Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak clash in final UK leadership debate

LONDON  Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the remaining contenders in the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister of the UK, faced off against each other Wednesday in the final debate before the winner is announced next week. The debate was held at Wembley Arena in north-west London and witnessed Sunak and Truss tussle over issues surrounding taxes, energy and the cost of living. Truss, the foreign secretary and frontrunner of the leadership contest, ruled out offering energy rationing to support struggling families in the coming winter despite a worsening cost of living crisis that has seen inflation skyrocket and wages plummet. Asked by moderator and radio show host Nick Ferrari whether she would rule out energy rationing, Truss responded by saying: “I do rule that out. Yes.” On the issue of introducing new windfall tax impositions, Truss said “yes, no new taxes” when asked if she would implement new tax policies as incumbent Boris Johnson did in 2019. Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor of the exchequer and self-described underdog of the race, took a more cautious approach when it came to addressing the crisis, warning that “we shouldn’t rule anything out.” “The challenges we face with this crisis are significant. Many European countries are looking at how we can all optimize our energy usage. That is a sensible thing for us to be doing as a country,” Sunak said. Sunak’s approach is reminiscent of the one taken by the French government after it warned that energy rationing may need to be implemented following Russia’s cutting off of gas supplies in reaction to international sanctions over its war against Ukraine. Under the UK government’s “worst-case scenario,” businesses and households could face electricity blackouts in the coming winter over growing uncertainty surrounding power supplies. On Sept. 5, the Conservative Party membership will select a new leader of the party as well as the new prime minister of the UK. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.

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Tsitsipas beats Medvedev to set Cincinnati final clash with Coric

Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev committed 11 double-faults in falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-3 in the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters.

Tsitsipas won only his third match against Medvedev after losing seven and also defeated a reigning number one player for only the second time in 12 career attempts. (Reuters)

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas has edged world number one Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6) 3-6 6-3 in an absorbing semi-final at the Cincinnati Open to set up a summit clash with Borna Coric after the Croatian's 6-3 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie. Medvedev on Saturday helped seal his own fate in the sixth game of the final set as he double-faulted four times to hand his Greek opponent to a 4-2 lead. Tsitsipas will play for the title on Sunday against Croatian Borna Coric, who returned to an ATP Masters final for the first time in four years by defeating Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4. Tsitsipas won only his third match against Medvedev after losing seven and also defeated a reigning number one player for only the second time in 12 career attempts. The fourth seed put a winner into the corner on the first of three match points to earn the final. READ MORE: Medvedev, Tsitsipas advance to semi-final showdown in Cincinnati 'Difficult task' "I knew I would have a difficult task in the third set," Tsitsipas said. "He made it a very physical match, very demanding. "But I took advantage of his missed first serves. They gave me time to think of my next move clearly. I was very calm and concentrated on every single task." World number 152 Coric, who missed a year of play with shoulder problems and only returned to the tour in March, advanced in 91 minutes in a match delayed for hours by an afternoon of rain. READ MORE: Unvaccinated Djokovic out of Montreal ATP event Women tennis On the women's side, Petra Kvitova outlasted Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the Western & Southern Open final. The 32-year-old Kvitova had never advanced to the semifinals in 10 prior appearances in the Cincinnati tournament. It is Czech's 40th career final, and she'll face another surprise entrant in Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, the first qualifier to reach the final in Cincinnati. Kvitova almost didn't make it out of the first round, having to save a match point against last year's finalist, Jil Teichmann. She also needed three sets to beat fifth-ranked Ons Jabeur in the third round. Keys, the 2019 champion in Cincinnati, defeated three grand slam winners this week, but couldn’t close out Kvitova. Source: AFP

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Bolivia farmers clash with police over 'illegal' coca markets

Fast News

Coca cultivators protest in capital La Paz to demand closure of what they say are new unlawful markets.

Coca leaf trade generates profits for politicians and is at the root of the conflict. (AFP)

Clashes between police and the Departmental Association of Coca Producers (ADEPCOCA) have continued in the capital La Paz, where coca growers demand the closure of what they say are new illegal coca markets.

"We want to close this illegal market. We will not accept any more (coca) markets, we will be in constant protest, so this must be shut down, whatever it takes," said one of the coca growers during the protest.

ADEPCOCA manages the main coca market in the capital and claims to be the only market authorised to trade coca leaves.

Coca growers along with other government oppositions protested near the coca market in La Paz against new “illegal” markets. (AP)

Coca-leaf trade

In recent years, the organisation has been opposed to the former president and leader of the ruling MAS party Evo Morales, who heads another coca growers' union in the Chapare locality in the central region of Cochabamba.

The coca leaf trade is legal in Bolivia and takes place in markets specifically designated by law and managed by the coca growers' unions.

This sale generates profits for the leaders and is at the root of the conflict.

In Bolivia, the constitution classifies coca as a "sacred leaf" because of the Andean cultural heritage and traditional uses such as chewing and natural medicine, which are widely practised in the country.

However, much of coca leaf production is diverted to cocaine, of which Bolivia is the world's third-largest producer after Colombia and Peru.

Source: AP

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