ranking

1: Messi opener v Algeria

Another list topped by the Argentina maestro. Collecting the ball 30 yards out, Messi advanced to the top of the D before whipping a beautiful left-footed shot into the top corner.

2: Mbappe second v Senegal

One touch to set himself, a quick glance up and then a thumping effort from 30 yards out past Edouard Mendy – some strike.

3: Balogun second v Paraguay

Folarin Balogun showed pace, power and then composure to take a touch inside the covering defender before bending the ball into the top corner with his left foot.

4: Reyna’s fourth v Paraguay

Late in the game, the Paraguay defence backed off and USA midfielder Gio Reyna took full advantage, moving into the penalty box before nonchalantly curling the ball into the far corner with the outside of his right boot.

5: Ayari’s opener against Tunisia

Yasin Ayari set Sweden on their way to a comprehensive win with a rasping shot from 25 yards that arrowed into the corner.

6: Vinicius Jr’s equaliser against Morocco

With Brazil labouring, a moment of brilliance brought them level. Vinicius Jr collected the ball on the left side of the box, cut back on to his right foot and bent an unstoppable shot into the far corner.

7: Mahmic’s volley against Switzerland for Bosnia

A moment to remember for Ermin Mahmic as he lashed a volley into the Switzerland net after a corner was only punched out to the edge of the box. Not a bad way to score your first international goal.

8: Olwan’s goal for Jordan v Austria

With the defence backing off, Ali Olwan ran from the halfway line to the penalty area before expertly curling the ball in off the post to give Jordan their first World Cup goal.

9: Munoz’s flicked volley against Uzbekistan

Colombia got up and running with this brilliant Daniel Munoz effort. Having timed his run to perfection, the Crystal Palace wing-back stretched to meet Luis Diaz’s deep cross and lift a volley past the goalkeeper.

10: Nmecha’s combination with Wirtz for goal v Curacao

Felix Nmecha fired Germany in front after playing a lovely one-two with Florian Wirtz. The pass meant Nmecha didn’t have to break stride before curling the ball around a Curacao defender into the bottom corner.

China’s LineShine overtakes US-based El Capitan as most powerful supercomputer, according to the TOP500 list.

China has displaced the United States on an influential ranking of the world’s fastest supercomputers, underscoring Beijing’s growing capability to compete with the world’s leading superpower in cutting-edge technology.

China’s LineShine is the most powerful system on the planet, overtaking the US-based El Capitan, according to the biannual ranking announced in Hamburg, Germany, on Tuesday.

LineShine, located at the National Supercomputing Centre in Shenzhen, achieved a performance of 2.198 exaflops, carrying out more than 2 quintillion calculations per second – a 20 percent lead over El Capitan, according to the latest TOP500 list.

LineShine’s position marks the first time a Chinese system has topped the list since Sunway TaihuLight did so in 2017.

El Capitan, based at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, had ranked as the top-performing system since November 2024.

Frontier, hosted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, ranked third, followed by Aurora at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and Jupiter at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in Germany.

Other countries represented in the top 20 include the UK, Japan, South Korea, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Unlike other supercomputers, LineShine runs entirely on general-purpose central processing units (CPUs), which have fewer processing cores and are slower at performing complex tasks than the graphics processing units (GPUs) indispensable to running AI models, such as ChatGPT and Claude.

LineShine is the first and only system to achieve more than 2 exaflops in performance using a CPU-only design, according to the TOP500 list.

The TOP500 list has been published twice yearly since 1993, when computer scientists Erich Strohmaier and Hans Meuer first compiled statistics on supercomputers around the world in preparation for a conference on the topic.

The list ranks supercomputers’ performance using the LINPACK Benchmark, which measures the amount of time it takes to solve a dense system of linear equations.

While the TOP500 list has been influential for decades, experts consider the ranking to have become less relevant since the advent of AI.

While corporate tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon are at the forefront of today’s advances in AI, the list is largely made up of government and academic initiatives that volunteered their participation.

In a 2015 paper, researchers at Cornell University estimated that El Capitan achieved only 22 percent of the computational performance of xAI’s Colossus supercomputing facility in Memphis, Tennessee.

China and the US are locked in a fierce battle for global supremacy in leading technologies such as AI, with Washington and Beijing rolling out a slew of tit-for-tat sanctions and export controls to blunt each other’s advances.

The 2026 AI Index Report, released in April by Stanford University, found that China had “effectively closed” the AI model performance gap with the US.

While the US produces more top-of-the-line AI models, China holds the advantage in rolling out patents and industrial robot installations, the report said.

Look Mum No Computer will perform in the semi-final on Thursday night, but has already got a place in Saturday’s live grand final

She was parachuted in to take on the role vacated by Scott Mills – now new Eurovision Song Contest presenter Angela Scanlon is backing the UK to do well on Saturday.

The bookies have so far placed our act Look Mum No Computer way down in 18th place, with odds of 250-1 to triumph.

But everything could change after viewers get to see the full staging in Thursday’s semi-final, including some “risky moves” by performer Sam Battle, whose song is a fusion of synths and electronic-bass.

At one point he is rumoured to be standing on a table being carried by a team of four dancers. “There’s something really exciting about an act that feels completely original – and that’s what he brings in spades,” Angela told the Mirror. “Eins, Zwei, Drei has personality, energy, and that slightly unpredictable edge that Eurovision audiences love. If the performance lands the way it promises to, I think it could really connect. And ultimately, that’s what it’s all about – creating a moment people remember.”

