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Devils march towards immortality

MANCHESTER UNITED can take another step towards immortality with victory over Tottenham in today's League Cup final at Wembley.

Even at Old Trafford, talk of winning the double or the even treble would usually be more than enough to satisfy the demands of a side who have gorged on success at football's top table for the last two decades.

But those achievements both savoured by United in recent years have taken a back seat this term as the prospect of an unprecedented cleansweep of five trophies in one season edges closer by the week.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side have already won the Club World Cup and have one hand back on the Premier League trophy after building a seven-point lead over Liverpool.

A repeat of last season's Champions League triumph remains a distinct possibility as well after Tuesday's goalless draw against Inter Milan in the last 16 first leg clash at the San Siro put United in pole position to reach the quarter-finals.

As if that wasn't enough to keep them occupied, United are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they face Fulham next weekend.

To win every competition they have entered would rightly see Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and company enshrined among the great teams in the history of the game.

But failure to beat Tottenham, the current League Cup holders, today would shatter those dreams in one afternoon.

So despite Ferguson's protestations that Wednesday's Premier League clash at Newcastle is more important than the result at Wembley, rest assured the Scot will send out a United team brimming with determination.

While most of their Premier League rivals struggle with the demands of competing for more than one trophy, United have shown remarkable stamina already in the hunt for the quintuple.

Ferguson believes they have managed to last this far without surrending in any competition thanks to their remarkable will to win.

"There is a winning mentality at the club which helps," he said. "We have been successful. Everyone wants to share in that and be involved in a winning team. That is one strong point and it is an important one."

Ferguson has promised to keep faith with the youngsters who impressed earlier in the competition, so despite their lack of experience Danny Welbeck, Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans and Ben Foster are among the prodigies likely to start for United today.

But, as Tottenham manager Harry Rednapp concedes, there will still be more than enough quality in the United line-up to inspire fear in any opponent.

"Alex may change one or two but he wants to win everything. That is why he is what he is. He's not going to put out a team that he doesn't think will win," Redknapp said.

Redknapp sent out a shadow side for Thursday's unsuccessful attempt to overturn a two-goal deficit against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Cup and he is likely to make up to 10 changes for the final.

Keeping his senior stars fresh for Wembley, and the forthcoming Premier League clash with Middlesbrough, should give Tottenham a fighting chance of retaining the trophy they won with a 2-1 success over Chelsea last season.

But Redknapp still has fitness doubts over captain Ledley King and midfielder Jamie O'Hara.

He must also decide whether to play Roman Pavlyuchenko, who has scored in every round, as a lone forward or pair the Russian with English striker Darren Bent.

Redknapp, who won the FA Cup with Portsmouth last season, said: "Joe Jordan (Tottenham's first-team coach) said to me, people might remember you winning a Cup and getting relegated but it won't do you any good. You have to make sure of your priorities.

"Tottenham's record last time after winning the League Cup was incredible they only had three wins after the final before I arrived in October. We can't afford to let that happen again."

Figo to Ron: Time to join Real

MANCHESTER UNITED's star winger Cristiano Ronaldo should join Spanish giants Real Madrid, fellow Portuguese player Luis Figo said yesterday.

"Real Madrid is the most important club in the world, the best club in the world. I think Ronaldo has already wrapped up a stage at United," the Inter Milan midfielder told Spanish sports daily Marca.

"He has won everything he can with the English club, which is another great club, but he should have other goals now, other ambitions, and Real Madrid would allow him to achieve more importance, more relevancy," he added.

"That is what I have told him. I don't know what he thinks now," the 36-year-old former Real player added.

Real tracked Ronaldo all of last summer following his Champions League and English Premiership triumphs and 42 goals across the campaign before United boss Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in and emphatically vetoed his departure.

But Spanish media continue to insist that the 2008 Ballon d'Or and Fifa World Footballer of the Year will join Real at the end of the season. Ronaldo added to the speculation in January when he told Spanish television he was learning Spanish. Ronaldo, 24, is under contract with United until 2012.

... but Tottenham vow to stop them

TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp is relishing the prospect of wrecking Manchester United's bid to land an unprecedented five trophies in one season in today's League Cup final.

United have already won the Fifa Club World Cup and have moved well clear at the top of the Premier League after a dazzling run of form since Christmas.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side are also well placed to make progress to the latter stages of the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, leaving them tantalisingly poised to become the first team in English league history to complete a clean sweep of trophies at home and abroad.

Such a formidable record would deter most managers but Redknapp is thrilled that his Spurs side must overcome a team which, by common consent, are the strongest Ferguson has yet assembled at Old Trafford if they wish to defend the League Cup successfully at Wembley.

