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A woman buys dates near the Sunan Ampel Mosque during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Surabaya, Indonesia's East Java province on March 8, 2026. (AFP) A woman buys dates near the Sunan Ampel Mosque during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Surabaya, Indonesia's East Java province, Sunday. Related Story
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A thin band of light from Cristian Lucanas's headlamp pierces the blackness of a Philippine rainforest as he digs through the underbrush before gently scooping up a cockroach with his bare hands.As the Southeast Asian country's lone expert on the oft-misunderstood insect — and discoverer of 15 species — friends have dubbed the soft-spoken scientist "Ipis Lord", after the local name for the ubiquitous bug.While fully aware most view cockroaches as disgusting, disease-bearing pests, the 31-year-old University of the Philippines entomologist says they deserve more study — and credit — for their key role in the planet's ecosystem."I also hated cockroaches when I was a child," Lucanas said with a grin during an interview with AFP in the college town of Los Banos, south of Manila."Fear of cockroaches is innate," he conceded, adding he usually tells people "I work in a museum" when asked about his job.His girlfriend, also an entomologist, is more understanding, though her work focuses on insects less reviled than the cockroach, of which there are more than 4,600 known species."It's possible the real total is double or even triple that," said Lucanas, unable to hide his enthusiasm."For the longest time, no one was studying them," he said, calling it "sad" given the size and variety of the archipelago nation's cockroach population.The massively biodiverse Philippines has about 130 known species, three-fourths of which are found nowhere else on earth.Lucanas thinks there could be another 200 local varieties yet to be documented."Because of their outsized role in the ecosystem, its processes would be hampered if they disappear," he said.Like dung beetles and earthworms, cockroaches are detritivores, built to eat and break down dead organic matter — including their own kind — and return them to the soil.While some cockroach species do carry disease-spreading microbes, a world without them would slow the process of decomposition crucial for sustaining ecosystems, he said.Birds and spiders would lose a key food source, and plants would absorb less carbon dioxide, potentially contributing to global warming.Even so, Lucanas keeps a can of bug spray handy at work, ready to kill any live cockroaches that might view the museum's 250,000 preserved insect species as a potential snack.Lucanas's obsession began 12 years ago on a field trip to a bat cave on a remote island, its floor crawling with cockroaches feasting on guano.When his biology class adviser was unable to identify the species, Lucanas knew he had found his niche.A lifelong fan of J R R Tolkien, Lucanas often names his discoveries after creatures in the author's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy: "Valar", "Hobbitoblatta", and "Nazgul".Their ranks are set to grow once he finishes writing up scientific papers on his newest finds, he promised.Given the uniqueness of his speciality, the young scientist occasionally finds himself in demand, albeit for very specific situations.The country's biggest bug spray firm once invited him to lecture its staff on cockroach identification.Its top restaurant chain also sought his advice, desperate to stop raids on their commissary by so-called German cockroaches, an invasive species from India."Control is not really my forte," Lucanas admitted.But cockroaches are far from the indestructible creatures that they are often portrayed as, he insists.It is not true, for instance, that cockroaches will inherit the earth after a nuclear war, he said, noting that their resistance to radioactive exposure is about on par with other insects.Humans, not bombs, pose a more immediate threat to the creatures, he said, noting that some species, especially in mountain environments, reproduce slowly and could disappear if their habitats are encroached upon.Several cave-dwelling Philippine species first described in the 1890s during the Spanish colonial period "have not been seen again" since their habitats were opened to tourism, he explained.He laments that most science funding in his country "goes to research that will directly affect humans", worrying that at best he will only be able to catalogue and explain the Philippines' cockroaches.But for now, that's enough, he said when asked about the decades still left in his career."I think I'll stick with what I'm doing. It's how I've built my reputation."And I really do enjoy working with cockroaches."
