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Sting slams AI’s songwriting abilities

<p dir="ltr">Sting has weighed in on the debate over utilising artificial intelligence in the songwriting process, saying the machines lack the “soul” needed to create music. </p> <p dir="ltr">The former Police frontman spoke with Music Week and was asked if he believed computers are capable of creating good songs. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sting responded that knowing a song was created by AI takes away some of the magic of the music.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The analogy for me is watching a movie with CGI,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I tend to be bored very quickly, because I know the actors can’t see the monster. So I really feel the same way about AI being able to compose songs.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Basically, it’s an algorithm and it has a massive amount of information, but it would lack just that human spark, that imperfection, if you like, that makes it unique to any artist, so I don’t really fear it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“A lot of music could be created by AI quite efficiently,” he added. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I think electronic dance music can still be very effective without involving humans at all. But songwriting is very personal. It’s soul work, and machines don’t have souls. Not yet anyway.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Elsewhere in the interview, Sting weighed in on Ed Sheeran’s recent high profile <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/decision-reached-over-ed-sheeran-s-copyright-trial">copyright case</a>, in which he was being sued over his 2014 single <em>Thinking Out Loud</em> by Structured Asset Sales, who claimed that Sheeran's hit took elements directly from Marvin Gaye's <em>Let's Get It On</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court and the jury ended up siding with Sheeran, saying they did not plagiarise the song. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sting shared his comments on the case, also siding with Sheeran by saying, “No one can claim a set of chords.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“No one can say, ‘Oh that’s my set of chords.’ I think [Sheeran] said, ‘Look songs fit over each other.’ They do, so I think all of this stuff is nonsense and it’s hard for a jury to understand, that’s the problem.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“So that was the truth, musicians steal from each other – we always have. I don’t know who can claim to own a rhythm or a set of chords at all, it’s virtually impossible.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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Pop legend unrecognisable after bee sting

<p dir="ltr">Irish pop legend Brian McFadden has been left with a swollen face after being stung by a bee, and has joked about how it looks like he received free botox and fillers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former Australian Idol judge shared a series of posts to his Instagram showing how badly swollen his face became after a bee sting.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 42-year-old’s first post was a video of himself singing I’m Sexy And I Know It by LMFAO while laying in a hospital bed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Stung by a bee and got an allergic reaction!! Owning that look! Free Botox and fillers!!!!!” his caption read as he laughed.</p> <p dir="ltr">In his next post, he shared photos from different angles showing massive lips and a swollen eye.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChFoNnkjRYU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChFoNnkjRYU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by brianmcfadden (@brianmcfadden123)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">He explained that the reaction from the bee sting was ongoing.</p> <p dir="ltr">Finally, his third post showed a selfie after his face had finally calmed down from the unfortunate incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My face is calming down again. Thanks for all your lovely messages,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Allergies to venoms caused by a stinging insect such as a bee, ant or wasp is known to cause an anaphylactic reaction.</p> <p dir="ltr">The most common symptoms include an all over rash, swelling of tongue or throat, trouble breathing, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and a drop in blood pressure (shock).</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What to do if you are stung by a bee</strong></p> <ol> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr">Remove the sting by sliding or scraping your fingernail across it, rather than pulling at it.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr">Wash the area and apply ice to reduce the swelling.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr">If the person goes into anaphylactic shock the only treatment is an injection of adrenaline.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr">Immobilise the person, apply pressure to the bite and seek immediate medical help.</p> </li> </ol> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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British tourist almost dies from jellyfish sting

<p dir="ltr">A British tourist enjoying his holiday in Australia was left fighting for his life after being stung by a deadly jellyfish.</p> <p dir="ltr">James Soale, 22, and his girlfriend Savannah Callaghan, 23, were swimming at Palm Cove Beach in North Queensland on March 8 when he felt an “electric shock”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It felt like an electric shock. I suspected it was a jellyfish but didn’t know which one or the danger,” he told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17956048/brit-fighting-for-life-stung-worlds-deadliest-creatures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I tried to walk it off before the pain got too much and I told the lifeguard, who quickly evacuated everyone from the sea.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a scary time and the pain was excruciating. I’ve never had anything like that happen to me before.” </p> <p dir="ltr">James was stung by an Irukandji jellyfish and began suffering from chest pains and struggling to breathe.</p> <p dir="ltr">He was rushed to Cairns Hospital where medics were able to neutralise the venom but doctors still feared that he was in immediate danger. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We arrived at the hospital and the venom had leaked to James’ heart…they feared he could go into cardiac arrest but after around 10 hours there and medicating him, he was stable.”</p> <p dir="ltr">James was finally discharged and researched the jellyfish, finding out that he was lucky to be alive.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Irukandji jellyfish can grow up to 2cm in diameter and are difficult to be seen by swimmers. </p> <p dir="ltr">They’re found in tropical waters from Bundaberg in Queensland to Geraldton in Western Australia, from November to May.</p> <p dir="ltr">Signs and symptoms to be wary of, if you think you’ve been stung by the deadly sea creature, include: severe backache or headache, shooting pains in muscles, chest and abdomen, nausea, anxiety, restlessness, vomiting and breathing difficulties. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"We are back to zero": Family speak out after son’s fatal sting

<p dir="ltr">A 14-year-old boy who was stung by a box jellyfish in Far North Queensland has died.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mark Angelo Ligmayo was stung on Saturday at Eimeo Beach in the Mackay region and was taken to Mackay Hospital in a critical condition.</p> <p dir="ltr">He went into cardiac arrest on the beach and succumbed to his injuries about an hour after he arrived at the hospital.</p> <p dir="ltr">A witness told the <em><a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/mackay/eimeo-beach-teenager-suffers-reported-cardiac-arrest-after-jellyfish-sting/news-story/d91418b68df167610cd2ecf652b2b5c6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mercury</a></em> that she saw him make it to shore with an “unreadable expression on his face” and his legs “covered in tentacles”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The publication also reported that the screams erupted on the beach from parents calling for their children to get out of the water while others rushed to help him.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We were there as he exited the water, quickly after that he was semi-conscious,” Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club president Ross Gee told the outlet.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We had a defib on him the whole time, he never lost his pulse, there was shallow breathing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We doused him with approximately 30 litres of vinegar, all the vinegar on the beach.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The beach has been closed until further notice and the public has been urged to stay out of the water.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-de6e0373-7fff-aba5-364d-57c6cb94adde"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club shared their condolences for the family on Sunday, and thanked the members of the public who assisted their volunteer lifesavers in helping Mark Angelo.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Feimeo.slsc%2Fposts%2F3137194476599351&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="725" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">Agnes Guinumtad, Mark Angelo’s mother, told <em><a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/mackay/mackay-fatal-box-jellyfish-sting-parents-tribute-to-14yearold-boy/news-story/14d5421b775d48f88080528702a266e3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mercury</a></em> the family had been excited to spend the day at the beach together three months after she, Mark Angelo, and his sister joined her husband in starting a new life in Australia.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nick Guinumtad came to Australia nearly a decade ago, working as a boilermaker and taking every opportunity to visit his family in the Philippines, where they waited for visas to join him.</p> <p dir="ltr">After Covid delayed their reunion, they were reunited in December last year and began to settle in.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could see my son’s face, and I could see the pain,” Mrs Guinumtad said of the moment she saw lifeguards and bystanders attempt to save her son’s life.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I kept praying and praying, I didn’t stop praying. I prayed that he would say something.”</p> <p dir="ltr">With the death of Mark Angelo, his family said they don’t know where to go from here.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are back to zero,” Mr Guinumtad told the outlet.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mrs Guinumtad has expressed her wish to take her son’s body back to the Philippines so that her parents, who often raised him while she worked, can say a final goodbye.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t know the process, I don’t even know where to start,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The family has asked for anyone in the community who may know how to help to reach out and have started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-guinumtad-family-bring-their-son-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> to raise funds to take him home.</p> <p dir="ltr">They have also thanked the lifeguards and bystanders who worked so hard to save their son and others who cared for their daughter while they went with him to the hospital.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mark Angelo’s death marks the third fatal box jellyfish sting since 2006.</p> <p dir="ltr">Large box jellyfish - which are regarded as one of the world’s most venomous animals - have caused more than 70 fatalities in Australia, according to Queensland Health.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you don’t have a protective suit and you know there could be stingers or jellyfish in the water, just don’t go in,” Queensland Health has previously <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/deadly-box-jellyfish-sting-kills-queensland-teen-near-mackay-c-5855865" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s also important that people are familiar with resuscitation methods - early resuscitation after major stings from box jellies has saved lives in the past few years.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6f2ffc80-7fff-c775-9bfa-c5243c61dc54"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nic Guinumtad (Facebook)</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Aussies feeling the sting when travelling overseas with Telstra

<p><span>Telstra have shaken up their mobile phone plans and have ditched excess data fees and restrictive lock-in contracts.</span></p> <p><span>However, there is bad news for Telstra customers who travel internationally as some customers were disappointed that none of the new plans come with included overseas data roaming.</span></p> <p><span>Many old Telstra plans included allowances for international data roaming, such as 2GB per month. However, on all new plans announced by the company, international data roaming is an add-on.</span><span> </span></p> <p><span>Telstra customers who travel overseas will have to buy an international $10-day pass, which offers a paltry 200MB of data and unlimited calls and texts in more than 70 selected countries.</span></p> <p><span>The 24-hour expiry available on the pass is based on AEST, and not the time zone of the country it’s being used in. </span></p> <p><span>If you’re worried about exceeding your 200MB per day allowance, Telstra have a solution. You simply pay another $10 for an extra 500MB that has to be used within 31 days.</span></p> <p><span>The company also offers pay-as-you-go roaming for destinations where the international pass isn’t available. </span></p> <p><span>It’s interesting to note that Telstra’s cheaper rival Vodafone offers a roaming add-on that lets customers use the data, calls and texts on their existing plan in 80 countries for $5 a day.</span></p> <p><span>Telstra told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/money/are-they-kidding-hidden-sting-in-telstras-revamped-phone-plans/news-story/4ef2e0ebcd15bf1fddf3d2a732d3e0ed"><em>news.com.au</em></a> that the new plans addressed customer “pain points” and eliminated bundles that customers felt they didn’t need.</span></p> <p><span>“Customer expectations are changing, and larger companies have got to be prepared to be bolder in terms of disrupting themselves before somebody else does it to them,” Mr Penn told News Corp.</span></p> <p><span>“We’re taking on that challenge and trying to lead the way in transforming the telecommunications industry and how we serve our customers.”</span></p>

