South Korean tobacco company KT&G has entered into a memorandum of understanding with American tobacco giant Altria to pursue long-term growth opportunities across international markets and adjacent product categories. The partnership aims to leverage the complementary strengths of both companies in innovative nicotine and non-nicotine products, with a particular focus on expanding their presence in the rapidly growing modern oral nicotine segment.

As an initial step in their collaboration, the two companies are jointly acquiring European nicotine pouch manufacturers. Through a Special Purpose Company established in Sweden, they will acquire 100% stakes in ASF AB Co., Ltd., a nicotine pouch production and sales company, and ASF AS Co., Ltd., a nicotine pouch sales company. The acquisition amount totals approximately 1.76 billion Swedish krona (around 262.4 billion Korean won).

The joint acquisition targets the high-growth nicotine pouch market, allowing KT&G to rapidly expand its next-generation tobacco portfolio and strengthen new growth drivers. The partnership will explore opportunities to collaborate on expanding the global demand for nicotine pouch products, including potential expansion of the on! and on! PLUS product portfolio to select countries, as well as strategic transactions in the modern oral space.

Beyond nicotine products, the collaboration extends to non-nicotine segments through KT&G's subsidiary, Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC), which will jointly explore opportunities with an Altria subsidiary in the health functional foods sector. KT&G has set ambitious growth targets, aiming for double-digit growth in revenue and operating profit for the year, buoyed by strong global performance that has seen five consecutive quarters of triple growth in revenue, operating profit and sales volume.

Norwegian authorities are investigating an incident where a man suspected of attempted murder was injured during his arrest on the E18 highway in Sandefjord. The Special Unit for Police Matters has launched a mandatory investigation after the suspect sustained a fracture injury while being apprehended by police officers. Evidence from the scene has been secured as part of the probe into the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

The investigation stems from events that began Saturday evening when a woman was shot at a private address in the Unneberg area north of Sandefjord city center. The suspect fled the scene on an electric scooter following the shooting incident, which occurred around 3 PM. Police established a roadblock on the E18 highway as part of their response to the shooting.

The suspect was apprehended at approximately 7:45 PM at the police roadblock, during which he sustained injuries described as a fracture. While the extent of his injuries remains unclear, the Special Unit has initiated its investigation to clarify the sequence of events and circumstances leading to the injury. Both the suspect and the involved police officers will be interviewed in the coming days as part of the mandatory review process.

The man, who has provided an initial statement to police, has been formally charged with attempted murder and was remanded in custody by the Vestfold District Court on Monday morning. Police indicate the suspect and victim were acquainted but did not have a close relationship. The woman who was shot did not sustain life-threatening injuries, though her exact condition remains unknown as authorities continue their parallel investigations into both the shooting incident and the arrest-related injury.