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.

The UNB management has recognised the good performance of its Khulna Correspondent Sheikh Deedarul Alam in bringing interesting stories from the grassroots to the forefront. He was awarded particularly for his recent exclusive video story which drew huge views. Thousands of viewers reacted to the story which is about an Australian citizen -- Malcolm Arnold-- who has been staying in Khulna for the last 18 years after getting married with a Bangladesh woman he fell in love with. Alongside the video story in Bengali version, it was also run in English version under the title of ‘For an Australian in Khulna, home is where his heart was won.’ Also read: For an Australian in Khulna, home is where his heart was won Malcolm Arnold left his home at Adelaide in Australia for Khulna in 2004, within three years of falling in love with a Bangladeshi NGO worker Halima Begum in 2001. The 74-year old Australian has always lived selling his painting works before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Receiving the gift, Deedarul Alam expressed his gratitude to the UNB management saying that he was delighted for the recognition. “I’ve been with UNB since the early 1990s. I received the gift on the very first day of the new year of 2022. It’ll encourage me to work on in the future,” he said. Also read: Khulna’s landless police constable candidate to get permanent address Founded in 1988, UNB is the first fully digitalised wire service in South Asia and is the principal partner in news exchange with AP, one of the world’s largest wire services. Currently, UNB has News Exchange Agreements with 37 countries in the world, including PTI of India, Xinhua of China, Kyodo of Japan, Bernama of Malaysia, AsiaNet, Yonhap of South Korea, ITAR-TASS News Agency of Russia, FAAPA of Africa, CAN of Cyprus, Moroccan News Agency (MAP), Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and Emirates News Agency (WAM) of the UAE to name a few.

The latest edition of Cosmos Foundation-hosted Ambassadors’ Lecture Series titled "Bangladesh-South Korea Relations: Prognosis for the Future" will be premiered on Thursday. South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun will deliver the keynote speech at the dialogue that will be premiered on the Facebook pages of Cosmos Foundation and UNB and its YouTube channel. Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of the Cosmos Foundation, will deliver the inaugural remarks. Read: Cosmos Dialogue on Dhaka-Washington ties premieres Saturday on Facebook Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a Singapore-based renowned scholar-diplomat and former Foreign Affairs Advisor of Bangladesh Caretaker Government, will chair and conduct the session. Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, Chairman and CEO of Youngone Corporation and KEPZ Corporation (BD) Ltd Kihak Sung, former BGMEA President and Mohammadi Group Chairperson Dr Rubana Huq, former Bangladesh Ambassador to South Korea Iftikharul Karim; and Research Fellow and Head at Bangladesh Centre for Terrorism Research (BCTR) Shafqat Munir will comprise the panel of discussants. Ambassador Lee will share his plans on further strengthening the relations between the two countries as the Golden Jubilee of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023 is seen as an opportunity for the two countries to diversify the areas of cooperation. Read: Australian envoy sees potentials for future bilateral cooperation “golden” Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh in 1973, the two countries have been enhancing cooperation in various fields, such as politics, economy, culture, development cooperation and human exchange. Additionally, more than 150 Korean companies are there in Bangladesh, making the Republic of Korea the largest investor in Bangladesh's garment sector. Their investments in recent years have been diversified into infrastructure, energy and consumer goods.  

Thieves stole valuables from the house of the UNB Bagerhat district correspondent at Shaltala in Bagerhat district town early Monday. The thieves entered the house of Bishnu Proshad Chakrabortty between 5:30 am and 6:30 am and stolen the mobile phone, four ATM cards, driving licence and wallet of the correspondent, said KM Azizul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bagerhat Model Police Station. On information, police and Rab visited the spot and they are investigating the theft, he said.

United News of Bangladesh (UNB), the country's premier news agency and the Dhaka Courier English Newsweekly) is looking for a strong candidate to fill the post of a Business Reporter. The applicant should have sharp news sense and the ability to find and analyze data, and file good business and economic stories in English. Position: Business Reporter Vacancy No: 1 Company Name: United News of Bangladesh Read Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Recruitment Circular 2022: Job Circular for the Position of Officer Cadet Job Responsibilities •            Develop innovative ideas for writing and reporting business news. •            Stay updated with latest Business, Finance, and Economics. •            Research business stories and prepare interview questions as and when required. •            Discuss and develop ideas to write strong and sophisticated stories to attract readers. •            Research, write and submit accurate stories within established timelines. •            Write breaking news and business stories in unique and interesting ways through info graphics and illustrations. •            Build and maintain strong relationship with news contacts. •            Must seek out and set up interviews with sources and relevant individuals or organizations for each story. •            Analyze the information gathered to determine which facts are pertinent to the story. •            Write each story, according to the publication's editorial style and formatting guidelines. •            Proofread articles before submitting them to an editor or desk team for publication. •            Track and cover any business/economics related events, forums and seminars and actively represent UNB/Dhaka Courier. •            Analyze and track big data for text, video stories.in order to show trends and pattern. •            Be able to utilize smartphone to capture photos, videos and recordings to supplement text stories. Read Primary Teacher Recruitment: 23 instructions for candidates for the post of primary assistant teacher Employment Status : Full-time Educational Requirements •            Graduate (Honours/ Postgraduate in Economics/ English/ Journalism •            Jahangirnagar University, University of Dhaka, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh students will get preference Experience Requirements: At most 3 years The applicants should have experience in the following area(s): -             Content writer, News editor, News Reporter, Staff Reporter The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): -             Newspaper/Magazine, Online Newspaper/ News Portal Read Railway Job Circular: Application for the post of Railway Booking Assistant has started, post 153 Additional Requirements •            Both males and females are allowed to apply. •            Having excellent computer literacy •            Ability to engage with the audience and being social media savvy •            Must be responsible, reliable, highly energetic and hardworking •            Ability to handle pressure •            Positive attitude and self-motivated Job Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Salary: Negotiable Dateline: August 26, 2021 If it matches your profile and your interest, send you resume with your portfolio to [email protected] Read Cover Letter for CV: Important Tips and Tricks