How To Make Money On LinkedIn – 5 MethodsNew Hampshire Fish and Game officials said people should stay off the ice this weekend. Changing temperatures are enough to create unsafe and unpredictable conditions. The warning from officials comes after a woman in Massachusetts was found dead in a lake this week. It is believed she fell into the freezing water while walking her dog and couldn't get herself out. Fish and Game officials want people to know some of the ice we're seeing on area ponds and lakes is not guaranteed to stick around. Officials said in general, ice is never going to be fully safe to be on, no matter how cold it gets. Officials said the ice needs to be 6 inches thick for people to safely be on it, and 8 to 10 inches thick for snowmobiles or other utility vehicles. People venturing out onto the ice will need to have proper gear, including ice picks, a safety vest and a rescue rope. Officials said people who fall through ice should try to stand up to see how deep the water is. Then, people in this situation should do everything they can to get their arms up on the ice and try to shimmy their way up and out of the water. Sometimes if it's cold enough, the open water will connect to the ice and someone in a predicament will be able to pull themselves up, officials said. There are also things to know if people see someone else falling through ice. "If they are close to shore and you can reach out to them with a stick or throw them something to keep them above the water until the fire department or first responders get there, that's the best recommendation we can make," Capt. Michael Eastman, of New Hampshire Fish and Game, said. >> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers?
Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen National Politics | Exhausted by political news? TV ratings and new poll say you’re not alone The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Capital City Bank Group, Inc. ( NASDAQ:CCBG – Free Report ) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,809 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.15% of Capital City Bank Group worth $876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Capital City Bank Group by 1,482.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 3,928 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Capital City Bank Group in the third quarter worth $414,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Capital City Bank Group in the third quarter valued at $184,000. Prospector Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Capital City Bank Group by 17.6% during the second quarter. Prospector Partners LLC now owns 32,685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 4,900 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Capital City Bank Group by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 206,871 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,883,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. 44.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Capital City Bank Group from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $34.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com raised Capital City Bank Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.80. Insider Buying and Selling In other Capital City Bank Group news, Treasurer Thomas A. Barron sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 140,681 shares in the company, valued at $4,756,424.61. This trade represents a 2.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link . 19.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Capital City Bank Group Stock Performance CCBG stock opened at $39.12 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $35.79 and a 200-day moving average of $32.17. The firm has a market cap of $662.69 million, a PE ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 0.53. Capital City Bank Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.45 and a 12-month high of $40.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Capital City Bank Group ( NASDAQ:CCBG – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. Capital City Bank Group had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The company had revenue of $68.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.40 million. Capital City Bank Group Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Capital City Bank Group’s payout ratio is currently 30.16%. Capital City Bank Group Profile ( Free Report ) Capital City Bank Group, Inc operates as the financial holding company for Capital City Bank that provides a range of banking- related services to individual and corporate clients. The company offers financing for commercial business properties, equipment, inventories, and accounts receivable, as well as commercial leasing and letters of credit; treasury management services; and merchant credit card transaction processing services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CCBG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Capital City Bank Group, Inc. ( NASDAQ:CCBG – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Capital City Bank Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Capital City Bank Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Letter: 'Taking on the work which we no longer want to do'
