Percentages: FG .429, FT .738. 3-Point Goals: 2-15, .133 (Taylor 2-8, Phelps 0-2, Wilcher 0-2, Carter 0-3). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 6 (Washington 4, Garcia, Obaseki). Turnovers: 12 (Phelps 4, Coleman 3, Taylor 3, Carter, Washington). Steals: 5 (Hefner 2, Carter, Garcia, Wilcher). Technical Fouls: Washington, 12:23 first. Percentages: FG .412, FT .882. 3-Point Goals: 6-26, .231 (Harper 2-6, Bailey 2-8, Williams 1-2, Hayes 1-5, Acuff 0-1, Davis 0-1, Derkack 0-1, Grant 0-2). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 1 (Harper). Turnovers: 16 (Bailey 4, Williams 4, Derkack 2, Martini 2, Acuff, Hayes, Ogbole, Sommerville). Steals: 7 (Bailey 2, Derkack, Grant, Hayes, Martini, Williams). Technical Fouls: Williams, 12:23 first. .The world stands at the dawn of a “third nuclear age” in which Britain is threatened by multiple dilemmas, the head of the armed forces has warned. But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”
Picking the best class Path of Exile 2 is less straightforward than it might initially seem. The thing to bear in mind about Path of Exile 2’ s classes is that, as of the game’s early access launch, there isn’t a single powerhouse class that lets you sweep through. There’s no Diablo 4 -style Spiritborn here. Every class has a distinctive playstyle whose drawbacks might not be a dealbreaker for you, depending on how you like to play, and they all have specific strengths as well. Our list of the best Path of Exiles 2 classes takes into consideration how many viable skill options a class gives you, along with ease of use and how well they can hold their own in combat against mobs and bosses. Table of Contents What are the best classes in Path of Exile 2? Mercenary Witch Ranger Monk Warrior Sorceress What are the best classes in Path of Exile 2? At launch in early access, Path of Exile 2 has six classes . These range from traditional types with a twist — such as the Warrior, a melee brawler, and the spellslinging Sorceress — to more experimental classes. The Witch, for example, summons minions and has access to powerful debuff skills, while the Mercenary controls the battlefield with a variety of fast-firing, hard-hitting crossbow shots. Path of Exile 2 ’s take on the Monk is unique among that class style’s iterations throughout video games, and even the Ranger is much more interesting than you might expect from someone who just shoots arrows. In short, every Path of Exile 2 class has something going for it, though some are easier to learn and use effectively than others. Our ranking of classes from best to worst is: Mercenary — Early access to strong combos and high potential to manage crowds and defeat bosses quickly Witch — Self-sustaining skills, strong minions, and excellent debuff abilities make up for a slow start with their kit Ranger — Exceptionally powerful elemental abilities, but few retreat options and no defensive skills Monk — Dull skillset until level five, when strong combos finally show up Warrior — Excellent at taking down bosses, but weak power and slow animations make dealing with mobs difficult Sorceress — Strong elemental spells, but slow animations and no sustaining skills leave them vulnerable in solo play Mercenary Path of Exile 2 ’s Mercenary is an exceptional class with high damage potential, early access to powerful combos, and a flexible playstyle that, despite some complexities, makes it comparatively easy to learn for newcomers and those familiar with Path of Exile . The Mercenary fires high-powered crossbow bolts and quickly gets access to a range of much more interesting and useful skills. They can launch fire grenades, freeze foes and shatter them, reduce enemy resistances, and even fire a continuous stream of arrows to whittle down the toughest bosses (like Jamanra, the Abomination ). Best of all, the Mercenary doesn’t have to specialize in just one element. You can mix charged shots with fire grenades and freeze arrows and still end up with a viable build to carry you through the game. The Mercenary might have a strong set of skills at their disposal, but getting used to them takes a fair bit of practice. They burn through mana quickly and need a careful balance of special shots and basic attacks, and, more than with other classes, you also have to develop a pattern of attacking and retreating to avoid getting overwhelmed. The wide shot spread for some of the Mercenary’s special skills means you have to be at close range for them to reliably hit, which puts you at risk of getting overwhelmed by mobs. Still, for the variety of abilities the Mercenary can learn, it’s worth putting up with the learning curve. Witch The Witch is a close second for Path of Exile 2 ’s best class, held back only by some lackluster class ascendancy bonuses and a few balance oddities that make some of their skills less useful than others. The Witch is, ostensibly, a minion summoner, but they can specialize into a debuffer and a powerful spellcaster as well. The witch can raise minions from dead enemies, explode corpses, spread disease, cast fire and frost spells (and lightning, though