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People wait in a queue to refuel their vehicles near a fuel station in Dhaka Sunday. (AFP) Bangladesh launched fuel rationing Sunday as the war in the Middle East deepened an energy crunch, creating long queues at filling stations and boiling over into anger.The country of 170mn people imports 95% of its oil and gas needs.Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Tehran's retaliatory strikes throughout the Gulf, the national oil company, Bangladesh Petroleum Corp (BPC), restricted fuel sales for most vehicles.Authorities capped fuel purchases for several types of vehicles as panic buying and hoarding spread following warnings of possible supply disruptions.For example, motorcyclists are now limited to a maximum of two litres (0.5 US gallons) per tank."Consumers tend to buy more than they usually purchase" during times of crisis, BPC said in a statement.One man was killed on Saturday night in the southern district of Jhenaidah after an altercation with filling station staff over refuelling, triggering unrest.Following the death of Nirob Hossain, 25, angry crowds torched three buses and vandalised a filling station, police officer Md Mahfuz Afzal said.As soon as the restrictions took effect yesterday, long lines of vehicles formed outside numerous gas stations in the capital Dhaka."I waited for more than an hour to get two litres," said motorcyclist Md Al-Amin, 45."My tank holds eight litres, and I usually fill up once a week — so now I'll have to come back the day after tomorrow."AKM Ruhul Amin, a paediatrician, had just filled his sedan car — but said it was not enough."I already waited yesterday, and they closed the station just one car ahead of me," he said."I was only able to buy 10 litres today... the government could at least allow us to fill up completely."Ahmad Rush, an official with the distributor Meghna Petroleum Ltd, estimated that the number of customers had almost doubled."We opened at 7:30 this morning and were able to refuel 300 vehicles in three and a half hours," he said.BPC said that fuel deliveries were expected soon.Due to the current tensions, five of the country's six fertiliser factories have been closed until March 18, an official with the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corp, Ahsan Quddus Kuntal, told AFP. Related Story
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China's top diplomat urged the United States Sunday to iron out its differences with Beijing, as the world's two largest economies lock horns over trade tariffs and geopolitical issues.Ties between China and the United States have been strained since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, followed by a trade war that saw the two countries impose tariffs on each other's products.While the US-China trade war has uprooted the global economy, Beijing has sought to profit off Trump's mercurial policies by positioning itself as a reliable alternative partner.'We observe a certain country erecting tariff barriers and pursuing decoupling and supply chain disruption,' Wang told a press conference Sunday.'These actions are akin to trying to extinguish a fire with fuel. Ultimately, they will backfire.'He was speaking during China's annual political gathering, which began this week, known as the 'Two Sessions'.The parallel meetings of China's parliament and political consultative body are closely watched for clues as to the priorities of China's leaders in the face of a precarious geopolitical landscape.Wang addressed a range of issues, including the US-China relationship, tensions in the South China Sea, as well as wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.'This year is indeed a big year for Sino-US relations,' Wang told reporters.While China and the United States 'cannot change each other', he said, adding 'we can change the way we interact with each other'.Wang urged both sides to 'manage existing differences and eliminate unnecessary interference'.But a wide range of disagreements remain.Beijing has blasted US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, which sparked the war in the Middle East.China has diplomatic and trade ties with Tehran, and has condemned the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Wang said Sunday the war 'should never have happened'.'A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle,' he told reporters.At the same time, he maintained that China's relations with Moscow, which have been criticised by Western countries for sustaining the war in Ukraine, remained 'steadfast and unshakeable'.Beijing has sought to position itself as a neutral player in the Ukraine war, but Western leaders say China is supporting Moscow through imports and by helping the Kremlin to avoid sanctions.Leaders from France, Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom, among others, have flocked to Beijing, recoiling from Trump's bid to seize Greenland and tariff threats against fellow Nato members.Wang welcomed the visits, saying 'more and more insightful Europeans agree that China is not a competitor, but a global partner'.Relations between China and the European Union had seen 'a steady improvement' in the last year, he told reporters.In the spirit of warming relations, China has doled out visa-free travel agreements to around 50 countries and reduced tariffs on exports from Canada and the United Kingdom, among others.The issue of self-ruled Taiwan, however, remains a red line which threatens to worsen China's relationship with the United States.Beijing views democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.Trump has floated the idea of sending more US weapons to Taiwan despite warnings from China's leader Xi Jinping.The two leaders are due to meet in Beijing in April.Wang reiterated Sunday that Beijing 'will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan... from China once again'.The issue has also caused a rift between China and Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on the island.
