North Texas picks up the pieces after tornadoes kill 6

Tornado 'just set down' on neighborhood

Chainsaws wailed Thursday in Granbury, Texas, as some residents began to clear fallen trees and whittle down the mounds of household goods strewn across the landscape, a testament to the ferocity of the previous night's tornadoes.

But other residents, those from the hardest-hit neighborhoods, had to wait, hoping to hear when they could go back to their damaged and leveled homes to see what remains.

Ronna Cotten said she has been told she can't re-enter her subdivision to "check to see if we have any belongings left" for at least two days, maybe as many as seven.

Power is expected to be down for the next three weeks, Cotten said she was told. Cotten stayed in the home of a woman who picked her up from the rescue center Wednesday night and worked the phones Thursday trying to find hotel rooms for her family.

She still considers herself fortunate.

"I feel very lucky because we are alive" said the mother of four, who clutched a doorknob to keep the closet door shut as winds tore through her home.

Rescue crews searched for seven people missing after the tornadoes struck this town in North Texas, killing at least six.

A witness described getting an uncomfortably close view of the storm.

"One second you could see the whole roof collapse, and you could see the twister just there, basically," the man told CNN affiliate KTVT. "It was horrible."

He and his family of five had crowded into the bathroom for shelter when the storm hit, he said.

Texas storm: 'It's just wiped out'

Photos: Tornadoes hit North Texas

Raw video of Texas storm damage

Storm smashes tree 'into smithereens'

"We were just watching the hail go by and then it just happened in the blink of an eye," a woman said.

Nearby, a water heater was on its side; an upside-down car, its windows shattered and its silver skin crumpled, lay helpless in the dirt. A wheelchair lay in pieces a few feet away.

Video shot from a helicopter showed rafters still intact, but the roofs they supported were gone.

Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds identified those killed as Jose Tovar Alvarez, 34; Marjari Davis, thought to be 82; Tommy Martin, 61; Leo Stefanski, 83; and Robert and Glenda Whitehead.

Deeds said search and rescue operations to find survivors "are pretty much winding down."

"We're going to keep on looking," Deeds added. "We're not going to give up until every piece of debris is turned over."

Rescuers had walked through the hardest-hit subdivision in Granbury "over and over and over again," Deeds said earlier in the day. "I'm confident we haven't left anybody behind, but we're still checking."

Granbury is 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

The deaths occurred in a neighborhood of about 110 homes, many of which were built by Habitat for Humanity. Most of the homes in the Rancho Brazos subdivision were destroyed or damaged, the sheriff said. That is where the missing live, too, he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Nin Hulett told CNN's Anderson Cooper that there were indications those people may be on vacation or in other areas, but officials were working to confirm that.

People whose lives had been hit by the twisters were asking to get back to their homes, but the sheriff said he wasn't convinced it was safe for civilians to be in the area yet.

Three people were taken to an area hospital, and 13 others were taken to hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, he said.

Some of the patients had to have amputations, Dr. Kerri Sistrunk, head of the trauma unit at Lake Granbury Medical Center. Others suffered head injuries and open fractures, as well as minor abrasions, she said.

At least 13 tornadoes touched down in the area, the National Weather Service said. A survey team said it found damage indicating an EF4 tornado had struck. That is the second-most severe classification on a scale of zero to five,

Several of the tornadoes struck Cleburne, about 30 miles east of Granbury.

"I was actually standing outside on my front porch and watched (a) tornado come across," Robert Barnett told CNN affiliate WFAA. "I've seen tornadoes before -- I've chased them -- but I've never seen one like this. It freaked me out."

Fatal tornado hits Hood County, Texas

Tornadoes slam into Texas

Another resident said he thought the storm had passed but was wrong.

"I went back outside and saw stuff flying by and said 'It's here! Let's go!'" Darrin Vasquez told the station. He lost part of the roof on his home and when rain flooded in, a ceiling collapsed.

WFAA said at least 12 homes lost their entire roofs.

How to help

In nearby Ellis County, a suspected tornado knocked out power in the city of Ennis about midnight, said Steve Howerton, city manager.

"Several buildings in the downtown historic district have been seriously damaged," he said.

"There are a lot of traumatic injuries," said Donna Martin, a worker at a local veterans' organization. "My husband told me that a car was lifted in the air. It just came in and hit so fast."

B.B. French, who lives on a canal three miles from where the worst of the damage occurred, said she was lucky.

"We had extreme winds," the 71-year-old resident said in a telephone interview. "And then the sirens went off and then I got inside."

As lightning flashed and rain poured, she watched from inside her home as two mallards lay on the pavement. "They just laid down on the sidewalk until the hail came, and then they were smart enough to waddle over and get underneath the roof" of her boat deck.

After the storm passed, French went outside to find that her neighbor on one side had lost a few shingles from his roof; on the other side, a neighbor had lost a couple of shutters; but her house was unscathed.

"It really is just luck," she said.

Cyclone Mahasen pulls its punch

Tropical Cyclone Mahasen makes landfall

Tropical Cyclone Mahasen jogged northward Thursday prior to striking the coast of Bangladesh, averting the widespread disaster that government authorities had prepared for.

Still, at least 12 people were killed, thousands of thatched houses were damaged and trees uprooted, the state news agency said.

"The situation is turning normal and the people have started returning home after some 200,000 people took overnight refuge at cyclone shelters at Barisal Division," divisional commissioner of Barisal Mohammad Nurul Amin told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).

"The damage was not that much what we feared, and people who took shelters have already started moving to their houses as the weather is becoming almost normal," he said.

Bangladeshi authorities had relocated hundreds of thousands of people in vulnerable areas to safer ground ahead of the storm's arrival.

Photos: Tropical Cyclone Mahasen

Cyclone Mahasen displaces thousands

CNN Explains: Tropical cyclones

The storm's strongest gusts reached 90 kph (56 mph), weaker than a hurricane, BSS said.

Authorities had suspended port activities at Chittagong, a major transport and commercial hub, and canceled all flights to and from the city's airport.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had warned that Mahasen could put millions of people in the surrounding region at risk.

