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Reeves blasted over Davos investment drive as Tories claim her policies have led millionaire non-doms to desert UK [Video]

Labour chancellor will try to attract overseas investment at World Economic Forum meeting this week while row rages at home over tax changes for millionaire foreign nationals living in the UK

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Plattsburgh State winter sports teams win six out of eight games during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend [Video]

The North Country was treated well with Plattsburgh State college sports. With eight games between the school’s men’s hockey, women’s hockey, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams, and six of them at home, there was plenty to look forward to through the Cardinal Country sports scene. In that span, the Cardinals won six out of eight games played from Friday, Jan. 17 to Saturday, Jan. 18. Revisit the action from all four teams below. Plattsburgh State men’s hockeyTo kick off the weekend, the Cardinals were able to grab a 2-1 win via an overtime thriller against the Middlebury College Panthers. Aaron Catron was able to sneak a puck past Middlebury goalie Andrew Heinze off a pass by Kevin Weaver-Vitale which placed the puck right in front of the net. Catron gave just enough force on his shot for Heinze to bobble the puck leading to the game-winning goal. Tyler Ramm scored the first goal of the game by the third period, a game that featured great defense and dominant goalie play in the first two periods. Dimitri Tzaferis scored the game-tying goal for Middlebury. The game against Williams College was a much different style of play. A shootout in the first period led to a combination of six goals between both schools. In the end it was the Ephs who came out on top by a final of 5-4. At one point, it looked like the Cardinals tied the game at 5-5 after a shot from Jake Sacratini hit the back of the net. After the play concluded, the officials came together and determined that a Plattsburgh player was offsides before Sacratini crossed the blue line, ruling no goal and leading the game to finish at 5-4. Patrick Cole led Plattsburgh in scoring with three goals in the loss. Plattsburgh State women’s hockeyThe Cardinals were able to take care of business on the road, picking up two dominant wins and sweeping the season series against the Morrisville State Mustangs. Friday, Jan. 17, Plattsburgh won 4-1 with four different goal scorers in the win.On Saturday, Jan. 18, Chloe Lewis picked up her fifth shutout of the season in a 7-0 win. The Cardinals had seven different goal-scorers in the win. Plattsburgh State men’s basketballThe Cardinals protected home court inside Memorial Hall, grabbing two wins against SUNY Canton and Oswego State. Plattsburgh was in a tight battle with Canton but were able to pull away late securing the 79-72 win. Kevin Tabb led all scorers with 18 points, while Ikechukwu Ezike chipped in with 16 points. Against Oswego, Plattsburgh started hot. Opening the game on a 34-10 run, the Cardinals built a 51-30 first-half advantage. The Lakers nearly had a completed comeback effort, outscoring the Cardinals 54-36 in the second half, but a timely stop by Plattsburgh and a layup by Franklin Infante gave his team the 87-84 win.Tabb once again led all scorers with 21 points, while Nate Pondexter Jr. chipped in with 15 points. Plattsburgh State women’s basketballThe Cardinals won their fourth straight game after a 72-64 win against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos. A strong second and third quarters of play where Plattsburgh out scored Canton 43-26 lifted them over the top. Julia Greek led all with 21 points, while Jaden Wilson and Selma Deisz chipped in with 18 and 16 points, respectively.Several former Section VII players represented both teams, with Plattsburgh’s own Saranac high school alumn Payton Couture and with SUNY Canton’s Northern Adirondack alumn Isabella Gilmore and Moriah alumn Kennady Allen.The Plattsburgh winning streak ultimately came to an end against Oswego State in a 58-34 loss. After the game was initially 27-27 at the half, the Lakers’ defense held the Cardinals to seven second-half points. Greek once again led Plattsburgh with 10 points.

