‘We want to take the language barrier out of the equation,’ CAMB.AI CEO tells Dutch tech show

Founded in 2023, CAMB.AI has emerged as a major player in the localization and live multilingual translation industry. (AN/File)
Founded in 2023, CAMB.AI has emerged as a major player in the localization and live multilingual translation industry. (AN/File)
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‘We want to take the language barrier out of the equation,’ CAMB.AI CEO tells Dutch tech show

‘We want to take the language barrier out of the equation,’ CAMB.AI CEO tells Dutch tech show
  • Avneesh Prakash said his Dubai-based startup provides AI-powered content translation in 150+ languages

AMSTERDAM: The CEO of Dubai-based AI-powered translation platform CAMB.AI said on Friday that his company is working to make the language barrier a thing of the past.

Speaking at the IBC 2025 tech show in Amsterdam, Avneesh Prakash said he envisions a “world which is free of language (barriers).”

Prakash continued: “We are working in languages — with the diversity of languages — and (what) we want is to take the language (barrier) out of the equation. Completely.”

CAMB.AI is an advanced AI speech synthesis and translation company which, Prakash said, enables the translation and localization of content — whether video, audio, or text — into more than 150 languages.

Prakash said CAMB.AI already works with major clients including Comcast, MLS, Google, and IMAX to “localize everything — from content to conversation, from sports, entertainment, healthcare, even spirituality.”

He added: “When you are on the right side of the language divide, when you get to consume the best possible content in the world available in a certain language, life seems good. Seems very fair. But when you are on the wrong side of the divide, life isn’t all that fair, right? Language should not divide.”

Less than 17 percent of people worldwide speak English, yet the majority of content is created with English speakers in mind, Prakash stated.

“Times are changing,” he continued. “Now we have some of the biggest OTT (Over-the-Top) hits which are not English originals. You have more foreign-language films at the Oscars. Indian and Saudi sports leagues are booming.”

Founded in 2023, CAMB.AI has emerged as a major player in the localization and live multilingual translation industry. Recently, the startup partnered with Vox Cinemas to convert a film originally shot in Arabic into multiple languages, including Mandarin.

It has also worked across live sporting events, including NASCAR races and Major League Soccer matches, converting live commentary into multiple languages in what Prakash described as a “first in the history of mankind.”

The company has released two language models: MARS, a text-to-speech model, and BOLI, a neural machine translation model.

Prakash explained that rather than providing “word-for-word translation,” the technology processes “content that makes sense and has meaning,” delivering translations within seconds.

“We don’t have to wait for something finished,” he said, claiming that the system works “while we preserve the soul of the original content — and that’s what differentiates us.

“We actually mimic the performance or the swirl or the emotions or the prosody of the original content,” he continued. “If there’s a stutter, we will stutter. We do zero-shot (learning) processing, and we stay true to what is happening right there, at that moment.”


Turkish hackers video call Israeli Defense Minister, leak his number online

Turkish hackers video call Israeli Defense Minister, leak his number online
Updated 26 sec ago

Turkish hackers video call Israeli Defense Minister, leak his number online

Turkish hackers video call Israeli Defense Minister, leak his number online
  • Hackers released screenshots of messages sent to Israel Katz via WhatsApp, which appeared to contain insults and threats, including “We will kill you”
  • The incident took place on Thursday evening, with other Knesset members reportedly being targeted on Friday

LONDON: A group of Turkish hackers reportedly managed to video call Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and subsequently leaked his phone number online.

According to local media reports, Katz accepted a video call from one of the hackers on Thursday evening, who then took a screenshot and published it online.

The hackers also released screenshots of multiple messages sent to Katz via WhatsApp, which appeared to contain insults and threats, including “We will kill you.”

“Hey Katz, never forget this, your death is near, we are the defenders of Qassam, we will bury you and your country in history,” read one of the messages, apparently referencing the armed wing of Hamas.

Israeli media reported that Katz had maintained the same phone number for several years and that it had previously been circulated in various groups. The number has since been blocked.