it’s a bit weak in Path of Exile 2 ’s early access stage) pin enemies in place, buff minions and send them into a frenzy — their kit is exceptional, even before ascendancy buffs. They’re also one of the easiest classes to learn, since you can let minions distract foes while you direct them from afar, which means the risk of getting overwhelmed is much lower for the Witch. The Witch’s big issues — aside from the Blood Mage ascendancy being severely underpowered at launch — are how long it takes for their kit to get interesting, and how weak their minions are at first. It takes several levels and a fair bit of skill point investment for standard and summoned minions to do anything approaching respectable levels of damage and survivability. The Witch can supplement the damage shortfall, but the more serious problem is how quickly minions die at lower levels. They respawn after a short period, but the Witch is vulnerable in that time, especially if there are no corpses to manipulate. These issues fade as you level up and get access to skills such as Bone Cage and supplementary summons, but it takes longer for the Witch to feel good than it does with other classes. Pro tip: Don’t use your early uncut gems on skeletons and minions. The Witch needs spirit to summon them, and you can only acquire spirit in certain ways, none of which are available to you at the game’s start. Ranger Ranger might initially seem like a less impressive version of Mercenary, since it’s a ranged class that fires elemental arrows. However, it’s the best class for crowd control and can make quick work of large mobs and tough bosses alike. Rangers have a wide variety of skills, from a poison shot that gradually saps an enemy’s health — even better is the apparent lack of poison resistance for most Path of Exile 2 enemies — to more complex combos, such as one where they stake a lightning arrow in the ground and can fire additional chain lightning shots that ricochet off the stake and deal extra damage. Rangers can also equip special quivers that augment specific elements and add special effects, such as adding a pierce effect or igniting projectiles, and they’re among the best in the game at causing status ailments. The Ranger’s only drawback is a lack of defensive skills, and it’s a big one. They equip weaker armor and rely on evasive skills to stay safe, but when enemies break through, they have few ways to stay safe. Careful cooldown management and investing in skills such as Vine Arrow, which slows enemy movement can mitigate some of these issues. However, if you overcorrect and have more than one retreat ability, it takes away from how much damage you dish out. Monk If “it gets good after 10 hours” had a picture definition, it’d be Path of Exile 2 ’s Monk. It’s a fun class to play with a highly distinctive style and some excellent abilities — but you wouldn’t know it initially. The Monk’s ability set is slow and unwieldy until about level five, when Path of Exile 2 finally starts leaning into unique skill effects that augment how the Monk plays. Some skills get more powerful when used several times in quick succession. Others grant the Monk’s basic attack or other attack additional effects, such as launching projectiles or, by consuming all the Monk’s mana, turning their standard attack into one that sets off electric shockwaves. Getting to that point is rough , though. Path of Exile 2 favors ranged playstyles and quick casting, and not only does the Monk almost always have to be up close until level five, but their attack animations are slow. They’re vulnerable to taking damage before they can even dish any out — a problem, given the light armor they specialize in — and can easily get overwhelmed. Warrior Path of Exile 2 ’s Warrior launched in a strange position. It excels as a defensive class and is the only character who can block enemy attacks. They stun. Their warcries offer potent self-buffs and, depending on your skill choice, can damage foes. And they hit hard with two-handed weapons. The problem is how comparatively weak and sluggish the Warrior is. It’s such a slow class. Basic skills take longer to execute and do less damage than other basic skills from other classes — it takes multiple hits to down a simple Drowned in the prologue, for example, where the Witch can defeat a foe with two hits. Many of the Warrior’s fundamental attacks have long animations as well. Most of Path of Exile 2 ’s enemies are pretty mobile, so it’s easy to wind up and then completely miss your target, leaving yourself vulnerable as mobs take advantage of your recovery time and swarm. Where these annoyances are less of a problem is with boss fights. The Warrior’s self-buffs, enemy debuffs,and bone-shattering attacks work particularly well in fights against big, single targets, and the class is quickly establishing a well-earned reputation as Path of Exile 2’s boss killer. Even that function has a caveat, though, as your build options are limited, and most Warrior skills are designed to work better with The Titan ascendancy. Sorceress Sorceress is fine in Path of Exile 2 . It’s