ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) users faced a major internet outage on Tuesday evening, disrupting connectivity across the country. Not as much but other ISPs like Nayatel, StormFiber, etc. also reported disruptions.
According to Downdetector, complaints about PTCL services began to spike around 9:30 PM PKT and quickly crossed 2,400 reports within minutes, marking significant service disruptions in recent months.
Users from major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar reported either complete service outages or severe slowdowns.
While the cause of the disruption remains unclear, experts suggest that such widespread outages are often linked to issues in the fiber backbone network or submarine internet cables that Pakistan relies on for international connectivity.
A PTCL spokesperson confirmed the disruption in a statement, saying:
“We are currently facing data connectivity challenges on our PTCL and Ufone services. Our teams are diligently working to restore the services as quickly as possible. We regret any inconvenience caused.”
Sources suggest it is due to an issue with upstream service provider, all ISPs are affected.
This isn’t the first time Pakistan has faced nationwide connectivity issues. In previous years, internet slowdowns and blackouts have been attributed to submarine cable faults, which can take hours or even days to repair.
Meanwhile, users are resorting to mobile data services to stay connected, but many complain that cellular networks are also experiencing congestion due to the sudden surge in traffic.
Israel has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday over a new Gaza ceasefire plan accepted by Hamas amid mounting pressure for a truce in a war that has claimed more than 62,000 Palestinian lives.
After mass protests in Israel demanding a deal to secure the release of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza, it appeared that Hamas had reduced its demands over a prisoners-for-hostages exchange as well as over the scope of an Israeli-demanded “security buffer zone”.
Under reported details of the proposed plan, about half of the remaining living hostages, as well as bodies, would be released in a phased deal in exchange for about 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, some serving life sentences, during an envisaged 60-day ceasefire.
While Israel has said it is no longer interested in a partial deal, instead threatening an imminent new large-scale offensive to capture Gaza City, the details of the new ceasefire proposal bring it very close to the outline of a deal initially suggested by Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, has recently visited Qatar amid speculation that talks are more active than officially acknowledged by Israel.
Israeli officials have briefed that Benjamin Netanyahu will convene talks on the proposal in the next few days.A senior Israeli official told AFP the government’s stance had not changed and demanded the release of all hostages in any deal.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal agreed by Hamas was “almost identical” to an earlier plan put forward by Witkoff. Hamas had given a “very positive response, and it truly was almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to”, the spokesperson said.
Egypt said on Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel and “the ball is now in its court”.
Reports emerged on Tuesday that Egyptian security officials were putting strong pressure on Hamas to agree to a compromise that would bridge the gap for Israel’s demands for Gaza’s demilitarisation in any future peace deal by placing Hamas’s weapons in Egyptian custody for an undisclosed period.
With Hamas’s agreement, the focus will now be on Israel, which is under mounting international pressure to accept a ceasefire amid international horror over widespread conditions of starvation that have spread through the Palestinian territory after Israel earlier this year imposed a complete blockade on aid entering Gaza.
While Israel is now letting some supplies into the Gaza Strip, it is not enough to avert widespread starvation, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday. Its spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan told a press briefing in Geneva: “In the past few weeks Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that remain far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation.”
He said the risk of starvation in Gaza was a “direct result of the Israeli government’s policy of blocking humanitarian aid”. Israel’s military agency that coordinates aid, Cogat, has said Israel invests “considerable efforts” in aid distribution to Gaza, a claim rejected by many in the international community.
While any prospect of a ceasefire is rejected by Netanyahu’s far-right allies who have again suggested they could collapse his fragile governing coalition, the scale of mass protests in favour of a deal that would secure the return of Israeli hostages is creating its own dynamic, with more demonstrations being called for this weekend.
On Tuesday, Israeli media analysts suggested that a vacillating Netanyahu, whose position has lurched abruptly between supporting a partial deal for a ceasefire and rejecting it, would be compelled to choose a course of action, not least if the White House backs the ceasefire terms.
“Just two weeks ago he changed his tune and went from insisting on a partial deal to vehemently demanding a comprehensive deal,” wrote Amos Harel in Haaretz of Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court over allegations of war crimes in Gaza. “As usual, everything is fluid and flexible: Netanyahu will change his arguments and explanations, and may even covertly encourage internal opposition, as long as he can afford to avoid signing a deal.
“If circumstances become impossible for him, due either to a demand from Trump or persistent and severe public outcry, the deal will be signed despite the risks it poses for him.”
