The annual District Correspondents’ Conference of United News of Bangladesh (UNB) 2025 took place on Saturday at Cosmos Centre in Dhaka, focusing on neutrality in journalism and the evolving media landscape. Renowned photojournalist and educator Shahidul Alam inaugurated the daylong event with a session on photojournalism, emphasising accuracy, quality and creativity in capturing news images. Two-day fact-checking workshop concludes at UNB Alam, the founder of Drik Picture Library and Pathshala, also analysed photographs by both global and local photographers. UNB Emeritus Editor Enayetullah Khan underscored the agency’s steadfast commitment to neutrality, stating that despite transformations in Bangladesh's media landscape, UNB has remained unaffected. He highlighted that public trust in UNB is rooted in its dedication to factual reporting. UNB Executive Editor Nahar Khan welcomed the participants and discussed the evolving challenges and opportunities in journalism. She stressed the importance of integrity and innovation in the profession, citing examples of impactful reporting that prompted swift government action. The conference featured sessions on environmental reporting, fact-checking, media law and discussions with newsroom members and district correspondents. Among the notable speakers were Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center; media personality Afsan Chowdhury; WildTeam CEO Dr Anwarul Islam; Supreme Court lawyer Zahirul Islam Musa; Cosmos Goup DMD Masud J. Khan; UNB Advisory Editor Farid Hossain; Editor Mahfuzur Rahman; and Dhaka Courier Executive Editor Shayan S Khan. Two-day fact-checking training begins at UNB Three UNB district correspondents—Hossain Malik (Chuadanga), Sheikh Didarul Alam (Khulna), and Saiful Islam Shilpi (Chattogram)—were recognised for their outstanding performance in 2024. Around 100 journalists from across the country, including Dhaka, attended the event.

Industry leaders from the media and PR sectors gathered at a high-profile conference in Singapore to advocate for greater collaboration between PR firms and news agencies, urging them to combine their strengths in delivering accurate information timely. The AsiaNet Board Meeting & Forum, held on January 22-23, brought together key stakeholders to discuss ways to empower Asia’s media and PR sectors. With a focus on innovation, digital transformation and cross-industry collaboration, the event underscored AsiaNet’s commitment to fostering growth and adapting to evolving technological landscapes. A dynamic panel discussion, moderated by Amrita Sidhu of Medianet, centred on strategies to optimise media operations in the digital age. Its panelists included: * Nahar Khan, Executive Editor of UNB * Pannee Yongpiyakul, Managing Director of Dataxet * Anubha Verma, Chief Marketing Officer of Press Trust of India (PTI) * Michiko Fujimoto, Director of Kyodo JBN The panel explored how each agency is embracing AI within their operations. All participants agreed that, while AI presents significant opportunities, a cautious approach is necessary to preserve the credibility and trust built over decades. AsiaNet Board Meeting & Forum urges embracing innovation This year’s forum was themed "Embracing Innovation," highlighting the critical need for media and PR organisations to leverage technology to improve efficiency, audience engagement and competitiveness. Key discussion points included: * Digital transformation to modernise operations and enhance effectiveness * Cross-industry collaboration to pool expertise and create synergies * Innovation as a driver for sustainable growth and regional progress Prominent representatives from AsiaNet partners, including Xinhua, VNA, Yonhap, Bernama, Medianet, United News of Bangladesh (UNB), and Kyodo News, were in attendance. Nahar Khan, discussing as a panelist at the session, shared that UNB embraces the transformative potential of AI to enhance workflows and storytelling, but firmly believes that people must remain at the centre - shaping its application with human judgment, ethics and creativity. She added that AI-driven tools have made way for a more creative, collaborative, data-driven and a responsive newsroom environment. Pannee Yongpiyakul shared that at Dataxet Thailand, their innovation process blends business-driven strategic planning with customer-driven insights, enabling informed decisions on pursuing and implementing innovations effectively. He also said that their technical team continuously monitors technological developments to assess their potential impact on the company and its operations. Anubha Verma emphasised that while AI presents immense opportunities for PTI and the whole media industry, it is crucial to adopt a cautious approach to preserve the credibility and trust that have been built over decades. Michiko Fujimoto discussed how Kyodo News, Japan's leading news agency, approaches AI within their organization. The AsiaNet Board Meeting & Forum 2025 reaffirmed the organisation’s mission to empower its members with tools and strategies essential for thriving in the digital era. By uniting key players from Asia’s media and PR sectors, the forum set the foundation for a more innovative, collaborative and resilient regional media ecosystem.