fine! But not much more than that. This is your standard set of magic skills, with access to the three major elements, some crowd control abilities, and, eventually, powerful buffs that boost your spellcasting power. It’s a strong class, but oddly balanced. The Sorceress’ self-buffs and combo opportunities come much later in their class progression, while other classes – even the Warrior – get them almost immediately. For example, Sorceress only has access to a shatter combo at level five. Mercenary can do the same thing at level one. The Sorceress’ biggest pain point, however, is their lack of defensive skills. They simply can’t save themselves from anything, and an evasive playstyle only gets you so far when the class’ stronger skills take a while to ramp up. For more Path of Exile 2 guides, here’s how to ascend , how to respec , how to get spirit , and how to trade . Plus, here’s a list of all Trial of Sehkemas challenges and rewards, and guides on how to complete “ Ancient Vows ” and beat Jamanra. Guides Path of Exile 2 guides PC PlayStation XboxNew York state government to monitor its use of AI under a new law ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Canadian Press Dec 27, 2024 12:37 PM Dec 27, 2024 12:50 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - A video surveillance camera hangs from the ceiling above a subway platform, Oct. 7, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. The law requires state agencies to perform assessments of any software that uses algorithms, computational models or AI techniques, and then submit those reviews to the governor and top legislative leaders along with posting them online. It also bars the use of AI in certain situations, such as an automated decision on whether someone receives unemployment benefits or child care assistance, unless the system is being consistently monitored by a human. State workers would also be shielded from having their hours or job duties limited because of AI under the law. State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, called the law an important step in setting up some guardrails in how the emerging technology is used in state government. The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Science News An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition Dec 27, 2024 12:43 PM An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition Dec 27, 2024 10:43 AM A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says Dec 27, 2024 10:01 AMHarris hit a 3-pointer and Neftali Alvarez made a layup with 2 seconds left as the Golden Eagles (3-4) rallied from a 65-61 deficit in the final minute. Jett Montgomery scored 13 points while shooting 5 for 8, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. Cobie Montgomery finished 3 of 6 from 3-point range to finish with 10 points. Themus Fulks led the way for the Panthers (5-4) with 17 points. Milwaukee also got 13 points and seven rebounds from Kentrell Pullian. AJ McKee also had 10 points and eight rebounds. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Liverpool punish rivals’ errors with dominant win over Leicester to stretch lead
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling , as early as January 14, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. "Treasury expects to hit the statutory debt ceiling between January 14 and January 23," she wrote in a letter addressed to House and Senate leadership, at which point extraordinary measures would be used to prevent the government from breaching the nation's debt ceiling — which was suspended until Jan. 1, 2025. The department in the past deployed what are known as “extraordinary measures” or accounting maneuvers to keep the government operating. Once those measures run out, the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. "I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States," Yellen said. FILE - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a visit to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Va., on Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) The news came after Democratic President Joe Biden signed a bill into law last week that averted a government shutdown but did not include Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demand to raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit. Congress approved the bill only after a fierce internal debate among Republicans over how to handle Trump's demand. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump said in a statement. After a protracted debate in the summer of 2023 over how to fund the government, policymakers crafted the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which included suspending the nation's $31.4 trillion borrowing authority until Jan. 1, 2025. Notably however, Yellen said, on Jan. 2 the debt is projected to temporarily decrease due to a scheduled redemption of nonmarketable securities held by a federal trust fund associated with Medicare payments. As a result, “Treasury does not expect that it will be necessary to start taking extraordinary measures on January 2 to prevent the United States from defaulting on its obligations," she said. The federal debt stands at about $36 trillion — after ballooning across both Republican and Democratic administrations. The spike in inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed up government borrowing costs such that debt service next year will exceed spending on national security. Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate in the new year, have big plans to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts and other priorities but are debating over how to pay for them. Many consumers may remember receiving their first credit card, either years ago in a plain envelope, or months ago from a smartphone app. Still other consumers may remember their newest card, maybe because it's the credit card they're now using exclusively to maximize cash back rewards or airline miles. But for most consumers, there's also a murky in-between where they add, drop and generally accumulate credit cards over time. Over the years, consumers may close some credit card accounts or leave some of their credit cards dormant as a backup form of payment, or perhaps left forgotten in a desk drawer. In the data below, Experian reveals the changes in consumers wallets in recent years. U.S. consumers, on average, carry fewer cards today than they did in 2017, when the typical wallet held 4.2 active credit cards. As of the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, consumers carried 3.9 cards on average. This average is up slightly since the early days of the pandemic, when consumers reduced their average credit card debt and number of accounts as the economy slowed. As Experian revealed earlier this year, credit card balances are still climbing, despite (and partially because of) higher interest rates. And while average balances are increasing, they are spread across fewer accounts than in recent years. Alternative financing—including buy now, pay later plans for purchases—may account for at least some of this discrepancy, as consumers gravitate toward these newer financing methods. In general, residents of higher-population states tend to carry more credit cards than those who live in states with fewer and smaller population centers. Nonetheless, the difference between the states is relatively small. Considering that the national average is around four credit cards per consumer, the four states with the fewest cards per consumer (Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming) aren't appreciably different, with "only" about 3.3 credit cards per consumer. Similarly, the four states on the higher end of the scale where consumers have 4.2 or more credit cards are Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The disparity in average credit card counts is more apparent when the population is segmented by age, thanks in part to Generation Z, many of whom have yet to receive their first credit card. The average number of credit cards for these consumers was two, less than half of what older generations keep on hand. The average number of credit cards held by each generation follows the familiar pattern seen in credit card balances, which tend to increase in a consumer's middle age. It's not surprising that the number of credit card accounts follows a similar climb throughout young adulthood and middle age, then drops off in the retirement years. No matter how many credit cards you may have at the moment, keep in mind that the number of accounts has little if any bearing on one's FICO Score. Far more important is how consumers manage those accounts. This is easily demonstrable by quickly stepping through some of the factors that affect your credit scores . Longer credit histories do tend to have a positive effect on a consumer's credit score, but it's not something you can rush. Adhering to on-time payments and managing amounts owed will go far in improving credit scores, even absent a lengthy credit history. While accounts closed in good standing remain on your credit report for 10 years, canceling your oldest credit card account still has the potential to shorten your credit history when it is eventually removed. The impact of its removal depends on any other active credit cards in your credit file. Ultimately, the number of cards a particular individual carries is a personal decision. Justifications can be found for carrying a travel rewards card, a cash back card, a balance transfer card, a card for business transactions and other types of credit cards that other consumers may not have either the need or qualifications for. However, keeping track of numerous credit cards, whether or not a consumer is actively using all of them, can be a mentally taxing exercise. Not only that, credit card fees can add up and dull the benefit of carrying several credit cards. Organized consumers can benefit greatly from a wallet full of specialized cards, but for those seeking a more zen-like financial future, some judicial pruning may be in order. Methodology: The analysis results provided are based on an Experian-created statistically relevant aggregate sampling of our