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India became the first team to retain the men's Twenty20 World Cup title after handing out a 96-run demolition of New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.India also became the first team to lift the title three times, while New Zealand's wait for a maiden white-ball World Cup continues.The victory will taste particularly sweet for India since it came at a venue where they were beaten by Australia in the final of the 50-overs World Cup three years ago.Put in to bat, India capitalised on a 98-run opening stand between Sanju Samson (89) and Abhishek Sharma (52) to rack up 255-5.Number three Ishan Kishan smashed 54 but James Neesham bowled a three-wicket over to apply the brakes on India's scoring rate towards the end of the innings.Chasing such a daunting target, New Zealand could not recover from a top-order collapse and were all out for 159 in 19 overs despite defiant knocks by Tim Seifert (52) and Mitchell Santner (43).'This feels extremely special because I've played one final in my home venue but couldn't win that one, but today I won,' said India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, whose 4-15 fetched him player of the match award.'I knew the wicket was a flat one so had to use all my experience.'Samson, who smashed his third successive 80-plus knock, was adjudged player of the tournament.Earlier, wary of having to bowl with a hard-to-grip, dew-soaked ball later in the evening, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner elected to field.New Zealand used four different bowlers in the first four overs but could not stop India from milking 92 without losing a wicket after the six powerplay overs.BATTING CARNAGERachin Ravindra dismissed Abhishek with his first ball to bring relief to the New Zealand camp, ending the opener's 21-ball knock that included three sixes.With Samson continuing in the same vein and Kishan joining him in a batting carnage, there was hardly any respite for New Zealand.Both found boundaries with remarkable regularity as India reached the 200-mark in the 15th over.Samson, who smacked Ravindra for three sixes in a row, was finally caught in the deep off James Neesham, who also removed Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in a three-wicket over.India could not maintain the tempo after the departures of their set batters and yet comfortably breached the 250-mark.New Zealand's top order wilted early in their chase and they could never really recover after being reduced to 47-3 inside five overs. Finn Allen, who smashed a 33-ball hundred in the semi-final against South Africa, got a reprieve when Shivam Dube dropped him in the first over from Arshdeep Singh. Allen could not capitalise on it though, and holed out against spinner Axar Patel in the third over. Bumrah dismissed Ravindra with his first delivery and Axar got rid of Glenn Phillips to rattle New Zealand.Stymied by lack of partnerships and faced with a spiralling required run-rate, Seifert had to go for the jugular but it did not pay off.Spinner Varun Chakravarthy had Seifert caught in the deep as New Zealand lost the top half of their batting for 72 to effectively drop out of the hunt. Santner, dropped on 26, went on to make 43 but India had the match in the bag by then. BRIEF SCORESIndia 255 for 5 (Samson 89, Kishan 54, Abhishek 52, Neesham 3-46) beat New Zealand 159 (Seifert 52, Santner 43, Bumrah 4-15, Axar 3-27) by 96 runs
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Elche's Spanish forward #11 German Valera fights for the ball with Villarreal's Ivorian forward #19 Nicolas Pepe during the Spanish league football match between Villarreal CF and Elche CF at La Ceramica Stadium in Vila-real
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Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fifth Round - Port Vale v Sunderland - Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Britain - March 8, 2026. REUTERS Sunderland suffered an embarrassing FA Cup fifth round exit against third tier strugglers Port Vale, while Championship side Southampton upset Fulham.Sunderland have enjoyed an impressive first season back in the Premier League, but this was a dismal defeat for Regis Le Bris's side. Ben Waine, a boyhood fan of Sunderland's arch rivals Newcastle, capitalised on poor marking to head the 28th-minute winner, sending Port Vale into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.Jon Brady's side appear destined for relegation, but they beat second-tier Bristol City in the fourth round and produced an even more remarkable performance to make a mockery of the 56-place gap between them and Sunderland. The giant-killing will delight their most famous fan, pop star Robbie Williams, who grew up near their Vale Park stadium in Burslem, and is now the club's president.It was also a memorable moment for Brady, a 50-year-old Australian who replaced the sacked Darren Moore in January and has spent his managerial career in the shadows with Brackley and Northampton. "I'm trying to let it sink in at the moment. It was tremendous from the boys, we had to suffer at times," Brady said. "I couldn't believe we were in the last 16, I told my kids we were in the last 32 by mistake. It's nice to create history, isn't it!"Le Bris said: "I don't think we were complacent. We went strong with the ambition to win, with the knowledge that it was a tough challenge. Full credit to them."At Craven Cottage, Ross Stewart's ice-cool penalty in stoppage-time