Tested

A new RTL poll on the 2027 French presidential election shows Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon meeting in the second round in every scenario tested. Other surveys and commentary depict a deeply fragmented electorate, with a 'rejection barometer' finding no candidate able to unite the French, and Écologie chief Marine Tondelier rated the least appreciated. Mélenchon is meanwhile courting young voters in Auvergne as he sharpens his presidential profile.

Australia and South Africa are facing off in multiple sports at once. The Springboks have hit the Wallabies early in a rugby Test in Perth, while the countries' cricket teams are also meeting, with South Africa naming their XI for a Test and Australia's top-order batting under scrutiny. Joe Root's childhood friend reportedly rescued Australia's innings, and captain Temba Bavuma framed the contest as a battle against Australian identity itself. Commentators say Australia's batting order problems hint at deeper troubles despite a start that is 'no disaster'.

Australia is chasing victory in the first Test against South Africa in Durban, tightening its grip on day five. Attention is also on Steven Smith, who did not take the field after a blow to the head while batting, while Matt Renshaw's century and a remarkable catch have drawn praise. Low crowds at the ground are also being discussed.

Anthropic's chief executive has called for stronger regulation of artificial intelligence, speaking in an exclusive interview. The company behind the Claude chatbot has previously urged governments to establish testing and safety standards for advanced AI systems. The remarks add to a growing debate among AI developers and policymakers over how quickly rules should be introduced to manage risks from increasingly capable models.

Australia and South Africa are facing off in multiple sports this week. In Durban, bad light stopped play in the Test despite new ICC rules, with South Africa left ruing missed chances. Meanwhile the Wallabies and Springboks meet in a Rugby Championship Test in Perth, where Rassie Erasmus has tipped Marco van Staden for a big impact. Fans in Australia, the UK, Canada and Singapore are following both contests closely.

South Africa and Australia face off in the first Test at Durban, with the opening day's toss under way. The match comes shortly after South Africa sealed the one-day series, powered by centuries from David Miller and Temba Bavuma, and with the World Cup approaching the Proteas are eyeing a full series sweep. The fixture also revives memories of the sandpaper ball-tampering affair that has shadowed meetings between the two teams.

Romanian commentator Radu Hossu says Yandex crawler traffic has fallen to near zero, citing Cloudflare Radar data, and claims this is because Ukraine has disabled the servers hosting them — quote, 'by firepower'. He says he is now testing whether bot activity is really gone by posting statements that should generate reactions if automated accounts are still operating. The claim has drawn wide engagement online.

SpaceX saw its shares decline even after launching a $20 billion bond deal backed by investment-grade credit ratings. The offering is one of the largest ever attempted by a private space company and is being closely watched as a test of investor appetite for space-sector debt. Market observers are weighing why the negative share reaction occurred despite the company's solid credit standing.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan are playing a Test match in Bangladesh, with the home side looking to their spinners to seal a win on Day 5. Bangladesh posted 346 in the first innings, while Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah marked his first match in charge with an unbeaten 84, a record-breaking maiden outing as skipper that kept Afghanistan in contention. Coverage highlights Hasan's disciplined bowling and Afghanistan's challenge in their rare Test appearance against a confident Bangladesh side.

News coverage of the 2026 US midterm elections is under way, with early focus on congressional polls and which party may control the House and Senate after November. All 435 House seats and about a third of the Senate are up for grabs, making the contests a key test of President Trump's second term and both parties' prospects heading into the vote.

Australia are touring South Africa for a Test and ODI series, their first Test visit there in some time. The tourists have struggled in the one-dayers, with a middle-order collapse handing South Africa victory in the opener and leaving Australia facing a possible clean sweep. Attention is also on the weather and on Aiden Markram's bid to make his mark on his return to the Proteas side.

A fatal shooting involving ICE agents in Maine has become a central issue in the state's US Senate race, with candidates clashing over immigration enforcement tactics and accountability. The incident has sharpened debate over the role of federal agents, with Democrats pressing for oversight and Republicans defending enforcement operations. Both parties view the case as a test of voter sentiment heading into the election.

British technology reviewer Mrwhosetheboss has released a new video in which he tests what he calls the most futuristic technology available, saying some of it genuinely frightened him. The item is drawing a very large audience, with engagement topping eleven million, as viewers discuss which emerging gadgets he tried and what the reactions say about where consumer tech is heading.

Arun Maini, the tech reviewer behind Mrwhosetheboss, has published a video in which he tests technology he describes as coming from the year 2050, saying the experience genuinely frightened him. The video has drawn over 10 million likes, making it one of the most popular technology items online right now, with viewers reacting to his warnings about where consumer technology may be heading.

Fitness coach Joe Wicks has launched 'Health or Hype?', a new series in which he puts the latest health and wellness trends to the test. Produced with Bupa, the series aims to separate genuine health advice from passing fads, and the trailer is drawing a large audience and strong engagement online.