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Netanyahu announces Gaza hostage deal [Video]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last-minute snags in finalizing a ceasefire that would pause 15 months of war.Netanyahu said he would convene his security Cabinet later Friday and then the government to approve the long-awaited agreement.Netanyahu’s statement appeared to clear the way for the Israeli government to approve of the deal, which would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and see dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It would also allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the remains of their homes in Gaza.Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory on Thursday.Israel initially delayed a vote Thursday on the ceasefire, blaming a last-minute dispute with Hamas for holding up the approval as rising tensions in Netanyahus government coalition raised concerns about the implementation of the deal just a day after U.S. President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete.Netanyahus office had accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions without specifying which parts.In a briefing Thursday, David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, said Hamas new demands dealt with the deployment of Israeli forces in the Philadelphi corridor, the narrow strip bordering Egypt that Israeli troops seized in May.Hamas denied the claims, with Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, saying the militant group is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.The ceasefire agreement has drawn fierce resistance from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, on whose support the Israeli prime minister depends to remain in power. On Thursday, Israel’s hardline national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to quit the government if Israel approves the ceasefire.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called on Israel and Hamas to implement a Gaza ceasefire plan without any delay in an exclusive interview Thursday with The Associated Press. Egypt has been a key mediator between the enemies for years and a leading player in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.The deal announced Wednesday would see scores of hostages held in Gaza released and a pause in fighting with a view to eventually wind down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack into Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.Israel responded with a devastating offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half of those killed.The military campaign has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, and pushed about 90% of Gazas population of 2.3 million from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are struggling with hunger and disease in squalid tent camps on the coast.Netanyahu faces heavy internal pressureThe Israeli prime minister faces great domestic pressure to bring home the hostages, whose families have pleaded with Netanyahu to prioritize the release of their loved ones over politics.But Israeli divisions over the deal were on stark display Thursday, as Ben-Gvir, a key government coalition partner and Cabinet member, threatened to resign, saying the ceasefire was reckless and would “destroy all of Israels achievements.The departure of Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party would reduce the number of the ruling coalitions seats in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, from 68 to 62 leaving Netanyahu’s government with just the slimmest of majorities. Ben-Gvir said his party would return to the coalition if Israel resumes its war.Ben-Gvir’s resignation would not bring down the government or derail the ceasefire deal. But the move destabilizes the Israeli government at a delicate moment and could lead to the government’s collapse if Ben-Gvir is joined by other key Netanyahu allies.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for instance, is vehemently opposed to the agreement and has demanded that Netanyahu promise to resume the war against Hamas after the first phase of the ceasefire as a condition of his party staying in the coalition.A night of heavy Israeli strikesPalestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.We were expecting that the (Israeli) occupation would intensify the bombing like they did every time there were reports of progress in truce talks, said Mohammed Mahdi, who is sheltering in Gaza City.Gazas Health Ministry said Israeli strikes have killed at least 72 people since the ceasefire deal was announced. It said the toll from Thursdays strikes only includes bodies brought to two hospitals in Gaza City and the actual toll is likely higher.Yesterday was a bloody day, and today is bloodier, said Zaher al-Wahedi, a Health Ministry official.The Israeli military said it had struck approximately 50 militant targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, including weapons storage facilities and rocket launch sites.Anxiety spread across Gaza on Thursday with the news of last-minute quarreling between Hamas and Israeli officials.We ask our brothers in Hamas to communicate with mediators to end the war, said Omar Jendiya, in Deir al-Balah. Enough with the destruction and killing.A phased withdrawal and hostage release with potential pitfallsUnder the deal reached Wednesday, 33 of some 100 hostages who remain in Gaza are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to whats left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second and much more difficult phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.Ceasefire leaves questions about Gaza’s future unansweredU.S. President-elect Donald Trumps Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trumps team are taking credit for the breakthrough.Longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll in Gaza. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing it of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.Hamas has come under overwhelming pressure from Israel’s invasion of Gazas largest cities and towns and seizure of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who was believed to have helped mastermind the 2023 attack, have been killed.But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.