United had to come from behind in their two-legged semi-final against Derby County, but Redknapp saw little to gain in being potentially pitted against Championship opponents in a showpiece final.

"You have to look forward to playing Manchester United," Redknapp said. "When people asked when Derby won the first leg of their semi-final if it would be great if they could pull it off, I said no way.

"No disrespect but I really wanted to play United in the final. It's a way for you to test yourself against the best.

"We've had some good games against the big teams this season. At home with United we drew, with a good performance, so we've got players who can play against anyone.

Visit to Police Training Centre

THE Police Training Centre (PTC) at Gadong Police Headquarters hosted a visit by a group of 25 newly recruited prison wardens and cadet officers from the Prisons Department.

The visit led by the department's senior officers, provided the group comprised both male and female recruits, the opportunity to learn about the Royal Brunei Police Force's RBPF training programme for their recruits and observe them personally on how they were conducted.

A briefing on the training centre's history, mission, vision and core business as well as the various training programmes for officers and new police recruits was presented by Inspector Zainal Hj Ibrahim, acting commandant for the PTC. The briefing touched on the centre's role and responsibility within the force, its organisational structure, recruitment scheme and training programmes, among others.

The centre's core business is to educate recruits with knowledge of policing based on the foundations and direction of the force as well as to transform civilians into disciplined members of the force.

Inspector Zainal said that both the RBPF and Prisons Department are closely related in terms of training, organisation and scope of responsibilities particularly that of dealing with inmates.

He pointed out that the police are only responsible for detaining suspects to allow further investigations and/or to obtain enough evidence to convict the suspects in a court of law. When suspects were found guilty of the charges and given sentences, they would become the responsibility of the Prisons Department.

This is where the similarities can be found among the two agencies, he said, with the only difference being the period of imprisonment and the procedures for handling inmates.

Visitors were also informed on the various training programmes that are provided at the centre as well as the training categories that range from Additional Police Officer training (APO), Police Constable training (PC) and Recruit Cadet Officer training.

Shortly after the briefing, the visitors were then taken to the RBPF Museum Gallery where a range of archived criminal activities and various police duties and responsibilities were on display followed by a tour of the training facilities such as the marching field and living quarters.

The visitors also had a chance to observe one of the recruit training activities which was currently taking place at the time.

Prophet's birthday celebration on March 9

BRUNEI will observe this year's Prophet Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) birthday anniversary on Monday, March 9.

The annual Maulidur Rasul gathering and procession will be held throughout the nation as a means of observing and honouring of the birth of the prophet as well as a means of spreading further the syiar (eminence) of Islam in the Sultanate.

The national level procession and gathering, which carries the theme "Maturity as a Zikir Nation" this year, will take place at the Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar 'Ali Saifuddien starting from seven in the morning.

The council for this year's event, headed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, held a meeting yesterday to discuss the route path, the gathering and procession's format as well as the various issues that needed to be attended to in order to ensure a smooth running of the event.

Held at the Main Hall of Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan (KUPUSB) in Jalan Tutong, the meeting was attended by leaders of contingents taking part in the procession who were briefed on the plans laid out for this year's procession.

Minister visits flood-hit schools in Tutong

MINISTER of Education, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Dato Setia Hj Mohamed Taib yesterday paid a visit to two flood-hit schools in the district.

Dato Pemancha Saging Primary School at Ukong and Sayyidina 'Othman Secondary School were both badly affected by the floods caused by heavy rainfall last month.

The minister and his entourage, consisted of permanent secretary, directors and senior officers of the ministry, first went to the Dato Pemancha Saging Primary School where they were welcomed by the school's principal Samihon Hj Kechi. While at the school, the minister was briefed on the situation during the floods and the problems arise from it.

The principal also spoke about the Standard Operational Procedure, prepared by the Ministry of Education. The procedure aims to support and assist the school's administrative staff in their future plans and to prepare safety measures in case reoccurances of floods in the area.

The minister was also told of the assistance given by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Fire and Rescue Department and the National Disaster Management Centre during their dire times.

At the Sayyidina 'Othman Secondary School the minister was briefed by the school's acting principal, Rosanani Musing, about the schools academic plan to expand.

Pehin Dato Hj Abdul Rahman then discussed with heads of the school regarding the 21st Century National Education System (SPN21). He also encouraged students to be exposed to current affairs, local and international news to help improve their command of the English language.

During the visits the minister was also taken for a tour of the classes, library and laboratories.

Over US$100,000 Olympic boost for Brunei athletes

THE president of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BNOC), His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri, Bolkiah yesterday announced that the Olympic Solidarity Movement has allocated more than US$100,000 to help Brunei athletes excel at international level.

