FURIOUS VAN GAAL HITS BACK AT SCHOLES: HE HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY AT MAN UTD

The Dutchman accuses the former Red Devils midfielder of speaking for his own benefit after the ex-England international labelled the style of play at Old Trafford "boring".

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has hit back at club legend Paul Scholes in the wake of the latter describing the Red Devils' style of play as "boring".

Scholes criticised United's approach under the Dutchman, claiming he did not feel entertained when watching his former side.

But Van Gaal responded to the ex-England international's comments by questioning what responsibility Scholes has at the club.

"You have an expression," he told reporters, "I always use Dutch expression but you have a fantastic expression for that - 'sticks and stones can break my bones but names [words] will never hurt me.'

"Fantastic, fantastic expression. You do understand the meaning of this?

"[Scholes] doesn't have the responsibility, so he can say everything. Why he is saying something? For the benefit of the club or the benefit of himself?"
Van Gaal also questioned why Scholes had chosen to air his views publically rather than taking his concerns to an employee of the club.

"I don't want to defend myself because I cannot defend, because he is a legend and he has a lot of resonance, so I hear.

"I think when you are a legend, you have to speak with the manager or his friend, Ryan Giggs, or Ed Woodward, but not this way, because he will be paid by the BBC or Sky.

"When Scholes thinks I should go, then I go but he is not a responsible man, he is not the Glazers or Ed Woodward.

"I know when we shall lose and lose and lose, I shall be finished, but I shall do everything for this club because, as I have already said, this club is unbelievable."

Manchester United go into Saturday's clash with Crystal Palace fourth in the Premier League table, just two points behind joint-leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.

Attendant Jailed For Having Sex With Minor

Source: Peacefmonline

Eric Kofi Denteh, a private toilet attendant, was on Tuesday sentenced to eight years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for defiling a 13- year- old at Dansoman, Accra.

Denteh, 26, charged with defilement, pleaded guilty.

The court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku convicted Denteh on his own plea.

Prosecuting Detective Inspector J.B Asante, said complainant, Zenatu Kweitsu is the mother of the victim who lives with her at Kaneshie in Accra.

Detective Inspector Asante said the convict also lived within the same vicinity with the complainant and the victim. On October 11, this year, the victim and her younger sister went to board a vehicle for a children church service in Accra.

Prosecution said the convict was also on board the same vehicle. When the victim and her sister reached their destination, they alighted.

According to Detective Inspector Asante, the convict also alighted at the same spot and lured the victim to Dansoman and had sex with her. Victim left behind her younger sister who waited for her for hours.

The victim’s younger sister went to her grandmother to inform her that she was unable to trace the whereabouts of her sister.

Prosecution said someone was asked to accompany the victim’s younger sister to inform their mother. A complainant was later lodged at the Kaneshie Police station and an extract was prepared for the matter to be referred to the Domestic Violence and Victim’s Support Unit at Dansoman.

The prosecutor said a medical form was issued to the victim so she could be examined and treated at the hospital. Denteh was subsequently arrested and during interrogation he admitted the offence.

India to support Africa with $10 billion

Source: Graphic Online
India and Africa renewed their relations at a massive gathering of leaders in New Delhi yesterday, where Prime Minister Shri Nerandra Modi announced his country's decision to raise the level of support to Africa with a concessional credit of $10 billion over the next five years.

At the opening of the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit at the Indira Ghandi Sports Complex, Mr Modi said the new credit facility was in addition to the ongoing credit programme.

Besides, India pledged a grant of US$600 million, which would include an India-Africa Development Fund of US$100 million and an India-Africa Health Fund of US$10 million over the same period.
Other assistance to Africa include 50,000 scholarships in India over the next five years, while supporting the expansion of the Pan African E-Network and institutions.

Mr Modi told the impressive gathering that his country had since the first India-Africa Summit in 2008, committed $7.4 billion in concessional credit and $1.2 billion in grants to Africa.
He stated that in the last three years, nearly 25,000 young Africans had been trained and educated in India.

The Summit
The India Africa Forum Summit is the biggest foreign policy meeting hosted by India in the last three decades.

This year's event attracted a record participation of all 54 African nations with 41 of them represented by their heads of state, including President John Dramani Mahama.
It would address major challenges affecting both India and Africa with particular reference to security, human resource development, institution building, infrastructure development, energy sufficiency, technological development, health, education and skills development.