The AsiaNet Board Meeting & Forum was held in Singapore on January 22-23, emphasising the need for digital transformation, industry learning and embracing technological advancements. The high-profile Forum brought together prominent media leaders to discuss innovation, collaboration, and the future of media and PR in the region, with representatives from AsiaNet partners Xinhua, VNA, Yonhap, Dataxet, Bernama, Kyodo, Medianet, UNB and PTI in attendance. Among the key participants were Enayetullah Khan, Editor-in-Chief of United News of Bangladesh (UNB), and Nahar Khan, Executive Editor of UNB, who actively contributed to the discussions during the event. Two-day fact-checking training begins at UNB AsiaNet's forum focused on operational and strategic growth while delving deeper into the theme of "Embracing Innovation." A key highlight was a panel session moderated by Amrita Sidhu from Medianet. The panellists included Nahar Khan (Executive Editor, UNB), Pannee Yongpiyakul (Managing Director, Dataxet), Anubha Verma (CMO, PTI), and Michiko Fujimoto (Director, Kyodo JBN). Nahar Khan emphasised how UNB leverages technology to optimize news distribution, enhance audience engagement, and improve efficiency while adhering to its core values of trust and information integrity. UNB Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan invited to World Media Summit Darren Thayre, Director of Innovation and AI Partnership Lead, Global Strategic Initiatives at Google, delivered an engaging keynote on leveraging AI for strategic initiatives, further inspiring attendees to embrace forward-thinking solutions in the media and PR industry.

A two-day fact-checking workshop focusing on combating the growing spread of misinformation in modern journalism concluded on Friday at the Cosmos Centre in Dhaka. The training programme, organised by the Press Trust of India (PTI), one of India’s leading news agencies, in collaboration with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), emphasised the critical role of accurate reporting in upholding the credibility of journalism. Participants took part in interactive discussions and hands-on exercises to improve their skills in verifying facts and identifying misleading information. Pratyush Ranjan, PTI’s Head of Digital Services and Fact Checking, and Abhinav Gupta, PTI’s News Editor, conducted the training sessions. The sessions aim to enhance the skills of journalists at United News of Bangladesh (UNB), equipping them to identify and counter misinformation, disinformation and malformation in the news cycle. On the second day (Friday), the sessions focused on the effective use of fact-checking tools to further empower journalists in upholding the sanctity of truth in news reporting. The two-day training programme began on Thursday. UNB’s Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan, Executive Editor Nahar Khan, Editor Mahfuzur Rahman, Senior News Editor Shayan S Khan, among others, attended the opening session.

Introducing robotics and automation to HATIL’s manufacturing process was one of the most significant transformations since the furniture brand’s inception, according to HATIL’s Director Shafiqur Rahman. “There was a time when a carpenter would be responsible for a specific product. If the carpenter was unwell or absent for personal reasons, the operation for that product would come to a halt,” he said. “Now, if someone is unwell or on a personal leave, another person can finish the work with the help of automation at HATIL, making the process smoother and eliminating extra costs and delays,” Shafiqur Rahman told UNB during an exclusive interview. HATIL employs a variety of advanced machines and automation to craft their furniture pieces at the factory. The use of technology ensures consistent design and size for every piece, which can be challenging to achieve with manual labor. HATIL, Bangladesh's top furniture brand, is renowned for its quality and consistency, which has been crucial to the brand's enduring success. Shafiqur Rahman attributes this success to the brand's innovative approach, which incorporated advanced machinery and robotics into its production over the past decade. “Previously, there was no plan in place to ensure an efficient manufacturing process,” Shafiqur said. “Often, it was seen that all parts for production were ready, but an important material was missing, causing the entire production process to come to a halt which, in turn, would add to the manufacturing cost.” “Now, due to our streamlined operations, there is no backlog for any product,” he said. Shafiqur came to be a part of his family’s decade-long wooden furniture business as an “intern.” "Even though I formally joined HATIL's production unit in 2004, my association with the wood industry began well before that," he recalled. Read more: HATIL’s ‘slim is smart’ has global appeal: Marketing Director Moshiur Rahman

