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Irish Times
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Turnstiles click for a game transformed and the most open championship in decades
The All-Ireland SFC is down to the last eight. After this weekend there will be four teams and three matches left. So far this has been a brilliant season, showcasing the rule changes introduced by the FRC , which have impacted beyond the wildest and most optimistic imaginings. By Friday teatime, Croke Park were reporting sales of 63,000 for Saturday's double bill of Monaghan -Donegal and Tyrone -Dublin with 74,000 shifted for Meath- Galway and the weekend's box office pairing of All-Ireland champions Armagh and brand leaders, Kerry. If the tickets keep going, these quarter-finals could be the best attended in 16 years. Another 10,000 in sales and the combined attendance for the weekend will surpass 2017 and you would have to go back to 2009 to find a bigger turnout. A game with additional space for forwards and the incentive to move the ball quickly into attack has blossomed into a spectacle that has captivated spectators. READ MORE Providing a two-point scoring option has rendered big leads assailable and plenty of teams have availed of the opportunity to pull matches back into the undecided column. Last weekend GAA president Jarlath Burns , who empanelled the FRC less than 18 months ago, permitted himself a tincture of self-congratulation in the match programme for the Croke Park double bill. GAA president Jarlath Burns speaking at Croke Park last week. Photograph: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile 'The FRC and the new rules have had a dramatic and transformative effect on our game. The high quantity of scores in football now is being matched by the high quality of scores in matches and is being backboned by a welcome increase in drama and competitiveness. 'Usually, we urge caution before rushing to conclusions. But what we have seen in the last six months is a game rediscovering itself and is a joy to see.' Vindication wasn't long in re-appearing. The following day, Galway went to Newry and led Down by 10 points at half-time. Within a minute and a half of the restart, the deficit was down to six after two two-pointers and closed to two with 15 minutes left. They survived, drawing this haunted response from manager Pádraic Joyce: 'We were battle-hardened before today but we're battle-hardened again.' Joyce's team, together with All-Ireland champions Armagh and back-to-back Ulster champions Donegal , lead the betting for this year's Sam Maguire. Having lost two of the last three All-Ireland finals, Galway have made a tightrope walk out of the campaign so far. On Sunday they face Meath , rejuvenated under Robbie Brennan's management. This is seen as one of the clearer-cut matches but the Connacht champions will still have to cope with a team that became the first in 17 years to beat both Dublin and Kerry in the same championship campaign. Meath manager Robbie Brennan after their win over Kerry at O'Connor Park. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho They have also adapted really well to the possibilities of the two-point kicks, as have Galway. A rapidly-transitioning contest with orange flags in constant profusion? There could be more battle-hardening on the way for Joyce. It is difficult to think of an All-Ireland denouement with a greater spread of credible candidates. Monaghan, facing Donegal on Saturday – much to Donegal's chagrin, having played their preliminary quarter-final only six days prior – is the only county in action this weekend not to have won the Sam Maguire at some stage. The other seven counties have won every All-Ireland of the past 30 years with only the sole exception of Cork's triumph in 2010. There has been very little between them. Every county has lost at least once this championship. It is unprecedentedly competitive, as Burns also referenced a week ago. 'Already, this 2025 football campaign ranks as one of the most open, exciting and enjoyable championship summers in memory and we are still only now at what some might call the 'business end',' he said. One consequence of this is that virtually every county can have dreams going into this weekend – six of them without having to hallucinate too hard. Dublin's Con O'Callaghan. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho The relentless tempo of the split-season schedule means that injury bites hard and a number of teams are awaiting prognoses on important players. St Januarius maintains his feast day in September, as a good few people would prefer the GAA to do in regard to All-Ireland finals. But not even the crowds that gather in Naples each year to see whether the saint's blood liquefies are as rapt with anxiety as Dublin supporters waiting to see if captain Con O'Callaghan's hamstring miraculously loosens for the fray against Tyrone. Galway await a similarly positive prognosis on Shane Walsh's shoulder. Kerry will hope for Paudie Clifford's full engagement and Monaghan for Gary Mohan's. To name but a few. Eight teams are poised but only four will make it out of this weekend with their hopes intact. At least one will hope to do so with a decisive display that establishes them as the contenders with momentum going into the semi-finals and beyond. On your marks.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
FRC Hosts Lift Up Life Broadcast on Third Anniversary of Dobbs SCOTUS Decision