‘They’ve done everything right’: Matt Rhule takes stock of Nebraska football’s week in NYCDowning throws for 2 TDs, runs for another, Elon tops North Carolina A&T 31-21
PONTIAC—Benet’s Daniel Pauliukonis may be the area’s most under-the-radar Division I recruit. The 6-9 senior, signed with SIU, had some nice games last season, and sparkled in club basketball over the summer. His full arsenal of skills was displayed in a 58-44 win against Bloom in the quarterfinals of the 93rd Pontiac Holiday Tournament on Friday . Pauliukonis finished with 20 points and six rebounds. He scored on threes, midrange jumpers, takes to the basket and post moves. “I got off to a good start so that was nice, got in my groove,” Pauliukonis said. “In the second half when they started face-guarding me I set some screens and helped get the other guys open.” Pauliukonis scored 18 in the first half to help the Redwings jump out to a 34-20 halftime lead. Benet stayed in control throughout the second half. “Daniel played great,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “In the second half, they tagged him. They face-guarded him with Elijah Lovemore. They made a concerted effort to take him out of the game.” Senior Blake Fagbemi had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Redwings. Junior Jayden Wright added 10 points and four assists. Fagbemi and Wright provide Benet with a dynamic, dependable backcourt that complements the size of Pauliukonis and 7-2 junior Colin Stack (nine points, eight rebounds). Gabe Sularski, one of the state’s top juniors, transferred from Benet to Lemont over the summer. The Redwings (12-1) have replaced his offense seamlessly. And unlike some of Benet’s previous successful teams, this group isn’t reliant on three-pointers. “There is more balance,” Heidkamp said. “We have a ways to go defensively. But offensively we have a little bit more balance and diversity. We can score around the rim more. We have guys that can slash and get to the rim.” Sophomore Xavier Martin led Bloom (8-3) with 13 points and Adam Page added 12 points and eight rebounds. Benet will face Simeon in the semifinals on Saturday.Several union ministers, CMs to join world leaders in Davos for WEF meetMy children are going through a "Mary Poppins" phase — the 1964 version starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Especially during these rainy days, we've found ourselves inside on weekend afternoons, singing along to the musical's Sherman Brothers-penned classics. I've been indulging my kids, as our oldest dog just passed away, and the movie serves as a perfectly wholesome distraction. This is how I found myself on a recent afternoon, setting down the newspaper and tablet, so I could belt out "I Love to Laugh" with them, one of the least popular songs from "Mary Poppins," but one that now feels more poignant than ever. "The more I laugh, the more I fill with glee," beloved character actor Ed Wynn sings while floating in the air in a fit of giggle-induced levitation. "And the more the glee, the more I'm a merrier me." To laugh, his number argues, is to be filled with lightness, so much so that we become unbound by the rules of physics — to laugh is to transcend gravity, to go beyond the highest high, even as the world tries to tether us to the ground. Laughter has always been political. From the old Margaret Atwood refrain ("men are afraid that women will laugh at them") to the fact that some of the best insight on current events comes from comedians, humor and politics have always been awkward bedfellows. And in this political moment, as many feel the doom and gloom (or smug elation) of the election results, laughter has never felt more important. In "Mary Poppins," the light and unencumbered Uncle Albert serves as a foil to the very serious banker, Mr. Dawes, Sr. There is a hum of political commentary occurring in the musical, one that urges parents to be present in their children's lives, to let go of their politics and ambitions in the name of family. It's telling that when the elder Mr. Dawes finally laughs, he too begins to float. The bank, it turns out, was only keeping him down. In this time of uncertainty, it's important to find our sense of humor. But I don't think it will be too difficult to find fodder. The president-elect has already given the whole world much to laugh about — and he's not even president yet. "Anti-swamp" candidate immediately appointing deeply swamp-tastic politicos as members of his cabinet? Amazingly uproarious. Two people to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (never mind the pre-existing Office of Management and Budget)? Hilariously inefficient. Man investigated for sexual relationship with a minor now in charge of the Department of Justice? Jaw-droppingly incongruous. You gotta laugh, right? Buckle in, because the next four years are going to be ripe for parody. The reign of dramatic irony has already begun. Infowars pundit Alex Jones lost a $1.4 billion defamation suit two years ago against the families of the victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, after he incorrectly claimed that the massacre of young children was fake, staged by advocates to motivate stricter gun laws. After Jones declared bankruptcy, in September, a Texas judge ruled that assets owned by Jones' companies could be auctioned off to the