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Making Sense of the Election Results: Which way America?

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After the exciting Election Day—and predicted impasse – the united states elections has been a source of heated debate for and against pitting old friendships against each other and seriously polarizing the world oldest democracy.

The major source of concern is the unorthodox methods being adopted by the two major parties to achieve the same objective.

As the drums of civil disobedience grows louder driven by the unrepentant hatred for Donald Trump by the radical left whose globalist agenda have been put on hold.

Rather than feed the embers of hate we have a responsibility to diffuse tensions and foster peace that will ensure that whoever wins can inherit a nation that is governable. Call it consensus building sadly, the Democrats want control and not consensus with those who differ.

So those who want to conserve American traditions and national symbols have to roll up our sleeves beside the fighting Trump. Those who can support silently with prayer and private well-wishing are encouraged to do so as many evangelical leaders uphold.

For those in support of the incumbent and  defenders of one nation built under God who frequent patriotic events or wear Trump caps or other America-loving paraphernalia, should do so with full knowledge they may get into altercations just to protect themselves and companions.

We pray that cooler heads prevail thought it seems unlikely . Sadly, cooler heads on the other side of the aisle are afraid of retaliation too.

AFCON qualifier: Eagles depart for Freetown after testing negative for COVID-19

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Nigeria’s Super Eagles players have all been given medical clearance to play in Tuesday’s reverse fixture of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone after the COVID-19 tests conducted on every player and official of the team returned negative on Monday morning.

It is the second time in the space of five days that the entire Eagles’ delegation would turn in negative results for COVID-19, following earlier tests and results ahead of the match day 3 game at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, Edo State last Friday.

Gernot Rohr and his men squandered a four-goal lead in Nigeria to play a 4-4 draw and will be looking to redeem their image on Tuesday when they face the Leone Stars at the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown.

The Eagles delegation departed the country on Monday at about 9:20am morning aboard a chartered flight from Benin City, Edo State to Freetown Sierra Leone without Victor Osimhen, who left camp earlier on Sunday.

The Napoli striker suffered a shoulder injury in last Friday encounter and may be out for at least weeks.

The three-time African champions currently top Group L with seven points and will seal qualification for the 2022 AFCON in Cameroon if they win on Tuesday.

Venezuela set to buy 10m doses of Russian COVID-19 vaccine

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Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, on Sunday revealed that his government has agreed to buy 10 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19.

The vaccines will come in the first quarter of 2021, Maduro said at an event in Caracas broadcast on government television, adding that “Venezuela will manufacture the Russian vaccine in the Venezuelan laboratories.”

In August, Russia became the first country to register a vaccine against Covid-19, which it named Sputnik V after the world’s first satellite launched into space in 1957.

However, the announcement has been met with skepticism in the international community.

Its developers reported initial test results showing the vaccine to be 92 per cent effective, two days after pharma giant Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech said Phase 3 results found their vaccine to be more than 90 per cent effective, injecting hope into the battle against the virus.

In early October, Venezuela began participating in the Sputnik V clinical trials phase, with some 2,000 volunteers participating — among them Maduro’s son Nicolas Maduro Guerra.

Since the pandemic arrived in Venezuela in March, the government has confirmed 96,933 infections and 848 deaths.

But opposition figures and non-governmental organizations question the figures, saying that due to underreporting, they could be much higher.

Monday Motivation: 7 Monday morning routines for a productive week

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After a great and adventurous weekend, it’s almost like we never want Mondays to come. We sluggishly wake up every Monday morning wishing we had one extra day added to the weekend.

The problem is, it’s that attitude which sets you up for a bad week ahead.

Everyone can have enjoy waking up to the dreaded Mondays by creating and following these Monday morning routines which will ensure that the next five days are brilliant, productive, and most of all, enjoyable.

1. Wake up Early

We’ve all been there, hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock when it goes off on a Monday morning. That five minutes of extra time in bed can’t hurt, can it?

Well, the truth is, it can. Hitting that button automatically means that when you do get up, you’re already running behind.

Here’s a radical idea: set the alarm clock for even earlier than you normally would, and get up when it goes off.

