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BREAKING: Harris, Trump tied in 1st officially declared result of US Presidential election

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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have tied with three votes each in the tiny New Hampshire township of Dixville Notch, kicking off Election Day in one of the first places in the country to report its presidential preference.

The unincorporated township, located along the US-Canada border in New Hampshire’s northern tip, opened and closed its poll just after midnight ET in a tradition that dates back to 1960.

Four Republicans and two undeclared voters participated.

While Dixville Notch isn’t always predictive of the eventual winner – or even the state’s pick – its annual production, despite a dwindling population, is a success story for local leaders and a reason to smile for political junkies eager for an early taste of the day’s events.

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By tradition, all eligible voters gather at the now-dormant Balsams Hotel in Dixville Notch to cast their secret ballots once polls open at midnight. Once every ballot is cast, votes are tallied and results announced – hours before anywhere else, making it a destination for national reporters, who often outnumber the voters.

Les Otten, one of the township’s voters and the lead developer for the Balsams, called the early release of the results “a civics lesson for the country,” adding that “if we can help people get out and understand that voting is an important part of their right as an American citizen, that’s perhaps the key to what we’re doing.”

Otten said he expects to break ground on the redevelopment project next summer. In the meantime, he said, “as long as we’re here and we’re property owners and we have, you know, our toothbrush in our bathrooms, we might as well exercise our right to vote.”

Nearby Millsfield and Hart’s Location, which is tucked in the White Mountains, first offered midnight voting before Dixville Notch but haven’t participated continuously and aren’t conducting it this year. A fictionalized version of the three neighbors was featured in an episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “West Wing” dubbed “Hartsfield’s Landing.”

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Dixville Notch voters have supported the Democratic nominee the last two presidential elections, with the township in 2020 unanimously casting five votes for President Joe Biden and with Hillary Clinton in 2016 winning four of seven votes — two went to Trump and one to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.

In January, four registered Republican voters and two independents participated in the GOP primary, casting six unanimous votes for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

The 75-year-old Otten, who said he has been “a Republican ever since I was seven years old,” told CNN before Tuesday’s vote that he would cast his ballot for Harris.

“Nowhere in the Pledge of Allegiance does it say anything about pledging your allegiance to a person,” Otten said. “And I think at the end of the day, Trump has made it clear that you need to pledge allegiance to him, and he alone can fix this, and that is as anti-democratic as I can understand.”

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The voters also cast their votes in the country’s most competitive governor’s race between former one-term Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Democratic nominee Joyce Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, to succeed retiring Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. (CNN, but headline altered)

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Tinubu promotes acting COAS Oluyede to Lieutenant General

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By Francesca Hangeior.

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday decorated the acting Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, as Lieutenant General.

It was gathered that the short ceremony took place in the President’s office complex at the State House, Abuja.

“President Tinubu decorates acting Chief of Army Staff, Oluyede, as Lt. General,” a snippet from the president’s communications team read Tuesday.

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Tinubu had appointed Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff last Wednesday, even as his predecessor, Taoreed Lagbaja, remains indisposed for weeks.

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Oyebanji, others mourn death of Ekiti chief judge

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By Francesca Hangeior.

There was a lull in the Ekiti State Judiciary headquarters in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday following the death of the state Chief Judge, Justice Oyewole Adeyeye.

Adeyeye, who was inaugurated as the Ekiti State Chief Judge on October 11, 2021, passed away on Monday at the age of 64.

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, also expressed condolences on Adeyeye’s demise.

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Oyebanji, in a statement on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, described Adeyeye’s death as “heartrending and a colossal loss for the state.”

The governor said, “With the death of the late Justice Adeyeye, the Judiciary in Ekiti State, in particular, and Nigeria in general, has lost a great pillar and an asset whose worth is invaluable.”

Oyebanji described the late Chief Judge as a firm and forthright jurist who demonstrated an unwavering dedication to the principles of equity and justice.

He noted that Adeyeye worked hard for a vibrant and independent Judiciary in his lifetime, which allowed that arm of government to contribute to good governance and the defence of the rights of citizens.

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The governor added that the late Justice Adeyeye did his best in advocating better welfare for judicial officers and staff members of the Ekiti State Judiciary to ensure effective service delivery and the smooth running of the justice sector.

He stated, “This is indeed a great loss to our dear state. On behalf of the government and people of Ekiti State, I commiserate with the family of the late Hon. Justice Adeyeye and pray that the good Lord will console and comfort them, and grant the dear departed eternal rest.”

The Chief Registrar of the Ekiti State Judiciary, Olanike Adegoke, described the late Chief Judge as “a respected jurist who dedicated his life to upholding the principles of fairness, equity, and justice.”

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Sex tape: Equatorial Guinea Govt suspends Minister, staff

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By Francesca Hangeior.

 

The Equatorial Guinean Government has announced the suspension of Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a politician and a former head of his country’s anti-graft National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF).

Reports broke out exposing the numerous tapes. In the sex tape, about 400 woman were recorded allegedly involving Mr Engonga, the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjoo—the current president of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)—and numerous women surfaced online.

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Equatorial Guinea’s Vice President, Teddy Nguema, in a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) page on Monday, also announced the immediate suspension of the women (staff of the agency) involved in the explicit videos, some of which were filmed in the offices.

Nguema stated that the government is implementing strict measures against such acts, viewing them as a grave violation of the Code of Conduct and the Public Ethics Law.

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