Lifestyle
News on consumer habits, trends, and lifestyle spending.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has authorised Zyn nicotine pouches to be sold to as a tool to quit smoking. The agency says that even though this decision gives the products permission to be legally marketed in the U.S., it “does not mean these tobacco products are safe, nor are they ‘FDA approved’”. In a statement the FDA said that Zyn supplied data from a study that demonstrated "a substantial proportion of adults who use cigarette and/or smokeless tobacco products completely switched to the newly authorized nicotine pouch products". The pouches, made by tobacco company Phillip Morris, have been on the U.S. market for over decade as the FDA reviewed whether to formally allow them and the latest decision allows 10 Zyn flavours, including mint, coffee, cinnamon and menthol, to remain. Nicotine pouches do not contain any actual tobacco and is placed between the gum and the lips where it slowly emits nicotine, much like nicotine patches or chewing gum. While E-cigarettes were also authorised as a device for quitting smoking before seeing a huge spike in use by children, but there has been no evidence that teens are migrating nicotine pouches in the same manner, with less than 2% of American students re
Actor Justin Baldoni is suing fellow actor Blake Lively and her publicist for US$400 million (A$643.99 million), claiming that Lively and her husband actor Ryan Reynolds hijacked the production of It Ends With Us and sought to “destroy him” with false sexual harassment allegations. The 179-page complaint filed in the United States southern district of New York is the latest swing in a bitter legal battle between the two co-stars. Baldoni directed and starred alongside Lively in the Colleen Hoover adaptation with the California Civil Rights commissions detailing sexual harassment by Baldoni during production and a smear campaign to ruin Livley’s reputation through artificial social media activity and planned stories. In a statement, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman said Lively attempted to “destroy” Baldoni. "It is clear based on our own all out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret,” he said. “Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth." Freedman also said he and Ba
Drake has filed a lawsuit against his own record label over the song “Not Like Us”, released by fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar. The song was released in 2024 as part of an ongoing feud between the two, being fought via diss-tracks, but Lamar’s chart-topping single “Not Like Us” was ultimately the deciding song. The song’s punchlines included references to Drake, born Aubrey Graham, as a pedophile, and in response Drake is suing his own label, Universal Music Group, the record company behind both rappers. Filed Wednesday local time in a United States federal court, the suit alleges defamation and harassment, calling the release and promotion of “Not Like Us” an example of valuing “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.” Noting that the cover art for “Not Like Us” features a photo of Drake’s Toronto home dotted with markers meant to represent the presence of registered sex offenders, the suit also stated that this and the lyrics were intended to "convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile.” In a statement back in November, when Drake first broached legal proceedings, a spokesman for Universal Music said: “The suggestion that UMG would
Aston Martin has revealed its 2025 Vantage Roadster, a convertible successor to last year’s Vantage Coupe. The vehicle boasts a lightweight design and the fastest fully automatic roof on the market, according to Aston Martin. “The technical and dynamic capability of [2024 coupe] New Vantage delivered outstanding performance; far beyond any other preceding Vantage and it is now seen as a true class leading sports car,” said Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark. “Vantage Roadster was no different feat in that it is a fully reinvented experience, with all the benefits of the Coupe and no compromise to refinement or performance through meticulous work by our engineering and dynamics teams.” This year’s Vantage Roadster includes a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine, with 800 nanometres of torque. This is 115Nm more than the previous Roadster model. The vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 202 miles per hour (325 km/h). The convertible’s roof can be opened or closed in just 6.8 seconds, at speeds up to 50 km/h. When open, the roof is stowed behind the seats. The Roadster features a multi-screen entertainment system with internet connectivity, and an Aston Martin-ma
A new arena will be built in South Philadelphia for the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Flyers. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) and Comcast Spectacor have entered a 50/50 partnership to build the venue, which will give Comcast a minority stake in the 76ers. The arena is set to open by 2031. “From the start, we envisioned a project that would be transformative for our city and deliver the type of experience our fans deserve,” said HBSE co-founders Josh Harris and David Blitzer, and limited partner David Adelman. Comcast will have naming rights to the venue, and will join HBSE’s bid to add a WNBA team in Philadelphia. Comcast is already the Flyers’ majority owner. The 76ers originally received city council approval for a US$1.3 billion arena in Philadelphia’s downtown Market East area in December. The city’s community impact reports found that the proposed location could accelerate gentrification in Chinatown, just north of the site, and around half of small businesses nearby would likely see negative effects. HBSE and Comcast also agreed to invest in Market East’s revitalisation, as part of the new agreement to instead construct the arena in South Philadelphia. “By coming together with [Comcast CEO Brian Ro