United News of Bangladesh (UNB) Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan and Director Nahar Khan have participated in discussions that delved into the use of technology to enhance business performance in media. The two-day-long AsiaNet Board Meeting and Forum started at 9 am at Carlton City Hotel in Singapore on Monday (October 23, 2023). Also read: UNB Editor-in-Chief, Director attend AsiaNet's board meeting in Singapore The biannual board meeting included representatives from member organisations. At the event, Director Nahar Khan made a presentation on UNB’s technology-driven strategies, highlighting the use of technology for data insights, customer experience enhancement, process automation, social media engagement, and the exploration of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. During her presentation, Nahar Khan highlighted how UNB, as a leading news agency in Bangladesh, is embracing technology — particularly use of AI — while remaining cautiously aware of the challenges like misinformation it brings along. “With the widespread use of AI, there has been a surge in misinformation that needs proactive gatekeeping. Innovations such as deepfakes and chatbots also pose a credibility challenge. At UNB, constant focus is given to fact-checking and news verification to combat these challenges,” she said. Also read: Enayetullah Khan opens data science training programme The overarching theme of the event was “Embracing Technology and Innovation.” UNB Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan took part in a panel discussion along with Bruce Davidson of Medianet, Pannee Yongpiyakul of dataxet, and Cao Yang of Xinhua – focusing on how each organisation uses technology to improve business performance. The discussion was moderated by Amrita Sidhu. AsiaNet delivers far-reaching digital and social media exposure coupled with premium email and news wire services across 27,000 combined media outlets, 198 distribution options in Asia under 18 news categories, and in 12 translated languages. Also read: Ambassador Farooq Sobhan joins Cosmos Foundation as Honorary Advisor Emeritus

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is working to expand its international routes to enhance air connectivity for Bangladeshi passengers, Managing Director and CEO of the national flag carrier, Shafiul Azim, has said. “We have taken initiatives to operate flights on some important routes across the globe including to New York, Chennai, Bengaluru, Los Angeles, Rome, Male, and Guangzhou.” The Biman CEO shared the information during an exclusive interview with UNB “Gradually we will be able to start flights on these routes. We are evaluating and working on how to start flights on each of these routes within the shortest possible time,” he added. Biman currently operates regular flights to 19 destinations around the world. “We have a fleet of 21 aircraft including Dreamliners. Ten new aircraft are being purchased from Airbus,” he added. New aircraft from Airbus will facilitate the expansion of routes and will open up new directions in coordination with other countries, the Biman CEO hoped. Read: Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Gulf Air forge strategic partnership for enhanced travel connectivity With the addition of the new aircraft, the number of flights on popular routes can also be increased, which would in turn create a more competitive market and help in reducing ticket prices. The Biman CEO said, “We are working on expanding our network not only in Asia but also in western countries, especially in Europe.” Besides, Biman has already done everything to launch direct flights from Dhaka to New York, he said. He further said some formal work is going on with Civil Aviation, Federal Aviation Authority and their Department of Transport. If everything goes well, all activities regarding flight operations on the new routes, including New York, are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. He said that Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Gulf Air have recently started a partnership – set to revolutionise travel between Bangladesh and the Gulf region. As a result, passengers can travel from Dhaka to Bahrain and Bahrain to Dhaka with onward connection to Chattogram and Sylhet via both airlines (Biman and Gulf Air). Read: Biman Bangladesh Airlines launches online travel date change service In addition, it will benefit both airlines through enhanced operational efficiency and shared expertise in the aviation industry, he added. “We are starting flights to Narita (Tokyo), Japan from September 1. Chennai is also being considered as a destination. Apart from this, we are going to resume flights to Guangzhou in China by the middle of September. Besides, we are trying to establish communication and code sharing with other countries through Narita in Japan,” the Biman CEO said. Regarding the launch of flights to Japan, he said that Bangladesh has very good bilateral relations with Japan, and they have investments here. “We are launching a direct Dhaka-Narita (Tokyo) flight from September 1, 2023 and it is a major achievement for us,” the Biman Bangladesh Airlines CEO said, adding, “Bangladeshi students are going to study in Japan and Japanese businessmen are coming here. Besides, many people travel to Japan from neighbouring countries. We have a good air network with the West compared to the East. Through Dhaka-Narita (Tokyo) direct flights, a new horizon will open,” CEO Azim added. Besides, Biman will take initiative for improvement of the Bangladesh-Japan tourism sector. Read more: 2 flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Friday cancelled At the same time, “we are moving forward with marketing strategies so that passengers from neighbouring countries can travel to and from Japan via Dhaka,” the Biman Bangladesh Airlines CEO said.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has reiterated his country’s non-intervention policy and said the future of Bangladesh should be determined by Bangladeshis. “Our policy is very consistent – that China never intervenes in any country’s internal affairs,” he told UNB in an exclusive interview. Ambassador Yao said the upcoming election is an internal affair of Bangladesh. China upholds Bangladesh’s efforts to fend off external interference and maintain domestic unity and stability, so as to ensure development and revitalization, said the ambassador referring to what the Chinese President Xi Jinping said during the Johannesburg meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. China supports Bangladesh in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, he elaborated referring to what President Xi said at the Johannesburg meeting. Read: Bangladesh's youth makes it 'vigorous' in Chinese eyes: Amb. Yao Wen “China is full of confidence over the better future of Bangladesh as well as China-Bangladesh relations,” said Ambassador Yao. Currently, over 600 Chinese enterprises are functioning in Bangladesh, and tens of thousands of Chinese citizens are living and working here, he said. According to Ambassador Yao, the Chinese companies proactively undertake social responsibilities on boosting local economy, protecting the environment, providing social services to host communities, helping create job opportunities, building capacity for manpower and promoting charity. “With their contribution and efforts, the hearts of the two peoples are brought together ever closer,” he said. Read: ‘China adheres to true multilateralism’: Ambassador Yao Wen When asked about the interests of Chinese companies and citizens in the context of heated political environment, Yao replied that the Chinese people are here for friendship and joint development with Bangladeshi people. “Their safety and security should surely be guaranteed, and their lawful interests should be protected,” he said. Bangladesh Election Commission is taking preparations for the next national election which is likely to be held in December this year or January next year. During his first interview since his arrival in Dhaka late last year, the Chinese ambassador touched upon issues related to trade and investment, Global Development Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative, people to people relations, and opportunities ahead. Read more: No limit to potential of Bangladesh-China ties: Ambassador Yao Wen