Money & Banking

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“It was a sting”: Deb Knight stunned over shock Pauline Hanson admission

<p>On a tense interview with the<span> </span><em>Today</em><span> </span>show, Pauline Hanson has fiercely refused to back down over her claims that the Al Jazeera documentary was a sting.</p> <p>Senator Hanson admitted she has not watched the Al Jazeera documentary which showed her appearing to suggest on a hidden camera that the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre was an inside job.</p> <p>Earlier on today, the leader accused the footage of being “heavily edited” and “dubbed.”</p> <p>The documentary, which aired on ABC last night, puts the politician and her party in a world of controversy.</p> <p>The embattled One Nation leader said her “heart goes out” to the families who suffered from the Port Massacre tragedy but remained sure in her claim that Al Jazeera and “foreign interference” were the reason for her remarks.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvi26UuABEt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvi26UuABEt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Pauline Hanson (@senatorpaulinehanson)</a> on Mar 28, 2019 at 1:05am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“My comments were made at a dinner table, they were not made publicly,” Ms Hanson told<span> </span><em>Today</em><span> </span>show co-host Deb Knight.</p> <p>“This was not my doing to have exposed these comments. It was Al Jazeera and an undercover agent. I’m sorry for these people — I really am. They shouldn’t have to go through this again.”</p> <p>The complete documentary was uploaded to YouTube in the last week, and since then Ms Hanson has accused Al Jazeera of cutting the footage.</p> <p>“What I know from that, I don't see his face or lips moving,” she said.</p> <p>“I feel this has been dubbed out. It has been cut and pasted so many times.”</p> <p>Knight asked: “We see your face. We see the words coming out of your mouth. It’s on tape. You can’t deny they were the words that you said.”</p> <p>“I know,” Senator Hanson replied.</p> <p>The One Nation party leader also stressed she does not want gun laws to be watered down in Australia, claiming her party’s gun law policies are “even stronger” than the new laws passed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.</p> <p>She has fiercely denied her party went to Washington to seek funding from the NRA (National Rifle Association), America’s largest pro-gun organisation.</p> <p>“The media has portrayed that we went to the NRA for funding. Never the case. They said we wanted to water down the gun laws. Never, ever the case. Even Muller, he was at me that women should carry guns … I said no way, I do not believe in that. It was a sting.”</p> <p>Senator Hanson also denied the allegations accusing her of believing the Port Arthur Massacre was a government conspiracy.</p> <p>“When I got into Parliament, I was only in there a month and the massacre happened just after that. If I really thought it was a conspiracy theory I had two-and-a-half years on the floor of Parliament to have spoken up and said that,” she said.</p> <p>"I never said at all it was a conspiracy theory."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">. <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulineHansonOz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaulineHansonOz</a> admits she “hasn’t had time” to watch the full documentary and has only seen “what’s portrayed by the media”. <a href="https://twitter.com/deborah_knight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Deborah_Knight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> <a href="https://t.co/0KcvwnmvaL">pic.twitter.com/0KcvwnmvaL</a></p> — The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1111373284665229313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Senator Hanson has also piqued Prime Minister Scott Morrison as a “fool.”</p> <p>“He has not really waited to see the full information that’s come out … this is a political interference from a foreign government. That needs to be investigated,” Ms Hanson said to Knight.</p> <p>“He’s the leader of this nation. If it’s happened to us, how many other incidents like this may have happened?”</p> <p>The interview with Deb Knight took place just hours after her press conference in light of the Al Jazeera documentary, which was dubbed “bizarre” by social media.</p> <p>Fronting the cameras over the controversy that has left her part in the middle of a scandal, Senator Hanson unleashed on Australian media, the Prime Minister, Al Jazeera, Qatar and undercover journalist Rodger Mueller.</p> <p>The extraordinary press conference in Queensland said the comments captured on camera for the documentary had been taken “completely out of context.”</p> <p>“Today is the day of shame on the Australian media, who have been sold a story that is too good to be true. And you took it hook, line and sinker,” she said.</p> <p>“Media across Australia have been blinded by hate and bias towards One Nation and myself, and rushed to report on heavily edited footage.</p> <p>“You have come here baying for my blood, and I will not give it to you.</p> <p>"I answer to the Australian people only and they will have their say at the ballot box.”</p>

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