home / skills / openclaw / skills / news-summary

news-summary skill

/skills/joargp/news-summary

This skill fetches and summarizes trusted international news from RSS feeds, delivering concise briefs and optional voice-ready audio.

npx playbooks add skill openclaw/skills --skill news-summary

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (2)
SKILL.md
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---
name: news-summary
description: This skill should be used when the user asks for news updates, daily briefings, or what's happening in the world. Fetches news from trusted international RSS feeds and can create voice summaries.
---

# News Summary

## Overview

Fetch and summarize news from trusted international sources via RSS feeds.

## RSS Feeds

### BBC (Primary)
```bash
# World news
curl -s "https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/world/rss.xml"

# Top stories
curl -s "https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml"

# Business
curl -s "https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/business/rss.xml"

# Technology
curl -s "https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/technology/rss.xml"
```

### Reuters
```bash
# World news
curl -s "https://www.reutersagency.com/feed/?best-regions=world&post_type=best"
```

### NPR (US perspective)
```bash
curl -s "https://feeds.npr.org/1001/rss.xml"
```

### Al Jazeera (Global South perspective)
```bash
curl -s "https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml"
```

## Parse RSS

Extract titles and descriptions:
```bash
curl -s "https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/world/rss.xml" | \
  grep -E "<title>|<description>" | \
  sed 's/<[^>]*>//g' | \
  sed 's/^[ \t]*//' | \
  head -30
```

## Workflow

### Text summary
1. Fetch BBC world headlines
2. Optionally supplement with Reuters/NPR
3. Summarize key stories
4. Group by region or topic

### Voice summary
1. Create text summary
2. Generate voice with OpenAI TTS
3. Send as audio message

```bash
curl -s https://api.openai.com/v1/audio/speech \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "tts-1-hd",
    "input": "<news summary text>",
    "voice": "onyx",
    "speed": 0.95
  }' \
  --output /tmp/news.mp3
```

## Example Output Format

```
๐Ÿ“ฐ News Summary [date]

๐ŸŒ WORLD
- [headline 1]
- [headline 2]

๐Ÿ’ผ BUSINESS
- [headline 1]

๐Ÿ’ป TECH
- [headline 1]
```

## Best Practices

- Keep summaries concise (5-8 top stories)
- Prioritize breaking news and major events
- For voice: ~2 minutes max
- Balance perspectives (Western + Global South)
- Cite source if asked

Overview

This skill fetches and summarizes current events from trusted international RSS feeds to produce concise text or voice briefings. It compiles top headlines, groups stories by region or topic, and can generate short audio summaries for quick listening. Designed for daily briefings, breaking-news alerts, or quick world snapshots.

How this skill works

The skill pulls articles from curated RSS sources like BBC, Reuters, NPR, and Al Jazeera, parses titles and descriptions, and selects the most relevant items. It generates a compact summary (5โ€“8 top stories), organizes items by category or region, and optionally converts the summary to a short voice file using a text-to-speech service. Outputs include a formatted text briefing and an audio file suitable for messaging or playback.

When to use it

  • When the user asks for a daily news briefing or headlines.
  • To get a quick, balanced snapshot of world, business, or tech news.
  • When you need a short audio summary for hands-free listening.
  • To monitor breaking news across multiple reputable sources.
  • For concise updates before meetings or travel.

Best practices

  • Limit summaries to 5โ€“8 top stories to keep briefings focused.
  • Prioritize breaking news and major developments over minor items.
  • Balance sources to include both Western and Global South perspectives.
  • Group stories by region (WORLD, BUSINESS, TECH) for quick scanning.
  • Keep voice summaries under two minutes for listener retention.
  • Cite original sources or provide links if the user requests more detail.

Example use cases

  • Morning 2โ€‘minute briefing with global headlines grouped by region.
  • Send an audio summary to a mobile chat when breaking news occurs.
  • Provide business and tech highlights before a team meeting.
  • Offer a concise world-news snapshot for users short on time.
  • Supplement in-depth briefings by linking to full articles for follow-up reading.

FAQ

Which news sources are used?

The skill uses trusted international RSS feeds such as BBC, Reuters, NPR, and Al Jazeera to ensure a balanced view.

Can I get audio summaries?

Yes. The skill can convert the text summary into a short TTS audio file optimized for about two minutes of playback.