Israel protests erupt nationwide to demand end of Gaza war – video
Facing a full resumption of his trial on corruption charges in the autumn, the most significant of those risks is that Netanyahu’s government falls and he is compelled to call new elections.
Writing in the centre-right Yedioth Ahronoth, Ben-Dror Yemini was equally scathing about Netanyahu’s leadership and the consequences of rejection of the new proposal. “What now? If Israel says no, it will walk into the trap that Hamas prepared. Because if the talk – and it’s only talk – about conquering Gaza City has already begun to produce increasing calls for sanctions [against Israel], then a military incursion into Gaza will only precipitate an even stronger avalanche,” he wrote.
“We have to bear in mind that things can always get worse. And if an Israeli incursion into Gaza City, along with all of the horrific images of destruction, devastation and fatalities, is going to precipitate this avalanche, then going into Gaza City after Hamas said yes to the Witkoff plan – and after Israel refused – will only worsen the avalanche. Once again, Hamas’s strategy will be proven as far more intelligent than Israel’s.”
Sony has announced the arrival of the first-ever Legendary Warbond for Helldivers 2, and it comes with a crossover many fans have long speculated about. The Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond will go live on 26 August, bringing with it a full suite of weapons, armour sets, and cosmetics inspired by the iconic Halo 3: ODST.
The collaboration introduces the “Obedient Democracy Support Troopers” or ODST, better known as the Helljumpers, into the fight for Managed Democracy. Players will be able to outfit their Helldivers with gear that echoes the legendary squad, complete with authentic details and battlefield utility.
Iconic weaponry The Warbond features an arsenal tailored for both all-out combat and stealth operations. The MA5C Assault Rifle makes its debut, equipped with an ammo counter and compass for battlefield navigation. The M6C/SOCOM Pistol includes a suppressor, a first for Helldivers 2, alongside a laser sight and flashlight for covert engagements. For close-quarters encounters, the M90A Shotgun arrives with heavy stopping power and a mounted flashlight. Rounding off the selection is the M7S SMG, a suppressed, caseless weapon designed for precision and quiet manoeuvres.
New armour sets Two distinct armour options are available. The A-9 Helljumper Armour Set pays homage to a decorated Lance Corporal of ODST renown, offering a “Feet First” passive ability. Meanwhile, the sleeker A-35 Recon Armour Set is inspired by an intelligence officer’s combat gear, also carrying the “Feet First” boost, which reduces movement noise, improves detection range by 30 per cent and grants immunity to leg injuries.
Capes and cosmetics Players can further customise their Helldivers with themed capes, such as the Honoured Heirloom, bearing the ODST insignia, and the Eye of the Clandestine, designed for those who prefer the shadows. The crossover also extends to ODST-themed player cards, a new title, and a “Mean Green” pattern for vehicles and equipment, including hellpods and exosuits.
Pricing and availability The Legendary Warbond will be available from the Acquisitions Centre at 1,500 Super Credits – a higher price point than standard Warbonds, reflecting its expanded content. Sony also confirmed that Legendary Warbonds will not be compatible with the new Premium Warbond Token launching on the same day.
The Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond goes live on 26 August at 5am PT / 1pm BST, marking a major moment for both series’ communities.
Four-time Olympic tennis gold medallist Venus Williams‘s dream of a maiden mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open 2025 ended in the first round Tuesday (19 August) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. She and fellow American Reilly Opelka lost to Andrey Rublev and Karolina Muchova, 4-2, 5-4.
The two Americans were broken early, losing their second service game as Williams served. That was the only opening that Muchova and Rublev needed to take the opening set 4-2.
In the second set, it was even through to three games all. Then, Williams stepped up to serve again and got into a sticky situation early, down 15-40. But, urged on by an adoring New York crowd, Williams and Opelka fought off one break point before Williams saved the second with an ace.
The Americans won the game for a 4-3 lead. An easy hold on Muchova’s serve pushed the match to a seven-point tiebreak.
Rublev and Muchova claimed the second set, taking the tiebreak 7-4.
Williams, 45 is making her return to Grand Slam tennis following a two-year hiatus. She made an age-defying singles comeback at the DC Open in July, where she won her opening match against Peyton Stearns, becoming the second-oldest player to win a tour-level singles match. She then lost against Magdalena Frech in the next round.