In a post on his X account, Katz claimed the hackers belonged to “organized Islamist-jihadist gangs from various countries around the world.”

He wrote: “Let them continue to call and threaten and I will continue to order the elimination of their fellow terrorist leaders.”

Other members of the ruling Likud party, including Ofir Katz, David Bitan, and Moshe Saada, have also been targeted by hackers, Israeli media reported Friday.

After reportedly receiving hundreds of WhatsApp video calls from unknown numbers, which they did not answer, the politicians also received text messages containing images of Palestinian flags.

It remains unclear whether the hackers accessed any sensitive information, or if the breach represents a broader security vulnerability.

In August 2024, while serving as foreign minister, Katz sparked controversy by attacking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on X, accusing him of turning Turkiye into a dictatorship due to his “support for the murderers and rapists of Hamas.”

The post included an AI-generated image of Erdogan against Istanbul’s backdrop with a burning Turkish flag, provoking outrage in Turkey.

Since assuming his role as defense minister in November, Katz has generated further controversy by reportedly spearheading plans to confine Palestinians in what critics have labeled a “concentration camp” built on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza.


India Today partners with CAMB.AI on AI-powered multilingual news translation

India Today partners with CAMB.AI on AI-powered multilingual news translation
Updated 12 September 2025

India Today partners with CAMB.AI on AI-powered multilingual news translation

India Today partners with CAMB.AI on AI-powered multilingual news translation
  • Under the partnership, the two organizations will collaborate in developing new language solutions tailored for India Today’s newsroom

LONDON: The India Today Group announced on Friday a partnership with CAMB.AI, a company that provides AI-powered multilingual communication, to roll out real-time translation and localization of its news content.

The collaboration, unveiled ahead of the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, marks India Today’s first tie-up with an AI firm for live multilingual news delivery, the media conglomerate said in a statement.

The media group said that the initiative aimed to make its coverage more accessible in Hindi, regional Indian languages, and for non-resident Indians abroad. Under the partnership, the two organizations will collaborate in developing new language solutions tailored for India Today’s newsroom.

Samkhya Edamaruku, India Today group managing editor — production, said that the partnership enabled inclusivity and expanded outreach of trusted journalism to a more diverse audience.

“By leveraging AI to overcome language barriers in news production, we’re dedicated to ensuring that quality information reaches everyone, contributing to a more informed and connected world,” she said.

CAMB.AI co-founder and CTO Akshat Prakash said that the partnership, CAMB.AI’s first in live news translation, supported the firm’s growth strategy in India and Southeast Asia, with further collaborations already underway to broaden the India Today Group’s reach.

Based in San Franciso and Dubai, CAMB.AI specializes in speech-to-speech translation and dubbing live sports events in more than 150 languages. Its technology allows live content to be translated while retaining tone and emotion of the speaker.

Under CAMB.AI for News, the company aims to expand its technologies to offer accessible live news to audiences regardless of language or region.

India Today, one of India’s largest media conglomerates founded in 1975, operates across television, print and digital platforms, including the Aaj Tak and Business Today brands. It has a reported monthly reach of more than 750 million people.


BBC criticizes news presenter for calling Hamas a ‘terror group’ amid ongoing Gaza coverage row

BBC criticizes news presenter for calling Hamas a ‘terror group’ amid ongoing Gaza coverage row
Updated 12 September 2025

BBC criticizes news presenter for calling Hamas a ‘terror group’ amid ongoing Gaza coverage row

BBC criticizes news presenter for calling Hamas a ‘terror group’ amid ongoing Gaza coverage row
  • BBC says it avoids directly labeling Hamas as a terrorist group, instead using the term only with attribution or when in a quote

LONDON: The BBC has censured one of its news presenters for referring to Hamas as a “terror group” as the UK public broadcaster faces mounting scrutiny over its coverage of the Gaza war and pressure from officials to adopt the label.

