By Kevin Dotson, CNN

(CNN) — LIV Golf aims to postpone its event scheduled for this summer in New Orleans, according to a statement from Louisiana government officials, who say the breakaway league has expressed a desire to reschedule the event for later this year.

The announcement from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Economic Development Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois comes amid rampant speculation regarding the future of the Saudi-backed operation, which launched in 2022 after luring some of the world’s top golfers away from their respective tours with enormous paydays.

“Secretary Bourgeois spoke with LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil on Friday and was informed that the organization seeks to postpone its June 2026 event in New Orleans to explore a potential event this fall,” the joint statement said.

“We appreciate LIV’s good-faith efforts and look forward to maintaining our partnership as we continue conversations around an event later this year.”

In a statement to the Associated Press, LIV Golf called the planned calendar move a “strategic decision.”

“This shift allows us to avoid the peak summer heat and the crowded global sports calendar while ensuring the course is in the championship condition our fans and players expect,” LIV told AP.

LIV Golf has not responded to a request for comment, but the New Orleans tournament was moved to the bottom of the scheduled events on LIV’s website with no date listed.

Multiple reports earlier this month indicated that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was considering pulling funding from the team-based entity, which has struggled to catch on with golf fans.

Rumors of LIV’s possible collapse prompted CEO Scott O’Neil to say in a letter to employees, “We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before.”

“LIV Golf’s funding and operations are continuing as planned,” a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN Sports less than two weeks ago.

LIV’s uncertain outlook comes as the Saudi Arabian government has been dealing with the economic fallout from the war between the United States and Iran and the subsequent effects on oil markets which are so lucrative to the Saudi government.

A Saudi source familiar with the matter previously told CNN that the PIF would not be pulling out of LIV Golf this year.

“The PIF is in for this year but is restructuring as they were supposed to merge with the PGA (Tour) but that deal did not go through,” the source said. “They had been approached by some for investment or buy out but had put those on hold for the PGA talks. As of now, they are looking at all options.”

According to LIV, the organization is increasing its revenue and is tracking $100 million ahead of 2025 so far this year. Sponsorships and merchandise revenue are both up year-over-year and ticket sales are up 129% year-over-year.

But cracks in the league’s foundation may have started to show late last year as a pair of its higher-profile players moved to exit LIV despite its staggering prize money.

In December, Brooks Koepka quit with a year remaining on his contract to return to the PGA Tour, a move that carried significant financial repercussions under the Tour’s “Returning Member Program.”

The following month, Patrick Reed also Read more

By Oren Liebermann, CNN

(CNN) — An Israeli military battalion that assaulted and detained a CNN team in the occupied West Bank has been redeployed after a one-month suspension, an Israeli security source told CNN.

The reserve unit, which functions under the ultra-Orthodox “Netzah Yehuda” battalion, underwent an education seminar and additional training, the source said. According to Israel’s Army Radio, the unit is expected to return to full operation activities in the coming days.

On March 30, soldiers from the battalion detained a CNN team covering settler violence in the village of Tayasir in the West Bank. One soldier placed photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, bringing him to the ground and damaging his camera. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir took disciplinary action that appeared to be unprecedented, suspending the unit within 48 hours.

A military official told CNN that the assault on Theophilos would be investigated by Israel’s military police. The IDF called the incident a “serious ethical and professional failure.” The IDF had said the military would undergo training “aimed at reinforcing its professional and ethical foundations” and that Israel’s Central Command, which governs military operations in the West Bank, would decide when they could return to duty.

Police have not yet released any findings or disciplinary measures following a military police investigation. The soldier who assaulted the CNN photojournalist has not faced any additional known suspension or disciplinary measures.

Israeli police investigate earlier incident

Meanwhile, the Internal Investigations Department of Israel police, an independent body within the organization, is investigating an earlier incident in which an officer broke the wrist of CNN senior producer Abeer Salman. On March 17, Salman was among a group of journalists covering Ramadan prayers outside the Lion’s Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem. Muslim worshippers, barred from praying at the Al-Aqsa mosque under wartime restrictions, had gathered outside the walls of the Old City for prayers.

