United News of Bangladesh

Nahar Khan, Global Vice President of Cosmos Group, attended and spoke at the EAST X EAST Asia Meeting 2025, an invitation-only gathering held on November 6–7 in Taipei, Taiwan. The forum brought together CEOs, founders, family offices, technologists, and policy thinkers for two days of high-level dialogue on leadership, technology, climate, culture, and global resilience. Positioned by EAST X EAST as a private circle for leaders shaping the future, the meeting addressed the profound shifts driven by AI, sustainability pressures, geopolitical instability, and rapidly changing workforce dynamics.

United News of Bangladesh (UNB) Executive Editor Nahar Khan explained the need for journalism to adapt to the shifting dynamics of AI-driven news consumption. Speaking at the AsiaNet Forum 2025 panel session in Singapore, Nahar said that audiences are increasingly relying on AI-generated summaries instead of reading full articles.

Highlighting the importance of investing in local-language AI (Artificial intelligence) models, UNB Executive Editor Nahar Khan on Sunday said AI can be a tool for progress, but only if people wield it with integrity, inclusivity and foresight. "The future of news in the Global South will not be written by algorithms alone. It will be written by us, by our choices, by our courage, and by our commitment to truth," she said. Nahar, also Executive Director of Cosmos Foundation, made the remarks while speaking at a forum titled "The Rise of the Global South: Economic Development and Cultural Confidence" held at the "Global South Media and Think Tank Forum-2025." She said the Global South has long been spoken about, too rarely spoken for. "AI offers us a chance to change that - but only if we act collectively." "Let us ensure that our audiences, our languages, and our stories are not left behind in this transformation," Nahar said. The five-day forum, which opened Saturday, is co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency, the Communist Party of China Yunnan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Yunnan Province. Freddy Alfred Niáñez Contreras, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Information of Venezuela (video message); Liu Gang, Director-general of Xinhua Institute; Kubatbek Rakhimov, CEO of the Public Foundation Applikata Center for Strategic Solutions of Kyrgyzstan; Wen Jian, Director of the Communication Strategy Center, Xinhua Institute; Erika Hoffmann Jauge, President of the National Public Media of Uruguay; Shakil Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization Research and Development of Pakistan; Sun Ming, Vice President of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies; Li Yuefen, South Centre G20 Sherpa and Senior Advisor on South-South Cooperation and Development Finance; Merthold Macfalle Monyae, Director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies of University of Johannesburg; Hamed Vafaei, Director of the Asian Studies Research Center at the University of Tehran; Selçuk Colakoglu, Founding Director of the Turkish Center for Asia-Pacific Studies; Timofey V. Expert at the Global Fact-Checking Network of Russia; Hou Sheng, Vice President of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, and Moderator: Liu Hua, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Xinhua Institute, also spoke at the discussion. Challenge of Voice and Trust In a rapidly changing information ecosystem, Nahar said, the true test lies in how their voices and perspectives are acknowledged, accurately represented, and valued on the global stage. At the heart of this is trust, she said, news is only as strong as the credibility it carries, and in the age of AI, that trust is under both great pressure and great possibility. More and more audiences across the Global South are consuming news in new ways - through platforms, short videos, and increasingly AI-driven feeds and interfaces, Nahar observed.  

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.