The broadcaster’s Executive Complaints Unit said on Thursday that the use of “terror group” in reference to Hamas in a June 15 news broadcast was a “breach of the BBC’s editorial standards.”

It added: “The finding was reported to the management of BBC News and discussed with the editorial team responsible.”

The BBC has resisted pressure from British and Israeli officials to label Hamas as terrorists in its news coverage. The ECU said on Thursday that, for “reasons connected with due accuracy and impartiality,” the BBC avoids directly labeling Hamas as a terrorist group, instead using the term only with attribution or when in a quote. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the UK, US and EU.

The BBC has faced accusations of bias from both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups for its coverage of the war in Gaza.

Earlier in February, the BBC cancelled the scheduled broadcast of a documentary about Gaza’s children after discovering its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The move, which was made following pressure from the UK government and pro-Israeli lobby groups, attracted widespread criticism from pro-Palestinian groups and activists.  

In June, the corporation decided not to broadcast a documentary about doctors working in Gaza due to “impartiality concerns.”


Amazon suspends Palestinian employee over protest against Israeli ties

Amazon suspends Palestinian employee over protest against Israeli ties
Updated 12 September 2025

Amazon suspends Palestinian employee over protest against Israeli ties

Amazon suspends Palestinian employee over protest against Israeli ties
  • Seattle-based Ahmed Shahrour accused Amazon of complicity in Israel’s war in Gaza through Project Nimbus

WASHINGTON: Amazon has suspended a Palestinian software engineer hours after he emailed senior executives and posted on internal Slack channels protesting the company’s ties with the Israeli government.

In his letter, Seattle-based Ahmed Shahrour accused Amazon of complicity in Israel’s war in Gaza through Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion joint contract signed with Google in 2021 to supply cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other technology services to the Israeli government and military.

Shahrour, who works at Amazon’s Whole Foods division, also criticized the company for silencing pro-Palestinian voices and dismissing workers’ complaints. His letter, addressed to executives including CEO Andy Jassy, was simultaneously shared across several internal Slack channels.

“Every day I write code at Whole Foods, I remember my brothers and sisters in Gaza being starved by Israel’s man-made blockade,” wrote Shahrour, an Amazon employee for over three years. “I live in a state of constant dissonance: Maintaining the tools that make this company profit, while my people are burned and starved with the help of that very profit. I am left with no choice but to resist directly.”

He urged Amazon colleagues to support a new worker-led Palestinian campaign calling on the company to end its involvement in Project Nimbus.

Two hours after Shahrour sent his letter, Amazon revoked his access to all company systems and emails, informing him he was suspended “with pay until further notice” pending an investigation.

“It has come to Amazon’s attention that a post you made in multiple internal company Slack channels may violate multiple policies. Effective immediately, you are being suspended pending investigation with pay until further notice,” a senior HR representative said in a formal email to Shahrour seen by Arab News.

Shahrour told Arab News he has not been informed which policies he allegedly violated as he awaits contact from an employee relations investigator on the next steps. He added that the company has since deleted his statement from all Slack channels.

In a statement to Arab News, Amazon Spokesperson Brad Glasser said: “We don’t tolerate discrimination, harassment, or threatening behavior or language of any kind in our workplace, and when any conduct of that nature is reported, we investigate it and take appropriate action based on our findings.”

Tech companies have recently come under pressure from employees to cut ties with the Israeli government, whose military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 people, left tens of thousands injured, and triggered widespread famine that has claimed lives and deepened a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

Last month, Microsoft fired four employees for participating in protests on company premises against its ties with Israel, including two who took part in a sit-in at the office of the company’s president.

The action followed earlier dismissal of two employees in April who disrupted Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebrations in similar protests. Terminations drew criticism among activists who accused major tech firms of cracking down on pro-Palestinian speech.

Despite his suspension, Shahrour and community supporters distributed flyers outside the company’s Seattle headquarters to protest Amazon’s work with Israel.

