Author: National Tone

Celtic have announced the death of former player Frank McGarvey at the age of 66.The former Celtic, St Mirren and Scotland striker was diagnosed with cancer in October and passed away on New Year’s Day morning.McGarvey won the Scottish Cup with St Mirren and Celtic, while he also won two top-flight titles and the League Cup at Parkhead, as well as being capped seven times by his country. Image: McGarvey won two Scottish league titles with Celtic McGarvey made 499 career appearances between 1975 and 1996, 168 of which were for Celtic, whom he scored 100 goals for.Before joining Celtic,…

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New Year’s celebrations swept across the globe, ushering in 2023 with countdowns and fireworks – and marking an end to a year that brought war in Europe and global worries over inflation. The new year began in the tiny atoll nation of Kiribati in the Central Pacific, then moved across Russia and New Zealand before heading deeper, time zone by time zone, through Asia, Africa and Europe and into the Americas. Australia kicked off the celebrations with its first restriction-free New Year’s Eve after two years of COVID disruptions. Sydney welcomed the New Year with a typically dazzling fireworks display,…

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More than a dozen countries and territories have imposed restrictions on travellers from China amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, with Australia and Canada requiring negative test results for all passengers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. The latest curbs were announced on Sunday as COVID-19 overwhelmed hospitals and funeral homes across China. Global health experts say the virus that causes COVID-19 is likely infecting millions of people a day after Beijing dismantled its “zero-COVID” policy of strict lockdowns and mass testing last month. The National Health Commission has also stopped the publication of daily figures on infections and…

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Tripoli residents who are in contact with the survivors say a woman and a child – both Syrian – have died.Two migrants and refugees died and 232 others rescued after the boat they were travelling in capsized off the coast of Lebanon, the Lebanese army has said. Three naval vessels and a boat operated by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) took part in a rescue operation off Selaata, north of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, the army said. Reports from the northern city of Tripoli – Lebanon’s second-largest and most impoverished – said Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian men,…

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In early October, Jair Bolsonaro’s poll-defying performance in Brazil’s first-round presidential election revitalised his stuttering campaign. Ultimately, though, it was Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (or Lula) who triumphed in the nail-biting run-off vote. The tally was close, with Lula clinching victory by just 1.8 percentage points. Tensions have been running high since then and will remain elevated until January 1, when Lula will be inaugurated. In a highly divisive and violent election, Lula’s promise to protect democracy and reduce poverty galvanised left-wing voters. He was also able to lure moderates by picking a centrist running mate, Geraldo Alckmin. Meanwhile,…

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Numerous explosions have rocked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, minutes after midnight on New Year’s Day. The attacks on Kyiv on Sunday followed a barrage of at least 20 cruise missiles fired at targets across Ukraine in what officials there called “Terror on New Year’s Eve”. The new assault set off air raid sirens across the country, and some people in Kyiv took to their balconies shouting “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes”. Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that the first blasts of the new year began roughly 30 minutes after midnight, hitting two districts. He said there…

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Max Domi could opt to stay put in the Windy City following the NHL trade deadline on March 3. During Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Jeff Marek indicated that Domi could be interested in extending his stay with the Blackhawks. Domi had initially signed a one-year, $3-million deal last summer and was suspected to be a trade asset for the Hawks. “It seems as if Domi has really found a home in Chicago,” Marek said. “The team likes him, general manager Kyle Davidson really likes him, Domi really enjoys playing in Chicago. Seems like a…

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As the year was drawing to a close, the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan dealt what may have been the final blow to women’s education – banning women from universities. Female students above the sixth grade were already confined to their homes by the new rulers’ shutdown of schools, after promising to preserve women’s rights and media freedom. The Taliban has backtracked on most of the promises it announced immediately after its return to power in August 2021. Tens of thousands of Afghans, including women, fled the country, fearing a repeat of the Taliban’s brutal record in power in the 1990s.…

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Arguably the most incendiary issue Benedict faced upon becoming pope was the ongoing fallout from the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, as well as accusations of a cover-up effort on the part of Church administration.When Benedict became pope in 2005, the Catholic Church was in the midst of a very public reckoning with its history of sex abuse — a crisis with which he was very well-informed. In 2001, John Paul II empowered the CDF to centralize all investigations into abuse allegations, removing that power from local dioceses after it became clear that they often failed to take…

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World leaders are mourning the passing of former Pope Benedict XVI, praising his “devotion to the Church”. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on Saturday morning in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Benedict was the first pope in 600 years to resign – in 2013. Benedict had become increasingly frail during his almost 10 years of retirement. Vatican Pope Francis has praised Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s “kindness” in his first public comments since the death of the retired pontiff. Francis thanked Benedict on Saturday for “his testimony of faith and prayer, especially in these final years of retired life”.…

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