Bangladesh are dominating the one-off Test against Afghanistan in the UAE. Hasan Mahmud took a hat-trick — only the third by a Bangladeshi in Test cricket — as Afghanistan were bowled out for 240. By lunch on day three, Bangladesh reached 44/2, leading by 150 runs, though a missed review added to their frustrations. Rahmat and Malik had earlier led an Afghanistan fightback with the bat.

Real Sociedad are in the news in Spain after a match in which, according to La Voz de Galicia, they lacked a cutting edge in both penalty areas against a Deportivo side testing its new project. The Basque club is also generating search interest in Brazil, suggesting wider attention to their recent form.

A large-scale analysis of 500,000 electric vehicle battery health checks covering 20 different models has identified one car as a clear standout for battery condition. The findings give buyers a rare data-driven comparison of how well different EVs retain battery capacity over time, a key concern for used EV values and long-term ownership costs.

Sri Lanka have announced their squad for a two-match Test series against Pakistan, with young fast bowler Eshan Malinga among the names drawing attention in India and beyond. The International Cricket Council highlighted the squad reveal, and cricket fans are discussing the selection calls ahead of the series.

South Africa and Australia face off in both cricket and rugby this week. In the first Test, Kagiso Rabada misses out while Anrich Nortje earns a surprise recall, and Pat Cummins must wait for his ODI return as the Proteas field two Jansens. Meanwhile, Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus makes 13 changes to his starting side for the Perth Test against the Wallabies after a series win over the All Blacks.

A website focused on Theranos, the defunct blood-testing startup behind one of Silicon Valley's biggest fraud scandals, is drawing attention. Founder Elizabeth Holmes was convicted of fraud after the company's claims about its testing technology proved false. Readers are revisiting the case and its fallout.

Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the first T20, with Sahibzada Farhan scoring 89 runs to secure a four-wicket win, supported by Naseem Shah. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, named its Test squad, with Kusal Mendis as captain and a maiden call-up for Eshan Malinga. The two sides are in the middle of an active series, keeping fixtures and squad news in heavy circulation.

NATO has launched its annual exercise built around practising nuclear war scenarios, a routine drill that this year lands alongside fresh missile launches by other nuclear-armed states delivering much the same message of deterrence. The convergence of rehearsals and tests highlights rising nuclear signalling and mounting global tension over atomic weapons.

Al Wasl of the UAE are preparing to face Al Ahli Saudi in an Asian club competition fixture, and attention is on the Saudi side's squad concerns. Reports note that Al Ahli head into the challenge against Al Wasl with an apparent lack of physical presence or depth in the team, raising questions about how they will cope in the Asian test ahead.

South Africa, captained by Temba Bavuma, are facing Australia in the first men's Test, a rematch of the World Test Championship final that could influence next year's decider. Anrich Nortje has shone on his return for the Proteas, while Australian batters endured a frustrating day despite early luck. Coverage from Cricinfo, the Guardian and Australian media is following the match live as day one unfolds.

President Trump has selected Katie Zacharia as the next White House press secretary. The announcement puts her in charge of the daily briefings as the press operation enters a new era, with her first turn at the podium seen as an early test of how she handles reporters and defends the administration's agenda.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan are playing a one-off Test in the UAE. Bangladesh, after being bowled out for 346, reduced Afghanistan to 240 all out, with Hasan Mahmud taking a Test hat-trick — only the third by a Bangladeshi bowler. Fifties from Rahmat Shah and Mohammad Nabi's teammate Malik kept Afghanistan's reply competitive, and the match remains trending across multiple countries.

Chinese AI firm Zhipu appears to have launched a new fast-inference model, GLM-5.3-Highspeed, reportedly reaching 490 tokens per second — more than double the roughly 200 tokens/s of GLM-5.3-FlashX. The model is being rolled out gradually in ZCode 3.15.1, with access randomly available to some users so far. AI watchers are tracking the release for confirmation and benchmarks.

Real Madrid face Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga, with the home side under pressure to win so Barcelona do not pull further away at the top of the table. Villarreal, known as the Yellow Submarine, are seen as a real test of Madrid's urgency after recent dropped points. Spanish media are following the match closely.

Champions League fixtures are drawing attention worldwide, with the competition trending across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Key storylines include Manchester United's meeting with Atletico Madrid, where injuries to Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo and Benjamin Sesko concern Ruben Amorim's side, while Diego Simeone still calls United a major threat. Elsewhere, Barcelona prepare for their first away test against Galatasaray, and Bodoe/Glimt host Borussia Dortmund in a match many expect to be high-scoring.

Australia has beaten South Africa in the first Test of their cricket series, with the new ball proving decisive as Australia's bowlers did the damage to seal the win. The result is drawing wide attention, with the match ranking among the most searched topics in Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, Singapore and Italy as fans discuss the performance.