On Wednesday, aid agencies and local authorities scrambled to prepare residents and to put emergency supplies in position.

Bangladeshi authorities relocated at least half a million people from the coastal districts of southeastern Bangladesh, the top administrative officer of Chittagong Division said.

Authorities prepared thousands of buildings as cyclone shelters.

The OCHA put the number of people ordered to relocate by the Bangladeshi government at 1 million nationwide.

There was reason for the caution: In 1970, Cyclone Bhola killed some 400,000 people, according to the OCHA. Cyclone Sidr killed nearly 4,000 people in 2007, and Cyclone Aila killed about 200 people in 2009.

A vulnerable group in Myanmar

Relocation efforts have also proved challenging in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh.

On Rakhine's coast, Myanmar authorities and relief agencies worked to relocate tens of thousands of Muslims who had been living in makeshift camps in low-lying areas since last year, when their homes were destroyed in sectarian violence.

Most of them are Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority who suffered during decades of military rule in Myanmar.

Sectarian violence erupted last year in Rakhine between Buddhists and Muslims, resulting in the deaths of scores of people, most of them Rohingya. Since then, more than 100,000 Muslims have been forced to live in camps.

In a report last month, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch accused Myanmar authorities of involvement in a Buddhist campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the Rohingya in Rakhine. The Myanmar government dismissed the report as "one-sided."

The efforts to relocate some of the displaced Rohingya living in the camps appear to have been hindered by distrust of the security forces involved.

On Monday night, a boat ferrying people from one camp in Rakhine to safer areas hit rocks and capsized, the OCHA said, citing the government. Fifty-eight people were missing and an unspecified number died, the agency said.

Bernard Madoff once had billions of dollars, but now he makes $40 a month doing menial prison labor.

Prison exclusive: Bernie Madoff can't sleep

Ponzi convict Bernard Madoff says he can't sleep at night, haunted by his son's suicide.

NEW YORK

Bernard Madoff once had billions of dollars, but now he makes $40 a month doing menial prison labor.

"I used to work as a clerk in the commissary, and now they have me taking care of the telephone and the computer systems," said Madoff, speaking by phone from a federal prison in North Carolina. His prison phone account didn't have any money in it, so he had to call CNNMoney collect.

As far as the computers and phones go, Madoff said he has to "make sure they're working and they're kept clean," but he emphasizes that this requires no technical skill whatsoever.
It's a far cry from his former life. Once head of his own finance firm, Madoff is now identified as inmate #61727-054 at Butner Federal Correctional Complex. He's serving a 150-year sentence after pleading guilty, in 2009, to siphoning $17.5 billion from thousands of investors, wiping them out in a long-running, pyramid-style deception.
He said he only works "a few hours" a day, which leaves him plenty of time to ponder his undoing.
"I'm usually up at 4:30 in the morning because I can t sleep," said Madoff, 75, who is scheduled to be released in 2139.
Related: Madoff lawyers collect $700 million in fees
Certainly his surroundings in a medium-security prison are a lot less comfortable. When his massive Ponzi scheme unraveled in 2008, Madoff had to give up his $7 million Manhattan penthouse, a beach house in Montauk, N.Y, his homes in Florida, and France, as well as a yacht named "The Bull."
Madoff took great pains to insulate his family from his financial wrongdoings, but it didn't work.
He's especially haunted by the 2010 suicide of his oldest son, Mark, who hanged himself on the second anniversary of his father's arrest.
"I was responsible for my son Mark's death and that's very, very difficult," he said. "I live with that. I live with the remorse, the pain I caused everybody, certainly my family, and the victims."
His younger brother Peter, 67, is serving a 10-year sentence at a medium-security federal prison in South Carolina, after pleading guilty to covering up the financial wrong-doing.
"Obviously, the main concern that I have is being away from my family," he said. "Married for 50 years, I had a very close family."
Related: Rajaratnam transplant could cost taxpayers $300K
Madoff said that his deception began after the Black Monday crash of 1987, a massive stock market sell-off from which he never truly recovered. He said that's when he turned his investors into victims, but he insists that his crime was never supposed to go on for so long.
"It was certainly never my intention for this to happen," said Madoff. "I thought I could work myself out of a temporary situation but it kept getting worse and worse and I didn't have the courage to admit what I had done. It created a major problem."
Many victims of Madoff's "problem" had hoped he would suffer in prison. But Mike De Vita, a Madoff victim who co-authored "The Club that No One Wanted to Join," observed that "life for him is kind of good in some ways."
De Vita doesn't believe that Madoff feels any true remorse for the damage he caused to others, even to his own family. He dismissed Madoff's remorse as "words, and words alone."
"How could a father bring his own two sons into a business that he knows is nothing more than a massive criminal enterprise?" De Vita asked. "If he has that little consideration for his own family, how much consideration do you think he has for us?"

The future of travel: Are we falling out of love with our cars?

Are we falling out of love with cars?

Is it really possible that our century long love affair with the automobile is coming to an end?

Are we really falling out of love with our cars?

At the FutureCast debate last month the most surprising discussion of the evening focused on the crisis of our car culture.

Speaker after speaker noted the younger generation's lack of passion about cars. Some even said that young people no longer have any interest in driving.

"I think the biggest disruption we are going to see is the drop in driver's licensing among young people, said Doug Newcomb, former editor of Road and Track Road Gear. "I think we are really seeing a big shift in America's love affair with the car. I talk to most young people... they are not interested in driving."

Part of the explanation may lie in the latest driving technology. According to Paul Nunes, Director of Research at the Accenture Institute for High Performance, automatic transmission has killed the car.

Read more: From flying cars to shared vehicles

"A lot of young people don't have an interest in driving because they have no idea what it means to drive," Nunes said.

The end of our love affair with cars seems to be an international phenomenon. "In France, 30% of Generation Y-ers don't have a driving license," confirmed the Paris-based Frost & Sullivan director Jan Christensen.

"I don't even have a driver's license," confessed Jahan Khanna, the 25 year-old co-founder and CTO of the car-sharing network Sidecar.

"The interesting thing is that cars are expensive and you rarely, rarely use them, and when you do use them, you use them inefficiently and most of the time you are driving them, you are looking for a place to park," Khanna explained.

"So there's no cogent reason to own a car in the way we do," he concluded. "We really should re-examine what it means to own a personal vehicle."

Read more: Would you trust a self-driving car?

Even Greg Ross, Global Director of Infotainment Strategy and Alliances at General Motors, acknowledged the problem. "We see the trends too," he admitted.

But what can the car industry do about it? How can it make automobiles as seductive to young people as iPhones?

"The iPhone is more than a phone," Ross explained. "No two iPhones are very alike. They are always designed to be the way you want it to be with the things you like it to be."

So is this how the car industry can get us to fall back in love with our cars? To design them like iPhones, as platforms, which we can personalize according to our own taste and interests?

David Beckham: Rise of the metrosexual

It was only a few months ago there was news David Beckham had signed on with a new team -- and now he is retiring. Click through for a look back at Beckham through the years.

Father, son, husband of a Spice Girl, fashion icon, role model, sporting ambassador. It is sometimes easy to forget that David Beckham was ever a midfielder of the highest caliber with more than 100 appearances for England.

He wore a sarong, a headscarf, nail varnish, adorned his body with tattoos and changed his expertly coiffured hair-do practically every week. He spoke sparingly and, when he did, it was with a high-pitched, slightly effeminate whine. And, as far as anyone could tell, his female partner seemed to make all the important decisions. And yet his masculinity was never in doubt.

In the 1990s, we called Beckham a New Man, or a metrosexual. He was evidently straight, but never aggressive or even assertive in a traditional masculine way. In fact, he seemed mild-mannered. He dressed stylishly -- if a little too flamboyantly for many tastes -- groomed himself painstakingly and appeared unembarrassed when asked about his formidable following of gay fans.

There was a shimmering complexity, a quiet elegance, and perhaps even a sly wit about Beckham. Footballers, as the world knew them, were hard-boiled characters, who liked a drink and a good play up, especially after a game. Their reputation was hewn from the granite of working class tradition -- men were tough and affectless. We can barely imagine the reaction in the locker room when Beckham unpacked moisturizer, bronzer, and assorted hair products from his kit bag.

In the late 1990s, when he first surfaced, only Beckham could get away with it. After all, he enjoyed the adoration of women all over the world, had a pop star girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, and had to fend off advertisers who clamored for his endorsement services. He was a man with the world at his feet. He still is.

Today, cultural history is unimaginable without Beckham -- because he helped change that history. He slew the image of the unrelentingly macho sport hero and emerged heroically as the world's first all-purpose celebrity athlete. A symbol of a new masculinity.

And still we have to remind ourselves: Beckham was never rated as the best footballer in the world. And, far from being a hellraiser or a serial womanizer like many a notorious sports figure, he was squeaky clean.

Well, at least until 2004 when the News of the World tabloid alleged that he had an affair with his assistant -- something he denied. Paradoxically, the alleged affair added rather than subtracted from his already iconic status, introducing a dash of devilry and rescuing Beckham from a kind of borderline piousness, and perhaps issuing a reminder that, despite all the affectations, his manhood was beyond doubt.

So why is Beckham the game-changing celebrity athlete?

There were two David Beckhams: one the flesh-and-blood mortal who kicked a ball around for a living, the other a character that existed independently of time and space -- a product of our imaginations.

Everyone thought they knew Beckham and enjoyed a secret relationship with him. He was like a blank canvas. Had he espoused his own views, or aligned himself with great causes he would have spoiled it. But he was silent, giving interviews rarely -- and, I suspect, at Victoria's discretion. And while he stayed largely unknown, the Beckham mystique grew.

When Beckham first entered the popular consciousness it was amid feelings of hate and revenge. Red-carded in a crucial England game against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, Beckham was blamed for his team's exit. Effigies of him were burnt and he was forced to retreat. It's difficult to imagine the intensity of the loathing back then. Yet it was crucial in generating interest, even, passion.

The sight, even the name of Beckham stirred up powerful feelings. Football fans may have despised him, but others were just curious. And they became more curious as Beckham defiantly refused to give interviews or make public appearances, save for at the occasional fashion launch or a party hosted by a rock star or designer. All this was very un-footballer-like and faintly unmanly.

By the time Beckham and Victoria were married in 1999, interest in him had extended far beyond the football fraternity. His most devoted followers knew nothing of football. Unlike traditional sport fans, they were not interested in how he played: they were interested in him -- just Beckham.

At the start of the 21st century, there was only an embryonic celebrity culture; the fascination we now have for people who make no material impact on our lives and, in many cases, had no accomplishments of note was a new and perplexing development. Fans knew famous sportsmen and women by their talents and achievements. Beckham was different, he was known for being Beckham and, in this sense, he was among the first generation of celebrities.

Beckham's departure from football will not mean his disappearance. He will remain on our TV screens, in our magazines and on advertising hoardings the world over. But most significantly, he will remain in our imaginations.

Tribal fighters clash with Iraqi army amid rising tensions

Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi on April 26, 2013.

Iraqi security forces raided a farm belonging to a prominent Sunni tribal leader Thursday, he and two other tribal leaders said, prompting fears that sectarian tensions could escalate in Iraq's restive al-Anbar province.

Dozens of Anbar tribal fighters have now surrounded the Iraqi army headquarters in Ramadi, demanding that Iraqi soldiers withdraw from Anbar province immediately, police officials in Ramadi told CNN.

Analysis: Iraq at crossroads as bombs explode

A curfew will be imposed in the province from 10 p.m. local time to 4 a.m., Iraqiya state TV reported.

Sheikh Ali Hatem al-Suleiman, emir of the Dulaim tribes, told CNN the security forces were seeking to arrest him when they carried out the raid on his farm near Ramadi.

He has been instrumental in setting up the so-called "Army of Pride and Dignity," an armed force formed by the tribes in Ramadi and elsewhere in Anbar province. Each tribe is responsible for its own men and their actions.

Read more: Iraq pulls plug on 'misleading' TV networks

Speaking by phone from Ramadi, which lies about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Baghdad, al-Suleiman said that dozens of Iraqi soldiers had raided one of his farms early Thursday and detained three of his farmers.

Later, he said, dozens of Army of Pride and Dignity members tracked down the Iraqi army convoy that conducted the raid and clashed with it.

Al-Suleiman said that the tribal fighters had managed to free the three farmers.

"This is it; enough is enough. We will attack every Iraqi army checkpoint in Anbar if they don't withdraw from Anbar province immediately," he said.

"We will not accept any talks or negotiations with the government anymore."

Two other tribal leaders in Ramadi told CNN that Iraqi soldiers called the local police officers "traitors" because they were not cooperating with them.

Two police officers in Ramadi earlier said gunmen had clashed with Iraqi soldiers in eastern Ramadi on Thursday morning but could not give further details.

Al-Suleiman said the Army of Pride and Dignity is on full alert in Anbar province.

"We've been ready for a long time. We are certain that al-Maliki is a liar, the political process is just a game," al-Suleiman told CNN's Arwa Damon in an interview on May 5.

"Our weapons are everywhere, light, medium, and on up."

The tribes allied themselves with al Qaeda in Iraq and battled against U.S. forces for years before turning against the terrorist group in 2006.

But al-Suleiman said that al Qaeda militants will not be allowed to dominate again. "The tribes are not and will not again be a nurturing ground for terrorism," he said.

Read more: Iraq, on edge over violence, endures more bloodshed

Tensions have grown in recent months between Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites, especially after an incident in Hawija, in Kirkuk province, last month where Iraqi security forces raided a site used by Sunni protesters to demonstrate against the Shiite-led government. At least 50 people were killed and more than 85 others injured in a clash between security forces and gunmen.

Sunnis, who comprise a minority of Iraqis, had clout during the Saddam Hussein era but have been politically marginalized since his overthrow. Shiites, who make up a majority of Iraqis, now dominate the government.

Since December, tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of predominately Sunni provinces -- including Anbar, Nineveh, Salaheddin and Diyala -- demanding that the Shiite-led government stop what they call second-class treatment of Iraq's Sunni community.

Welcome to Naija Gist: Internet celebrity hitchhiker with hatchet arreste...

Welcome to Naija Gist: Internet celebrity hitchhiker with hatchet arreste...: Internet celebrity hitchhiker with hatchet arrested in murder case Internet celebrity turned fugitive A homeless hitchhiker who ...

Internet celebrity hitchhiker with hatchet arrested in murder case

Internet celebrity turned fugitive

A homeless hitchhiker who achieved Internet celebrity by acting as a Good Samaritan with a hatchet was arrested at a Philadelphia bus depot Thursday in connection with the murder of a New Jersey attorney, authorities said.

Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, 24, known on Facebook and YouTube as "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker," is facing a murder charge in Union County, New Jersey, authorities said.

McGillvary was arrested Thursday evening at the Greyhound terminal by Philadelphia police after New Jersey authorities issued a public call for help in finding him, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.

"I am grateful for the overwhelming response and dedicated effort by the public and law enforcement that led to this arrest," Romankow said in a statement. "I believe that everyone is a little safer with this person off the streets."

Earlier Thursday, Romankow acknowledged the Internet fame surrounding McGillvary, who is crediting with saving two lives in California.

"This man was well-known. That doesn't mean he did not or could not become involved in a crime," Romankow told reporters. "We believe he has murdered someone -- an attorney by the way who was in the county, was well respected, well regarded for well over 40 years.

"As far as we're concerned, I don't care who he is. We're looking for him," the prosecutor said.

Hitchhiker's hatchet stops crazed driver

McGillvary is wanted in the death of attorney Joseph Galfy Jr., authorities said. McGillvary and Galfy exchanged text messages over the last few days, Romankow said.

"It's more like 'Come pick me up' and 'I'll be there at this time,' " Romankow said. "But not anything of a personal nature."

But investigators believe McGillvary and Galfy had a sexual relationship, Romankow said. "There has been some indication of that on Facebook," the prosecutor said.

Romankow didn't know why the two men were in contact with each other. Investigators also don't know what the motive was for the murder, but they know that the two men were together Sunday evening, the prosecutor said. Galfy was found dead Monday morning in his Clark bedroom, wearing only underwear and socks, Romankow said.

"He was severely beaten," Romankow added.

McGillvary received national attention after CNN affiliate KMPH interviewed him about a February hitchhiking experience in which he used a hatchet to subdue the driver who claimed to be Jesus and struck a utility worker with his car, then grabbed a woman as she provided help at the scene in Fresno, California.

Romankow said Thursday that McGillvary has been known to use the back end of a hatchet.

The utility worker underwent surgery for non-life-threatening injuries, and the driver, who stood more than 6 feet tall and weighed at least 300 pounds, was arrested, the affiliate said.

With long hair sweeping out of a bandana, McGillvary provided a dramatic account of the rescue and gestured how he wielded the hatchet against the rampaging motorist in a "Smash! Smash! Sa-mash!" manner, he told the affiliate. He spoke in the patois of a surfer.

The female bystander, apparently not injured, confirmed the incident in an interview with KMPH. McGillvary's Facebook page says that "Kai saved a woman's life by cleaving a man in the head, with a hatchet, after he had just hit someone with his car." McGillvary's story was featured on "The Colbert Report" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the affiliate said.

The murder charge against McGillvary carries a bail of $3 million, Romankow said.

Galfy lived alone, and he wasn't married and had no children, Romankow said.

McGillvary also goes by the names Kai Lawrence, Caleb Kai Lawrence and Kai Nicodemus, authorities said. He has cut his hair to alter his appearance and was last seen at a light rail station in Haddonfield, New Jersey, Romankow said.

McGillvary is homeless but calls himself "homefree," authorities said.

"Authorities believe that McGillvary relies on the generosity of strangers for food, lodging and transportation," the prosecutor said in a statement. "He is considered to be armed and dangerous."