sealed Southampton's 1-0 upset win. It was a bitter loss for Fulham manager Marco Silva, who paid the price for a selection gamble that backfired. Silva made nine changes following a disappointing 1-0 defeat against West Ham in the Premier League earlier this week, but his switches failed to produce the desired result.Southampton won it in the first minute of stoppage-time when Finn Azaz was fouled by Fulham defender Joachim Andersen and Stewart drilled his spot-kick past Benjamin Lecomte. Relegated from the Premier League last season, they are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2022.Southampton's success served as a fitting tribute to the greatest day in the club's history. Their players wore a yellow commemorative kit to mark 50 years since they wore the same shirts when Bobby Stokes sealed second tier Southampton's shock 1976 FA Cup final win against Manchester United at Wembley.Southampton's current crop still have a way to go to emulate the achievement of Lawrie McMenemy's men. But Tonda Eckert's side are unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions as they chase FA Cup glory and a place in the Championship play-offs. "You see how much it means to the club," Eckert said. "You can definitely say we feel the importance of it."Premier League strugglers Leeds beat second tier Norwich 3-0 to reach their first FA Cup quarter-final since 2003. Leeds boss Daniel Farke twice led Norwich to promotion to the Premier League before being sacked in 2021. Prioritising his fight to avoid relegation, Farke's decision to make nine changes paid off against his former club.Chasing a first appearance in the final since 1973, Leeds went in front in the 32nd minute at Elland Road. Sean Longstaff scored for the first time since September with a clinical finish from inside the area. Gabriel Gudmundsson slotted home in the 43rd minute and Joel Piroe bagged Leeds's third in the 85th minute.Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool booked their quarter-final places on Friday and Saturday. Related Story
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Soccer Football - Scottish League Cup - Quarter Final - Rangers v Celtic - Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - March 8, 2026. REUTERS The Scottish Football Association launched an investigation after Celtic defender Julian Araujo and a member of his team's backroom staff were attacked by Rangers fans in ugly clashes after Scottish Cup quarter-final.Backed by 7,500 fans, Celtic beat their Old Firm rivals 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw after extra-time at Ibrox. Fighting broke out when dozens of visiting Celtic supporters invaded the pitch to celebrate their victory. That sparked an incursion from hundreds of Rangers fans, who attempted to attack their Old Firm rivals.Fans threw missiles and fireworks. They continued to trade after police and stewards finally formed a barrier across the pitch. Police apprehended a man after Celtic players, including Tomas Cvancara, ran to the scene amid an incident involving a Celtic member of staff.Cvancara was later interviewed on television with blood stains on his strip, while Celtic right-back Araujo was pushed by a Rangers supporter. "An investigation will be carried out immediately in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol," the SFA said as they condemned the "behaviour from supporters entering the field of play".Celtic boss Martin O'Neill added: "As we were making our way back, I think there was some sort of fracas; somebody tried to get on the field. There is a natural euphoria about winning a game and about fans joining in. If this has gone too far, that would be disappointing."The ugly scenes came in the first Old Firm derby for almost a decade to feature a large allocation of tickets for away fans.Following numerous hooligan clashes in previous meetings between the Glasgow rivals, away supporters were banned from the matches in 2023, before being allowed to return on a reduced basis last year.The Scottish Cup tie was seen as a test for greater numbers of away fans. O'Neill's side moved into the semi-finals despite failing to register a single shot on target in 120 minutes.In the shoot-out, Rangers captain James Tavernier hit the bar with the first penalty before Djeidi Gassama blazed over. Cvancara converted to seal Celtic's victory before chaos erupted. "There were a few tete-a-tetes. It's unfortunate. Hopefully it doesn't dilute the performance," O'Neill said. "Old Firm games are explosive games, they always have been. That's maybe one of the reasons why the derby is one of the best in the world."Rangers boss Danny Rohl added: "I was not on the pitch in this moment. I didn't see it until now. I heard just that there was something on the pitch. I think we all know the emotional situation after a game. Nobody likes to see this."Despite amassing 24 shots and having a goal wiped out by VAR following a handball by Emmanuel Fernandez in extra-time, Rangers once again stumbled against their hated neighbours. The defeat was a bitter blow after Rangers blew a two-goal half-time lead in their 2-2 draw with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox last weekend. Related Story
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INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a forehand against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in their second round match of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March