In his letter, he voiced concerns over the discriminate treatment of Palestinian workers. He noted that two days after the Oct. 7, 2023 war, Amazon’s Jassy “sent an email expressing sympathy for Israeli hostages without a single acknowledgment of Palestinian lives.”

“This was a blatant act of white supremacy, signaling that brown lives are worth less. My family is less. I am less,” said Shahrour, an Amazon employee for more than three years.

As part of his broader complaints about the company’s dismissal of worker concerns, he criticized Amazon’s failure to act after more than 1,700 employees submitted a petition to Jassy in December 2023 urging the company to rescind all contracts with the Israeli military and to call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire.

He added that he saw “racist vitriol” on the company’s public Slack channels targeting Palestinians. “Yet, when Palestinian employees and allies attempted to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, their posts were immediately censored and deleted.”

A Palestinian worker, he said, received a written warning for sharing an article about American doctors volunteering in Gaza. “At least one worker was terminated for speaking out,” Shahrour added.


‘World treating us with indifference,’ Renowned Gaza journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh says

‘World treating us with indifference,’ Renowned Gaza journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh says
Updated 11 September 2025

‘World treating us with indifference,’ Renowned Gaza journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh says

‘World treating us with indifference,’ Renowned Gaza journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh says
  • Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief lost his wife, 3 children and grandchild in airstrikes
  • Lack of media coverage ‘more painful than being at the receiving end of missiles and bullets’

LONDON: A journalist who runs Al Jazeera’s bureau in Gaza has accused the international community of treating the victims of Israel’s war with indifference, amid the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

In an interview with Sky News, Wael Al-Dahdouh reflected on his personal loss.

“Why should I lose my wife, my lifelong friend and partner, my son, my daughter?” he said.

Al-Dahdouh’s wife Amna, 15-year-old son Mahmoud, 7-year-old daughter Sham and grandchild Adam were killed during an airstrike on the Nuseirat camp in October, where they had sought refuge after being displaced from their homes.

He learned of their deaths while live on air, in a moment that became emblematic of the war’s personal and professional toll. Weeks later, his eldest son Hamza was killed in a separate Israeli strike in southern Gaza in January 2024.

Hamza was working as a reporter at the time. Mahmoud had also hoped one day to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a journalist.

Al-Dahdouh said he was disillusioned by the lack of media coverage the war was getting around the world.

“Why do they treat us with such indifference? Is it because of the color of our skin? Or the color of our eyes? Aren’t we all created equal after all?” he said.

The journalist, who was speaking from Qatar, where he was taken after being injured in a separate airstrike, has voiced strong criticism of Israel’s military campaign and accused it of engaging in a genocidal campaign.

He also highlighted the difficulty of reporting from within Gaza. Israel prevents foreign media from entering Gaza, leaving local journalists to cover the war and endure its impact.

“It wasn’t enough, it wasn’t as objective as we thought it should have been, the lack of adherence to norms and standards of journalism,” Al-Dahdouh said.

“That feeling sometimes was even more painful than being at the receiving end of missiles and bullets.”

The local journalists felt, “as though we are being left alone,” he said.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, nearly 200 journalists and media workers — almost all Palestinian —have been killed in the conflict. Other organizations have said the death toll could be as high as 270.

Rights groups and the international community have repeatedly accused Israel of deliberately targeting journalists to prevent news reports from getting out of Gaza. Some have said its actions could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israeli officials have justified the killing of reporters, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and five colleagues, by claiming they were Hamas operatives.

Al-Dahdouh said the Israeli military had accused him and his colleagues of involvement with militant activities, which he described as “false and misleading attempts to justify the killing of our colleagues” and to avoid accountability.

Without local journalists, “nobody would have known about the genocide and the tragedies that have been going on,” he said.

He warned that the world must not assume the horrors unfolding in Gaza are distant or irrelevant.

“If nobody does anything, those who perpetrate these crimes will encourage others elsewhere to do the same and one day the fire will reach you in your own homes and houses,” he said.

“By then, what can we do? It might be too late. We may not survive as a nation but what are you going to do?”