The 6th World Media Summit, which concluded on October 17 in Urumqi, China, brought together global media leaders to discuss the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on journalism. The application of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) was a central theme, with leaders debating both the opportunities and challenges AI presents to the industry. A major highlight of the summit was the release of a report titled “Responsibilities and Missions of News Media in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” by Xinhua News Agency's National High-end Think Tank Research Group. The report surveyed media organizations across 53 countries and revealed that 10.2% of media outlets have fully integrated AI into their production processes, while 41% are actively exploring its application. 6th World Media Summit kicks off in China with focus on AI-driven media transformation The report identified three main areas where generative AI is being used or considered by media outlets: auxiliary editing (fact-checking, transcription, translation), content creation (generating summaries, charts, and digital anchors), and topic planning (drafting outlines for news coverage). These tools aim to improve newsroom efficiency without replacing the human creativity essential to in-depth journalism. Speaking at the summit, Yan Lingsi, Vice President of Reuters Asia Pacific, noted the excitement surrounding AI's ability to reduce repetitive tasks in newsrooms and enhance journalists' capabilities through new AI-driven tools. This shift, Lingsi added, has the potential to redefine the future of journalism. UNB Editor-in-Chief Enayetullah Khan invited to World Media Summit Yet, as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, concerns about job security in the industry have surfaced. Iqbal Sefer, Chairman of South Africa's Independent Media Group, addressed these concerns, likening AI's role in media to that of an architect. AI can build the framework, but the rich details, depth, and human touch that define compelling journalism still require human intervention, he said. Similarly, Suresh Nambas, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, emphasized that while AI can enhance creativity by providing new tools, it cannot replace the critical thinking and emotional intelligence that journalists bring to their work. Beyond newsroom efficiency, the summit also tackled the ethical concerns surrounding AI, particularly the rise of misinformation and disinformation. Chang Qide, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development System in China, addressed the importance of combating the spread of false information, particularly as AI advances. “This summit has created an opportunity for global media to enhance the credibility of information in dealing with false information, misinformation, and hate speech,” Chang said in a video message. To mitigate the risks associated with AI in media, organizations such as Xinhua News Agency, Reuters, BBC, and NPR have introduced AI behavioral guidelines aimed at preserving authenticity. In 2023, AFP joined forces with major European media organizations to call for clearer identification of AI-generated content, ensuring transparency and helping audiences distinguish between human-generated and AI-generated information. Actively participating in the summit, Nahar Khan, Executive Editor of United News of Bangladesh (UNB), offered her perspective on how AI is reshaping digital newsrooms. UNB, South Asia’s first fully digitalized private wire service, has already integrated AI to boost the speed and accuracy of its news production. “We’re moving into a future where AI and human intelligence can work together to build a more inclusive, efficient, and responsive media industry,” Khan said, emphasizing the collaborative potential of AI. She also highlighted the value of the summit as a platform for exchanging ideas and tackling shared challenges. “Events like the World Media Summit allow us to collaborate globally, sharing best practices and ensuring AI is used responsibly in journalism.” Khan underscored the need for a human-centered approach to AI, stressing the importance of ethics and innovation. “As we embrace AI in media, it’s crucial that this transformation remains ethical and human-focused, aiming to enrich the global media landscape. By harnessing AI, we can create a world that is more informed, connected, and empowered.”

In a fascinating international webinar titled ‘Afro-South Asia in the Global African Diaspora’ which took place as part of a series of intellectual interventions for The Black Story project, a virtual interactive exhibition - Nahar Khan, curator of The Black Story and Executive Director of Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Foundation, and Dr Kenneth X Robbins, who is a well-known and prolific researcher, archivist and curator of historical pieces and artworks, delve into conversations recently, on the historical and unexplored ties between the African and South Asian communities. Alongside being a collector and an independent scholar, Dr Robbins has curated more than a dozen Indian exhibits and five scholarly conferences. In addition to publishing more than 120 articles, he co-edited a three-volume series on Afro-South Asia in the Global African Diaspora; addressing ‘African Rulers and Generals in India’, ‘African Diasporan Communities Across South Asia’ and ‘Black Ambassadors of Politics, Religion and Jazz in India’.

Echoing solidarity with the global Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustices, much-anticipated art exhibition “The Black Story,” was launched virtually by Gallery Cosmos on Thursday. Curated by Nahar Khan, Executive Director of Gallery Cosmos, the special exhibition is shedding the spotlight on the recent wave of protests against racial injustices perpetrated against the Black community in America, which inspired people of all colours across continents to proclaim “Black Lives Matter”, in solidarity with the movement.

Canada's Minister of International Development Karina Gould has recalled the excellent bilateral development cooperation between Bangladesh and Canada over the years and appreciated Bangladesh‘s contribution to this relationship.