Search Results for: Indonesia

Imposing bans on disposable e-cigarettes or vapes will not help people stop smoking and are counterproductive, European vape experts have told Tobacco Journal International (TJI).

Their comments come in the wake of myriad plans to ban or impose high taxes on these products, which contain nicotine and are regarded by some as harmful for health.…

The Netherlands knitwear companies are fighting tough times. The country entered recession in 2023, caused by high inflation and energy prices, but it will survive, Dutch knitting experts have told Knitting International.

The country’s economy contracted by 0.5%. 0.4% and 0.2% in the first, second and third quarters of last year, meaning that the country is still officially in recession, government agency Statistics Netherlands (CBS – Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek) chief economist Peter Hein van Mulligen said in November.…

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 Indonesian garment sector, already reeling from a decline in international orders, is facing a double whammy: a surge in illegal textile imports that is undercutting local producers and increasing pressure for sustainable production.

According to the Indonesian Fibre and Filament Yarn Producers Association (APSyFi – Asosiasi Produsen Serat dan Benang Filament Indonesia), the value of illegal textile and textile products, notably clothing imports into Indonesia last year (2022) reached USD2.94 billion.

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.…

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.…

With the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimating that up to USD2 trillion of criminal proceeds are laundered worldwide annually, there is plenty of financial motivation for professional launderers to offer services that tap these funds. To avoid being caught by law enforcement, however, launderers develop psychological and tactical techniques that help them hide their criminality from law enforcement and honest contacts in the legitimate business world (1).…

Anti-money laundering fines worldwide are expanding fast, say researchers, but assessments of whether this reduces and deters money laundering or just feed government coffers are not yet conclusive. According to Ireland-based international compliance firm Fenergo, AML/CFT fines worldwide – levied on organisations failing to operate legally mandated AML/CFT controls – increased 52% year-on-year in 2022, totalling USD4.1 billion, compared to USD2.7 billion in 2021.…

Saudi Arabia’s universities are ramping up their efforts to boost their sustainability working within an unforgiving status quo of fossil fuel reliance, high energy and water consumption plus rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Public and private universities have in recent years started addressing these challenges by fostering sustainability practices on their campuses and influencing Saudi society to become environmentally conscious. …