its subscribers, Turki Alalshikh announced Tuesday. Advertisement In a major victory for the sport, Alvarez vs. Crawford becomes the third boxing event over a span of just 10 months to stream on the Netflix platform, which boasts more than 300 million global subscribers. The controversial Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul heavyweight fight became the first boxing event on Netflix this past November, ultimately being watched by an audience exceeding 65 million viewers. Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2 was the co-feature on that night, and now the two future Hall of Famers are set to headline Netflix's second boxing event with their trilogy fight on July 11 in New York. Additionally, Alalshikh said that Alvarez vs. Crawford will take place in Las Vegas but did not name a venue. Allegiant Stadium was originally supposed to host Alvarez vs. Crawford on Sept. 12, however once the date of the fight changed to Sept. 13, it was unable to do so, as the venue had a preexisting booking with the UNLV Rebels vs. Idaho State college football game. Advertisement It was then announced that Saudi-owned Sela would be the lead promoter for the highly anticipated 168-pound showdown instead of TKO Boxing — the latter being an entity formed by Alalshikh, UFC CEO Dana White and WWE president Nick Khan earlier this year. White and the UFC faced a dilemma when the date shifted from Sept. 12 to Sept. 13, as the UFC had already committed to promoting its Noche UFC 3 event on that date. However, construction delays at Mexico's Arena Guadalajara forced the show to be moved to San Antonio and become a Fight Night event rather than the originally-planned pay-per-view card. After this happened, White was able to commit to Alvarez vs. Crawford again, and thus TKO will be the lead promoter for the event. Allegiant Stadium is also understood to be back in play to host the show, with a potential deal in the works to shift the UNLV football game off the date. Alvarez and Crawford will come face-to-face for a three-city press tour beginning on June 20 in Riyadh, then on June 22 in New York, before concluding June 27 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Louisiana political campaigns might get to withhold more donation, spending info
Matthew Perschall/Louisiana Illuminator Louisiana lawmakers might diminish information available to the public about political donations and election spending through a sprawling rewrite of the state's campaign finance law. Gov. Jeff Landry is pushing House Bill 693, sponsored by House Republican Caucus Chairman Mark Wright, R-Covington. It carves out more circumstances under which political contributions and expenditures don't have to be disclosed on a public campaign finance report. The 101-page proposal is difficult to understand for people who don't deal with campaign finance regulations frequently. Even staff attorneys for the Louisiana Board of Ethics, which enforces the campaign finance laws, admit the changes are confusing. 'To be honest with you, it's going to take quite a grace period to figure all this out,' Ethics Administrator David Bordelon said when presenting the bill to the state ethics board last month. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Private attorneys Stephen Gelé and Charles Spies helped write the bill. They have represented Landry in multiple disputes he has had with the ethics board, including over campaign finance laws and enforcement. Gelé has said the proposal respects constitutional rights, including freedom of speech, while still providing transparency and 'preventing the appearance of corruption.' The state's preeminent government watchdog group disagrees. The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) has come out against the legislation, saying the bill would benefit politicians while offering little for the general public. 'There is a very large bill, and I don't quite understand the problem it is trying to solve,' PAR President Steven Procopio said at a legislative hearing last month. In more than 20 places in the law, the bill increases the minimum dollar threshold at which a donation or expense has to be included on a public campaign finance report. For example, national political committees that raise most of their money outside Louisiana are required to publicly disclose their spending on a Louisiana election once it reaches $20,000. The proposed bill would hike that disclosure threshold to $50,000. The current law also requires any campaign contributions or expenditures over $200 given within the 20 days before the election to be reported on a public campaign finance report. The proposed law would hike that disclosure threshold to $5,000. Louisiana set to spend at least $7 million to bring Saudi-owned LIV Golf to New Orleans Over a dozen similar changes are also part of the legislation. Individuals who are not political candidates and groups that are not explicitly political committees could also spend money on an election without disclosing contributions they accepted for the politicking. Those who are not a candidate or a designated political committee would only be required to disclose election spending over $1,000 in a political cycle and if it involved: federally-regulated broadcast media; 500 pieces of mail; a phone bank of 500 calls within a 30-day period; or digital or print advertising with a candidate's image that's distributed in the area the candidate would represent within 30 days of their primary and 60 days of their general election These changes would apply to large, statewide elections and smaller ones such as those for police juries, town councils and school boards. Money spent to communicate with people in a 'membership organization' – such as a union, industry association or an athletic club – as well as employees and stockholders of a business also would not have to be reported as a political expense. This could include communication sent to thousands of people at once. In some cases, current campaign finance law obliges people to report this type of spending that would be shielded under the Wright bill. Supporters of the legislation said these exceptions were mainly carved out with so-called social welfare organizations in mind. The organizations, which critics call 'dark money' political groups, are registered with the IRS as 501(c)(4) nonprofits for tax purposes and are not required to disclose