WASHINGTON, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, on the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Family Research Council hosted a broadcast, Lift Up Life: A Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life, now available for viewing on the Stand Firm app or at On why FRC hosted the Lift Up Life broadcast, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins commented: "As chemical abortion continues to take innocent lives and put women at risk, this is a moment for urgent, hope-filled prayer and unified action," said Perkins. "During his term, President Biden implemented harmful FDA policies that stripped away critical safeguards for women and dramatically expanded access to mifepristone. New research shows that 1 in 10 women who take mifepristone experience serious medical complications, and chemical abortion now accounts for at least 63% of all abortions in the United States. We need the Trump administration to reverse these dangerous Biden-era policies and reinstate the protections that value both mothers and their unborn children." WHO: Tony Perkins, Family Research Council PresidentDavid Benham, Cities4Life PresidentJason Benham, Benham Companies Co-FounderDavid Bereit, Life Leadership Conference Executive DirectorCraig DeRoche, Family Policy Alliance President & CEOJohn Ensor, PassionLife PresidentRep. Andy Harris (R-MD-01), Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus Co-ChairRep. Mark Harris (R-NC-08)Jack Hibbs, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Founding & Senior PastorPhil Hopper, Abundant Life Church Lead Pastor in Lee's Summit, MOBishop Vincent Mathews, Tabernacle Church Senior Pastor in Southaven, MSBunni Pounds, Christians Engaged PresidentMayra Rodriguez, Global Pro-Life ActivistMary Szoch, Family Research Council Director of the Center for Human Dignity WHAT: Lift Up Life: A Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life WHEN: Available to stream on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 WHERE: On FRC's Stand Firm app or Download the Stand Firm app from the Apple and Google Play stores: View original content: SOURCE Family Research Council Sign in to access your portfolio
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Davy Burke: Rory Beggan is the No. 1 player in the new game
Rory Beggan is the most valuable player in Gaelic football, according to Roscommon manager Davy Burke. The Monaghan goalkeeper has kicked 0-54 in 12 competitive games in 2025, the advent of the two-pointer doubling his return from long-range frees. Burke has had to plan for Beggan on two occasions, once in the Allianz Football League in Hyde Park and then in the Division 2 decider at Croke Park. While Beggan was restricted to a single point in the Hyde, he took them for 0-07 in the latter, and Burke reckons he is one of the players who has profited the most from the FRC changes. The Roscommon manager said that the problem wasn't so much frees conceded on the edge of the arc, which referees are wary of giving, but more so when the ball is marched forward 50 metres. "We played Monaghan in the third round of the league in the Hyde and we restricted Rory Beggan to no effort at all for two pointers," Burke said on the RTÉ GAA podcast. "We beat them by five or six points. "We met them in the league final again. And we had a similar plan to restrict Beggan and I think he got four of them. "A couple of them were balls brought up (for not handing ball back), which is ridiculous really. And kickout marks, which are gone. "He's a cheat code. He's a complete cheat code. "Monaghan have the No. 1 player in this new game, in my opinion. He's the biggest threat to everybody. He could kick 0-10 in a game. He's phenomenal. "Particularly with the 50-metre rule. If you're bringing any ball up, that fella can kick the ball from 60 yards over the bar. "In fairness to the refs, they don't give away soft frees on the top of the arc. I would imagine they're discussing it themselves. "They don't tend to give you a soft free at the arc because most teams are playing for them, let's be honest about it. So, they don't tend to give you them, which is fair enough. "But the ones that are killing teams are the 50m ones. You might think a free up the field, there's no jeopardy to it. But if you stand in the way and they bring it up 50m and then the likes of a Beggan or a Niall Morgan can kick it from 60 metres and it's a real, real hammer-blow." While there were fears early on in the season that the addition of the two-pointer would result in fewer goals, this appears to have corrected itself as the campaign has progressed. Burke says that defences are now ultra attuned to pushing out on two-point shooters, which has had the inevitable knock-on effect on leaving more space inside. "You're seeing teams push out man-to-man and put pressure on the shooters out there. There's huge work going into it, from all angles, to try and exploit this two-pointer. "As things go on, we're getting a better balance between goals and two-pointers. "For a while there, people were saying we're not scoring enough goals, do we need to go back to a four-point goal? If you look at it now, we're scoring plenty of goals. "Galway and Down, how many goal chances did they miss between the two of them? "They missed six, seven or eight chances. But I think we're not programmed like this. We wouldn't have six goal chances in a championship campaign last year whereas now you have six in 20 minutes. "I think the players don't know how this is opening up in front of them. They're delighted with themselves and maybe panicking and rushing the shots. "But I think it might be next year before players get used to this and start finishing all of them."
