IPOB declares Operation David Dance against army’s Python Dance

Etim Ekpimah and Tony Okafor

the Indigenous People of Biafra on Tuesday declared Operation David Dance, a week after the Nigerian Army launched its Operation Python Dance in the South-East geopolitical zone.

In a statement in Awka, Anambra State, by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group urged its members to exercise restraint in dealing with security agents.

It said God would not permit the extermination of its members because they were innocuous in their struggle.

The statement read in part, “IPOB worldwide advises the people of Biafra and IPOB members to be sure they don’t fall victim in the hands of the Pharaohs’ soldiers called Operation Python Dance in the South-East.

“IPOB devises a means of Operation David Dance which is recognised by the God Almighty in the Bible. It was the dance that gave David victory against Goliath at the battlefront because God Almighty does not sleep.

“We are also aware that the world knows that the annual report from Amnesty International against the cold-blooded killing of unarmed members of IPOB in Nigeria by the security agents are correct and even the soldiers know that the reports are correct

“There is no way you can deny something that happened in broad daylight and every single individual saw how they killed people randomly in the streets.

“IPOB is a properly organised group which adopted a non-violent approach towards the realisation of God’s project and truth. God , the Almighty, is on the side of Biafrans and He will liberate his people from the shackles of bondage.”

The army had about a week ago inaugurated Operation Python Dance to ensure a crime-free Yuletide and free flow of traffic in the zone during the festivities.

The pro-Biafran agitators and some rights group had criticised the army’s action, saying it would inflict hardship on the people of the area.

 Meanwhile, a former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Chris Ekpenyong, has cautioned pro-Biafran agitators against the inclusion of South-South states in their agitation for an independent country.

 Ekpenyong said if the pro-Biafran agitators insisted on mapping out South-South states for their dream republic, they would not realise it as the people of the South-South were not Biafrans.

 He advised militants to quit further destruction of oil facilities in the region to avoid worsening the challenges of poverty already facing the Niger Delta people.

Ekpenyong, who spoke in an interview in Uyo on Tuesday, regretted that the continuing agitation for self-rule by IPOB  and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, with their present map of Biafra which included communities in other South-South states, would not succeed because the people were not interested in being part of the Biafra Republic.

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2,000-Year-Old Roman Skeletons Show Signs of Malaria

Scientists examined DNA from tooth pulp from skeletal remains found in three Italian cemeteries, including this skull from Velia, considered an important port city and trading center.

Credit: Luca Bandioli, Pigorini Museum

Malaria afflicted the Roman Empire some 2,000 years ago, according to a new analysis of human teeth collected in Italian cemeteries.

Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal mosquito-borne disease caused by parasites. In 2015, an estimated 214 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide, leading to 438,000 deaths, mostly children, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Previous research suggested thatmalaria was a major disease that afflicted Italy during the Roman Empire. "Its presence during this time is indirectly supported by extensive writings from ancient authors, such as Celsus and Galen, as well as ancient human skeletal remains," said lead study author Stephanie Marciniak, a biological anthropologist at Pennsylvania State University.

However, it was uncertain which species of parasite caused malaria during the Roman Empire. Currently,Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the largest number of malaria-related deaths globally, but different species of Plasmodium can cause other, usually milder forms of malaria. [27 Devastating Infectious Diseases]

"Knowing the specific species helps frame interpretations about the diversity of the experience of disease in the past," Marciniak told Live Science. "Being able to have a window to ancient microbes can also help to understand how a particular causative agent may have evolved or changed over time."

To learn more about ancient malaria, Marciniak and her colleagues examined human teeth from the bodies of 58 adults and 10 children that date back to the Imperial period of the first to third centuries A.D. These remains came from three cemeteries in southern Italy — the sites of Isola Sacra and Velia were known as important port cities and trading centers, while Vagnari was located farther inland and is thought to be the burial site of laborers who would have worked on a rural Roman estate, the researchers said.

"In order to explore a complex disease like malaria, having a range of sites is beneficial, since malaria could technically flourish in any of these locations," Marciniak said.

The scientists analyzed DNA fragments from dental pulp taken from the teeth. "The only way to identify the specific species of malaria is to use molecular techniques," Marciniak said.