This week’s mixed doubles matches are best-of-three sets up to four games, with no-advantage at deuce resulting in a ‘golden point’ instead to decide the game. If level at a set apiece, the third set will be in the format of a 10-point match tiebreak.
The mixed doubles final, scheduled for Wednesday (20 August), will take place in the original format of best-of-three sets up to six games, though incorporating the no-advantage rule and super tiebreak up to 10 points.
Rublev and Muchova will face Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in the quarterfinals later Tuesday.
[This story includes major spoilers from past Scream films.]
Incoming: Another anonymous phone call.
For nearly three decades, the Scream franchise has seen iconic final girl Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell) outlive the numerous killers that hide behind Ghostface’s mask while attacking Sidney, her friends and anyone else who gets in the way.
The original Scream movie debuted in 1996 and was directed by the late Wes Craven, as were its sequels through 2011’s Scream 4. Seven years after Craven died in 2015, the slasher franchise was revived in 2022 with Scream, directed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. That film honored Craven and saw the return of Campbell, along with original franchise stars Courteney Cox and David Arquette. However, Campbell was absent from the most recent sequel, 2023’s Scream VI.
Also missing from the franchise’s future are Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, who led the two revival films. They were both set to star in Scream 7 until Barrera was fired in November 2023 due to her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war. Shortly after being let go, Ortega also exited the project — but voluntarily.
Since the franchise was revamped three years ago, the new Ghostface killers have only gotten more violent. But in Ashley Cullins’ Scream tell-all book, Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror, Scream 7‘s director, Kevin Williamson, revealed that with Campbell coming back, she wanted less gore. “Neve wants to go back to the first one and find the suspense and really concentrate on scary and not bloody,” he said.
But with Scream 7 on the horizon, it’s safe to expect betrayals and key characters returning to the franchise as it prepares to make a killer return next year.
Read on for all the details The Hollywood Reporter has on the next installment.
When Will ‘Scream 7’ Be Released?
Image Credit: Everett Collection
On Oct. 1, 2024, Campbell and Kevin Williamson, who penned the script to Craven’s ’96 film, announced in a joint post on Instagram that Scream 7 will be released by Paramount on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. “It’s gonna be a killer 2026. #Scream7,” read the caption to a photo of its calendar date.
How Did the Last Film End?
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group
The end of Scream VI saw Barrera and Ortega make it out alive following the brutal attacks of three Ghostfaces: Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato) and Ethan Landry (Jack Champion). And after the villains are killed with help from Kirby — played by Hayden Panettiere, who returned to the franchise for the first time since Scream 4 — Sam (Barrera) and Tara (Ortega)’s relationship grows closer.
Earlier in the film, Gale (Cox) survives being stabbed several times by a Ghostface in her apartment, but before she passes out, she says, “Tell Sidney he never got me.” More survivors include siblings Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding).
The Legacy Trio Is Coming Back
Image Credit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images; Leon Bennett/Getty Images; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Yes, the three main characters in the Scream franchise, Sidney Prescott (Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) are all returning. And one is even coming back from the dead.
Campbell was first out of the group, and she announced she was coming back in March 2024, after not appearing in Scream VI due to a salary dispute with its producer Spyglass. In the book, Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror, Campbell elaborated about why she left the franchise and then decided to return for No. 7.
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk on set if I wasn’t being paid what I deserve after decades of doing these films. I love these movies and the idea of them carrying on without me made me sad, but it wasn’t worth feeling disrespected,” she said. “So, I didn’t watch the movie, and I didn’t pay any attention to how it was doing. I love all those actors. I have no ill will towards anybody who made the movie. I’m happy for anyone who gets to be a part of these films. But, for me, it wasn’t the right decision to go and be in the film. And now, in the end, it’s come back around and I’m very grateful.”
In December 2024, Cox signed on to return as well. The Friends alum was last in Scream VI where she survived another stabbing.
Arquette, who was married to Cox in real-life and in the franchise, joined the project in March 2025. However, it’s unclear how Dewey is returning since he was killed in 2022’s Scream by Amber, played by Mikey Madison — the only Ghostface who’s won an Oscar.
Who Else Is in the Cast?
Image Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Matthew Lillard, who played Stu Macher, the original co-Ghostface killer (along with Skeet Ulrich), is returning. So are Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, who play siblings Chad and Mindy in the revival films. Scream 3‘s Ghostface, Roman Bridger, who is also Sidney’s half-brother, played by Scott Foley, is coming back, too.