The Your Home Made Perfect presenter, 42, is thrilled to be hosting the two semi-finals on BBC1 alongside Rylan Clark this year, describing the event as “the world’s biggest music festival, talent show, and theatrical spectacular all rolled into one.” But she admitted that the complicated voting system, which incorporates votes from national juries as well as viewers at home all over the world, would again “test your emotional resilience”.

One source who has seen the UK’s rehearsal said: “Sam could surprise everyone with his staging. He’s very cool and there are some risky elements with him dancing on top of things. It’s precarious and a bit dangerous.”

On Thursday Look Mum No Computer will take part in the second semi – even though the UK’s place in Saturday’s final is guaranteed. Others performing on the night include former Neighbours star and judge of The Voice Delta Goodrem, for Australia, and ex-Love Islander Antigoni Buxton, who is singing for Cyprus.

Other countries vying to get through the second semi-final include Ukraine, Bulgaria and Denmark.

Rylan, who has been part of the BBC’s Eurovision coverage since 2018, when he took over from Mel Giedroyc, said he loved getting into the commentary box and meeting up with international friends old and new. “There are commentary teams from all over Europe and in that week, you all get to know each other pretty well,” he explained. “After doing it for so long, the commentary box level is one big party, and I love seeing my fellow commentators from other countries.”

Rylan was said to have been “devastated” when Mills lost his job at the BBC in March, because they had become close friends outside of work. Mills was sacked from the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show over personal misconduct relating to “serious sexual offences against a teenage boy”. A police probe which ended in 2019 found insufficient evidence to bring charges.

But he was also informed that he will not work for the BBC again.

Despite this Rylan, 37, has vowed to enjoy himself while in Austria for the ESC. “This year we’re heading to Vienna to have some fun.,” he insisted. “Is there anything that’s not been done? We’ve had butter churning, singing in the rain, and even Bonnie Tyler singing on a mechanical lift. It’s unique. And that’s what Eurovision is all about – the unexpected.”

The current favourite to triumph on Saturday is Finland, with Greece, Denmark, France and Australia also looking strong.

The UK has not won for 29 years, but came close in 2022 when Sam Ryder finished in second place with Space Man, drawing 466 points. Last year’s UK entry Remember Monday came 19 ^th with 88 points and the previous year Olly Alexander finished 18th with 46 points.

– Eurovision Song Contest, BBC1, Thursday 8pm and Saturday 8pm

—

A look at the top 20 high school softball teams in the Southland as ranked by CalHiSports.com for The Times.

Rk.; Last ranking; School; Record

1. (2) Norco 24-2

2. (1) Murrieta Mesa 23-1

3. (3) Fullerton 23-2

4. (4) Etiwanda 21-2

5. (7) La Mirada 22-3

6. (11) JSerra 20-7

7. (6) Oaks Christian 24-3

8. (8) Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 20-3

9. (9) M.L. King 20-6

10. (10) Ganesha 16-3

11. (12) Chino Hills 19-7

12. (5) Orange Lutheran 18-8

13. (NR) Glendora 23-2-2

14. (18) Yucaipa 20-6-1

15. (13) Ayala 16-4

16. (16) California 23-4

17. (19) Temescal Canyon 17-5

18. (14) Chaminade 17-4-1

19. (NR) El Modena 15-12

20. (15) La Habra 19-7

3. Tonton Zolo Moukoko (Championship Manager 01-02)

“We went to a small village in Malaysia,” Tonton Zola Moukoko told me. “I gave my passport to the officer. He was shocked. ‘Are you really Tonton Zola Moukoko?’ he asked. ‘You can’t be the one that was playing at Derby!'”

Moukoko’s legend travelled far and wide, carried on fans’ forums and whispered between Championship Manager anoraks. And there was truth in its roots.

Derby beat AC Milan and Bologna to sign the 15-year-old from Djurgardens in Sweden, where he moved from Democratic Republic of Congo to live with his brother after losing both parents.

He was a fledgling star in County’s academy, whose attributes on the game would see him grow into a skilful number 10 in the mould of Lionel Messi, often ending up at Europe’s biggest clubs.

At real-life youth or reserve games, fans would ask for his signature. But Moukoko never made a senior appearance at Derby. The death of his older brother saw him return to Sweden, and he spent his career in the lower Scandinavian leagues.

“Things happened around me which changed me a lot, changed my football career,” he said. “I didn’t really enjoy football any more.

“I found it very difficult to sleep for a long time after my brother died. Football was not the right thing for me after that.”

Moukoko is happy, though, that his legend endures among those who signed him on the game: “Still now, I have people calling from Australia, France, all over the place.”

3. Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico Madrid’s trip to Arsenal in the league phase feels a long time ago, but it will stick in their mind not just for the four goals they shipped, but for their struggles in attack.

Atletico produced only 0.32 xG from open play in that defeat and managed only one shot on target, so, if they are to take anything against Arsenal this time around, getting Julian Alvarez in the game will be key.

The Argentina forward has scored nine goals in the competition this season, more than any Atletico player had managed in a Champions League campaign.

He’s also a menace defending from the front, with a mammoth 853 high-intensity pressures – more than anyone else this season. That’s 70 per game on average.

That work ethic, ruthlessness in front of goal and the wizardry to bend a free-kick into the top corner, as Barcelona found out, make the 26-year-old vital to Atletico’s chances of progressing.