LATEST ALERTS
Lebanon: Today, the minister of finance submitted a draft law to amend the 2025 budget that was passed on 6th March 2025. The bill
Thailand: Jiraporn Sindhuphrai, a minister attached to the prime minister’s office, chaired the third weekly meeting since the announcement of the 30-day deadline
Jordan: Yesterday (13th March), the minister of government communication, Mohammad Momani, met with the World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Jordan, Jamela Al-Raiby,
Thailand: The minister of education has signed the announcement on measures to control the spread of e-cigarettes. The measures include: efforts to raise awareness
Thailand: Governmental agencies held a meeting with the House of Representatives about the suppression of e-cigarettes, media reports. Krawee Prisananantakul, chairman of the
Taiwan: The Ministry of Health and Welfare has issued an announcement regarding the Draft Amendment on the Tobacco Hazard Prevention Act, which proposes enhanced
Thailand: The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand held a press conference to state its position against e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs).
Middle East: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean published a post on 11th March on the social media
Bangladesh: Speakers at an event organised by the Tobacco Control and Research Cell (TCRC) of Dhaka International University expressed concern that the import
Thailand: Despite the intense crackdown on e-cigarettes by the Thai government over the last few weeks, a member of parliament (MP) from the
Taiwan: The draft amendment to the Tobacco Harm Prevention Act has garnered a lot of controversy among civil society organisations, such as the
Israel: The Ministry of Health announced last week that smoking and vaping products will have to bear graphic health warnings according to a
Malaysia: The Malaysian Education Ministry has prohibited the sale of food that poses a health risk to students, including candies that resemble vape
Indonesia: The Ministry of Finance has decided to maintain the Value Added Tax (VAT) on tobacco products at 9.9%, cancelling a planned hike. Chairman Budiyanto, of the
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Office for the Special Mandate on vaporised nicotine and non-nicotine products, their devices, and novel
Philippines: The Philippine Medical Association (PMA), Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS), Philippine Academy of Pediatric Pulmonologists (PAPP), Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians, Parents
Singapore: The Ministry of Health has announced that it plans to intensify its comprehensive approach to combat vaping. This includes public education campaigns and
Jordan: On 8th March, the minister of higher education and scientific research met with the presidents of Jordanian universities and discussed a number
Philippines: The Bureau of Internal Revenue’s active campaign against the illicit trade of tobacco products, including vapes, has helped the government to narrow
Myanmar: The meeting of the Central Committee for Tobacco and Tobacco Product Consumption Control took place to address smoking and tobacco use. The
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reminded sellers that vaping products must be displayed responsibly and should never be placed next
Taiwan: The Ministry of Health and Welfare has released a new draft amendment to the Tobacco Control Act. The amendment aims to strengthen enforcement
Taiwan: A Customs Administration official has said that Taiwan will soon expand its use of generative AI at customs clearance points, with the
Middle East: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean posted that, while smoking rates in the region are declining,
India: The Ministry of Commerce appointed three members of Parliament (MPs) to the Tobacco Board under Section 4 of the Tobacco Board Act, 1975. According
Pakistan: State minister Ali Pervaiz Malik called for exploring tobacco harm-reduction policies, following the example of countries like Sweden and New Zealand, in
Singapore: Despite the ban on the distribution and possession of e-cigarettes, official data revealed in a parliamentary reply shows a sharp increase in student
Vietnam: The Ministry of Health wants to increase measures to enforce the ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) and has proposed
Thailand: As ECigIntelligence reported yesterday, Thailand continues its crackdown on the illicit sale of electronic cigarettes. Government agencies are intensifying their efforts to enforce the
Thailand: Bangkok is experiencing a significant crackdown on electronic cigarettes, with authorities seizing over 3,000 e-cigarettes and related products, media reports. This decisive action
United Arab Emirates: Dubai Municipality has launched monitoring campaigns and field inspections in markets, malls, and food establishments during the Islamic month of Ramadan (28th
Jordan: Today, the Ministry of Health released the results of the national survey on tobacco, which was conducted as part of the national strategy
Bahrain: The House of Representatives Public Utilities and Environment Committee approved a motion urging the government to step up the enforcement of ministerial
United Arab Emirates: The Federal Tax Authority issued ministerial resolution 1/2025 introducing new Harmonised System (HS) code classifications for electronic heating devices used with
Uzbekistan: The Law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Connection with the Improvement of the Alcohol and
United Arab Emirates: The Federal Tax Authority announced in a press release yesterday (20th February) that it conducted more than 93,000 inspection visits to local
China: In an analysis on the tenth anniversary of Beijing’s tobacco control framework, the authorities report that the smoking rate among those aged
Indonesia: The head of the Ministry of Health’s Tobacco Disease Control Working Team, Benget Saragih, has advocated for the approval of the draft regulations
Malaysia: The former director of disease control at the Ministry of Health, Anita Suleiman, and other health experts have urged Malaysian authorities to
Philippines: The Health Care Providers Alliance Against Covid (HPAAC) has called on the Senate to reject bill 11360, which seeks to replace the
Gulf Cooperation Council: The Technical Committee for Tobacco Products of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization (GSO) has preliminarily approved a standard introducing flavour
Thailand: The E-Cigarette Policy Committee within the Thai parliament is preparing a proposal for a regulation to prevent the tobacco industry from interfering
South Korea: The two main political parties in the parliament, the People Power Party (ruling party) and the Democratic Party of Korea (opposition
Philippines: The Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI), a trade association, supports a tax proposal that would replace the annual 5% hike on tobacco and
Indonesia: The chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, has reportedly instructed the parliament to properly examine the concerns raised by stakeholders
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reminded sellers of vaping and heated tobacco products that they are required to verify the age
India: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a new advisory about the ban on e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other electronic nicotine
Oman: Mansour Al-Hajri, chairman of the Health Committee of Oman's Shura Council (a consultative assembly), has said that Oman is the only Gulf Cooperation
South Korea: The bill seeking to expand the definition of tobacco products to products derived from all parts of the tobacco plant (including