consumer credit database that may include use of the FICO Score 8 version. Different sampling parameters may generate different findings compared with other similar analysis. Analyzed credit data did not contain personal identification information. Metro areas group counties and cities into specific geographic areas for population censuses and compilations of related statistical data. This story was produced by Experian and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Lately, when I find myself feeling a little too calm about things, I’ve taken to reading the Reddit subreddit r/singularity to help swing my equilibrium back to its natural state of intense panic. This is a place where activity has flourished in recent months, as community members feverishly discuss the day’s ever-increasing developments in artificial intelligence and casually argue about the date they expect computers to officially exceed all human control. “AGI by the end of 2025” predicted a top ranking post on the subreddit this week, referencing the stage of singularity when “artificial general intelligence” – the point at which computers can perform any intellectual task that a human can – is reached. The excitement was caused by OpenAI’s announcement that its o3 system can now reason through maths, science and computer programming problems, which are three things I definitely can’t do. We had the chance to give computers less control, and instead we gave them more. Credit: iStock It got me thinking: we should have just let the Y2K bug win, hey? There we were, exactly 25 years ago, gifted with a date glitch that would’ve sent us warmly back to the 1900s, when life was simple and butter was churned in the backyard. But instead we panicked, worried that nuclear plants would melt down, planes would fall out of the sky, ATMs would erase all our savings, and like Bill Pullman in Independence Day we chose to fight. Now, 25 years on and with robot overlords breathing down our necks, it feels like a fork-in-the-road moment where we Robert Frosted the wrong way. We had the chance to give computers less control, and instead we gave them more. Dummy move! Perhaps because I’d just turned legal drinking age, or perhaps because I was watching Buffy religiously instead of following the news, I don’t remember feeling too concerned about the Y2K bug. What did I care if computers thought it was 1900 instead of 2000? Life across those 100 years wasn’t that different. In 1999, I still walked everywhere; I still did school exams in pencil; I still developed 35mm film negatives for my day job like Thomas Edison in his laboratory. Computers might’ve been around, but they weren’t such a part of our lives as they are now. I’d go whole days without touching one sometimes, except to play Grim Fandango . We were so close, as this archival shot from the film Time Bomb Y2K shows. Not to get all John Lennon, but imagine there were no computers. I wouldn’t miss them. I’d be sitting by a river bank right now, writing this column in salmon blood with my index finger. We’d all be so close to nature we could taste it, like the kid from Into the Wild . Maybe we’d die eating berries, but we’d live eating berries, too. If computers had died in 1999, we wouldn’t have social media either, the worst experiment in humankind since lobotomies. Instead we’d just have polite conversation with whoever was in our vicinity and/or crushing loneliness, both preferable options. If Y2K had happened, industry would be thriving too. No computers means no factory closures means no Donald Trump, it’s a simple equation. And not just manual industries, but creative ones too. If computers had died, music might still be a viable artistic career. I know this because in 1999 it would take me four days to download one Talib Kweli song, whereas today I just skimmed through his full life’s work during a toilet break. No one should have such carefree access to an artist’s entire life work, especially during a bowel movement. It’s not right. Maps. Street directories. The Yellow Pages. Privacy. Look at all the things we lost because, 25 years ago, we chose to save computers instead. A worthwhile exchange? I don’t know, maps were fun to fold. You can’t fold a GPS, you can just yell at its ignorant directions. “But what about the hospitals?” you’re probably saying. “Hospitals need computers.” Yes, I’m sure computers have saved more lives than the cast of Bondi Rescue , and the result is overpopulation. To paraphrase Paris Hilton, sometimes you just have to leave the party. The people of 1900, aprons splattered in freshly churned butter, understood this. As you can see, the Y2K bug got an unnecessarily bad rap in 1999. The good news is that we have another chance to get it right in 2038, when at 03:14:08 UTC on 19 January 2038, computer systems running on Unix time will suddenly revert to 20:45:52 on Friday, 13 December 1901. It’s called the Year 2038 Problem , which isn’t as catchy as Y2K, but it’ll do. Butter churning, here I come. To read more from Spectrum , visit our page here . Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter .
