LVG's Man Utd won't win title with this squad - Scholes

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http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-title-race-also-rans-squad-4051292

39-year-old former England international Paul Scholes has written off Manchester United’s title chances this season.

United legend Scholes fears the club he served for two decades has not bought enough quality this summer to make them serious contenders compared to his two favourites to lift the trophy, Manchester City and Chelsea.

However, Scholes does believe Louis Van Gaal will bring back the “fear factor” which the Old Trafford giants have lacked since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure last year after 26 seasons littered with trophies.

Van Gaal takes over after steering an unfancied Holland side to third place at this summer's World Cup and Scholes said:

“I think he’s brought a bit of fear into the players, which is no bad thing. I played for 20 years for Sir Alex Ferguson and he could be a scary man. Sometimes fear can bring performances out from you.

“Players will know where they stand. You knew where you stood with Sir Alex Ferguson. If you’d done well, he’d pat you on the back and if you hadn’t, you probably wouldn’t be playing the next week.”

But despite Scholes believing Van Gaal will get United back on track, he cannot see them doing any better than squeezing back into the top four in the Dutchman's debut season.

“You have to remember the players they’ve lost – Rio, Vidic, Evra, Giggs. Massive players who have won 30 titles between them.

“The midfield don’t have that freedom anymore and maybe don’t have so much confidence in the back line. When Rio and Vidic were fit and in their prime, they always played together. It’s a part of the team that doesn’t change too much. It’s time for other players to step up.”

BPL Transfer Updates, 15 Aug 2014

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Spurs swoop for Seattle Sounders full-back Yedlin
Tottenham Hotspur have completed their fourth signing of the summer with the acquisition of United States international DeAndre Yedlin, of MLS club Seattle Sounders, for an undisclosed fee.

Yedlin, who will remain with the Sounders before joining Mauricio Pochettino's side ahead of the 2015/16 season, has signed a four-year-deal with the north Londoners.

The 21-year-old right-back, who has been capped seven times by his country, impressed at this summer's World Cup with a string of tireless performances as United States reached the first knockout round of the tournament in Brazil.

The defender, who became Seattle's first homegrown player when he signed for them in January 2013, caught the eye of Jurgen Klinsmann after making it into the MLS All-Star Team in his first season in the American top flight – the first 'rookie' to do so since 2005.

Yedlin has made 52 appearances for the Sounders in all competitions and featured for the west-coast side in their 3-3 friendly draw with Spurs at CenturyLink Field on 19 July. He becomes the fourth signing by Pochettino following the transfers of Michel Vorm and Ben Davies, from Swansea City, and Eric Dier from Sporting Lisbon.

Atsu will 'excite' Everton fans, says Martinez
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has said that Christian Atsu will "excite fans" after the winger completed a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.

The Ghana international, who represented his country at the FIFA World Cup this summer, passed a medical on Wednesday and, having secured a work permit, will now be available for Saturday's Barclays Premier League opener at Leicester City.

Real Madrid eye Raheem Sterling, Liverpool move to quadruple his salary
Raheem Sterling had just signed a £30,000-a-week deal just over 18 months ago but he can expect this to quadruple as Liverpool are keen to thrash out a mega-deal to tie the teenager down for the long term because of his growing reputation.

Real Madrid are already on red alert after Sterling’s impressive form and performances for Liverpool during their run-in last season.

New facility to provide soldiers better training experience in urban warfare

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-urban-warfare-facility-gives-soldiers-experience-larger-scale

Soldiers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will be able to hone their skills in urban warfare — storm a building, fire live ammunition at close quarters and throw multiple grenades — on a larger scale than before at a new facility designed to simulate realistic conditions for urban fighting.

The Murai Urban Live Firing Facility (MULFAC) comprises five buildings for soldiers to move around in a full-scale urban assault operation.

Located at Lim Chu Kang, it allows for up to one company, or about 100 soldiers, to practise seizing buildings with the support of armoured vehicles. In contrast, urban live firing in the past was conducted with one section — which comprises seven men — within one building.

The facility is also wired with cameras to record operations so soldiers can review their performance.

The new facility will also house a sixth building, the Hand Grenade House, which will be completed in December, adding to the existing live grenade training site in Pulau Tekong. Unlike the latter, soldiers will be allowed to throw more than one grenade at the Murai facility.

With the MULFAC’s opening and the launch of the Multi-Mission Range Complex last year, the SAF will be able to conduct 50 to 60 per cent more live firing exercises, chief infantry officer Brigadier-General Chiang Hock Woon told reporters.

Nigerian woman in first suspected case of Ebola in Singapore

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/nigerian-woman-sent-to/1312618.html

Fears of the first case of Ebola surfacing in Singapore on Thursday (Aug 14) proved unfounded.

The scare began when a Nigerian woman was transferred from Gleneagles Hospital to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)'s Communicable Diseases Centre on Thursday. She was suffering from a high fever.

The woman, who "flew in to Singapore from Nigeria some days ago", had gone to Gleneagles for an undisclosed procedure. Gleneagles said it alerted the Health Ministry after it found that the woman had fever and came from a country affected by Ebola.

The hospital says the ministry then asked the hospital to transfer the woman to the Accident & Emergency department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). While waiting for the ambulance to arrive from TTSH, the woman "was kept in an isolation room in its Accident & Emergency department.

In a statement, the Health Ministry clarified that there is no suspect case of Ebola in Singapore at present. "The case in question was indeed referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, but she does not fit the case definition," it said. "MOH will continue to closely monitor the situation, and continually assess and calibrate its measures."

False alarm triggers lockdown at Woodlands Checkpoint

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/false-alarm-triggers/1313262.html

The Woodlands Checkpoint was closed for 40 minutes on Thursday evening (Aug 14), following an alarm activation. Authorities later clarified that "no incident" had occurred, but investigations are ongoing.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore said at about 8.30pm, there was an alarm activation.

It said as part of security measures, the checkpoint was locked down for investigation. Once it was revealed that there was no incident, the entire checkpoint resumed operations, at about 9.10pm.

Several witnesses posted pictures and various accounts of the lockdown online. Witnesses also reported that doors at the checkpoint were locked after the alarm went off. Travellers were said to be prevented from entering or leaving the building during the lockdown.

Pictures and videos put up by netizens showed a long queue outside the checkpoint, and a massive jam on both sides of the checkpoint.