highest bidder to cover his legal obligations. And on Thursday it was announced that in the case of Infowars, the highest bidder was The Onion, a satirical online newspaper unafraid to punch hard. "We thought this would be a hilarious joke," Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion's parent company, told the New York Times. "This is going to be our answer to this no-guardrails world where there are no gatekeepers and everything's kind of insane." The Onion plans to relaunch their version of Infowars soon, and the families of Sandy Hook victims are on board. "They're all human beings with senses of humor who want fun things to happen and want good things to take place in their lives," Collins said. "They want to be part of something good and positive too." There is goodness to be had from laughter. And the cleverest humor can reveal bigger, and more uncomfortable, truths. Consider how Hannibal Buress' standup helped the effort to hold Bill Cosby accountable for sexual assault. Or the theory that Trump decided to run for president after being mocked by Obama at a dinner. Jokes can change history. When I speak to my Trump-supporting friends, they often cite the president-elect's sense of humor as part of his appeal. "He's funny," my friend Alex wrote on social media. "And let's be honest, Dems have no sense of humor." It's not that the left isn't funny, but its best comics require audiences to overcome subscriptions and paywalls, vocabulary lessons and literary references. Maybe jokes, and the news, should be more accessible, less condescending. Still, it's clear who is losing the humor wars. And there have been consequences that will affect us all. "There's nothing like a good joke," says Bert in "Mary Poppins." "And that was nothing like a good joke," Uncle Albert quickly replies. We could all use a hearty chuckle right now. Or as Abe Lincoln put it: "I laugh because I must not cry, that is all, that is all."MAX Auto Industry 3x Leveraged ETN ( NYSEARCA:CARU – Get Free Report ) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 243 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the previous session’s volume of 398 shares.The stock last traded at $32.49 and had previously closed at $32.68. MAX Auto Industry 3x Leveraged ETN Price Performance The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $27.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.50. MAX Auto Industry 3x Leveraged ETN Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) The MAX Auto Industry 3X Leveraged ETN (CARU) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Prime Auto Industry index. The fund is an exchange-traded note that tracks 3x the daily price movements of an index consisting of US-listed companies in the broader auto industry ecosystem. The index selects equities by market-cap and weights the resulting portfolio by liquidity. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for MAX Auto Industry 3x Leveraged ETN Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MAX Auto Industry 3x Leveraged ETN and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
US expected to send £1 billion in weapons to Ukraine before Trump takes officeA Nigerian lady has shared a hilarious video of her niece's reaction after taking her away from her mother's arms According to the lady, she forcefully carried the child, who then stared at her intensely, leaving her uncertain about her emotions Social media users who came across the video on TikTok stormed the comments section to react to it CHECK OUT: Don't let unemployment hold you back. Start your digital marketing journey today. A has surfaced online, showing the funny reaction of a little child after being taken away from her mother's arms by her aunt. The clip, which has garnered significant attention on social media, captured the child's intense stare, leaving her aunt to wonder about her emotions. Little child reacts after aunt carried her The hilarious video was shared by the child's aunt identified as @ akosua_greatson1 on the TikTok app. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! The aunt's actions sparked a mixture of confusion and amusement in the child, prompting her to fix an unblinking gaze on her aunt's face. Read also Nigerian lady living in UK cries out as rats ravage her home and destroy properties, video trends "POV: I forcefully took my niece from her mum and she won't stop staring at me. Is she angry at me or admiring me?" she captioned the video. Reactions as child stares deeply at aunt TikTok users shared their opinions in the comments section of the video. @Slim girl said: "She was like so all this things wey them dey talk about you na true." @is this TikTok said: "My mom didn't understand why I’m always on my phone. So I downloaded TikTok for her last night and since morning we haven't eaten." @ifylove reacted: "Oya u don carry me, so watin u wan use me do now?" @Zestyking said: "Are you sure she isn't your daughter cos you both look much alike." @Owoicho Blessing said: "She has heard so much and she is definitely judging." @lmohenu said: "She is looking at you like, "did you think it was a good idea taking me away from my mum?" Read also Woman emotional as husband's friends show up at hospital to support her during labour @omekeblessing1 added: "The fact that she didn't blink even once while you are holding her, shows dat she meant business, she's like: does it look like am kidding??" Watch the video below: Baby's facial expression leaves everyone in awe Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian mother posted a hilarious video showing her three-week-old daughter's facial expression. In the epic clip, the little girl stared at her mum with a smiling face and gently rolled her eyes in a charming way. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ng
