IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

Russian Finance Ministry has drafted amendments allowing regional governments to ban the retail sale of vapes and e-liquids between September 1, 2026, and September 1, 2031. Regions must enact their own legislation and notify the Federal Service for Alcohol and Tobacco Control (Rosalkogoltabakkontrol), which will publish a list of participating regions.

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) Malaysia has appointed Didier Ellena as managing director, effective Jan 5. Ellena has spent more than 30 years with JTI and has held leadership roles across multiple countries and regions. His predecessor, Juliana Mohd Yahaya, will become vice president of sales and marketing for JTI North Asia.

According to Law360, VPR Brands and iMiracle have filed a joint notice in federal court in Florida stating that they have signed a settlement term sheet and plan to finalize a global settlement within 30 days that would resolve multiple lawsuits. The dispute, which began in 2022 and centers on the “Elf” trademark, has involved injunctions, counterclaims and a key ruling by the Federal Circuit overturning a lower court’s order.

BAT Argentina says it has launched VELO nicotine pouches in Argentina, positioning the product as an adult alternative that contains no tobacco and involves no combustion. At the same time, social media discussion and media reporting indicate that Philip Morris International’s ZYN nicotine pouches are also being distributed through Argentine channels.

A court in Russia’s Stavropol region convicted four local residents of illegal sales of disposable vapes, with the seized products valued at more than 26 million rubles (about $338,000). The regional prosecutor’s office said the organized group operated from March 2022 to June 2023, selling disposable electronic vapes in Stavropol, Nevinnomyssk and Mikhaylovsk, while the products lacked mandatory information required by law.

Reynolds American Inc. announced it will create 200 new manufacturing positions in 2026 at its Tobaccoville, North Carolina, Operations Center, bringing total new roles added over the past two years to more than 1,000. The company added 800 jobs between 2024 and 2025. These roles will support the continued growth of Velo Plus nicotine pouches and Reynolds’ expanding multi-category portfolio, aligned with its mission to build a smokeless world.