New additions to the cast include Joel McHale, Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, Isabel May, Michelle Randolph, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, Jimmy Tatro, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann and Sam Rechner.
And What Have They Teased?
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media
Lillard told CBR earlier this month that he was “a little nervous” about playing Stu again. “I don’t want to be the one who ends up killing the franchise forever,” he said. “I’m hopeful that, you know, we deliver. Having Kevin back, having Neve in the fold again as the lead hero. You know, I think that the future is bright.”
Foley, another Ghostface alum who supposedly died, appeared on Good Morning America in March to discuss his return. “My character — spoiler alert —25 years ago, I was the killer in Scream 3. He was brutally taken to town and killed,” he said. “Now I’m back in Scream 7, and I’m not sure how it’s going to work.” He said on Live! with Kelly and Mark that he has a “small part.”
Dewey’s appearance in Scream 7 “wasn’t supposed to be released, it was supposed to be a surprise,” Arquette told ComingSoon.net last month. “I’m not really supposed to talk about it too much, but Kevin Williamson was directing and that was a real thrill. And it’s amazing to see him be able to have that opportunity and to get Neve back in this one, and Matthew, I mean it’s it’s exciting. I love playing the role of Dewey and will always love playing the role of Dewey.”
Gooding teased how violent viewers can expect the new Ghostface to be. “This is the most brutal I think Ghostface has been from an anatomically logistical standpoint,” he told Just Jared in February. “There is a lot of blood and viscera, and I feel like with Kevin Williamson directing, fans have a lot to look forward to with what we do to these characters.”
Who Is Directing?
Image Credit: Getty Images
Williamson directs Scream 7. He penned the scripts for Scream, Scream 2 and Scream 4 and executive produced Scream (2022).
The screenwriter took over directing duties from Christopher Landon, originally set to helm the film before exiting in December 2023. The Drop director tweeted at the time, “It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare.” Last month, he revealed to Vanity Fair that he left the project because of the death threats he received from fans, who blamed him for Barrera’s departure. However, he sent the record straight, saying he “did not fire her” and “had no control of the situation at all.”
In Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror, Landon further explained: “I made my decision to walk away about a week after they fired [Melissa]. There was no movie anymore. The whole script was about her. I didn’t sign on to make a Scream movie,” he said. “I signed on to make that movie. When that movie no longer existed, I moved on.”
Who Are the Other Creatives?
Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick wrote the script. They co-wrote the previous revival films, Scream and Scream VI. The Radio Silence team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villella will executive produce.
Composer Marco Beltrami, who scored the first four installments, is also returning.
What’s the Plot?
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media
While there hasn’t been an official logline posted for the film, Campbell will play a bigger role in this installment than she did in Scream (2022). “We are going to follow Sidney,” the actress told Entertainment Tonight in July 2024.
In Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror, Williamson teased that he intends to keep the iconic final girl’s title intact. “I have made it very clear, I think publicly too, that Sidney has been through so much torment, and she has been through so much trauma, that to give her anything less than a happy ending is mean. It’s just sacrilegious,” he said.
For Campbell, her priority is focusing on Sidney’s family. “Think about how challenging it would be to make the choice to even have a child if you were Sidney Prescott. Then, if you did have children, the stress and fear that you would live under about your history coming back to you,” she said. “I don’t want to give it away, but how she chooses to parent is a big choice and perhaps different than how others might.”
May was cast as Sidney’s daughter, and McHale plays Mark Evans, Sidney’s husband.
As an important aside, proposed changes to the Supplementary Leverage Ratio (SLR) for big US banks can add to bank demand for Treasuries and Repo. That said, banks won’t rush to buy. A skew on balance sheets is more likely to be gradual. Banks are lenders first, and credit hasn’t been notably constrained, especially with high reserves.
Is this impactful for Treasuries? For sure, if up-front inflows dominate. But a more gradual application would be less impactful. Still, it’s a positive impulse. Just as the backing of stablecoins with Treasury bills is a positive for bills demand in the medium term, it also has a potential multi-trillion-dollar demand effect. Again, a positive. But this will only have a meaningful impact if accelerated, as supply is increasing significantly too.
It can also impact the weighting between bank cash reserves and their holdings of Treasuries. We’ll continue to monitor this important space.