Speaking at the BNOC annual general meeting, which was held at the Meeting Room of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas, His Royal Highness highlighted the country's relatively poor record at regional and international tournaments.

To address this problem His Royal Highness advised the various national sports associations under its banner to identify their shortcomings and find ways to resolve them.

He also called for increasing the level of coaches' expertise, saying that they had to be equipped with skills in sports science and methodical training regimes.

His Royal Highness said to achieve this, associations affiliated with the BNOC are eligible to apply for the US$80,000 that the Olympic Solidarity Movement has set out to conduct coaching courses. "This fund can be used for the next four years and is meant for bringing in sports experts recognised by the International Olympic Council," said His Royal Highness.

"The Olympic Solidarity Movement has also allocated US$19,000 for athletes to undergo intensive training and accommodation and US$5,000 for them to compete in qualifying tournaments leading up to the 2012 London Olympics."

Besides representatives of local sports associations, the meeting was also attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Private sector help key to Bimp-Eaga: HM

THE success of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East-Asian Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga) depends on the sub-region's ability to encourage the participation of the community at all levels, especially the private sector. His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam highlighted this during the Fifth Bimp-Eaga Summit held here yesterday, which coincided with the 14th Asean Summit in Cha-am and Hua Hin.

In the presence of Heads of State and Government of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines at the Dusit Thani Hua Hin hotel, the venue of this year's summit, His Majesty stressed the member countries' roles in assisting their respective private sectors in developing the sub-region by enhancing the level of interaction between the business community and the Bimp-Eaga Process.

In his titah at the summit, His Majesty also noted the "positive progress" achieved by the tourism and investment sectors, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The monarch added that the sub-region needs to continue its efforts in the facilitation of free flow of goods, services, investment and people in Bimp-Eaga, more so now as the world is going through a financial crisis.

In this regard, His Majesty lauded the ongoing developments in enhancing connectivity via air, land and sea linkages within the sub-region. His Majesty said that these efforts will benefit the people and help businessmen reduce the cost of doing business in Bimp-Eaga.

Delving into the issue of climate change and its adverse effects on the environment, the monarch called on the member countries to take advantage of the Heart of Borneo and Coral Triangle initiatives, since Bimp-Eaga is in a good position to become a centre of excellence for research in conservation methods, biotechnology and alternative sources of renewable energy. In this light, His Majesty welcomed youths from the sub-region to participate in the biodiversity workshop for young scientists, which will be held in the Sultanate later this year.

His Majesty also encouraged the Asean Secretariat to further promote Bimp-Eaga initiatives to all Asean Dialogue Partners.

With regards to this, the monarch said that the sub-region's engagement with its partners such as China and Japan, could add value to regional cooperation.

The Bimp-Eaga Summit closed with the four leaders endorsing the Joint Statement of the 5th Bimp-Eaga Summit.

After the summit, His Majesty along with Asean Heads of State and Government attended a series of informal meetings with representatives of various Asean organisations, which included the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Asean Youth and the Asean Civil Society.

HM, leaders vow to uplift people

HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday joined hands with other regional leaders during the opening ceremony of the 14th Asean Summit, reaffirming the association's commitment to increasing cooperation for the benefit of people of the region.

In his remarks at the official opening, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke of Asean's role of placing priority on the interest of people of the 10-member bloc, in accordance with the summit's theme, "Asean Charter for Asean Peoples".

"Today, we are reinforcing the foundations of this burgeoning Asean community. We gather here for the first Asean Summit under a new Asean Charter, which serves as a blueprint for our common future," he said. "Most importantly, in forging ahead, Asean will put people first — in its vision, its policies and in its action plans."

The Prime Minister of Thailand hoped that the summit will serve as a turning point to instill a sense of "Asean citizenship" amongst the people, calling for further promotion of public participation.

He also announced that as the current chair of Asean, Thailand plans to host the Asean Plus Three and East Asia Summits later this year. The 15th Asean Summit has also been slated for October this year.

"The key is to be able to work together to come up with Asean solutions to not only Asean problems but also to global challenges with regional implications. This is what is expected of an Asean Community," he said.

His Majesty was accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade during the ceremony, which took place at the Royal Dusit Grand Ballroom of the Dusit Thani Hua Hin hotel.

Following the opening ceremony, His Majesty held a meeting with the Thai prime minister where they discussed and expressed satisfaction on the progress of relations between the two countries.

Afterwards, His Majesty and his regional counterparts attended a royal audience with His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand at the Klai Kang Won Palace in Hua Hin.

Yesterday evening, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and His Royal Highness attended a gala dinner hosted by the Thai prime minister in honour of the visiting Heads of State and Government. The dinner took place at the Mrigadayavan Palace in Hua Hin.

Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng was also present at the evening reception.