Police relocated worshippers to another location near the Old City walls when officers threw stun grenades at the group. Two journalists were detained at the scene as officers assaulted them and damaged their equipment. After their release, police ordered the journalists to move back. Footage from the scene shows the group obeying police instructions when a plain clothes officer grabbed Salman’s hand, twisting it and causing a fracture in her wrist.

In response to a series of questions about the incident and whether there had been any follow-up action, Israel police initially issued the same statement as before, one which the Union of Journalists in Israel said was “factually incorrect.” The statement claimed the journalists “refused to comply with police instructions” and did not identify themselves as press. The conduct, the statement said, “raised suspicion among officers” and the camera equipment “appeared intended to provoke.”

The police did not respond to a list of questions from CNN, including which instructions were not followed, which conduct was suspicious and why possessing a camera is seen as provocative.

“We are precluded from addressing the matter at this time,” the police said in a statement, referring to the ongoing investigation. Police have not said when they expect the investigation to conclude.

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By Tal Shalev, CNN

Jerusalem (CNN) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Israel of knowingly allowing grain stolen by Russia to be unloaded at Israeli ports, threatening to impose sanctions on anyone involved in the shipments, which Kyiv says have continued despite multiple appeals to Israeli officials.

Zelensky’s warning Tuesday reflects a deepening rift between the two countries, brought to a head by the arrival in Israeli waters of a vessel named Panormitis, which entered Haifa Bay last week and is currently anchored offshore, apparently awaiting a berth. Ukraine says the ship is carrying wheat stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories and would be the second such shipment to dock and unload in Haifa this month.

“In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability. This applies, in particular, to grain stolen by Russia,” Zelensky wrote on X. “This is not – and cannot be – legitimate business. The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.”

In a series of forceful pushbacks, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ukraine of engaging in “Twitter diplomacy,” saying it had not submitted evidence for its claim the grain was stolen. He also underlined that the contentious Panormitis vessel had not yet docked in Haifa, adding that Israeli tax authorities were now examining the matter.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, Kyiv has consistently accused Moscow of the systematic looting of its agricultural resources – the true origin of which it says is hidden when the stolen grain is sold on world markets.

According to an investigative report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, at least four shipments of illegal grain have docked in Israel this year. The report added that such deliveries have been ongoing since 2023, with the total number reaching over 30.

Following the Haaretz report and the arrival of the Panormitis, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday summoned the Israeli ambassador in Kyiv to protest what he called “Israel’s lack of appropriate response,” adding that it “harmed bilateral relations.”

An Israeli official, speaking with CNN on condition of anonymity, said Israel cannot seize the shipments without due process, noting there is an “established mutual legal assistance protocol” according to which Ukraine’s attorney general would need to submit a legal aid request, supply evidence and coordinate with Israeli police to halt the vessel.

A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected that assertion, telling CNN during a press briefing in Kyiv Tuesday that Ukraine had “exhausted all closed channels and official diplomatic requests.”

The spokesman added Israel was not alone in importing illegal grain, saying Ukraine saw evidence of a “systematic practice” showing the “deliberate facilitation of illegal economic activity” linked to Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine.

The European Union also weighed in, requesting additional information from Israeli authorities on the matter and warning it may impose sanctions on those involved as well.

“We condemn all actions that help fund Russia’s illegal war effort and circumvent EU sanctions and remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary,” an EU spokesman told CNN.

Israel-Ukraine relations have been persistently tense since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Israeli leaders have sought to keep channels open with both Kyiv and Moscow, limiting military assistance to Ukraine mainly to non-lethal humanitarian aid, and rejecting pressure to transfer Israeli-made weapons systems and arms to Kyiv.

More recently, Ukraine has positioned itself as a regional security provider in t