their donors under federal regulations. It's unclear to what extent the groups have to disclose their spending on Louisiana elections under current state campaign finance laws. Landry has set up at least of these 'dark money' groups, Protect Louisiana Values, to advance his political agenda. It also notably put up the money for Landry to rent a live tiger to attend an LSU football game last year. Defying Landry, Louisiana lawmakers reject giving him more control over licensing boards Former Gov. John Bel Edwards also established two of his own 'dark money' groups during his eight years in office: Rebuild Louisiana and A Stronger Louisiana. While limiting disclosure on political spending, Wright's legislation does open up allowable uses of politician's campaign funds to a much wider group of expenses, including their home mortgages, country club fees and gym memberships. The legislation is also one of a few bills Landry is pushing to soften ethics laws and regulations this session. Lawmakers in favor of them said they are reacting to overzealous enforcement by the ethics board. In 2007, former Gov. Bobby Jindal and legislators passed dozens of restrictions and public disclosure requirements for elected officials and public employees as part of Jindal's effort to reach a 'gold standard' of ethics for Louisiana that would be a model around the country. Lawmakers are now saying that effort was overreach that needs to be corrected. 'I haven't come across an elected official who has enjoyed working through this process and hasn't questioned what they did back in the Jindal era,' Wright said of ethics and campaign finance regulations. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Efforts to unplug Louisiana's speed trap cameras create small-town discontent
Getty Images It looked for a moment that automated speed enforcement cameras in Louisiana might go the way of the Oldsmobile. But what was once an all-out ban on the devices now has an exception that threatens to force the proposal down a dead end. For the past two years, state lawmakers have tried to drastically scale back the use of technology that captures lead-footed drivers and red-light runners in the act and sends them tickets in the mail. While their boosters consider traffic enforcement cameras a force multiplier for manpower-strapped police departments, detractors see them as a money grab for local governments. Critics also pan the heavy burden placed on motorists who want to challenge their citations. The companies that provide speeding cameras to local police often handle fine collections and contested tickets, leaving no local avenue for appeals. 'It's taxation by citation,' Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, said May 28 during a Louisiana House floor debate over a bill that would do away with speeding cameras everywhere but school zones. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The debate has created bipartisan fractures at the State Capitol. One side believes local jurisdictions should be able to govern themselves – and that includes the use of traffic enforcement cameras as they see fit. The other viewpoint says speeding 'scameras' make it next to impossible for drivers to challenge their tickets. 'I've got preachers' mommas calling me, telling me they're getting tickets. They didn't even know they were speeding,' Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville said last week before the House approved Senate Bill 99, by Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe. Cathey brought his new proposal after authoring a law last year that established requirements for using speeding enforcement cameras in Louisiana. They include signage to let motorists know they are being monitored. Plus, cities and towns must provide a local administrative process for motorists to appeal their tickets. But because a handful of municipalities still won't follow the rules, Cathey came back this year with what he's called 'a bill with teeth.' If approved, police chiefs and municipal leaders who continue to ignore the requirements can be charged with malfeasance in office. The penalty for that crime can be up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. When Cathey's bill went before the Senate in April, Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, amended it to ban the use of the cameras everywhere but school zones. Louisiana set to spend at least $7 million to bring Saudi-owned LIV Golf to New Orleans In its current form, the legislation would not apply to red light cameras. But every other speeding enforcement camera in Louisiana would be shut down – with one notable exception. An amendment placed on the bill in the House would exclude the city of Opelousas, where sponsor Rep. Dustin Miller, a Democrat, said speed enforcement cameras allow his hometown police department to commit more officers to combatting violent crime. That exception doesn't sit well with Cathey, who's been highly critical of small-town leaders who he says refuse to follow the existing law. He's declined to name them publicly, but he hasn't held back his opinion on Opelousas' leadership. 'You know, I may just buy a billboard outside of Opelousas to let everybody know that it's the speed trap capital of Louisiana,' Cathey said in an interview Friday. Miller's amendment passed by the slimmest margin in a 47-46 vote, with the updated bill gaining approval in a 72-23 vote. In an interview after the House adjourned, Miller said his city shouldn't be penalized for the wrongful actions of other municipalities. 'They're claiming that there's, like, seven towns that's doing illegal stuff,' he said. 'Well, as far as my knowledge, Opelousas is doing it correctly. So I'm just like, allow them to still do it where they're doing it.' In an interview last week, Cathey said he lacks confidence in Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc to manage the city's speeding enforcement cameras. The senator noted LeBlanc is currently under criminal indictment for a shooting that allegedly stemmed from a love triangle. The state attorney general is prosecuting the case, in which the chief has been charged with obstruction of justice and malfeasance in office. LeBlanc and his wife, St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Deputy Crystal LeBlanc, were injured in the shooting. Calls to the police chief seeking comment were directed to the department's public information officer, who has not responded to questions about the city's camera program. Opelousas Mayor Julius Alsandor also has not responded to calls and emails. Louisiana senators trim private education vouchers, expand Medicaid budget LeBlanc and other local police leaders have appeared at the Capitol to oppose Cathey's bill, as have small town mayors who argued the legislature should respect their autonomy. Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux also testified against the Cathey bill. Reggie Skains has been the volunteer, unpaid mayor of Downsville for 39 years. The town at the border of Lincoln and Union parishes has a population of less than 150 residents, yet it sees far more traffic because it's at the nexus of two state highways in north Louisiana. In the first six days Downsville deployed speeding enforcement cameras, it issued 419 tickets, the mayor said. 'This is not driving safely,' Skains told a legislative committee, stressing the cameras meet a need in his community. Roosevelt Porter is the police chief of Epps, a village of less than 400 just minutes away from the Poverty Point World Heritage Site. He said although Epps is within Cathey's Senate district, he had not heard from the senator about his bill. Speeding enforcement cameras in his village issued 3,500 tickets in their first month, but the number fell to 1,500 in the second month, Porter said. 'I could care less if this thing makes money,' the police chief told a House committee in April. 'If it slows people down, that is what's important to me.' Porter grew more emotional as he continued his testimony, shouting and coming close to tears at his conclusion. 'My town is at your mercy, but I know how this stuff works,' he said. 'Let that be your family member that comes through there and gets killed. What are you going to do then?' When Cathey's bill went before a Senate committee, Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, said the measure would have prevented the scandal that unfolded within his district last year when a West Baton Rouge Parish constable issued more than 4,000 school zone speeding tickets over a two-week period. The infractions each came with a $150 fine, but Attorney General Liz Murrill determined the constable had no authority to enforce traffic laws and had to refund what was collected. Cathey said last week he was unsure about the outlook for his bill now that an exception has been added to it. He predicted other towns and cities would seek similar exemptions. 'Currently, Opelousas is the speed camera capital of Louisiana,' the senator said. 'And if the people of Opelousas don't like it, they need to reach out to their local legislators and let them know.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Louisiana set to spend at least $7 million to bring Saudi-owned LIV Golf to New Orleans
Louisiana is likely to spend at least $7 million in public funding to attract a Saudi-owned LIV Golf tournament to New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf) The Louisiana Legislature looks likely to spend at least $7 million of the state's public money to bring the controversial LIV Golf League tour, owned by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to New Orleans next summer. The Louisiana Senate Finance Committee inserted the golf tournament spending into the proposed $49 billion state operating budget Sunday. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said the Louisiana Economic Development agency, overseen by Gov. Jeff Landry, requested the money. Of the money Louisiana is putting up for the LIV Golf event, at least $2 million would be spent to upgrade the Bayou Oaks golf course at New Orleans City Park, where the tournament would be held. Another $5 million would be given directly to LIV Golf as a hosting fee, Henry said in an interview with reporters Sunday night. Henry said the money is going to help 'get the course up and running for a LIV quality event.' In exchange for the money, Henry said the LIV Golf event is expected to generate about $60 million in spending for New Orleans. The tournament would be held in June or July 2026, at a time of year when city tourism is down and the hospitality industry is typically struggling. 'It'll drive significant economic activity at a time when the city is usually pretty slow,' he said. News of a LIV Golf tournament coming to New Orleans was first reported by WDSU-TV in March. LIV's owner, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with nearly $1 trillion in assets. Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman controls the money and the fund started LIV Golf in 2021 to compete with the PGA Tour, the preeminent professional league based in the U.S. The new tour has been seen as an effort by Saudi Arabia to 'whitewash' the country's record on human rights. After becoming the de facto Saudi leader eight years ago, the crown prince enacted more liberal policies for women – they gained the privilege of driving in 2018 – but has engaged in a wirdespread crackdown on dissidents and critics of the Saudi government, according to a Human Rights Watch report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Prince Mohammed's personal reputation was also damaged in 2018 when Saudi officials killed U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi while he was visiting a Saudi consulate in Turkey to get documents for his upcoming marriage. Khashoggi had been critical of Prince Mohammed in his monthly columns for The Washington Post, and U.S. intelligence officials concluded the crown prince was involved in Khashoggi's death, according to the Associated Press. LIV Golf's debut upended the golf world in 2022. With its vast resources, Saudi Arabia's leadership offered pro golfers far larger sums of money than the PGA tour could afford, including multimillion-dollar signing bonuses that led some of the sport's biggest stars to leave the PGA Tour. Yet for all of its assets, LIV has not succeeded in making much of a dent with the PGA Tour audience of late. Its television ratings have been a fraction of what the PGA has garnered this year, according to Talks of merging the LIV Golf League and the PGA Tour have stalled in spite of President Donald Trump personally encouraging the deal. Louisiana is trying to sign a multi-year contract with LIV for the City Park tournament, but the state's $7 million allocation would be devoted mostly to the first year of expenses in 2026, Henry said. Some of the Landry administration's enthusiasm for LIV Golf League might be related to Trump, who considers Prince Mohammed a personal friend and who the Louisiana governor is eager to please. Trump's private golf resort in Doral, Florida, was the site of LIV Golf League tournament the president personally attended earlier this year. One of the president's first trips abroad since returning to office was to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Prince Mohammed last month. Trump made a similar trip early in his first term. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The $7 million Louisiana is putting toward the LIV golf tournament comes from the state's major events incentive fund, which provides public funding for large tourist attractions. In the past, it has been used to lure the Super Bowl, Essence Festival and NCAA Final Four for men's basketball to Louisiana. Other events getting money from the fund in the proposed state budget for the year that starts July 1 include the U.S. Bowling Congress Tournament ($5 million), an Ultimate Fighting Championship event ($1.5 million), the 2026 Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championship ($750,000), the U.S. Gymnastics National Championships in New Orleans this August ($750,000), the Barksdale Defenders of Liberty Air Show ($500,000) and the State Fair of Louisiana in Shreveport ($100,000). Another $250,000 in public funding from a Jefferson Parish tourism promotion account is also going to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a decades-old PGA Tour event held each spring at the TPC Louisiana golf course in Avondale.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas official says it rejects new US Gaza ceasefire plan backed by Israel
A senior Hamas official has told the BBC the Palestinian armed group will reject the latest US proposal for a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had "signed off" on US envoy Steve Witkoff's plan and that it was waiting for a formal response from Hamas. Israeli media cited Israeli officials as saying it would see Hamas hand over 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in two phases in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The Hamas official said the proposal did not satisfy core demands, including an end to the war, and that it would respond in due course. The Israeli government has not commented, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told hostages' families on Thursday that he accepted Witkoff's plan. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and resumed its military offensive against Hamas on 18 March following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt. It said it wanted to put pressure on Hamas to release the 58 hostages it is still holding, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. On 19 May, the Israeli military launched an expanded offensive that Netanyahu said would see troops "take control of all areas" of Gaza. The next day, he said Israel would also ease the blockade and allow a "basic" amount of food into Gaza to prevent a famine. Almost 4,000 people have been killed in Gaza over the past 10 weeks, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. The UN says another 600,000 people have been displaced again by Israeli ground operations and evacuation orders, and a report by the UN-backed IPC warns that about 500,000 people face catastrophic levels of hunger in the coming months. Security breaks down in Gaza as desperate people search for food Israel PM says Hamas's Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar has been killed Gaza warehouse broken into by 'hordes of hungry people', says WFP At a news conference in Washington DC on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether she could confirm a report by Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV that Israel and Hamas had agreed a new ceasefire deal. "I can confirm that Special Envoy Witkoff and the president submitted a ceasefire proposal to Hamas that Israel backed and supported. Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas," she said. "I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing, and we hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home," she added. However, a senior Hamas official later said the deal contradicted previous discussions between the group's negotiators and Witkoff. The official told the BBC that the offer did not include guarantees the temporary truce would lead to a permanent ceasefire, nor a return to the humanitarian protocol that allowed hundreds of trucks of aid into Gaza daily during the last ceasefire. Nevertheless, he said Hamas remained in contact with the mediators and would submit its written response in due course. Earlier, Israel's Channel 12 TV reported the Netanyahu told hostages' families at a meeting: "We agree to accept the latest Witkoff plan that was conveyed to us tonight. Hamas has not yet responded. We do not believe Hamas will release the last hostage, and we will not leave the Strip until all the hostages are in our hands." His office later issued a statement accusing one of the channel's reporters of trying to "smuggle" a recording device into the room where the meeting took place. But it did not deny that he had agreed to the US proposal. Netanyahu has previously said that Israel will end the war only when all the hostages are released, Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed, and its leaders have been sent into exile. Hamas has said it is ready to return all of those held captive, in exchange for a complete end to hostilities and full Israeli pull-out from Gaza. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Another four people, two of them dead, were already being held captive in Gaza before the conflict. So far, Israel has secured the return of 197 hostages, 148 of them alive, mostly through two temporary ceasefire deals with Hamas. At least 54,249 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, including 3,986 since Israel resumed its offensive, according to the territory's health ministry. On Thursday, at least 54 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency. They included 23 people who died when a home in the central Bureij area was hit, it said. The Israeli military said it had struck "dozens of terror targets" over the past day.