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George Russell kept his cool to win a frantic season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday from Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli after a thrilling battle with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.The pole-sitting Briton took the chequered flag by 2.974secs in Melbourne with Leclerc third and Lewis Hamilton fourth in a race that tested Formula One's new-look cars for the first time in competitive conditions. World champion Lando Norris came fifth – 51 seconds adrift – in his McLaren with Red Bull's Max Verstappen a sensational sixth after starting from 20th following a crash in qualifying.But there was disaster for home hero Oscar Piastri, who crashed on his out-lap to the grid and failed to start with major damage to his McLaren. With the virtual safety car repeatedly brought out, pre-season favourite Russell stayed calm to clock a sixth Grand Prix win and his first since Singapore last year."Feeling incredible. It was a hell of a fight in the beginning," said Russell. "We knew it was going to be challenging. I made a bad start and some really tight battles with Charles at the start. Just really glad to cross the finish line."Under new rules, half of every power unit now is a battery and drivers had to recharge while braking or by lifting off the throttle to avoid it draining. The challenge of Melbourne's 58-lap Albert Park circuit was its long sweeping straights, which deplete batteries, and relatively few twisty turns to brake and charge it up again. Five cars failed to finish as they grappled with the changes, including Piastri, Audi's Nico Hulkenberg, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso."Was not the best start we could have wished for, lost a lot of places and I had to recover," said Italy's Antonelli, who crashed heavily on Saturday and only just made qualifying after a major car rebuild. "But overall was a good race, the pace was really strong especially at the end."In fine conditions, Haas' Ollie Bearman was seventh and rookie Arvid Lindblad eighth in his Racing Bull. Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine's Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10. "It was a very, very tricky race. None of us knew what to expect," said Leclerc. "It has been quite challenging. It looked like Mercedes had a bit more pace than us today."When the lights turned green Leclerc, on medium tyres, got a jump on Russell while Antonelli, who started second, slid down to seventh. Hamilton also had a flying start for Ferrari and surged to third, ahead of Hadjar. Russell immediately hit back, reclaiming the lead on lap two before Leclerc responded a lap later to go first again as they and Hamilton began pulling clear.It morphed into a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle at the front, with the lead changing hands three times on lap eight as Russell and Leclerc fought for supremacy. The virtual safety car came out on lap 12 when Hadjar's car stopped with Russell and Antonelli pitting and coming back on hards.Leclerc and Hamilton stayed out and when they resumed the Ferraris were 10 seconds clear of Russell, with Lindblad, Antonelli and Verstappen making up the top six. The virtual safety car was again deployed when Bottas retired with Russell eight seconds behind the Scuderia when they got going again.With his tyres starting to wear, Leclerc pitted on lap 26 but Hamilton stayed out and was passed by Russell before coming in. Russell radioed that he thought a one-stop race was viable and he began pulling clear, with Antonelli second.And there was no way back for the Ferraris, who were 15 seconds behind and barely made a dent in the Mercedes advantage in the second half of the race. The season moves to China next weekend before Japan. Rounds four and five are scheduled for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia but are under threat given the war in Iran.Results1. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 1hr 23min 06.801sec 2. Kimi Antonelli (ITA/Mercedes) at 2.974 3. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 15.519 4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Ferrari) 16.144 5. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren) 51.741 6. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 54.617 7. Oliver Bearman (GBR/Haas) 1 lap 8. Arvid Lindblad (GBR/Racing Bulls) 1 lap 9. Gabriel Bortoleto (BRA/Audi) 1 lap 10. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine) 1 lap 11. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Haas) 1 lap 12. Alexander Albon (THA/Williams) 1 lap 13. Liam Lawson (NZL/Racing Bulls) 1 lap 14. Franco Colapinto (ARG/Alpine) 2 laps 15. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Williams) 2 laps 16. Sergio Perez (MEX/Cadillac) 3 lapsWorld championship standingsDrivers: George Russell (GBR) 25 pts, 2. Kimi Antonelli (ITA) 18, 3. Charles Leclerc (MON) 15, 4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 12, 5. Lando Norris (GBR) 10, 6. Max Verstappen (NED) 8, 7. Oliver Bearman (GBR) 6, 8. Arvid Lindblad (GBR) 4, 9. Gabriel Bortoleto (BRA) 2, 10. Pierre Gasly (FRA) 1, 11. Esteban Ocon (FRA) 0, 12. Alexander Albon (THA) 0, 13. Liam Lawson (NZL) 0, 14. Franco Colapinto (ARG) 0, 15. Carlos Sainz (ESP) 0, 16. Sergio Perez (MEX) 0Constructors: 1. Mercedes 43 pts, 2. Ferrari 27, 3. McLaren 10, 4. Red Bull 8, 5. Haas 6, 6, Racing Bulls 4, 7. Audi 2, 8. Alpine 1 9, Williams 0, 10. Cadillac 0, 11. Aston Martin Related Story