2. Meditate

No longer the domain of spiritual gurus, meditation is something that everybody should do at least once a day. Of course, any time is a good time to take 5, but on a Monday morning it is especially important to meditate as soon as you wake.

3. Practice Gratitude

Whether or not you believe in the Law of Attraction, being grateful for the good things in your life will attract more good things, and vice versa. Starting the week with gratitude is a great way to put a positive slant on everything.

4. Indulge in Some Personal Development

Every day is an opportunity to become a better version of yourself, so use that extra hour in your morning to inject some inspiration and motivation into your life. Whether it’s listening to a podcast, reading a book, or watching a Ted Talk, check out some great motivational speakers and incorporate them into your day.

5. Make Breakfast the Best Meal of the Day

Okay, so it might sound like something your mother drummed into you, but she was right; breakfast is important. Just like trying to drive a car with no fuel, facing a busy day without food will make you sluggish and prone to grinding to a halt.

6. Get Moving

Make exercise an integral part of your Monday morning (and every morning). It doesn’t have to involve joining a gym or hitting the pool; why not invest in a pair of decent shoes and head for the park or even the streets for a run? It’s a great cardio workout.

7. Be Present

When you’re rushing around, getting ready for work, or school, or family life, it is all too easy to miss what’s actually going on around you. Make a conscious effort to notice what’s happening in the here and now, and learn to find joy in the little things.

FG considers tax exemption for small businesses

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The exemption of small businesses from the payment of tertiary education tax has been proposed in the draft Finance Bill 2020.

This was disclosed by the Fiscal Policy Reforms Committee, established by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and chaired by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Dr Adeyemi Dipeolu.

The Chairman, Drafting Sub-committee and member of Fiscal Policy Reforms Committee, Mr Ajibola Olomola, said the proposal for Finance Bill 2020 “is to introduce an amendment to the Tertiary Education Tax Act to exempt small businesses from Tertiary Education Tax”.

According to the committee, currently, all companies registered in Nigeria are required to pay TET at two per cent of assessable profits for each year of assessment.

It noted that the Finance Act 2019 introduced companies income tax exemption for small businesses.

“However, in line with the Federal Government objective of incentivizing small businesses, there is a need to introduce similar exemption for TET,” Olomola said at a virtual consultation and stakeholder engagement on Friday to discuss the economic and fiscal policy drivers underpinning the bill.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said the President had indicated in his 2021 executive budget presentation speech that the Finance Bill “is to support the realisation of our 2021 revenue projections and that we will be adopting appropriate counter-cyclical fiscal policies that will enhance the efficiency of fiscal incentives.”

According to the committee, there is a proposal to introduce legislation to empower the Federal Inland Revenue Service to deploy technology for general tax administration.

It was also proposed that penalties should be introduced for breach by tax officials of taxpayer confidentiality.

Olomola said, “The Finance Bill 2020 will include certain provisions that allow the tax authorities deploy information technology for the collection of taxpayer information of tax and reduce cost of collection.

“In light of this proposal, stringent rules are also proposed to secure taxpayer confidentiality from unauthorised access by third parties. The Finance Bill 2020 will look to introduce significant penalties for breach of data confidentiality by tax officials.”

According to the committee, there is a proposal for the creation of an unclaimed dividend and unutilised bank balance trust fund wherein dividends declared and unclaimed would be warehoused and owed as a perpetual debt to shareholders.

“This change corrects an anomaly under the CAMA which extinguishes shareholder’s right to dividend after 12 years and returns the money to the company for redistribution to other shareholders,” Olomola said.

Just In: Yellow fever outbreak spreads to three more LGAs in Enugu

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There’s tension in Enugu State following the report of a suspected Yellow Fever outbreak in three more local government areas of the state.

Enugu State had been battling to contain the outbreak of the disease in two communities of Ette Uno and Umuopu in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state, which reportedly claimed 52 lives between late October when the outbreak was first reported and November 2020.

The state government has also confirmed it had received reports of strange deaths within communities in Nsukka, Isi-Uzo, and Igbo-Etiti LGAs.

A statement by the Commissioner of Health, Prof Ikechukwu Obi, released on Sunday night, disclosed that the ministry’s Rapid Response Team, LGA Rapid Response Teams in collaboration with International and National Partners had visited the communities to investigate the reports and had taken samples for testing.

The statement partly read, “Following the confirmed cases of Yellow Fever in Igbo Eze North LGA of Enugu State and the concerted efforts to control the situation in the LGA by the State Government, Stakeholders and Partners; Federal and International, reports have also been received of ‘strange deaths’ within communities in Nsukka, Isi-Uzo and Igbo-Etiti LGAs.

“The Enugu State Ministry of Health Rapid Response Team, LGA Rapid Response Teams, International and National Partners have also visited these LGAs to investigate the reports and take samples for testing just as was done for the reports at Igboeze North.

“The new set of samples from these LGAs have been sent to the National Reference Laboratory at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja for a thorough and complete examination to determine conclusively the reasons for these new set of reports and the results are expected back early this week.”

While the Health Commissioner condoled with families that lost their loved ones in the unfortunate development, reminded residents of the state that “Yellow Fever is transmitted through mosquito bites”.

He, therefore, advised that people should keep their environment clean and remove mosquito breeding sites around their homes.

He added, “Yellow Fever Vaccination is not for treatment of Yellow Fever, it is for prevention of Yellow Fever.

“If you have been recently vaccinated against Yellow Fever, you do not need to be vaccinated again.

“It takes 10 days or more for Yellow fever vaccine to start working after you have received it.

“If you or your loved one are not feeling well, please visit or take your loved one to a nearby hospital for treatment. Trained Health Workers can recognize most of the diseases of public health importance and know what to do.”

US election: Trump acknowledges Biden won but refuses to concede

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Donald Trump has insisted he is not conceding the US election, despite seemingly acknowledging for the first time that Democrat Joe Biden won.

“He won because the Election was Rigged,” the Republican president wrote on Twitter, repeating unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.

About an hour later he said he was not conceding the 3 November vote.

He has launched a slew of lawsuits in key states, but has not provided any evidence to back his claims of fraud.

All the lawsuits have so far been unsuccessful.

On Friday, election officials said the vote was the “most secure in American history” and there was “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised”.

Meanwhile, Mr Biden remains president-elect.

See Also: US election: Sources say Trump give conditions for transfer of power

The Democrat has 306 votes in the electoral college – the system the US uses to choose its president – which far exceeds the 270 threshold to win. Any recounts or legal challenges are not expected to overturn the overall result.

Mr Biden’s lead in the popular vote has also surpassed five million.

Nevertheless, Mr Trump had refused to acknowledge Mr Biden’s victory until – apparently – now.

In a news conference on Friday, Mr Trump said “who knows” which administration would be in power in the future.

His refusal to concede has heightened concerns about the US government’s ability, going forward, to tackle growing Covid-19 infection rates.

Nigeria records 152 new COVID-19 cases as toll exceeds 65,0000

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 152 new COVID-19 positive samples in seven states and the federal capital territory (FCT) on Sunday, increasing the current total case count to 65,148.

The development comes exactly one week after Nigeria exceeded 64,000 confirmed infections.

As of November 8, 2020, NCDC confirmed 300 new cases, increasing the number of infections to 64,090 at the time.

According to the breakdown for Sunday, Lagos recorded a significant percentage of the total number of new cases with 136 infections, followed by Kano with 4; Niger with 3; Ekiti, Kaduna, Ogun and Taraba confirmed two each, while FCT has one fresh case.

See Also: EU’s First COVID-19 Vaccinations Could Happen In First Quarter Of 2021

However, no patient was confirmed to have died on Sunday – no new death has been recorded in two consecutive days now, leaving the fatality toll at 1,163.

Meanwhile, 44 people were discharged on Sunday, increasing the recovery count to 61,073.

Out of more than 700,000 samples now tested, 2,912 are still active cases — Lagos still has the highest number with 1,165 active cases; FCT is next on the list with 420 infections, while Oyo has the third-highest figure with 362 patients.

Calls for ‘Unity’ Really Calls for Capitulation

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Political unity is an ugly, authoritarian idea. No free place has domestic political unity, nor should it aspire to it.q

What “unity” really means, of course, is capitulation. America is once again being subjected to the inane brand of pseudo-patriotic sloganeering we saw during President Barack Obama’s tenure.