End it like Beckham: Global superstar David Beckham to retire

David Beckham made an immediate impact at Paris Saint-Germain, with victories in his first two appearances against French rivals Marseille.

- End it like Beckham. One of the most iconic football stars of his generation, David Beckham is to retire at the end of the season to bring down the curtain on a glittering career.

As well as winning over 100 caps for his England and lifting 19 trophies in two different continents, it was his ability to maximize the power of the "Beckham brand" that allowed the footballer to transcend his sport and appeal to a worldwide mass audience.

Beckham's marriage to former Spice Girl and fashion designer, Victoria, probably helped as well.

"Brand Beckham is dead, long live Brand Beckham!" sports business expert Simon Chadwick told CNN. "Beckham's transition from athlete commodity to sporting statesman and entrepreneur is now complete."

Beckham: I want to go out on top

David Beckham calls it a career

2011: Beckham: I always want to win

PSG: One year on

This year, Beckham became the first ever sportsman from outside of China to be invited to become the ambassador for the sport in the country.

He is estimated to be Britain's wealthiest sportsman, earning in excess of $46 million a year, according to France Football magazine.

"I wouldn't have achieved what I have done today without my family," said Beckham in a statement. "I'm grateful for my parents' sacrifice, which made me realise my dreams.

"I owe everything to Victoria and the kids, who have given me the inspiration and support to play at the highest level for such a long period."

Beckham's decision to retire comes days after the 38-year-old won his latest title with French club Paris Saint-Germain.

"I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level," added Beckham.

The Englishman, who won the Champions League with Manchester United in 1999, also won league titles with Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy before arriving in the French capital earlier this year after signing a short-term contract.

"If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy," said Beckham.

"I'm fortunate to have realized those dreams."

Despite playing for some of the world's top clubs, Beckham singled out captaining his country as one of his "proudest achievements".

"I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country," said Beckham, who won 115 caps for England.

"I'm honoured to represent England both on and off the pitch. I want to thank all my team-mates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from.

David Beckham's life in Paris

David Beckham through the years

"I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed.''

Beckham had the chance to join PSG in January 2012, but opted to stay in the U.S., ending his American mission with his second MLS Cup title before announcing that he would not fulfill the second year of his contract extension.

"Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love, however I feel like I'm starting a new adventure and I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead," said Beckham.

"I'm fortunate to have been given many opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it's my time to give back."

Many of Beckham's former teammates and managers spoke of the positive impact his professionalism had on the clubs he played for.

"He was a great teammate and a role model for young players," said LA Galaxy Bruce Arena. "He had achieved so much, but wanted to keep on achieving."

Read: Beckham speaks of sacrifice

But former PSG winger David Ginola told CNN that he had had a conversation with Beckham a few weeks ago when the Englishman confided he had begun to question his fitness to play at the highest level.

Not that Beckham's playing career is quite over -- yet.

French Champions PSG's last two games are against Brest at the Parc des Princes in the French capital on Saturday and at Lorient the following Sunday.

Read: Beckham to donate PSG wages to children's charity

Meanwhile on Twitter, messages of congratulations poured in from some of his former teammates and clubs and even politicians.

"Best wishes as David #BeckhamRetires His magical free kicks for @MUFC and England will live long in the memory of all football fans," tweeted British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Manchester United defender Ferdinand retires from international football

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has represented England 81 times, but not since June 2011.

The retirements are coming thick and fast out of Old Trafford, with Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand the latest to call time -- on his international career.

The 34-year-old's retirement follows the farce that ensued in March when he was recalled by England manager Roy Hodgson for the World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro, only for Ferdinand to quickly withdraw due to his "pre-planned fitness program" with his club.

In a statement released by the English Football Association, Ferdinand explained that he wanted to retire from international football to "concentrate on my club career."

Read: Man City right to ax Roberto Mancini?

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"After a great deal of thought, I have decided the time is right for me to retire from international football," added Ferdinand, who has not played for England since a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland in June 2011.

"The team looks in great shape and there is an influx of young, talented players coming through the ranks which bodes well for the future.

"I regard it as a great honor and a privilege to have represented my country at every level from Under-17s upwards.

"I have always been very proud to play for England. I would like to wish Roy and the team all the best for future tournaments.

"A big thank you to all the fans, managers, coaching staff and players that I have worked alongside - the journey has been incredible."

Read: Gay footballer who chose freedom over "prison"

In October, Hodgson was forced to apologize to Ferdinand after an English newspaper reported he had told fellow commuters during a tube journey on London's underground that the Manchester United defender's international career was over.

Ferdinand had been controversially left out of England's squad for Euro 2012 despite the United defender expressing his desire to add to his 81 international caps.

After leaving Ferdinand out of his Euro 2012 squad, Hodgson opted to take Chelsea captain John Terry, though the defender had been due in court to face allegations he racially abused Rio's brother, Anton Ferdinand.

Hodgson insisted it was purely a football decision and Terry was cleared in July. But he was banned for four matches on the same charge by the FA and announced his retirement from international football.

After making his debut against Cameroon at Wembley in 1997, Ferdinand went on to win 81 caps for England, playing in three World Cups.

"It's important to pay tribute to someone of Rio's stature and the achievements he had in a senior international career with England over 14 years at the highest level," said Hodgson

"To have captained his country, to play at three World Cups and indeed score in one of those, marks him out amongst a very special group of players.

"I appreciated the call from Rio to inform me of his decision, which clearly he had spent much time considering before reaching this point."

Balotelli threatens to walk off pitch if racially abused again

Balotelli: I've had enough of racist abuse

Leading international soccer player Mario Balotelli has had enough -- the AC Milan striker has vowed to walk off the pitch next time he is racially abused at a football game.

Balotelli, who was subjected to racist chanting during Sunday's Italian league game against Roma, has told CNN in an exclusive interview that he came close to leaving the field following the abuse at AC Milan's San Siro stadium in a match that finished 0-0.

The 22-year-old put his fingers to his lips in front of the visiting supporters' section as a section of fans directed "monkey chants" at him and teammate Kevin Prince-Boateng.

"I always said that if it (racism) happened in the stadium I will just do like 'nobody says nothing and I don't care,'" Balotelli told CNN.

