TikTok Finalises U.S. Joint Venture Deal to Prevent Nationwide Ban TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, announced on Thursday that it has completed a deal to create a majority American-owned joint venture aimed at securing U.S. user data and avoiding a national ban on the app. The new entity, called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, will oversee the protection of American data through strengthened privacy and cybersecurity measures. Majority American Ownership The agreement marks a significant turning point after years of political and legal battles surrounding TikTok’s ownership and national security concerns. Under the deal, American and global investors will hold…
Author: Arushi Pandey
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Apple Seeks to Block Indian Watchdog from Accessing Global Financial Data Apple has petitioned an Indian court to prevent the country’s antitrust authority from demanding its worldwide financial records during an ongoing investigation into its app store practices. The company is simultaneously contesting the validity of India’s penalty rules under competition law, according to court documents. Legal Battle over App Store Policies The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is investigating allegations that Apple abused its dominant position in managing its app store. Apple has firmly denied the accusations. The case forms part of a broader global scrutiny of the company’s…
NASA and SpaceX Coordinate Swift Return of Crew-11 After Medical Emergency Astronauts from SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission have credited a rapid and coordinated response from NASA and SpaceX for ensuring their safe and early return from the International Space Station (ISS). The crew’s mission ended ahead of schedule after one astronaut experienced a serious but undisclosed medical condition. Early Return Following Health Emergency During a press conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, mission commander Zena Cardman confirmed that the four-member team landed earlier than planned. However, she declined to reveal the identity of the affected astronaut or details about the condition,…
OpenAI Launches ‘Stargate Community’ Plan to Manage Data-Centre Energy Costs OpenAI has announced a new Stargate Community plan designed to ensure that its massive artificial intelligence data centres do not drive up electricity costs for nearby communities. The initiative, unveiled on Tuesday, forms part of the company’s $500 billion Stargate project—a multi-year effort to build advanced data centres for AI training and inference, supported by investors including Oracle. The plan seeks to make OpenAI “pay its way on energy,” by funding power generation, storage and transmission improvements near each of its data-centre locations. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed the Stargate…
Brazil Gives Elon Musk’s xAI 30 Days to Stop Grok From Circulating Fake Sexualised Content Brazil’s government and federal prosecutors have given Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, 30 days to stop its Grok chatbot from generating or distributing fake sexualised content. The joint ultimatum was issued on Tuesday by the Brazilian consumer protection agency Senacon, the national data protection authority ANPD, and the Office of Federal Prosecutors. The authorities warned that failure to comply could lead to further administrative or judicial action. They instructed xAI to implement technical systems capable of identifying, reviewing and removing inappropriate or illegal material…
Rajasthan to Add New Coal Power Capacity Despite Renewable Energy Lead India’s top renewable energy-producing state, Rajasthan, will require 4,400 megawatts (MW) of new coal-fired capacity by 2036 to meet growing electricity demand, even as it continues to expand its clean energy base, according to a government advisory document reviewed by Reuters. Coal Still Needed for Reliability The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), a think tank under India’s federal power ministry, has more than doubled its earlier estimate of Rajasthan’s coal-based power requirement from 1,900 MW to 4,400 MW, citing the need to replace ageing thermal plants and ensure stable power…
Elon Musk Seeks $134 Billion from OpenAI and Microsoft in Court Battle Elon Musk is demanding as much as $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming he deserves a share of what he calls their “wrongful gains” from his early involvement in founding the artificial intelligence company. The claim was detailed in a court filing submitted on Friday ahead of a trial expected to begin in April. Musk’s Claims Against OpenAI and Microsoft According to the filing, Musk argues that OpenAI profited between $65.5 billion and $109.4 billion from his early financial and reputational support, while Microsoft, OpenAI’s main investor…
U.S. Senate Approves Major Science Funding, Rejects Trump’s Proposed Cuts The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to approve billions of dollars in funding for key federal science agencies, firmly rejecting deep budget cuts proposed by President Donald Trump. The bipartisan bill secures significant financial support for NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reinforcing the government’s commitment to advancing research and innovation. Strong Backing for Scientific Research Under the legislation, the NSF will receive $8.75 billion for research initiatives, including projects in quantum information science, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. Democratic Senator Chris…
Social Media Platforms Remove Nearly Five Million Teen Accounts After Australian Ban Social media companies have deactivated nearly five million accounts belonging to Australian teenagers, just one month after the country enforced a world-first ban on users under 16, according to the eSafety Commissioner. The move marks one of the most significant crackdowns on youth social media use to date. Rapid Response to New Law The eSafety Commissioner confirmed that platforms had collectively removed around 4.7 million accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 to comply with a law that took effect on 10 December. Some companies began…
Elon Musk’s Grok Faces Global Crackdown over Sexualised AI Deepfakes Governments and regulators across Europe, Asia, and beyond are taking action against sexually explicit and non-consensual imagery generated by Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot, Grok, on the X platform. Authorities have launched investigations, imposed temporary bans, and demanded urgent safeguards amid growing fears that AI-generated deepfakes are fuelling online sexual exploitation. The European Commission, Britain’s Ofcom, and regulators in India, Indonesia, and Australia are among those leading the response. Officials say the sexualised “undressed” images produced by Grok represent serious privacy, safety, and legal concerns. European Regulators Lead Probes The European…