Author: ifonge

After a courtroom defeat, Trump administration health officials have revised the governing documents for a key federal vaccine panel to broaden its membership, increase its focus on potential harms of vaccines, and empower allies of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The new charter for the committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine use appears aimed at trying to evade the type of legal challenge that has left the currently appointed body in limbo. In addition, the document puts greater emphasis on the role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in studying injuries possibly…

Every year, I try to write a post about books that I’ve read in the past year. This time, I found myself writing so much about some of the books, that the post was getting unmanageably large. So I’ve split it in two. This is part one; part two will follow.  Geoff Eley, Forging Democracy: The History of the Left in Europe, 1850–2000. This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to build on the traditions of radical politics, especially those in conversation with Marxism. If you read this blog, and you haven’t read this book, you should…

The Scary Movie franchise was simply unbeatable in the 2000s. 2013’s Scary Movie 5, though, was bittersweet: It was the first one in a few years, but Anna Faris and Regina Hall weren’t on board. Now, though, the whole original gang is back for the latest, a reboot titled simply Scary Movie. That includes the Wayans family, who is back in force: Marlon, Shawn, Damon Jr., Gregg, and Kim are all here for the sixth film in the series. This is a huge return for the franchise, as it’s the first movie to involve the Wayans family since the second…

The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, match no.15, was between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). During the match, KKR spinner Sunil Narine etched his name in the history books. He became the first overseas bowler to pick 200 wickets in India in T20 games.Narine achieved the milestone after he picked up the wicket of Mohammed Shami in the final ball of his final over. Sunil Narine finished off with the spell of 1/13 in his four-over spell. He was back in the side after missing the last game against the Punjab Kings due to abdominal…

By Kath Hudson    09 Apr 2026 The newly published The UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2026 shows penetration has reached a remarkable 18 per cent of over-16s, with a record 12.2 million members. Released this morning at an event in London, this is the second report into the UK fitness sector commissioned by UK Active, following last year’s debut. It is produced in collaboration with Sport England and 4Global, with analysis from Grant Thornton UK. The data represents a sample coverage of 74 per cent of private operators, 85 per cent of public operators and 88 per cent…

Washington — First lady Melania Trump on Thursday delivered remarks denying any friendship or relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and she called on Congress to hold a public hearing with Epstein’s victims. In a six-minute livestreamed statement from the White House, the first lady for the first time following the Justice Department’s release of troves of Epstein records publicly addressed the Epstein matter and directly. The first lady said “now is the time for Congress to act.””I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,”…

CRAWLEY, ENGLAND – JULY 25: Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner looks on ahead of the pre-season friendly match between Crawley Town and Crystal Palace at Broadfield Stadium on July 25, 2025 in Crawley, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner spoke to the microphones of TNT Sport before kick-off against Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals.The Austrian coach discussed his team’s progress in training, as well as providing updates on returning stars Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Daniel Munoz and Dean Henderson.“They trained fully, Dean was ill before the international break and JP [Mateta] and Daniel…

In notable comments online, the United Arab Emirates’ industry minister blasted the status quo around the strait. “This moment requires clarity,” wrote Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, who is also the chief executive of the state-controlled oil giant ADNOC. “Let’s be clear: the Strait of Hormuz is not open. Access is being restricted, conditioned and controlled.”Vance, in his remarks in Hungary, vowed the war would resume unless Tehran followed through on its promise to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where around 110 ships traveled daily before the war broke out. “The president is not going to abide by our terms if the…

Pam Bondi is backing out of a scheduled deposition before the House Oversight Committee, which has been seeking to grill the now-former attorney general about the Justice Department’s mishandling of the Epstein files.  The Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said in a statement  that “the Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General.”  The committee further indicated that it would “contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition.”…

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas both “expressed concern over serious violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon” in a phone conversation on Thursday, according to a readout from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.The two officials emphasized the need for the “full implementation of the temporary ceasefire in the Middle East,” the readout said.In a post to her own X channel, Kallas said that Hezbollah “dragged Lebanon into the war, but Israel’s right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction.””Israeli actions are putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce…