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History of Ireland’s failure to get past Rugby World Cup quarterfinals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

Generations of Ireland’s best players have never known what it’s like to win a Rugby World Cup knockout match.It is 36 years and counting that they have choked on the biggest stage.In the nine World Cups, Ireland has reached the quarterfinals seven times and gone no further. No other team has suffered so many times. Even Scotland made the semifinals once.The next adventure starts in Bordeaux on Sept. 9 against Romania.Many predict the Irish to go all the way, such has been the magnitude of their success since the last World Cup in Japan. But, first, they have to get out of a pool including South Africa and Scotland then endure a week of questions about their historic inability to take another step.Success is conditional, as one of Ireland’s greatest, Paul O’Connell, explained in his biography about their goals for his fourth and last World Cup in 2015: “Success for us would be playing to our potential. I’d like to make the semifinal, and see what happen...

Ireland as ready as it ever has been to crack Rugby World Cup hoodoo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

Let’s get the numbers out of the way for an exceptional Ireland rugby team.0 — yellow or red cards conceded in the last 11 games, none this year. Only 2 yellows in the last 24 games.1 — world ranking for the last 13 months, the longest unbroken run by a northern hemisphere side.7 — defeats in 38 tests in this Rugby World Cup cycle. Those were to France (3), England (2), Wales and New Zealand.13 — current winning streak, eclipsing Ireland’s previous best of 12 across 2017-18.82 — winning percentage of coach Andy Farrell, the best by a permanent Ireland coach in the professional era.If an Ireland side was ever ready to go the whole way and win the World Cup, then this is the one.The Irish have been a settled side for a long time. Virtually the same team which took the historic series decider against the All Blacks in New Zealand in July last year also won the Six Nations Grand Slam decider against England in Dublin in March. That team came together only once in the World C...

DC teen accused of selling carjacked cars to undercover officers is indicted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

A teenager from D.C. has been indicted by a grand jury in connection with six carjackings in the District and Maryland, including one instance where a driver was shot multiple times. He is also accused of trying to sell the stolen vehicles to undercover police officers.According to the indictment, Cedae Hardy, 18, stole several cars at gunpoint between April 5 and May 17 of this year. Hardy would then drive the vehicles to a Northeast D.C. garage where another man helped him sell the cars.The first carjacking, according to prosecutors, happened in Northwest D.C., when Hardy pointed a gun at a person’s chest and demanded their cellphone and keys. He then allegedly drove off in the victim’s 2017 BMW 7 sedan.He drove the car to the garage where his partner let him in, then sold the car unknowingly for $1,500 to two undercover D.C. police officers.Using the same approach, Hardy is accused of carjacking a Mercedes-Benz SL550 on April 8 and a Dodge Challenger the next day in Hyattsv...

Hurricane Idalia strengthens into a powerful Category 4 storm as it nears Florida’s Big Bend region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia strengthens into a powerful Category 4 storm as it nearsFlorida’s Big Bend region.Source

Denver weather: 90s return for rest of the week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — With plenty of sunshine along the Front Range, temperatures in the Denver weather forecast will top out in the low 90s Wednesday afternoon, helping to keep the summer heat around.Weather today: Sunny and hotSkies will be sunny over most of the state Wednesday, helping to warm temperatures across the Front Range and Eastern Plains. Colorado natural disasters rise 275% over 20 years Highs will reach the low 90s Wednesday, putting Denver almost 10 degrees above average. There will be some light winds throughout the day as well.Pinpoint Weather: Daily forecast on Aug. 30.Weather tonight: Mild and clearSkies stay clear overnight as a light breeze begins to pick up. With that southerly breeze, lows Wednesday night will only dip into the lower 60s.Pinpoint Weather: Overnight forecast on Aug. 30.Looking ahead: Small storm chancesThe heat sticks around through the end of the week. Mostly sunny skies will be around on Thursday with hot highs in the middle 90s. Denver man...

Denver man arrives in Florida to help with hurricane recovery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — As Hurricane Idalia closes in on the state of Florida, thousands of people are fleeing coastal areas. But one Denver man is doing the opposite. He arrived in Tallahassee on Tuesday in preparation for a potential disaster.“Tomorrow morning, I’m just hoping wherever I’m staying at is still going to be there,” said Jamaal Wilson.Wilson is a Red Cross volunteer who specializes in community engagement and partnership. He’s been deployed to countless disasters but said this is the first time he’s been sent to one before a storm even hits. Colorado natural disasters rise 275% over 20 years “It’s kind of scary because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Wilson said. "Everything before was after landfall, so we saw the destruction, we knew what we were getting into. This one is, ‘What’s going to happen?’”Wilson said volunteers will be riding out the storm from a safe location before quickly moving into impacted areas to provide assistance.“It’s a joyous thing to give ba...

Hurricane Idalia makes landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia has made landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm on Wednesday and threatens to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall.Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend.Hurricanes are measured on a five category scale, with a Category 5 being the strongest. A Category 3 storm is the first on the scale considered a major hurricane.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region as a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday morning, threatening deadly storm surges and destruc...

Stunning new images reveal Ring Nebula in unprecedented detail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

(CNN) — The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed colorful new portraits of the iconic Ring Nebula.The new images capture the complex details of the planetary nebula, an enormous cloud of cosmic gas and dust that’s home to the remnants of a dying star.The two images were taken in different wavelengths of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, using instruments on the space observatory. Webb previously captured a different perspective on the Ring Nebula, as well as the similar-looking Southern Ring Nebula.A longtime favorite of astronomers, the Ring Nebula has been studied for years due to its observability and the insight it can provide into the lifetime of stars. It is located in the Lyra constellation more than 2,000 light-years from Earth, but on clear evenings during the summer, sky gazers using binoculars can see it.Planetary nebulae, which have nothing to do with planets despite the name, usually have a rounded structure and were so named because they initially...

Hurricane Idalia threatens Southern Georgia, poses flash flooding peril for the Carolinas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

As Hurricane Idalia intensifies, Southern Georgia is bracing for impact as the storm advances with the potential to strike. Forecasters predict its trajectory will then take it through the coastal areas of the Carolinas, where residents are hunkering down for a deluge of heavy rain and the risk of flash flooding. The looming threat of strong winds and the specter of waterlogged landscapes have prompted communities to ramp up their preparations.Charleston, a coastal city familiar with the unpredictability of hurricane season, is no stranger to the ritual of stocking up on essential supplies. From batteries to flashlights, homeowners are diligently acquiring the tools needed to weather the impending storm. Amidst the array of preparations, one particular set of items is seeing heightened demand—anchors and straps designed to secure structures in place during the tempest.Local hardware store owner, Joe Westbury, described the surge in interest. “Now that’s a 30-inch double ...

Soldiers stage coup in Gabon, in sign of fresh instability in Africa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:10 GMT

Military officers in Gabon say they have seized power and put President Ali Bongo under house arrest in what would be Africa’s eighth coup in three years. Earlier, official results showed Bongo won a third term in office following the country’s election on Saturday. But on Wednesday, soldiers announced the cancellation of the result, and the dissolution of the country’s institutions, amid reports of gunfire in the capital Libreville. “We are putting an end to the current regime,” the soldiers said, according to AFP.In a later television appearance, coup leaders said that Bongo had been placed under house arrest and that his son had been arrested.According to the country’s electoral commission, Bongo won the general election in the oil-rich central African nation with over 64 percent of the vote. But concerns were raised about the fairness of the election when the government cut internet access and imposed a nighttime curfew after the vote.Bongo’s family hav...