As T20 World Cup 2022 came to a nail-biting end, so did the exciting quiz competition on the tournament organized by UNB – with 21 winners. UNB’s quiz campaign on the T20 World Cup kicked off on October 16 and continued till November 13. Read more: 16 win UNB’s Asia Cup 2022 Quiz Competition Participants were given 21 quizzes on the 2022 T20 World Cup Cricket on the UNB website and Facebook page. Based on correct answers, 21 participants were chosen as winners through a lottery. One winner was chosen for each day’s quiz. Winners of the quiz contest are: Isha Islam, S A Farhan, Jannatul Moumi, Sadekuzzaman Pavel, Priya Mazumder, Md Rashed Howlader Rasel, Maria Sultana, Emdadul Haque Dipu, MD Abdur Rouf Bhuiyan, Fatema Jahan Nitu, Md. Robiul Islam Badhan, Sabina Yasmin, Miraz Talukder Babu, Yasmin Akther, Masum Mahmud Porosh, Shahana Akter Mimi, MD Abdullah AL Mamun, Ayman Rased, Islam Tam Anna, Md Jihan, and Yusuf Jamil Faysal. Read more: Players who excelled in the T20 World Cup 2022 Each of the 21 winners will get prize money for their participation.

The 18thAnnual General Meeting (AGM) of WildTeam, a conservation organization, was held at its head office at Cosmos Centre, Malibagh, Dhaka, on Thursday.  The AGM elected a five-member executive committee comprising Mr Enam Ul Haque as the Chairman of the board, Mr Md. Shamsur Rahman as the Vice-chairman, Professor Dr Md. Anwarul Islam as the General Secretary, Professor Dr Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury as the Treasurer, and Mr Enayetullah Khan as a member. Among others, Professor M Harunur Rashid, Professor Dr Nitish Chandra Debnath, Professor Dr Mizan R Khan, Professor Dr Mohammad Abdul Aziz, Professor Dr Ismot Ara and Ms Alifa Bintha Haque who are also the members, congratulated the executive committee. Also read:  Ban on entering Sundarbans: 2 lakh families pushed into financial hardship The AGM unanimously nominated Ms Nahar Khan, Director, UNB, and Vice President, Cosmos Group, as a member of the WildTeam. She was welcomed to the board by all. WildTeam is carrying out its activities to improve the conservation status of key animal species and habitats in Bangladesh and developing partnerships, tools, and platforms to build the capacity of organizations and individuals to carry out effective conservation in the country. WildTeam was able to engage communities in the Sundarbans with support from Bangladesh Forest Department, USAID, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Zoological Society of London, IUCN-KfW, and others to conserve tigers there. WildTeam team is now working in almost all the 76 villages of the Sundarbans with its volunteers: 340 Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT) members, 55 BaghBandhus (friends of tigers), and 50 TigerScouts. Also read: Sundarbans Day: Biodiversity under threat as salinity increases At present WildTeam is implementing IUCN-KfW’s Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme Phase II, in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India and Jahangirnagar University, in the Sundarbans.