Boateng: Racism in football must end

Webb: Racism sanctions will send message

FARE: 'Erratic' Sepp Blatter should quit

  Racism in football

"But this time I think I've changed my mind a little bit. If it's going to happen one more time, then I'm going to leave the pitch because it's so stupid."

Read: Italian Federation incurs Blatter wrath

The abuse led to the game being halted for two minutes as the stadium's PA announcer warned the Roma supporters to end the abuse or the match would be stopped.

Balotelli is not the first player from AC Milan -- one of Europe's top clubs, having won 18 national titles and seven continental crowns -- -- to face racist abuse this season.

In January, Boateng did walk off the pitch after being racially abused during a friendly against Pro Patria.

That action prompted governing bodies FIFA and UEFA to rethink the way clubs and players are punished if they are found guilty of racist abuse.

Balotelli revealed that his teammate Boateng -- who was a guest speaker at the United Nation's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in March -- persuaded him not to leave the field of play on Sunday.

"I spoke with Prince," added Balotelli. "I was about to leave the pitch on Sunday, but they thought I wanted to leave because we had some difficulty with the game and then we are going to win 3-0.

"I said 'no, it's better we play and I will talk,' that's it.

"But if it wasn't for this reason, then I was going to leave the pitch on Sunday."

Read: Meet Italy's proud football racists

On Monday Roma was fined $65,000 by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) -- a punishment that drew sharp criticism from FIFA president Sepp Blatter

"What is $65,000 for such an incident? I'm not happy and I will call the Italian Federation," the head of football's world governing body told the FIFA website. "That's not a way to deal with such matters."

Juventus midfielder: Stop racism

Hayatou: Good example key against racism

  Blatter: A controversial leader

Italy's complex racism problem

Throughout the season Italian football has been plagued by racist incidents as the country struggles to deal with the problem.

Only last month, Inter Milan was fined around $60,000 by European governing body UEFA after its fans were found guilty of "improper conduct" after racist chants were directed at Tottenham's Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

In February, Roma's fierce city rival, Lazio, received its fourth UEFA charge of the season for racist behavior with the club accruing fines of up to $300,000

Mancini's sacking no surprise for Balotelli

"Family's little black boy"

This is not the first time Balotelli has suffered racist abuse.

The striker was targeted by fans of his former club -- Inter Milan -- in a Serie A game after he joined Milan in a $30 million deal from Manchester City in January.

Inter was fined $65,500 by the FIGC following the incidents while the player was also hit with a $13,000 fine for aiming a gesture at fans as he left the field at the full time whistle. Balotelli played for Inter between 2006 and 2010.

The 22-year-old was also subjected to racist abuse while on international duty with Italy -- Croatia fans were found guilty of throwing bananas at the forward during the 2012 European Championship Finals.

There was also embarrassment for Milan in February when the club's vice president Paulo Berlusconi, the younger brother of former prime minster and team owner Silvio Berlusconi, was caught on camera referring to Balotelli's arrival by saying: "OK, we are all off to see the family's little black boy.

"He's a crazy head. All the young ladies are invited as well -- you can even have a chance to meet the president (Silvio Berlusconi)."

The video, which was featured on the website of Italian Newspaper La Repubblica, was condemned by anti-racism campaigners.

Milan have won the Italian title 18 times and the European Cup (now known as the Champions League) seven times.

'Slave trade ghost town': The dark history of Bunce Island

Bunce Island, in Sierra Leone, was a British slave trading post in the 18th century. From its shores, tens of thousands of Africans were forcefully shipped to the American colonies.

As the boat slowly approaches the quiet shores of Bunce Island, it's hard to shake off the eerie feeling of being transported back into one of history's darkest chapters.

Located some 30 kilometers from Freetown, this tiny strip of land in the Sierra Leone river served as a major post for the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th century.

For tens of thousands of Africans, this was the place where their life in the continent ended -- men, women and children were kidnapped and brought to the island's fort to be traded and eventually put on slave ships bound for the Americas.

"The African-American story is very much here," says Joseph Opala, director of the Bunce Island Coalition, a group of historians and archaeologists working together to turn the island into a national landmark that can be appreciated for its historical value.

Historical image of the British slave trading post of Bunce Island.

Upon arriving in the American colonies, West African slaves were forced to work in rice paddies, cotton fields and indigo plantations along the South Carolina-Georgia seaboard where the moist climate and fertile land were very similar to their African homelands.

Read this: African slave traditions live on in U.S.

"There are 40 big castles like this along the West African coast, but this is the only one that sent appreciable numbers of captives to what is now the U.S.," says Opala.

Map of Bunce Island. Click to expand.

Part 1: Rebranding Sierra Leone

Part 2: Ecotourism in Sierra Leone

'The place where history sleeps'

Stepping onto the uninhabited island, you quickly realize that this is a place forgotten by time, its ancient structures gradually decayed by the two centuries of tropical rain seeping down.

Unlike other slaving trading posts, nothing was ever built on the island after its abandonment in the mid-1800s. Its crumbling ruins, blanketed by overgrown weeds and ivy roots, remain relatively untouched to this day, serving as a reminder of the island's dark past.

"One Sierra Leonean years ago used to refer to Bunce Island as the place where history sleeps," says Opala. "And there's no better description of it -- it's a kind of slave trade ghost town."

Read this: Tracing the slaves who shaped America

Opala says that to this day, many people in Sierra Leone are not aware of Bunce Island's grim place in history. He says that the island receives just a small number of people each year, mainly foreign visitors or expatriates.

"For tourists, it means renting a boat for 500, 600, $700, or there are tourist services oriented toward tourists that will take you for $60-70," says Opala. "But for local people, it's absolutely not affordable. But at the same time, there's not a lot of local interest yet in going there because people still don't know much about it."

To change that, and remind both tourists and locals about its importance, the Bunce Island Coalition has launched a $5 million project to conserve what's left of the island. The group also wants to build a museum in Freetown as part of efforts to shed light on the island's dark past.

"There's an awakening now out here by the political elite and many ordinary citizens that this place is not just important for history," says Opala.

