AnewZ Morning Brief - 17th August, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of August, covering the latest developments you need to k...
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has developed a robotic system powered by artificial intelligence that can perform household chores such as folding clothes and cleaning tables.
The system uses a vision-language-action model called GR-3, which enables the robot to follow spoken instructions and complete general tasks.
In tests, the robot- named ByteMini was able to hang shirts, place items in specific spots, and distinguish between objects, like picking up the “larger plate” on command. It also demonstrated the ability to clean a dining table.
ByteDance’s Seed department, launched in 2023 to lead its AI and large language model efforts, trained GR-3 using image and text data, as well as human actions in virtual reality and real-world robot behaviour.
The development comes as ByteDance faces mounting pressure in the United States, where officials are calling for the company to sell its American TikTok assets. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Americans must control the technology and algorithm, warning that without a sale, TikTok could soon be banned in the country.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
A deadly heatwave has claimed 1,180 lives in Spain since May, with elderly people most at risk, prompting calls for urgent social support.
The California Coastal Commission on Thursday voted against a proposal by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to almost double its permitted annual Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, raising the limit from 50 to 95.
The U.S. government on Wednesday signed an executive order to ease federal regulations on commercial rocket launches, potentially benefiting SpaceX and other private space companies.
For now, Earth is the only confirmed cradle of life in the universe, but every new discovery of distant worlds brings us closer to answering one of humanity’s oldest questions: could some of them be home to intelligent beings?
Artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Perplexity has made a surprise $34.5bn takeover bid for Google's Chrome internet browser
Chinese authorities have summoned major tech firms, including Tencent and ByteDance, over their purchases of Nvidia’s H20 AI chips, raising concerns about information security and urging companies to rely on domestic suppliers amid escalating regulatory scrutiny.
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