Today on the Stream: With AI now woven into daily life, we must ask—what defines our humanity?
We turn to AI (artificial intelligence) in our conversations, rely on it in our decisions, and even seek its insights into our relationships. As these systems become increasingly capable of thinking, creating, and even mimicking empathy, the line between human and artificial intelligence grows ever more indistinct. Where do we draw the boundary between person and machine? And what shape will our relationship with AI take in the years ahead?
Activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Paris on Tuesday after being deported by Israel. Thunberg said Israeli forces “illegally attacked and kidnapped” her and other activists aboard the Madleen, a humanitarian boat attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
World Test Championship final: South Africa v Australia
Venue: Lord’s Dates: 11-15 June Time: 10:30 BST
Marnus Labuschagne will open the batting for Australia in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s, starting on Wednesday.
Labuschagne has never opened in Test cricket and moves up from number three, which will be occupied by the returning Cameron Green.
In moving to the top of the order, Labuschagne becomes Usman Khawaja’s fifth different opening partner since David Warner retired at the beginning of 2024.
All-rounder Beau Webster keeps his place at number six and Josh Hazlewood gets the nod over fellow pace bowler Scott Boland.
Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
Australia are looking to defend the title the won by beating India in the final at The Oval two years ago.
The rotating cast of openers used since Warner called time on his Test career has included Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Travis Head and Sam Konstas.
While Smith and Head are back in their usual middle-order slots, 19-year-old Konstas has been overlooked, as has Leeds-born Josh Inglis, who made a century on debut against Sri Lanka in February.
All-rounder Green has been out with a back injury and returns as a specialist batter. His presence creates a logjam in the middle-order, meaning Labuschagne is asked to move up.
The 31-year-old has been in indifferent form, having not made a Test hundred since the fourth Ashes Test of 2023.
With competition for places high, he is fighting to retain his spot for the Ashes series in Australia later this year. After the final, Australia head to the Caribbean for three Tests against West Indies.
Labuschagne has previously opened on 15 occasions in first-class cricket, but not since 2016.
“With Marnus moving, we thought it’s one spot up really. It’s not too different to batting three,” said Australia captain Pat Cummins. “Marnus has experience, he has done well here at Lord’s and in England in general.”
The bowling picture was made clear once Hazlewood, who has struggled with injuries in the recent past, proved his fitness.
The 34-year-old missed the final two years ago, but arrives in London after being part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team that won the Indian Premier League.
Proteas aim for glory at last
South Africa are aiming to finally to get their hands on a senior global title after a string of near-misses.
Most recently the Proteas were beaten in the final of the men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, when the game against India was in their grasp.
Their route to the final, and therefore the format of the Championship itself, has been questioned. South Africa finished top of the table having played 12 Tests, compared to the 19 of Australia and India, and 22 of England.
Nevertheless, Temba Bavuma’s men have the opportunity to become only the third team crowned Test champions, after Australia and inaugural winners New Zealand.
They have retained all-rounder Wiann Mulder at number three, with his option to bowl seam influencing the decision to select Ngidi over Paterson.
“It’s probably one of the tougher decisions that has been made,” said captain Bavuma. “But it was more from a tactical point of view. There’s probably a little bit more pace from Lungi, he’s a bit taller as well.
The Shape Of You singer Ed Sheeran has shared a rare insight into his home life as he confessed that he “mourns” one thing in a recent interview with Louis Theroux
Ed Sheeran has said that he ‘mourns’ not being able to do one thing as he makes family admission(Image: Getty Images for The Met Museum/)
Renowned musician Ed Sheeran has opened up about one aspect of his family life as he admitted that he mourns the fact that he can’t do one thing.
Having scaled the heights of fame for over a decade, Ed has attracted crowds wherever he has travelled with a number of his concerts seeing over 100,000 fans in attendance.
Before his sell-out shows, Ed’s first foray into the world of music came when he was a teenager, but it wasn’t until years later when he moved to London that his career began to take flight. It was on the back of his debut single, The A Team, that released in 2011 that he began to see his stock grow and grow.
Ed was speaking during a recent episode of the Louis Theroux podcast(Image: Variety via Getty Images)
Now boasting an array of chart topping hits and billions of streams on Spotify, Ed is now firmly placed among the UK’s biggest artists currently.
However, among the many benefits that his fame has afforded him, there have been some downsides for the 34-year-old, with him recently sharing how his notoriety has had a knock-on effect on his family life.