Business Recorder
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
National Identity Card Rules, 2002: NADRA makes major amendments
ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has made major amendments to the National Identity Card Rules, 2002, aiming to modernise the identification system, eliminate forgery, and enhance overall security. Following the direction of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, NADRA prepared a comprehensive reform proposal which was approved by the federal cabinet. The NADRA has now initiated the implementation phase of these reforms, said a senior official, adding that the reforms aim to curb fake registrations and effectively prevent child trafficking. According the new rules, registration of birth at the Union Council will now be mandatory for acquiring a B-Form. Children under the age of 3 will no longer be required to provide biometric data or photographs, it says. However, children between 3 and 10 years must provide a photograph and undergo an IRIS scan. For children aged 10 to 18 years, a photograph, biometric data, and an IRIS scan will be mandatory, it says. As per the rules each child will be issued a separate B-Form with a validity period mentioned. Existing B-Forms will not be cancelled, but a new B-Form will be mandatory for passport issuance, it says. It says that the Family Registration Certificate (FRC) has been granted the status of a legal document. Applicants will now be required to submit a declaration verifying the accuracy of the information provided in the FRC, it says, adding citizens will be able to obtain the FRC based solely on NADRA's records. It says that all family members, including those previously unregistered, must now be entered into the system. Citizens can verify or update their family data through NADRA offices or via the mobile application, it says According to the rules details of all spouses and children of men with multiple marriages will now be included in the FRC. Women will have the option to include either their father's or husband's name on their identity card as per their preference, it says. It says that decisions regarding cancellation, confiscation, or restoration of CNIC cards must now be made within 30 days. The NADRA has also incorporated most features of smart cards into the non-chip-based ID cards, which will now be issued at a lower cost and within a shorter timeframe. These new cards will include both Urdu and English credentials along with a QR code, without any additional fee, it says. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
NADRA amends national ID card rules
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has implemented major amendments to the National Identity Card (NIC) Rules, 2002, in an effort to modernise the system. The changes are designed to enhance security of the NIC system, curb fraudulent practices, and ensure greater transparency and efficiency in identity management across the country. The NIC Rules were originally formulated in 2002, following the establishment of NADRA in 2000. NADRA prepared a comprehensive draft to align the rules with contemporary requirements. This framework has been approved by the Federal Cabinet and is now in effect. A key feature of the new regulations is the mandatory requirement of birth registration with union council before the issuance of the Child Registration Certificate (CRC/Form B). According to the revised rules, children under three years of age are exempt from providing biometric data and photographs. For children aged three to ten, a photograph and, where available, an iris scan is now required. For those aged ten to eighteen, biometric data, including fingerprints, photographs and iris scans, are mandatory. Each child will also be issued an individual CRC with a specified validity period. These reforms improve the accuracy of child identity records and play a vital role in preventing illegal registrations and child trafficking. Family Registration Certificate (FRC) has been granted legal status through these reforms. Applicants must now submit an undertaking confirming the accuracy of the information provided. Citizens can obtain the FRC solely based on NADRA's records. The new rules define three family types: Alpha (by birth), Beta (by marriage), and Gamma (by adoption). Individuals must register any unlisted family members. Corrections can be made through the mobile app or NADRA offices, and incorrect entries can be removed. Unlike the previous system, the updated FRC will now include full details of men with multiple marriages, reducing ambiguity. Furthermore, under the new regulations, married women are now allowed the facility to choose whether to display their father's name or their husband's name on their national identity card, according to their own preference. In addressing the challenges citizens previously faced in verification, confiscation and cancellation of identity documents, NADRA has introduced several improvements. Verification boards at district, regional and headquarters levels are now legally bound to resolve all such cases within thirty days. The rules now extend these same procedures to certificates (FRC, CRC) as well. The revised regulations introduce significant upgrades to Teslin identity card, which remains an affordable option for many citizens. These enhanced cards now feature key Smart Card security elements, including bilingual information in Urdu and English, easing passport applications. QR codes replace thumb impressions, offering modernized security without additional fees. The improved Teslin cards will continue to be issued quickly and at lower costs, making them more accessible to a broader population. A key aspect of the amendments is the voluntary correction facility, allowing individuals with incorrect identity records to proactively inform NADRA for legal protection and correction. To eliminate ambiguities and improve clarity, the amendments provide precise definitions for key identity management terms.