Tools that turn speech into text not only save time, Zhicheng Lin finds, but also allow him to multitask and to participate fully in meetings.Credit: Zhicheng Lin
For most academics, the sound of typing is the sound of progress. But it’s also the sound of a bottleneck — a slow, physically taxing process that stands between our ideas and the page. We accept this as a necessary part of the job, but should we?
Last year, persistent wrist pain from hours spent hunched over a keyboard forced me to question that necessity. The solution, I found, was to reclaim my voice. Modern dictation tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) allowed me to compose text at a conversational speed, easily outpacing even the most proficient typists (who achieve a maximum of around 80 words per minute) with my natural speaking cadence of 130 words per minute or more. The ergonomic benefits were immediate.
Although voice-to-text software now boasts remarkable accuracy, these tools remain largely untapped in academic workflows. They are often perceived as accessibility aids or tools for quick voice memos rather than instruments for scholarly production. This is a missed opportunity. A strategic voice-based workflow can transform how we capture ideas, draft manuscripts and engage with research.
Transcription
Academic work thrives on fleeting insights. Ideas emerge on walks between buildings, in the shower and in the middle of the night. They surface during interviews with research participants, emerge from seminar discussions and crystallize during informal conversations with colleagues. Conventional note-taking forces us to choose between participating fully in the moment and scrambling to jot down what’s happening. Transcription eliminates this compromise.
Transcription converts existing audio recordings into text: the audio exists first, the text follows. Recording a meeting allows you to engage completely, avoiding the distraction of manual note-taking. The resulting transcript becomes a searchable archive of decisions, insights and action points. For researchers conducting interviews, automated transcription transforms hours of playback and typing into minutes of review and annotation.
Perhaps most importantly, transcription makes it easy to capture ideas when it would be difficult to write them down. Mulling over a research problem while walking to campus? Recording thoughts on your phone takes seconds. Lying in bed when a solution to a methodological challenge suddenly becomes clear? Voice memos preserve the insight without requiring you to reach for paper or a laptop.
There are psychological benefits, too. Speaking our thoughts aloud allows us to bypass the internal editor that often stalls written expression. A blank page can be intimidating, but a voice recorder simply listens.
Dictation
Dictation, by contrast, produces text as you speak. In this instance, speech replaces the keyboard. Dictation is compositional rather than retrospective, demanding focused attention, but at the speed of thought rather than of fingers. For first drafts, e-mail responses or reviewer comments, this acceleration compounds quickly.
But viewing it simply as a means of increasing speed undersells dictation’s value. Physical relief from keyboard work addresses an occupational hazard. Academic careers span decades; repetitive strain injuries accumulate silently until they become debilitating. Dictation offers not just efficiency, but also sustainability.
Moreover, the technology enables us to truly multitask. Dictating while walking transforms commutes into writing sessions. Simple physical activities — folding laundry, organizing shelves or taking light exercise — can accompany composition without compromising either task. This reclaims otherwise dead time for productive work.
Building your voice workflow
Effective voice integration requires the matching of tools to tasks and the development of new routines around both transcription and dictation. Start with low-stakes applications to build comfort before tackling important work.
For basic recording, you might already have all you need. Apple’s Voice Memos, for example, can handle most academic recording needs adequately.
For sensitive material requiring offline processing, MacWhisper transcribes entirely on your device — a capability crucial for sensitive interviews and confidential discussions. The software can also handle batch processing and accepts various audio formats, and offers a one-time licence purchase rather than a recurring fee. (SpeechPulse is another option, for both Mac and PC users.)
If cloud-based options appeal, Google AI Studio provides free transcription through multimodal large language models (LLMs) such as Gemini 2.5 Pro, although it does also use your data for training purposes. ChatGPT record mode (currently available for paid subscribers on macOS) records, transcribes and automatically generates structured summaries in an editable workspace. Users can also request the original transcript or edit it by giving the AI conversational commands, or prompts. Otter and Granola excel at meeting transcription with automatic speaker identification and summary generation, and ElevenLabs’ Scribe provides high-accuracy transcription.
On the dictation front, computers and phones include basic features, but specialized tools often perform better. For maximum accuracy, I prefer Aqua Voice (for which free, paid and group tiers are available). Its Deep Context feature uses on-screen context — such as the active application and visible text — to improve recognition of domain-specific terms and to apply context-appropriate formatting. It also supports a dictionary of custom words.
For cross-platform work, consider Wispr Flow, which is available for macOS, Windows and iPhone, and has both free and paid tiers. Users of Apple devices might also consider MacWhisper, SuperWhisper or Spokenly, which offer both local and cloud-based processing.
