AnewZ Morning Brief - 17 July 2026
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 17th of July, covering the latest developments you need to kno...
Germany’s data protection commissioner has called on Apple and Google to block the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from their platforms over illegal data transfers and privacy concerns.
Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Meike Kamp, has formally requested Apple and Google to remove the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek from their app stores in Germany. The request follows allegations that the company illegally transfers user data to China.
“DeepSeek has not been able to provide convincing evidence that German users' data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union,” Kamp said in a statement on Friday. She cited concerns over China's broad access to personal data and non-compliance with EU data protection standards.
According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores sensitive user information - including uploaded files and user queries - on servers in China. The commissioner said her office initially asked DeepSeek in May to meet EU standards for data transfers or to voluntarily withdraw its app, but the company failed to comply.
Apple and Google are now expected to review the request and decide whether to restrict access to DeepSeek in Germany.
DeepSeek gained attention earlier this year after claiming to have developed a cost-effective AI model comparable to ChatGPT. However, it has faced mounting scrutiny across Europe. Italy and the Netherlands have already imposed restrictions, and a U.S. congressional bill is being prepared to ban Chinese-developed AI tools from federal agencies.
Recent investigations also revealed that DeepSeek supports Chinese military and intelligence operations, raising further alarms among Western officials.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
India's investigation into last year's Air India crash that killed 260 people has entered its final stages, with investigators completing a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder and carrying out a psychological autopsy as they work towards a final report.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, highlighting continued U.S.-Russian cooperation in space despite wider geopolitical tensions.
Space exploration just got sweeter as scientists say they have discovered a type of sugar called erythrulose in outer space.
Pakistan is set to become a founding member of the China-led World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar travelling to Shanghai on Thursday to sign the founding agreement during a two-day visit.
Beijing is using Shanghai’s artificial intelligence (AI) forum to promote its governance agenda and showcase domestic alternatives to U.S. technology.
Australia will establish an Office of AI to coordinate artificial intelligence standards and oversee major data centres as the government prepares new laws on their energy and water use, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday (15 July).
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