Rare hurricane heads for Ireland, UK

Britain and Ireland yesterday braced for a lashing from Ophelia, the largest hurricane ever recorded so far east in the Atlantic Ocean. Though the Category 3 storm, which means it packed winds of at least 178 kilometres (110 miles) per hour, will weaken as it churns toward Ireland and Britain, it still packs enough power to damage buildings and provoke "dangerous" sea conditions as well as potential flooding, authorities said.