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The singer shot to fame on the back of his single, A Team(Image: Getty Images for Coachella)
Explaining further during a recent appearance on the Louis Theroux podcast, Ed shared how the attention due to his fame has meant that he has struggled to do some of the most ordinary family activities.
He told the documentary maker: “I’m very, very private about my children’s image. And for me, I can’t take them to zoos or parks or anything really without someone trying to film them. And I don’t want my kids’ image out there on a stranger’s phone or device.”
Adding that he made this decision to protect his children, he admitted that he “mourns” not being able to enjoy the simple luxury of spending time in public with them: “Those are the times — the normal parts of life — that I kind of mourn for, and sort of wish I could push my kid on a swing in a public park and it not be weird.”
He is rumoured to be playing at Glastonbury later this month(Image: WWD via Getty Images)
Having met his wife, Cherry Seaborn, while the pair were both at school together in Suffolk, it wasn’t until years later after getting back in touch for the first time that the pair finally got together.
After their friendship was rekindled in 2015 thanks to a mutual friend, they soon started dating before eventually going on to tie the knot in 2019.
Ed and Cherry first met whilst at school together(Image: Getty Images)
Since then, the couple have had two daughters: Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran, born in 2020, and Jupiter Seaborn Sheeran, born two years later.
Rod Stewart has revealed the cost of playing Glastonbury’s Legends slot this year – and it’s a staggering amount for the rocker to stump up
Rod Stewart: Gearing up for Glastonbury(Image: Getty Images)
Singer Rod Stewart has revealed how playing at Glastonbury is costing him a staggering £300,000. The star – who it’s thought is being paid significantly less to perform in the Legends slot – says: “It’s actually cost me £300,000 to do the show because I’ve got to bring all the band back from America and I’ve got to take them all the way back to America.”
He added to the Sidetracked podcast that he couldn’t even get any free tickets, saying: “Believe it or not, my kids, three of them, all bought their own tickets, because Glastonbury give nothing away. Nothing.Everybody asks me for tickets. All the time. Everywhere. People just come out of the woodwork. ‘Oh, you haven’t spoken to me for 25 years. Any chance I could have a ticket?’”
Rod also opened up about his 80th birthday in a separate interview with Zoe Ball. He said: “I love a shindig – we had a 280ft yacht – I rented it out for 10 days for all my kids and their kids and their husbands, 16 of us all together, and it cost me a fortune, but you can’t take it with me.”
READ MORE: Bob Dylan secret love revealed for first time as insider says ‘he’s hooked’
Sir Rod with Zoe Ball(Image: INSTAGRAM)
The rail-enthusiast singer, who is married to Penny Lancaster, added that he wasn’t easy to buy presents for unless it was “from the model railway world…and then I am very happy.”
The rocker also spoke about his training to stay in shape.
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He said: “I’m making this documentary about all my training and what I do. I can run 100 meters in 19 seconds. The record is 17 seconds.”
His comments come after he was forced to cancel a series of shows, including those at his Las Vegas residency, as he was ill.
While he recently announced that his current tour will be the end of the ‘large-scale’ world tours, he has no intention to quit the music scene.
The rock legend previously wrote on Instagram : “This will be the end of large-scale world tours for me, but I have no desire to retire. I love what I do, and I do what I love. I’m fit, have a full head of hair, and can run 100 metres in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79.”
Yesterday Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said they’d sold “a few thousand less tickets” this year in a bid to avoid overcrowding,
The music festival, which usually has capacity for 210,000 people, sees British pop band The 1975, folk star Neil Young and his band the Chrome Hearts, and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo topping the bill.
She added: “We’ve also sold a few thousand less tickets, so it will be interesting just to see how that affects the dynamics on site.”
The first group of tickets for the event sold out in 30 minutes last November, with the second lot selling out in fewer than 40.
Eavis said times have changed, adding: “There were years where you just couldn’t sell out, you just couldn’t give them (the tickets) away.”
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The line-up features a number of acts listed as TBA, as well as a mysterious act called Patchwork, who will take to the Pyramid Stage on Saturday.
Dignitaries on Tuesday gathered in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, to inaugurate the rehabilitated and refurbished Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The event was attended by President Bola Tinubu; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Ministers Wale Edun (Finance and Economy) and Lateef Fagbemi (Justice), among others.
