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An Interpol police operation cracking down on online financial crime across 34 countries (1) worldwide led to 3,500 arrests and saw a total USD300 million seized – USD199 million in hard currency and USD101 million in virtual assets. The global agency’s six-month HEACHI IV operation, which ran from July to December 2023, targeted seven types of cyber-enabled swindles: voice phishing, romance scams, online sextortion, investment fraud, money laundering associated with illegal online gambling, business email compromise fraud and e-commerce fraud.…

The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has predicted that the chocolate industry will continue to face cocoa supply deficits, with its latest quarterly assessment predicting that for 2022/3, there will be 99,000 tonnes more grindings than cocoa production. As a result, global stocks will fall to 1.744 million tonnes, amidst declines in output from key production hubs Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.…

The New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has called for comments on planned reductions to allowable lead levels in paints, and in art materials such as chalk, crayons, and felt-tip pens.

The country’s current lead level limit for paint is 0.1% (1,000 parts per million/ppm) and the proposed changes would reduce this to 0.009% (90ppm), in line with countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, the EPA said in a note.…

The global market for tallow, traditionally a common ingredient in the production of soaps, detergents, and lubricants, is undergoing considerable movement, driven by rising consumption of meat products coupled with the rising usage of tallow in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biofuels and feeds industries.…

Implementing international sanctions is never easy, but the sanctions regime on Iran is highly complex, buffeted by shifting diplomatic stances. With its Security Council ally Russia relying on Iranian military and technology supplies for it to pursue its invasion of Ukraine, time-limited UN restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme officially lapsed on October 18.…

Indonesia’s tobacco farmers are enjoying a good harvest this year, but they are also facing uncertainty over new health regulations that could affect their livelihoods.

The tobacco industry is a major contributor to the Indonesian economy, generating about 10% of the state revenue from excise taxes, according to the country’s finance ministry.…

Packaging firms and brands are preparing for a boom in biomaterial packaging, fuelled by greater consumer demand, regulations to increase sustainability and the maturity of biomaterials. A report by Massachusetts, US-based management consulting firm Arthur D Little (1), released in 2022, said that investment has fuelled production improvements and capacity, easing the mass production of biomaterials derived from plants, animals or bacteria.…

Bangladesh clothing manufacturers have been looking to expand export sales beyond their established markets in the European Union (EU), the United States, Canada and the UK, seeking new revenue in non-traditional markets such as Brazil, India, Japan and South Korea.

According to data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh apparel exports for 2022 (calendar year) have sourced 16.1% of revenue from non-traditional markets – USD7.35 billion, out of overall apparel exports of USD45.7 billion.…