Monjuba Bhuiyan

A regional passport office in Dhaka, one among many sites of low-level illicit income in Bangladesh. Source: Collected Illicit income, colloquially known as ‘black money’, refers to any income or wealth that is not reported to the government and thus remains outside the formal economy. It primarily consists of two streams: wealth generated through inherently illegal activities such as drug trafficking, smuggling, and the embezzlement of public funds, and undisclosed income from legitimate...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting. Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies The journey toward the EU–India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) spanned nearly two decades, reflecting the strategic priorities of both nations. India sought to expand market access for labour-intensive and export-oriented sectors like textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, marine products, and engineering goods, diversify trade partners, attract...