Corruption

The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025 underscores that tobacco industry influence remains a formidable barrier to public health policy in Bangladesh and worldwide. While some countries demonstrate notable progress, Bangladesh’s mid-to-high interference score suggests that institutional reforms and stricter safeguards are urgently needed.

According to the police, 1,663 scam cases were reported, with losses exceeding MVR 22.7 million, of which MVR 8.5 million has now been retrieved. Before the centre’s formation, authorities were only able to recover about two per cent of stolen funds.

The accord, signed at Singha Durbar on Wednesday, comes three months after mass protests shook the country.

In the long run, the minister said, the push for transparency is aimed at closing the revenue–development gap: ensuring that domestic resources mobilised from taxes contribute directly to societal growth and welfare, fulfilling the deeper principle underlying economic governance.

HRW has demanded that prosecutions must span ranks – from officers to mob leaders – alongside reforms to curb corruption and bolster digital rights.

In the meantime, civil society will likely continue pressing for accountability, especially in light of RTI-documented abuses.

Adani Power has indicated it intends to seek international arbitration, citing payment delays and disputes over tariff components, setting the stage for a contentious standoff between the Indian corporate conglomerate and a key South Asian neighbour.

Although Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are officially intended to protect religious sentiments, the report highlights a deeply troubling pattern: false or manipulated accusations are being lodged with the purpose of evicting vulnerable owners or extracting money.