Usable malaria parasite DNA was challenging to extract because the microbes primarily dwell within the bloodstream and organs, including the spleen and liver, which decompose and break down over time — in this case, over the course of two millennia. Still, the researchers were able to pin down the presence of Plasmodium falciparum in the remains of two adults — one from Velia, the other from Vagnari.

These findings revealed that malaria afflicted Imperial-era Italy both on the coasts and inland. "Malaria was likely a significant historical pathogen that caused widespread death in ancient Rome," study senior author Hendrik Poinar, a paleogeneticist and director of McMaster University's Ancient DNA Center in Hamilton, Canada, said in a statement.

Marciniak cautioned that while they know that this parasite was present in ancient Rome, they do not know if the disease killed the people it was found in. "Finding Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the two adult skeletons cannot be extrapolated to interpretations about widespread death or catastrophe caused by this parasite in Imperial-period Italy," she said.

Future research can explore other sites and time periods "in order to explore the scope of the parasite," Marciniak said. Future discoveries of ancient malaria DNA could help them see how the disease might have evolved over time, she said.

The scientists detailed their findings online yesterday (Dec. 5) in the journal Current Biology.

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See why Americans Get Happier in Older Age

There is an upside to aging: Older Americans tend to be happier, according to a new poll.

In the poll, from Gallup-Healthways, older adults in the United States scored higher on a survey of well-being than did their younger counterparts.

On average, adults ages 55 and older scored 63.6 out of 100 on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index in 2015, which is 3 points higher than the average score of adults younger than 55, Gallup-Healthways said. [7 Things That Will Make You Happy]

Gallup-Healthways calculated this well-being score based on participants' answers to questions about different aspects of well-being, including how they rated their sense of purpose, social relationships, financial lives, community involvement and physical health.

As Americans get older, they tend to report greater satisfaction with their standard of living and increased financial stability, as well as less worry and stress, the survey found. For example, in 2015, 40 percent of Americans ages 18 to 54 said they were worried about money, compared with 25 percent of Americans ages 65 and older, the survey showed.

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In addition, 45 percent of Americans ages 18 to 55 reported feeling stress, compared with 20 percent of those ages 65 and older.

Although adults ages 55 to 64 reported higher rates of obesity anddepression than younger adults, those people ages 65 and older reported lower rates of these conditions.

The poll also ranked well-being among older adults in all 50 states. The state with the highest well-being among older adults in 2015 was Hawaii, where adults ages 55 and older achieved a well-being score of 67, on average. The runners-up were Arizona, New Hampshire and North Dakota, where older adults scored 65.2, on average, in each state. [ Best & Worst States for Older Adults' Well-Being: The Full List]

On the flip side, West Virginia had the lowest well-being score among seniors, with older adults in that state scoring 59.9, on average. Also near the bottom were Kentucky, Oklahoma and Ohio, where older adults had well-being scores of 61.2, 62 and 62.5, respectively.

The findings are based on interviews with more than 177,000 U.S. adults, including more than 93,000 adults ages 55 and older, in all 50 states, Gallup said
.

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Woman docked for stabbing neighbour who made jest of her broken marriage

The Chief Magistrate, A.K Shonubi, at the Isolo Magistrate court in Lagos State on Monday remanded one Akarigbo Victoria in prison for allegedly stabbing her neighbor with a broken bottle.
Victoria, who was sent out of her matrimonial home by her husband, used a broken bottle to stab the victim – Mrs. Esther Favour for allegedly mocking her over her broken marriage.
Victoria was reportedly sent back to her parents after she had a heated argument with her husband.

According to P.M News, Favour made jest of her broken marriage, saying she wasn’t a responsible wife and that was why her marriage failed.

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In response, Victoria was said to have stabbed her with a broken bottle at the back at their residence at 6, Musa close, Abue Odu, Idimu area of the state.
Esther sustained serious injury and had to be rushed to the hospital and the matter was subsequently reported to the Idimu police division.
Victoria was arrested and charged to court where she pleaded not guilty.

The Chief Magistrate granted her bail in sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.
Shonubi adjourned the matter till 14 December, ordering that the accused be remanded in Kirikiri prison pending the perfection of her bail.

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