Latest news with #Farmers
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starmer: Labour will not take away ‘safety net' from vulnerable people
Sir Keir Starmer has said 'everyone agrees' the welfare system needs to be fixed but that Labour will not 'take away the safety net' that vulnerable people rely on. In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference that came after a major U-turn on reforms in the face of a backbench rebellion, he said fixing the 'broken' system must be done in a 'Labour way'. 'We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work,' the Prime Minister said. 'Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control. 'Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way.' He called Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan a 'fierce champion' and 'the best person to lead Wales into the future' to applause and cheers from the audience. Baroness Morgan had publicly criticised the welfare plans and called for Sir Keir to change tack on restrictions on winter fuel payments, which he also eventually reversed. Farmers gathered outside the conference in Llandudno to protest ahead of Sir Keir's speech, with about 20 tractors parked on the promenade in the north Wales resort town by late morning. Sir Keir also said any deal between the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru at next year's key elections in Wales would amount to a 'backroom stitch-up'. The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. The Prime Minister said it would risk a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. He told the Llandudno conference it would be 'working families left to pick up the bill'. 'Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together,' he said. 'I know that these are the parties that talk a big game, but who is actually delivering?' Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform at the next Senedd election. Reform UK is eyeing an opportunity to end Labour's 26 years of domination in the Welsh Parliament. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Nigel Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. Sir Keir also took aim at Nigel Farage, calling him a 'wolf in Wall Street clothing' who has 'no idea what he's talking about'. He said the Reform UK leader 'isn't interested in Wales' and has no viable plan for the blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
NBC Sports
11 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Why Will Gordon's made cut on number in Detroit meant so much
Will Gordon arguably just made the biggest cut of his life. In the final start of his major medical extension, the 28-year-old Gordon birdied each of his final two holes Friday at the Rocket Classic to card a second straight 3-under 69 and eventually make the cut on the number. Gordon's last birdie, from just inside 6 feet, got him to 6 under, right on the projected cut line. Upon sinking the clutch putt, Gordon gave a few fist pumps before he was seen wiping away tears as he walked off the green, eventually squatting down and burying his face in both hands in an attempt to compose himself. He knew just how big that was. His emotions were still coming out in a post-round interview with Golf Channel's Amy Rogers. Gordon then waited over an hour to see if it was good enough to keep playing into the weekend – and keep his PGA Tour card for a few more months. 'It's not in the back of my mind, it's in the very front,' Gordon said afterward. 'But that's why you play is to put yourself in moments like this, hopefully win golf tournaments. But I'm really proud of myself for executing under that pressure… 'I was just proud of keeping my head in it, fighting to the end. That's what I do. It hadn't been the prettiest kind of last three, four years, but I always fight.' Once Gordon completes 72 holes, he'll earn the 0.644 points required to maintain conditional PGA Tour membership, which means he'll play the rest of this season, through the fall, out of the Nos. 126-150 category. Not great, but also better than the alternative. Missing the cut would've meant Gordon losing his card for the second time in his career. Gordon finished No. 159 in FedExCup points his rookie season in 2020-21, but he re-earned his card via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals the following year. He then finished No. 100 in points in 2022-23 before suffering a neck injury last season. Gordon missed five months after last year's WM Phoenix Open after three vertebrae in his cervicothoracic junction became so inflamed they weren't turning left, and the issue caused ulnar nerve tension down into his elbows. Though he returned in July, he wasn't symptom-free until October, and he would eventually finish No. 191 in points after a T-30 finish at the RSM Classic, where he briefly contended. So far this year, Gordon has missed nine of 13 cuts, though top-10s at the Farmers and Byron Nelson have him at a respectable No. 136 in points. The top 100 in points – down from the top 125 – after this year's RSM Classic keep full membership. 'This is a game that kind of get what you deserve, and unfortunately I haven't played well enough to, you know, give myself more breathing room,' Gordon said. 'It's kind of crazy it's kind of come down to this, but again, you get what you earn in this game and this is what I kind of earned myself. Just try to use it as motivation for whatever comes next.' Gordon can't fully satisfy his major medical without a victory Sunday at Detroit Golf Club. A win, of course, would solve more than that, coming with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, among other perks. Gordon is currently eight shots back of leaders Andrew Putnam, Philip Knowles and Chris Kirk. 'Hopefully, I can get a top-10 or something,' Gordon said. 'I'm just thankful for the people around me helping to support me and keep me going, and that's why we'll continue to wake up and do the same thing.'
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Model farms programme boosts famers' income Al Dhahirah
Muscat: The model farms programme in Al Dhahirah Governorate is aimed at boosting the income of famers by providing them with high-yielding varieties of seeds and modern irrigation system. The project is supporting over 250 farms by providing them with more than 15,000 date palm offshoots and fruits seedlings. The Al Dhahirah Governorate is currently witnessing agricultural development through model commercial farms in which a variety of date palm and fruit trees have been planted. The programme, kicked off in 2020, saw unambiguous achievements with the sowing of date palm and fruit trees over an area of 140 fedans for farmers in the various wilayats of the governorate. These remarkable achievements in Al Dhahirah Governorate represent an integral part of the plan of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources aimed at enhancement of food security and achievement of sustainable agricultural development in the Sultanate of Oman. The programme, which covers other governorates also, is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in close cooperation with farmers. The programme aimed to make a qualitative shift in the agricultural sector to ensure improvement in quality and productivity to increase the income of farmers. The idea of the programme is to boost the income of farmers with the ministry providing a variety of date palm offshoots and fruit seedlings known for their high quality and optimal productivity. The fruit varieties offered to farmers under this programme include mango, Adalia lemon, Omani lemon, guava, figs, and grapes. Data released by the Directorate General of Agriculture and Water Resources in Al Dhahirah Governorate indicated that some 9,000 date palm offshoots and approximately 6,000 seedlings of some fruit varieties have been distributed to the farmers associated with the programme in the governorate. The distribution of date palm offshoots and fruit seedlings is made in accordance with specific controls and conditions aimed to ensure the project's success, notably in terms of installation of modern irrigation systems, which contribute to rationalisation of water consumption and increasing the efficiency of production. These efforts make these farm models agriculturally sustainable.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Indian Farmers Increase Sowing of Rice and Pulses as of June 20
The area allocated to monsoon-sown rice crops has surged 58% from a year earlier to 1.32 million hectares (3.3 million acres) as of Friday, according to India's agriculture ministry. Farmers have planted pulses on 944,000 hectares of farmland, climbing 42% from a year earlier, the ministry said in a statement late Monday. Cotton planting has increased to 3.1 million hectares, up 7.4% from a year earlier, it said.
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Uganda coffee exports earnings, volumes jump in May, government report says
KAMPALA - Uganda's coffee export earnings and shipment volumes rose in May compared with the same period a year ago, driven by a strong harvest in the country's central and southwest, according to the agriculture ministry. The East African country is Africa's largest coffee exporter, followed by Ethiopia and the crop is among its top foreign exchange earners. Uganda earned $244 million from coffee, 92% higher than the same period last year, the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries said in a report seen by Reuters on Monday. May shipments increased to 793,445 of 60 kilograms each, a 44% rise compared with the same month in 2024, the ministry said. It attributed the surge in shipments to a "good crop from the main harvest" in the central and southwest regions of the country. Uganda primarily cultivates robusta variety of the crop. Uganda's bean shipments have risen in recent months, driven by rising production and farmers and traders releasing larger quantities to profit from high prices.
