A senior law student at Istanbul Bilgi University faced disciplinary action for allegedly using AI, ChatGPT to cheat on an exam. The student’s legal battle ended in suspension, causing financial and emotional distress. The case highlights the challenges of AI in maintaining academic integrity and the need for clearer policies.

The Polish government has introduced measures to combat corruption in the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR), including increasing oversight by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Reports of misuse of funds and irregularities in grant allocation have prompted investigations and led to changes in the NCBiR's operations. Additionally, efforts are underway to ensure transparent and equitable financing of universities, with plans to increase funding for science and higher education.

As the excitement around ChatGPT soared in spring 2023, concerns arose among educators about students potentially relying too much on AI for their assignments. Universities responded by implementing AI detection software, like Turnitin, to identify AI-generated content. However, this led to dilemmas for instructors, particularly when a talented student's essay was flagged as "100% AI-generated." The student claimed innocence, citing the use of university-approved software for grammar and spelling checks, which included limited generative AI capabilities.

Two Norwegian politicians face plagiarism accusations regarding their master's theses, leading to investigations by their universities. The scandals have sparked debates over academic integrity, with calls for stricter penalties for plagiarism. The incidents have also raised concerns about the treatment of students versus politicians and the need for national regulations on plagiarism. Experts stress the importance of promoting ethical research norms and integrity within universities.

Ofsted inspectors are reportedly fabricating evidence due to frequent crashes in the electronic evidence gathering (EEG) system introduced in 2018. The Observer's investigation reveals anonymous claims that senior Ofsted leaders have known and covered these technical problems. Critics argue that inspections over the past five years should be invalidated if widespread evidence fabrication is true. Ofsted insists that judgments are backed by sufficient evidence, but the Observer found evidence of potential issues in Ofsted's written response to a school's complaint about missing evidence.

A global surge in fraudulent research papers, exceeding 10,000 retractions last year, has become an international scandal. Originating in China, the issue has spread to other regions, with "paper mills" producing fabricated studies. Bribes to editors and infiltration of fraudulent agents exacerbate the problem. Major publishers are taking action, but financial incentives for researchers to publish persist. The escalating prevalence of sham science is eroding the foundation of trustworthy scientific knowledge, prompting calls for systematic solutions to address this growing threat to the integrity of research.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed concerns about organized crime exploiting lax oversight in England's unregulated colleges, potentially profiting from student loan fraud amounting to £60 million. The report highlights instances of fraud and abuse at private higher education providers offering courses in collaboration with mainstream universities. Some providers allegedly enroll students with little interest in completing courses to access government-backed maintenance loans, leading to substantial financial gains through tuition fees and franchising fees.

In the book "Corruption in Higher Education: Global Challenges and Responses," 34 experts shed light on various corruption issues in higher education: contract cheating and outsourcing assignments; ambivalent hiring processes; fake universities that take various forms, from profit-driven schemes to students buying degrees without fulfilling obligations; corruption research involves scholars, administrators, and agencies, united against academic corruption. Future steps include integrity theory development, examining secondary education's impact, leveraging technology, avoiding social group stigmatization, and fostering global cooperation.

In Albania, citizens are frequently asked to pay a bribe when using basic public services. As revealed by Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index surveys, the sectors most vulnerable to corruption, according to Albanian respondents, include politics (92%), the judiciary (81%), healthcare (80%), education (70%), police (58%), and civil services (52%). To combat this, Albania has launched Spak, a specialized anti-corruption body made up of a prosecution office, a national investigation bureau, and special courts.

According to the UNDP, corruption costs the world roughly $2.6 trillion annually. The Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime acknowledged that current methodologies to measure corruption are often unclear, with questions around the accuracy and reliability of available numbers and statistics. Estimates are based on limited indicators, while some frameworks prioritize narrow groups of stakeholders and their perceptions. UNODC is developing a comprehensive statistical framework to enhance accurate corruption measurement, supporting countries worldwide with capacity-building and technical guidance to combat corruption.