India's growth as an emerging economy has been phenomenal, and it sees Africa's development as one that the country can hardly ignore.
India, a country with a 1.25 billion population, is currently Africa's largest fourth biggest trading partner but raw materials constitutes about 80 per cent of exports from Africa.

Relations 
Systematically walking the audience through India-Africa relations, Mr Modi said his copuntry was honoured to be a development partner of Africa.
"It is a partnership beyond strategic concerns and economic benefits. It is formed from the emotional bonds we share and the solidarity we feel for each other," he said.

The Prime Minister stated that in less than a decade, trade between the two sides had more than doubled to over $70 billion making India a major source of business investments in Africa.

Touting Africa as a proud continent, the Prime Minister said if today the fabric of this world was richer, it was due to the 54 sovereign nations of Africa.
He mentioned the continent’s ancient achievements and added that its modern strides were catching the attention of the world.

"The continent is more settled and stable. African nations are coming together to take responsibility for their development, peace and security," Mr Modi added.
Shortfalls
The Prime Minister, however, conceded that there had been occasions when India had not performed as expected.

"There have been occasions when we have not been as attentive as we should be. There are commitments we have not fulfilled as quickly as we should have," Mr Modi added.
In spite of that, he was appreciative that Africa continued to embrace India as a true partner without any complaints, adding "You have rejoiced in our success and taken pride in our achievements, and, you have stood for us in the world."

Technological support
Based on the trust and confidence Africa continued to have in his country, Mr Modi promised that India would continue to raise the level of its support for the continent.
He said India would make sure its expertise in technology would have a positive impact in various development sectors of Africa, stressing that "Technology will be a strong foundation of our partnership."

Mugabe
When he took his turn to address the opening ceremony, Zimbabwean President Mr Robert Mugabe, who is also the Chairman of the Africa Union, commended India for being a true partner of Africa.
But, he played it hard on the so-called advanced countries who he said continued to take Africa for granted.

At a glance
India Prime Minister Shri Nerandra Modi, yesterday announced a $10 billion support for Africa over the next five years, at a ceremony in New Delhi where India and Africa renewed their bonds.
- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/52429-india-to-support-africa-with-10-billion.html#sthash.lAIUMl0n.dpuf

Syria conflict: UN's Ban Ki-moon urges 'flexibility' in Vienna talks

Half the Syrian population has been displaced by the fighting

Source:Fox News
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for "flexibility" at talks in Vienna between the countries backing rival sides in the Syrian civil war.

He urged the five main participants - the US, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - to abandon "national perspectives" for "global leadership".

These are the first such talks to include Iran, which - with Russia - backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The US and its allies insist Mr Assad cannot be part of any solution.

The four-year-old war in Syria, which began with an uprising against Mr Assad, has left 250,000 people dead and forced half the country's population - or 11 million people - from their homes.

Russia and Iran have recently stepped up their military involvement in the conflict, backing forces loyal to Mr Assad.

The US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations have long insisted Mr Assad cannot play any long-term role in Syria's future.

On the eve of the talks, Mr Ban urged the five main participants to think beyond their immediate interests.

"The longer they take their own national perspectives, the more people will suffer, and the whole world will suffer," he said. "As I always say, there is no military solution."

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir earlier told the BBC that Iran must accept the removal of Mr Assad as part of any solution to the conflict.

Mr Jubeir told the BBC that there was "no doubt" Mr Assad could not remain in office.

"He will go either through a political process or he will be removed by force," he said.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that other powers had realised that there was no way reaching "a reasonable solution" to the Syrian conflict without involving Tehran.

Foreign ministers held informal talks in Vienna on Thursday, with the substantive discussions scheduled for Friday.

Speaking after meeting Mr Zarif, the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the Vienna talks would bring together "all the relevant actors playing around the same table, trying to define a common space for the beginning of a political process".

US Secretary of State John Kerry also met Mr Zarif on Thursday, as well as the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany, Egypt, Lebanon and the EU have also confirmed they will attend the meeting, and other Middle Eastern powers are also expected.

A Western diplomat called the Vienna talks "embryonic", while another said that simply keeping opposing sides from walking out would count as success.

Millions have been forced from their homes because of the conflict

Analysis: BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall
Many Western diplomats have played down expectations about this gathering, given how complex and bitter the conflict there has become.

One official said it wasn't even a first step towards a peace process, just a tentative bid to seek common ground, with no one really sure if that is possible.

Already the United States and its European and Arab allies, plus Turkey, have given some ground on the critical question of President Assad's role in any future process of transition, suggesting that although he would have to step down, it didn't have to be immediately.

The key question now is whether his two main backers, Russia and Iran, will give any ground on their side.

Wall Street braces for another wild day as Chinese, European stocks slump

Aug. 26, 2015: A Chinese investor monitors stock prices at a brokerage in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Global markets struggled Wednesday to shrug off fears of a deepening Chinese economic slowdown, which has roiled stocks in recent sessions.

European stocks opened lower, tracking a late tumble in U.S. markets Tuesday that dashed hopes of a return to stability.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index was 1.5 percent lower midmorning, following a 4.2 percent gain on Tuesday. Germany’s DAX lost 1.1 percent, France’s CAC 40 was down 1.2 percent, and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 was 1.2 percent lower.

The losses followed another volatile session in Chinese markets, as fresh measures to ease monetary policy late Tuesday failed to settle investors’ nerves. China’s central bank cut interest rates and flooded its banking system with liquidity via a cut to banks’ reserve ratio requirements. The Shanghai Composite Index swung between gains and losses before closing 1.3 percent lower.

Some investors worry the People’s Bank of China’s moves, which many anticipated, won’t be enough to steady markets after the selloff of the last week.

U.S. stock futures suggested a modest rebound on Wednesday, indicating opening gains of around 1.3 percent for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500. Changes in futures aren’t necessarily reflected in market moves after the opening bell.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had closed 1.3 percent lower after an early rally melted away.

German-born rapper turned ISIS 'poster boy' reported killed in US airstrike

Cuspert recorded three albums and flirted with stardom before leaving Germany to join ISIS.

 Source: Fox News

A German-born rapper who traded in the life of a MC for a life of terror with ISIS was killed earlier this month in a U.S. airstrike in Syria, multiple news outlets reported Thursday.

The Daily Beast, citing two U.S. officials, reported that Denis Cuspert, aka Deso Dogg, was killed Oct. 17 while traveling in a car with two other people. The website reported that Cuspert was the target of the strike, though he was not considered to be a high-value member of the terror group.

Reuters, citing a U.S. official, reported that airstrike was believed to have taken place on Oct. 16. The discrepancy could not immediately be reconciled.

In February, Cuspert was formally designated as a terrorist by the State Department, a rare step against a European citizen, after he appeared in numerous grisly propaganda videos on behalf of ISIS. In one particularly gruesome video, dating from this past November, Cuspert was seen with other fighters who shot one person and beheaded another. Cuspert was not shown killing anyone, but holds the severed head and announces that the dead were enemies of ISIS.

"That's why they've received the death sentence," Cuspert announced in German on the video.

German law enforcement and intelligence officials had long marked Cuspert out as a leader of ISIS' German-speaking contingent.

"Denis Cuspert stands in the focus of security circles because of his essential role for Islamic State,” a German law enforcement official told FoxNews.com in February. “He is propagandist of IS."

The son of a Ghanian father who left Cuspert’s German mother, he recorded three albums for a Berlin-based gangsta rap label, toured with American rapper DMX and scored a minor hit with "Willkommen in meiner Welt" (Welcome to my World) in 2010.

“Welcome to my world full of hate and blood,” went part of the song. “Children’s souls weep softly when the black angels sing.”

According to a Vice.com report, he converted to Islam in 2010 following a near-fatal car accident. It was then that his music began advocating violent jihad.

In 2011, Berlin prosecutors charged him with illegal possession of weapons after Cuspert appeared brandishing weapons as "Abou Maleeq" in a YouTube video. A police raid on his home yielded weapons and ammunition, and although it did not result in jail time, he was squarely on the radar of German counter-terrorism investigators.

In 2012, Cuspert left Germany for Egypt, before eventually making his way to Syria where he joined Al Qaeda. When Islamic State broke away from the terror group behind 9/11, Cuspert pledged his loyalty to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

"Cuspert is emblematic of the type of foreign recruit ISIL seeks for its ranks," the State Department, using another acronym for the terror group, wrote in February, "individuals who have engaged in criminal activity in their home countries who then travel to Iraq and Syria to commit far worse crimes."