Now, as then, the media will pretend that the moral fabric of the nation must be mended after Republican rule. It’s pretty transparent. When Democrats win the presidency, we are treated to solemn calls for national restoration and political harmony, and to the expectation that, for the good of the nation, the opposition will embrace decorum and pass legislation they oppose.

When Republicans win elections, grown women put on knitted hats depicting their reproductive organs and stomp around Washington protesting, all to a hero’s welcome.

Time magazine, the same publication that helped erode trust in our electoral system with conspiratorial covers of the White House morphing into the Kremlin, now offers a commemorative cover featuring Joe Biden and Kamala Harris with the words, “A time to heal.”

Unlike some of our progressive friends, I don’t believe in enemies lists or censorship, so my healing process is simple: It involves playing whatever small part I can in extinguishing the political fortunes of those who want to weaken the Constitution.

I’m not at all interested in finding accord with those who want to overturn the Hyde Amendment, thereby making late-term abortion a state-funded practice, or with anyone who wants to “reengage” without any genuine preconditions with Holocaust-denying terror regimes such as Iran, or with anyone who wants to further socialize our health care system by adding a “public option.” Like many others, I find disunity quite therapeutic.

I suspect that, in a few weeks, “political polarization” will once again become an existential crisis of American governance. My favorite postelection headline came from the social scientists at Pew Research Center, who informed us that the “2020 election reveals two broad voting coalitions fundamentally at odds.” Two broad coalitions, you say? Fundamentally at odds? What are the chances?

Michelle Obama says we can overcome our divisions, but that Democrats must first remember “that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division.” She suggests that there is “a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us.”

It’s somewhat difficult to process this level of obnoxious sanctimony. Here is a list of demands you divisive Republicans must embrace for the country to “unite.” Get on with it.

Anyhow, I reject this false choice in the name of patriotic disunity. Not one of those 72 million agents of chaos lied to millions of Americans to strip us of our health care insurance plans. Not one of those voters has attempted to force nuns to buy contraception—or sued them when they refused.

One day, I hope Michelle Obama will stop defending the lies, hate, and division that her husband inflicted on this great nation. Until then, though, we’ll have to agree to disagree.

We do that sort of thing in Washington. The liberal pivot from “resistance” to “unity” is as swift as it is dishonest. After four years of treating every unexceptional conservative policy victory as one of the Seven Seals of the Apocalypse, Washington Post columnists are already dusting off their columns about “obstructionism” and “minority rule.” After years of blanket opposition to Trump, we are being told that Biden has a national “mandate.”

He does not. God willing, Washington is headed for more “gridlock”—a completely healthy, organic reflection of the geographical, ideological, and theological differences of real people in contemporary America.

Congress makes laws, and right now that institution is narrowly divided and unlikely to be able to come together on any of the big-ticket items Biden promised. This is why federalism exists.

Unity is found in comity with your neighbours, in your churches, and schools, in your everyday interactions with your community. Politics is not a place for unity. It is a place for airing grievances. And we’ve got plenty.

By David Harsanyi

France Says It Has Killed Senior Al Qaeda Operative In Mali

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French forces have killed Bah ag Moussa, a military leader of al Qaeda’s North Africa wing, during an operation in northeastern Mali.

Moussa, who was on the US terrorism list, was killed on Tuesday after an operation involving ground troops and helicopters and comes after a series of operations that have seen French forces kill dozens of Islamist fighters in recent weeks.

In a statement, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Friday that the killing of Bah ag Moussa, considered responsible for several attacks against Malian and international forces, is a major success in the fight against terrorism

The former Malian army colonel, also known as Bamoussa Diarra, was a right-hand man of Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Mali’s most prominent jihadi group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

Also, French military spokesman Col. Frederic Barbry told reporters on Friday that Moussa was believed to be responsible for multiple attacks on Malian and international forces in the country.

Barbry said Surveillance drones helped French forces in Mali identify Moussa’s truck in the Menaka region of eastern Mali, which was then targeted by the helicopters and 15 French commandos sent to the scene.

Former colonial power France has more than 5,100 personnel spread across the region with a large portion in Mali operating against rising militancy.