Lebanon: Member of parliament (MP) Bilal Abdallah of the Democratic Gathering bloc has criticised the wide availability of nicotine pouches in Lebanon and
Iraq: Majid Shingali, head of the Health and Environment Committee of the Council of Representatives, told press that the Protection Against Tobacco Damage Bill is
United Arab Emirates: The Federal Tax Authority announced in a press release that its inspection campaigns during the first six months of 2024
Pakistan: Production in Pakistan’s tobacco industry dropped to 32.9bn cigarettes in the fiscal year ending 30th June 2024, down from 42.7bn cigarettes in
Thailand: The Department of Disease Control has announced that, starting tomorrow (21st August), all tobacco retailers nationwide must display the “Quit Smoking for Your Loved
Thailand: Paetongtarn Shinawatra has become Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister. She succeeds Srettha Thavisin after his removal by a constitutional court ruling, press reports.
Pakistan: Civil society in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has called on the government to enact legislation banning smoking and tobacco use in public
EAEU: The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) – the executive body of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) – has told TobaccoIntelligence that the revised
Taiwan: On 8th August, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a draft law titled “Prohibited Additives in Tobacco Products”, which updates the
Pakistan: The Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) collected 1.28% less tobacco cess (tax on tax) in the fiscal year 2022-2023 compared to the previous
Bangladesh: Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and the army will oversee the formation of an interim government, army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said in a
Pakistan: The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) has urged the government to prohibit the export of “kiddie
Malaysia: The minister of health said yesterday (1st August) that the regulations implementing the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 will
Jordan: Jordan officially ratified the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products on 25th July. The country’s accession to this protocol will enter into force on
Pakistan: The Peshawar High Court in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan has stopped the provincial government from taking action against tobacco companies,
Pakistan: Tax evasion by the illegal cigarette trade costs the country over PKR310bn ($1.1m) annually in losses to tax revenue, press reports. Around 50%
Indonesia: President Joko Widodo has put into effect the regulations developing the Health Law. The law, approved in August 2023, gives the government
US - General: Philip Morris International (PMI) has announced a collaboration with KT&G, a South Korean manufacturer of tobacco and nicotine products. The companies
Philippines: The Supreme Court has affirmed its 2021 decision ruling that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulatory authority over the health aspect of
India: The Ministry of Finance has decided not to increase the tobacco tax in the Union Budget 2024. Although tobacco tax falls mostly under
India: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is working on a proposal to further tighten foreign direct investment (FDI) rules in the tobacco
China: The National Tobacco Half-Year Work Conference was held in Beijing on 23rd and 24th July, press reports. In the meeting, authorities emphasised
Pakistan: The government of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has passed the Excise Act of 2024. The act did not adopt the proposal for increasing
United Arab Emirates: The Ajman Police has launched an initiative called “Your Life is Purer Without Smoking” to raise public awareness about the harmful
Philippines: The House Ways and Means Committee approved a substitute to bill 10329, which requires tobacco and vaping companies to implement a digital track-and-trace system
Kazakhstan: The health minister has issued an order to change the text of the warning displayed in places where tobacco products are sold,
Vietnam: Following the introduction of a draft law on special consumption tax to increase the tax on tobacco products, the Ministry of Finance has
Indonesia: The minister of finance has released the Macroeconomic Framework and Fiscal Policy Principles for 2025, in preparation for the State Budget 2025.
Kazakhstan: The government has increased minimum retail prices for heated tobacco products (HTPs), media reports. The minimum retail price for HTPs is KZT820
Indonesia: The Indonesian Personal Vaporiser Association (APVI) has called on the government to separate regulations concerning cigarettes from the ones regulating e-cigarettes and
India: The Ministry of Health is reportedly planning to ask the Board of Control for Cricket in India to stop promoting tobacco products in
Vietnam: The representative of the Department of Tax, Fee and Charge Policy Supervision and Management of the Ministry of Finance said at a workshop that the
Qatar: The Ministry of Interior has published an awareness video on X, saying that, for public safety reasons, the use of cigarettes and tobacco
South Korea: A group of ten members of parliament from the ruling party, the People Power Party, has introduced a bill amending the Tobacco Business
Taiwan: On the progress of reviewing the listing of heated tobacco products (HTPs), health and welfare minister Chiu Tai-Yuan said the expert panel
United Arab Emirates: The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology has confirmed to TobaccoIntelligence that nicotine pouches are currently unregulated and that no
Taiwan: The assessment of the health risks of heated tobacco products (HTPs), which could result in their legalisation, is being undertaken by a
Malaysia: The minister of health reportedly said yesterday (1st July) that the regulations implementing the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 will be
Pakistan: The Finance Act 2024 entered into force on 1st July, imposing an excise duty of PKR1,200 ($4.30) on nicotine pouches.
Bangladesh: The Anti-Tobacco Parliamentary Women’s Forum – a forum of female members of parliament, calling to curb tobacco use – has sent a
Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health has published a video on Facebook warning against the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDs) and
Pakistan: The district government of Peshawar – the capital city of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a population of over 4.7m –
South Korea: Yesterday (20th June), the Ministry of Health and Welfare updated the health warnings that heated tobacco, oral tobacco and nicotine pouches must
Bahrain: The government referred an amendment to the Law on Tobacco and Smoking Control to the parliament, press reports. The new amendment proposes to
China: According to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), on 12th June 2024, Zhang Jianmin – party secretary and director of the STMA,
China: On 24th May, the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation held a seminar in Beijing to discuss the impact of tobacco
Pakistan: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has proposed a bill to amend the Federal Excise Act. The bill proposes levying an excise duty of
Taiwan: During the legislative session, legislator Huang Jianbin asked executive president Zhuo Rongtai and minister of health and welfare Qiu Taiyuan to set
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has announced a robust approach to enforce Republic Act 11900 (Vape Law), which regulates e-cigarettes, heated tobacco
Hong Kong: Deputy secretary for health Eddie Lee said the government plans to outlaw alternative smoking products completely, including heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, press