Meta is rolling out an AI-powered voice translation feature to all users on Facebook and Instagram globally, the company announced on Tuesday.
The new feature, which is available in any market where Meta AI is available, allows creators to translate content into other languages so it can be viewed by a broader audience.
The feature was first announced at Meta’s Connect developer conference last year, where the company said it would pilot test automatic translations of creators’ voices in reels across both Facebook and Instagram.
Meta notes that the AI translations will use the sound and tone of the creator’s own voice to make the dubbed voice sound authentic when translating the content to a new language.
In addition, creators can optionally use a lip sync feature to align the translation with their lip movements, which makes it seem more natural.
Image Credits:Meta
At launch, the feature supports translations from English to Spanish and vice versa, with more languages to be added over time. These AI translations are available to Facebook creators with 1,000 or more followers and all public Instagram accounts globally, where Meta AI is offered.
To access the option, creators can click on “Translate your voice with Meta AI” before publishing their reel. Creators can then toggle the button to turn on translations and choose if they want to include lip syncing, too. When they click “Share now” to publish their reel, the translation will be available automatically.
Creators can view translations and lip syncs before they’re posted publicly, and can toggle off either option at any time. (Rejecting the translation won’t impact the original reel, the company notes.) Viewers watching the translated reel will see a notice at the bottom that indicates it was translated with Meta AI. Those who don’t want to see translated reels in select languages can disable this in the settings menu.
Image Credits:Meta
Creators are also gaining access to a new metric in their Insights panel, where they can see their views by language. This can help them better understand how their content is reaching new audiences via translations — something that will be more helpful as additional languages are supported over time.
Meta recommends that creators who want to use the feature face forward, speak clearly, and avoid covering their mouth when recording. Minimal background noise or music also helps. The feature only supports up to two speakers, and they should not talk over each other for the translation to work.
Plus, Facebook creators will be able to upload up to 20 of their own dubbed audio tracks to a reel to expand their audience beyond those in English or Spanish-speaking markets. This is offered in the “Closed captions and translations” section of the Meta Business Suite, and supports the addition of translations both before and after publishing, unlike the AI feature.
Meta says more languages will be supported in the future, but did not detail which ones would be next to come or when.
“We believe there are lots of amazing creators out there who have potential audiences who don’t necessarily speak the same language,” explained Instagram head Adam Mosseri, in a post on Instagram. “And if we can help you reach those audiences who speak other languages, reach across cultural and linguistic barriers, we can help you grow your following and get more value out of Instagram and the platform.”
The launch of the AI feature comes as multiple reports indicate that Meta is restructuring its AI group again to focus on four key areas, including research, superintelligence, products, and infrastructure.
‘Harry Potter’ Star Opens Up For First Time About ‘Dream Role’ in Upcoming HBO Series originally appeared on Parade.
Fans still have quite a bit of time before the release of HBO’s highly anticipated Harry Potter series, with the network currently aiming for a release window of early 2027.
But as expected, speculation about the series has been running rampant for the past several months, leading to fans seizing upon every bit of information they can about the upcoming fantasy series.
Speaking with BBC News, 11-year-old actor Dominic McLaughlin, who’s officially set to portray the title character following Daniel Radcliffe’s lengthy stint in the Harry Potter film series, spoke about his casting in the mainstream HBO series, as well as the “surreal” experience he had of donning the character’s signature costume for the first time.
Asked by the BBC News team what it was like to play the famed Boy Who Lived, McLaughlin replied, ““A bit surreal to be honest, because I was always a huge Harry Potter fan when I was younger. And it was like the dream role, of course, so I’m thrilled to be able to be doing it.”
Details about the publicized Harry Potter remake have been kept tightly under wraps, but the brand-new series remains in active development in the United Kingdom.
Along with McLaughlin, several other prominent casting announcements were made about some of the show’s key characters, including Arabella Stanton’s casting as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout’s casting as Ron Weasley.
In addition to the three young co-stars, HBO has also confirmed appearances from several other well-known actors, including Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore.
Several other recurring actors were also announced, including Luke Thallon as Professor Quirinus Quirrel, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Bertie Carvel as Minister Cornelius Fudge, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.
‘Harry Potter’ Star Opens Up For First Time About ‘Dream Role’ in Upcoming HBO Series first appeared on Parade on Aug 19, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
