The move comes as importers over the last few months have been using a policy flaw to source plain gold jewellery from Indonesia without paying any import taxes.

After the Ukraine conflict started, many multinational banks, logistics providers and precious metal refiners stopped handling Russian gold, which had typically been shipped to London, a gold trading and storage hub.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to end years of environmental backsliding under his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, and crack down on illegal mining in the Amazon

Lower imports by the world's second-biggest bullion consumer could weigh on benchmark gold prices, but the fall may help in bringing down India's trade deficit and support the ailing rupee.

French Guiana, about the size of Portugal on the north shore of South America and almost completely covered in forest, has a long history of small-scale gold mining, legal and illegal.

Sarawakian Bonnie Bunyau Gustin also broke the Paralympics record of 227kg by lifting 228kg on his third attempt.