"But it also can serve as a source of revenue for the country, and can strengthen the links between African-Americans and Sierra Leoneans which may in the end be the most important outcome of this, because that can last forever."

'Massive' numbers of Nigerian troops target insurgents

Obasanjo: Boko Haram undermine security

Nigeria announced the deployment of "massive" amounts of troops and resources "to rid the nation's borders territories of terrorist bases and activities," a military spokesman said Wednesday.

The move is in conjunction with the country's state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, and it is intended to end insurgent activities.

"The military operation will focus on tracking down criminal elements within the vicinity of border communities prone to terrorist activities," said Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, a Defense Headquarters spokesman.

"The operation, which will involve massive deployment of men and resources, is aimed at asserting the nation's territorial integrity and enhancing the security of constituted governmental structures in all territories within Nigeria's borders."

President Goodluck Jonathan declared states of emergency in the three restive states Tuesday. He blamed "terrorists" aimed at "rebellion" who have caused "fear among our citizens and a near breakdown of law and order in parts of the country."

He also noted a rise of insurgent violence in eight other states, including Nasarawa, where scores of police officers were killed last week. Jonathan said "insurgents and terrorists," including the Islamist group, Boko Haram, are trying to destabilize Nigeria.

Suspect: Boston bombing was payback for hits on Muslims

From left, Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev went with Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to Times Square in this photo taken from the social media site VK.com. Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev were arrested on Wednesday, May 1, on charges they tried to throw investigators off Tsarnaev's trail. See all photography related to the Boston bombings.

Boston Marathon bombing victims were collateral damage in a strike meant as payback for U.S. wars in Muslim lands, the surviving suspect wrote in a message scribbled on the boat where he was found hiding, a law enforcement source told CNN Thursday.

In the message, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev also proclaimed that an attack on one Muslim is an attack on all, and said he would not miss older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev -- who died after a firefight with police three days after the bombing -- because he would soon be joining him, according to the source.

The writing on the inside of the boat dovetails with what Dzhokhar, 19, told investigators questioning him in a Boston hospital room shortly after his capture, the source said.

Friendly fire led to officer's shooting during Boston manhunt

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Healing one month after Boston bombings

Photographer remembers Boston Marathon

CNN has previously cited U.S. officials in reporting that Dzhokhar said U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq were motivating factors behind the April 15 attack, which killed three people and wounded 275.

According to authorities, the Tsarnaev brothers fashioned explosive devices from pressure cookers and other materials and detonated them near the finish line of the race.

Three days later, authorities released their images to the public as suspects in the case. Investigators believe they then killed MIT police Officer Sean Collier and hijacked a car before battling authorities in a wild firefight on a Watertown, Massachusetts, street.

Nearly 24 hours later, police found Dzhokhar hiding in the boat after the owner called police to report someone was inside of it.

The final hours that paralyzed Boston

Dzhokhar -- who suffered gunshot wounds to the head, neck, legs and hands -- is being held a federal Bureau of Prisons medical facility in Devens, Massachusetts. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Tamerlan was secretly buried in a rural Virginia cemetery this month following protests from Massachusetts residents and officials against burying him in that state.

Authorities have said they believe the brothers acted alone, but are investigating whether they could have learned from or been aided by terror groups, including groups overseas.

Of particular interest has been Tamerlan's 2012 trip to the semi-autonomous Russian republic of Dagestan, home to numerous Islamic militant groups that have warred against Moscow's rule.

Source: Russia withheld details about Tsarnaev

Russian authorities asked U.S. officials to investigate Tamerlan before the trip, saying they believed he was becoming increasingly involved with radical Islam. The FBI investigated, but found no evidence of extremist activity, FBI Director Robert Mueller reiterated Thursday during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

Mueller said Russian authorities told the FBI that Tamerlan and his mother appeared to be "very religious" and that Tamerlan seemed "intent on returning and perhaps participating in jihad, in Russia."

The FBI conducted a thorough investigation and found "no ties to terrorism," Mueller said.

U.S. officials learned after the bombings that Russian officials had intercepted a 2011 phone call between the suspect's mother, living in Dagestan, and one of her sons, in which they reportedly had a vague conversation about jihad, a law enforcement official told CNN earlier.

Some lawmakers, particularly Republicans, have been critical of how law enforcement, intelligence agencies and the administration of President Barack Obama handled the Russian tip.

While Tamerlan and his mother were added to a terror database following the FBI investigation, Tamerlan was allowed to make his Russian trip in 2012, returning six months later.

2015: Group sues Asari-Dokubo over comment

ABUJA—ANTI-Corruption Network, a non-governmental organisation, yesterday, filed a suit against former ex-militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, for treason over his recent statement on President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election in 2015.

The Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network and former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, revealed this to journalists at a press conference held at the organisation’s headquarter in Abuja.
Melaye said: ”This morning, my lawyers instituted a case against Asari-Dokubo, that Nigeria will be made ungovernable if President Jonathan isn’t re-elected in 2015.”
Meanwhile, Melaye has also accused the Presidency of using oil blocks to woo Rivers State House of Assembly legislators over an alleged plan to impeach Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi.

Arrest me and Nigeria will be history, Dokubo

Arrest me and Nigeria will be history, Dokubo-Asari dares Reps

Niger Delta frontline activist and leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has dared the House of Representatives and leaders in northern Nigeria to arrest him if they can, adding that if they do, Nigeria will become history.
Dokubo-Asari, who addressed a press conference in Abuja, stressed that he stands by his words that “there will be no peace if Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015.”
The House of Representatives had, after a motion moved by Honourable Ali Madaki, called on the Inspector General of Police,  Mohammed Abubakar, to arrest Dokubo-Asari for saying that there would be no peace in Nigeria if President Jonathan was not returned for a second term in 2015.
The position of the House was supported by the Niger State governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, who also called for his arrest.
Other northern leaders and organisations, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), also called for Dokubo-Asari’s arrest.
Responding to the various calls for his arrest, the activist said they were cowards if they failed to arrest him.
The former president of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) also stated that any attempt to arrest him would make Nigeria a history.
He queried why those calling for his arrest turned deaf ears when some northern leaders, like former head of state and 2011 presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Mohammadu Buhari; Alhaji Lawal Kaita and a former member of the House of Representatives, Adamu Farouk Aliyu, among others, threatened to make Nigeria ungovernable if a northerner failed to emerge as president in 2015.
According to him, “I stand by my statement which I made in my earlier press conference. There will be no peace, not only in the Niger Delta, but everywhere, if Jonathan is not president by 2015, and I want to add that the Fulanis, who migrated and invaded our lands and continue to show disregard and disrespect to the owners of the country they came into, and people have tolerated them for a very long time, but that will no longer continue.”
Dokubo-Asari said a follow-up to Kaita’s statement that “Nigeria would be ungovernable if Jonathan was returned in 2015 was the insurgent groups from the feudal Fulani occupiers of the land, who are wreaking havoc, attacking military barracks and seizing weapons, while their foot-soldiers in the army are planning a coup, but we will not sit and watch.
“For every action from them, there will be an equal and opposite reaction and it will be disproportionate. Kaita made this statement, nobody arrested or call for the arrest of this fellow,  today he is walking free.”
Dokubo-Asari also carpeted Buhari for his inciting statement against Jonathan, adding that “Buhari made this statement in 2012, he was never arrested and nobody ever called for his arrest. In other countries, former leaders are being tried, but here, a man who overthrew a legitimate government continues to threaten us with blood and nothing has happened. Who is this criminal, who took our guns, our resources, to plan and overthrow a legitimate government and introduce retroactive laws that led to the death of innocent citizens, and nothing has happened.”
He also carpeted Aliyu,  saying “I am happy he remarked that nobody has the monopoly of violence, and I want to tell him that we have not had maitasine or Boko Haram in the south, we have not had Shahid revote in the south, we thank God that they don’t have monopoly of violence because we are going to give them surplus of violence.”
Responding particularly to Aliyu’s claims that the Ijaw people of the oil-rich Niger Delta did not have the population to match the North, Asari said “this Fulani invader is talking about population. We all know that they don’t have the number they claim to have and we know that we are more populated than they, and no figure they bring will be accepted by us.”
He added that “I am not afraid of arrest. I’ve been arrested before. I was put under SSS underground 10 months and 11 days. I was buried alive and I came out alive. I was detained for 22 months and 10 days, I didn’t give up the fight. I didn’t capitulate. So, I am not afraid of arrest and they cannot arrest me because if they do, the consequences of my arrest is that Nigeria will be history.
“The last time (Olusegun)Obasanjo arrested me, my arrest reduced Nigeria’s oil production to 700,000 barrels per day. This time, it will reduce to zero barrel, and we will match violence by violence, intrigues by intrigues, we are ready for them.
“Jonathan will complete his tenure of two terms whether they like it or not. For us, they don’t even exist because we pay them, and he who pays the piper dictates the tune. We pay them, we feed them, they are parasites, they are a burden on us, and these invaders must be expelled from our lands, they have no reason to be with us.”
Nigeria’ll not break if... —Edwin Clark
Ijaw leader and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has said come what may, hell would not let loose if Jonathan loses presidential election in 2015.
This is just as he petitioned the House of Representatives to investigate all inflammatory and provocative utterances made so far by Nigerians, especially northerners, instead of selectively hunting the duo of Mr Kinsgley Kuku and Dokubo-Asari for arrest by the Inspector General of Police.
The octogenarian, who granted a press conference at his country home in Warri, on Thursday afternoon, also asked President Jonathan to convoke a national conference of all ethnic nationalities, to determine the status of the country before the 2014 centenary celebration, without which the country may be heading for the parlous precipice.
The Ijaw leader said he was sure that Jonathan would accept whatever decision he got from the electorate in 2015, saying he would be the last person to cause chaos and anarchy for his successor if he lose.
Over 600 ex-militants threaten to invade NASS over Dokubo-Asari, Kuku
Over 600 ex-militants, on Thursday, threatened to storm the floor of the  House of Representatives over the summon on  Kuku and Dokubo-Asari, over alleged inflammatory statements on the 2015 presidential poll.
In separate statements issued in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, by the Coalition of Ex-Militants, under the aegis of the Leadership of the Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), and former member of the Senate Chamber of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Eris Paul, known along the creeks as Commander Ogunboss, insisted that the decision of the ex-militant was based on the perceived ethnic and parochial intent behind the summon by the House of Representatives.
While the LPCDI, through the statement signed by its president, Pastor Reuben Wilson, described the House of Representatives summon as “divisive” and “attempt to ignite the ethnic keg of gun powder in the country,” Commander Ogunboss described the summon as a show of undemocratic tendencies on the part of a serving governor, “who thinks he is protecting the unity of an already disorganised society by some northern cabals.”
In the statement of the LPCDI, Pastor Wilson said the posture of the House of Representatives was a show of bias and double standard in the monitoring of alleged volatile posture of the political class ahead of the 2015 poll.
“We observed that irrespective of the decision made by the representatives, they should be aware that the failure to arrest the likes of Buhari over his comment in the national daily on May 15, 2012; the national coordinator of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr Junaidu Mohammed, in another national daily of March 17, 2013, and Abu King Shuluwa on March 8, 2013.”
Paul accused the Niger State governor of bias and wickedness.”
“If Aliyu thinks he was sincere enough to protect the nation from an impending doom, let him call on the security agencies to begin their investigations with Buhari who, in recent times, has been crying foul over threats of bloodshed and revolt on the nations unity, as witnessed in Egypt andTunisia.
“We all know in this country that just minutes after Buhari’s presidential loss to Jonathern in 2011, riots broked out, where houses of the president’s loyalists were burnt in parts of the North, properties destroyed and lives lost, which we can attribute to present bombings of Boko Haram experienced till date.
“And if Dokubo-Asari’s statement is capable of creating disunity and disaffection on the nation’s unity, as Governor Aliyu and his counterparts in the House Representatives have stated, what will Buhari’s utterances be capable of?”