Stock market today: Wall Street rises with Nvidia as bitcoin bursts above $99,000World's tallest and shortest women meet for afternoon tea
NASSAU, Bahamas — Anthony Dell’Orso hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 points, Caleb Love added three 3s and 20 points and No. 24 Arizona pulled away for a 104-71 victory over Davidson at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday night to snap a two-game skid. Trey Townsend added 17 points, Tobe Awaka had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Motiejus Krivas scored 10 points for Arizona (3-2), which shot 57% and made 11 of 22 from 3-point range. Connor Kochera scored 20 points and Bobby Durkin hit five 3s and added 15 points for Davidson (4-1), which shot 38% and made just 11 of 34 3-point tries. Arizona's 17-point second-half lead was cut to six about 7 1/2 minutes into the second half but the team outscored Davidson 36-9 the rest of the way. Arizona led at halftime 49-37. Takeaways Arizona arrived at this tournament after losses to Wisconsin and Duke. Once ranked No. 9 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Wildcats had slipped to No. 24. They're trying to keep alive a streak of having been ranked in the last 61 AP polls. This victory helps but there are more obstacles ahead in this tourney. Key moment Townsend's second 3-pointer to cap an 18-4 run left Davidson behind after it had cut an earlier 17-point deficit to six points. In this handout provided by Bahamas Visual Services, Arizona guard Jaden Bradley goes to the basket as Davidson forward Sean Logan (15) defends during an NCAA college basketball game at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. Credit: AP/Tim Aylen Key stats Though Arizona shot well from the arc, much of its effort went to using its dominance inside to outscore Davidson 50-28 in the paint. It's interior defense helped hold Davidson's top offensive weapon, 6-foot-11 Reed Bailey, a 19 points-per-game scorer, to nine points and 3-of-11 shooting. Up next Arizona takes on Oklahoma, a 79-77 winner over Providence, in the semifinals on Thursday. Davidson will play the Friars in the consolation bracket.
Daniel Pauliukonis' big first half sparks Benet past BloomBrowns restructure Deshaun Watson deal, againShould the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers?
The world's most climate-imperilled nations stormed out of consultations in protest at the deadlocked UN COP29 conference Saturday, as simmering tensions over a hard-fought finance deal erupted into the open. Diplomats from small island nations threatened by rising seas and impoverished African states angrily filed out of a meeting with summit hosts Azerbaijan over a final deal being thrashed out in a Baku sports stadium. "We've just walked out. We came here to this COP for a fair deal. We feel that we haven't been heard," said Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). An unpublished version of the final text circulating in Baku, and seen by AFP, proposes that rich nations raise to $300 billion a year by 2035 their commitment to poorer countries to fight climate change. COP29 hosts Azerbaijan intended to put a final draft before 198 nations for adoption or rejection on Saturday evening, a full day after the marathon summit officially ended. But, in a statement, AOSIS said it had "removed" itself from the climate finance discussions, demanding an "inclusive" process. "If this cannot be the case, it becomes very difficult for us to continue our involvement here at COP29," it said. Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai, whose country is among the world's poorest, said the draft was "effectively a suicide pact for the rest of the world". An earlier offer from rich nations of $250 billion was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, who have demanded much higher sums to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the revised offer of $300 billion was "a significant scaling up" of the existing pledge by developed nations, which also count the United States, European Union and Japan among their ranks. At sunset, a final text still proved elusive, as harried diplomats ran to-and-fro in the stadium near the Caspian Sea searching for common ground. "Hopefully this is the storm before the calm," said US climate envoy John Podesta in the corridors as somebody shouted "shame" in his direction. Earlier, the EU's climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said negotiators were not out of the woods yet. "We're doing everything we can on each of the axes to build bridges and to make this into a success. But it is iffy whether we will succeed," he said. Ali Mohamed, the Kenyan chair of the African Group of Negotiators, told AFP: "No deal is better than a bad deal." Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! South African environment minister Dion George, however, said: "I think being ambitious at this point is not going to be very useful." "What we are not up for is going backwards or standing still," he said. "We might as well just have stayed at home then." The revised offer from rich countries came with conditions in other parts of the broader climate deal under discussion in Azerbaijan. The EU in particular wants an annual review on global efforts to phase out fossil fuels, which are the main drivers of global warming. This has run into opposition from Saudi Arabia, which has sought to water down a landmark pledge to transition away from oil, gas and coal made at COP28 last year. "We will not allow the most vulnerable, especially the small island states, to be ripped off by the new, few rich fossil fuel emitters," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Wealthy nations counter that it is politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. The US earlier this month elected former president Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. A coalition of more than 300 activist groups accused historic polluters most responsible for climate change of skirting their obligation, and urged developing nations to stand firm. The draft deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. Even $300 billion would be a step up from the $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire. A group of developing countries had demanded at least $500 billion, with some saying that increases were less than met the eye due to inflation. Experts commissioned by the United Nations to assess the needs of developing countries said $250 billion was "too low" and by 2035 rich nations should be providing at least $390 billion. The US and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. China, which remains classified as a developing nation under the UN framework, provides climate assistance but wants to keep doing so on its own voluntary terms. bur-np-sct/lth/giv
Jones accounts for 4 TDs, defense adds two TDs, NC Central swamps Delaware State 52-10By Joey Carr on November 27, 2024 at 2:28PM PST GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links. Path of Exile 2 is the highly anticipated sequel in the iconic ARPG series, and it's finally arriving on December 6. The initial release of Path of Exile 2 will be in early access, and players can only enter the early version if they purchase a specific pack of content on the developer's website. There will be a subsequent full release sometime in 2025, and the developers at Grinding Gear Games will unveil additional content as time goes on. During the early access period of Path of Exile 2, players will only have access to some of the game's content. This includes a handful of the classes, half of the campaign, and presumably only a portion of the loot table. For now, you can check out the sections below to see everything we currently know about Path of Exile 2. The initial release date for Path of Exile 2 is slated for December 6, 2024. This date is only for players who have purchased early access to the game, which is currently the sole way to play Path of Exile 2. Throughout the entire early access period, which will go on for an undisclosed amount of time, you'll have to pay in order to play. At this time, we don't know how long Path of Exile 2 will remain in early access. The timeframe likely depends on the stability of the build and how many issues the developers need to solve throughout the early access period. Path of Exile 2 has already been delayed a couple of times, so there's no telling when the full release date will arrive in the future. With Path of Exile 2 only being in early access, there is currently no way to pre-order the game. All you can do is purchase the early access build through a variety of Supporter Packs. These Supporter Packs start at $30 and give you a key for the early access build, other in-game content, and coins to spend in the shop. The more expensive packs offer even more in-game content and coins as well as some real-life items, such as apparel. You can see the contents of every available Supporter Pack in our recent guide. Since the announcement of Path of Exile 2 and its early access build, several trailers and livestreams have gone up showing off different elements of the game. The most recent trailer showcases the entirety of early access , including some of the classes and content you can expect at launch. There are additional trailers that detail some individual classes in Path of Exile 2, such as the Witch and Ranger . The Path of Exile YouTube channel has dozens of different videos that go over in-depth elements of different parts of the game. Unlike its predecessor, Path of Exile 2 will exclusively be available on the current-generation platforms as well as PC and Mac. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S users will finally get to experience the Path of Exile series in all of its glory with a version built for current-gen consoles, which follows a period in which the original was stuck on the last-gen consoles for several years. At the time of writing, there are no plans to bring Path of Exile 2 to any additional platforms, such as the Nintendo Switch. One improvement Path of Exile 2 is making from the original is introducing cross-platform play and cross-progression . No matter what system you're on, you'll be able to play through Path of Exile 2 with up to five other players in your party (for a total of six). Even if you're on PC and your friends are on PS5, you can easily party up with them using the in-game friends list. There's also full cross-progression support, allowing you to access your account regardless of what system you're on. You could be playing on PC one day and then swap over to Xbox Series X another day and still save all of your progress. The story in Path of Exile 2 picks up 20 years after the events of the original. In the original, the story centers around you and others being exiled from the island nation of Oriath to the ravaged land of Wraeclast. There are dark forces trying to control Oriath and it's your job to escape Wraeclast and stop the forces from completely overruning your former home. In Path of Exile 2, the plot will largely be independent from the original, but there will likely be some returning characters. In the 20-year gap from the original to the sequel, the lands of Wraeclast and Oriath have changed quite significantly. The game begins with your character being sentenced to death by the "Iron Count." You, of course, escape this execution and stumble into a nearby town, called Clearfell Encampment, with surrounding areas being overcome by something called the "Seed of Corruption." At the end of Act 1, you fight the Iron Count in an epic battle to rid Clearfell of corruption and proceed to the Vastiri Desert, a location from the original game. The rest of the story follows a similar structure from act to act. The early access build of the game will only feature three Acts to start. At the end of every Act, a unique boss fight will occur that leads players into the next act of the campaign. Along the way, players will discover some familiar locations as well as plenty of new ones. You don't need to play the original Path of Exile to understand what's happening in the sequel, though. Overall, the early access build should feature roughly 50 hours of content throughout the three Acts and the endgame. The endgame is something the developers will continue to build on as early access rolls on. You can spend additional time for every character you make by completing side quests, discovering new areas and characters, and trying to beat bosses over and over to score specific drops. Path of Exile 2 will feature a fleshed-out endgame right from the start. However, you can only reach the endgame after beating the three-act campaign twice. The first time you beat it, you'll be roughly level 45. You're free to beat the three Acts the first time through on any difficulty level you choose. Once you're level 45 and done with the campaign, you'll need to beat it again, but this time on "Cruel" difficulty. Only after beating the campaign on this difficulty level will you be allowed to enter the endgame. Once you enter the endgame, you'll be able to explore the Atlas. This is a randomly generated map that goes on forever, giving you endless amounts of content to pursue. In the Atlas, you can discover towers that allow you to open up more of the map. You initially open up new areas by putting down Waystones, which essentially act as markers on the big Atlas map. These Waystones also allow you to select the difficulty of the enemies you'll face in the Atlas. The Waystones have several other mechanics as well, including the ability to modify them to influence what types of drop rates you'll receive from an area. In each area of the Atlas, you'll find monsters and bosses from the story, which need to be defeated to clear the different areas of corruption. Only some areas feature a major boss while all areas have plenty of monsters to kill that range in difficulty depending on the Waystone you placed. In addition to fighting enemies and bosses, you can also discover NPCs in the Atlas that offer objectives to complete for more rewards. As you find more and more NPCs, you might eventually find a location called the Hideout. Here, you can group NPCs together to join you on your exploration of the Atlas. The Hideout serves as another hub within the Atlas that players can return to throughout the endgame. Finally, a major element of the endgame in Path of Exile 2 is the systems in place. These systems act as events in the endgame that can be completed for rewards. Every system gives points for players to spend in the Atlas' skill trees and as players put more points in the different sections of the tree, the systems become more difficult and offer better rewards. There are seven systems in Path of Exile 2's endgame and each one offers different gameplay loops, pinnacle boss fights, and rewards. Here are the seven endgame systems: Breach Ritual Delirium Expedition Trial of the Sekhemas Trial of Chaos Pinnacle Boss The Pinnacle Boss is the hardest piece of endgame content in Path of Exile 2 and requires some preparation before you're able to take it on. You can only take part in the Pinnacle Boss system after finding three distinct keys that unlock a door to a fortress somewhere in the Atlas. From there, you're faced with frequent boss fights that are more challenging than anything else in Path of Exile 2. Upvote Leave BlankA Sense of Culture and Community Sparked a Passion in Genitourinary Oncology