balloons | flowers

NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Singh, who is presently undergoing treatment for his medical condition in US, can resume training in ten weeks, feels his oncologist - Dr. Nikesh Rohatagi.

"Yuvraj has a rare type of seminoma which is completely curable," clarified Rohatagi while addressing media in the Capital on Tuesday.

"Yuvraj has a germ-cell tumour between his lungs," panel of doctors further added.

Yuvraj will undergo his third round of chemotherapy on Wednesday and he will be fit again to play international cricket, say doctors.

The doctor says Yuvraj is mentally tough and is dealing with his illness in a strong way. Yuvraj is reading books including autobiography of Lance Armstrong.

The cricketer's team of doctors in India are in close consultation with the team of doctors treating Yuvraj in USA.

Earlier on Monday , Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj Singh lamented that his son's treatment was delayed a bit and that the dashing left-hander had not taken seriously his advice to get himself checked up two years back.

"I don't want to blame anyone. But I feel that things could have been different today. If you recall, two years when Yuvi was playing in a T20 match at Mohali and played match-winning innings, in which after hitting a six he came running towards Suresh Raina and could be seen coughing badly," Yograj recalled how the early signs of his son's illness were not picked up seriously.

Struggling to hold back his tears, the former Test cricketer said he had then advised Yuvraj to get a thorough medical check up done, but he had brushed it aside saying he was not a kid and that he was alright.

balloons | flowers

NEW YORK: Since the moment he dropped out of Harvard University, Mark Zuckerberg has stayed remarkably focused on two things: Facebook, and being the boss of Facebook.

Early on he was convinced of the vast potential of the social network he built in his dorm room, say friends, investors and detractors. He pushed his team to be fast and take risks. He resisted efforts to change the way Facebook looked and worked, even if, in the beginning, it meant giving up revenue.

Most important, he arranged the ownership of Facebook so as to give himself extraordinary power to steer the company.

By the time Facebook filed for a $5-billion public offering Wednesday, Zuckerberg had managed to hold on to more than one-fourth of the shares in the company, and his agreements with other investors enhanced his voting power to almost 60% of total shares.

That's a greater measure of control than Bill Gates had at Microsoft when it went public in 1986 (49%), and far greater than what the co-founders of Google had in 2004 (16% each).

Typically, say Silicon Valley veterans, a first-time entrepreneur gets to the public market with a far smaller stake in his or her creation. Zuckerberg's arrangement leaves little room for investors to have much input on the company's direction.

Zuckerberg's success is an object lesson in what works in the crowded, competitive Silicon Valley: Remain in charge, stave off potential predators and expand the company so quickly that no one can challenge the boss. Zuckerberg remains the boss till date.

balloons | flowers

Several thousand residents forced to abandon their homes in St George are anxiously waiting to see if the town's levees will hold up against a record flood.

Residents were given a reprieve this morning when authorities revised down an unprecedented 15-metre flood peak to a new record of 14.5 metres.

Balonne River forecast to peak at 14.5 metres
Town levee of 14.7m expected to hold
Moonie Highway still closed by floodwaters
400 residents remaining in town likely to be evacuated today

Emergency crews have been scrambling to build a four-kilometre dirt levee around the town and Mayor Donna Stewart says she is confident it will hold against the Balonne River's rising waters.

"The picture is not as grim as what it was looking this time yesterday," she said.

"I'm very confident that the levee bank that we've constructed at 14.7 metres will keep the water out of the major part of the town."

But around 30 homes outside the levee have already been inundated and authorities say that number will rise.

A flood relief appeal has been launched, with the Queensland Government contributing $2 million. Donations will be distributed by the Red Cross.Personal hardship grants of $180 per person and up to $900 for a family are also available.

The Federal Government will also provide financial assistance, with adults eligible for a $1,000 payment and $400 for each child.

balloons | flowers

The US is working closely with Israel to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, President Barack Obama has said.

He told NBC he believed Israel had not yet decided how to deal with the issue, amid reports that Israel may strike Iran as early as spring.

Mr Obama said the aim was to resolve the crisis diplomatically, but added that no option was off the table.

The US and Israel suspect that Iran is building a nuclear bomb. Iran says its programmes are for peaceful purposes.

Last November, the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said it had information suggesting Iran had carried out tests "relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device".

Since then, the US and the EU have imposed a series of sanctions against Iran, including measures targeting the country's lucrative oil industry.

'Deep alarm'
"I've been very clear - we're going to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating a nuclear arms race in a volatile region," Mr Obama told NBC in a live interview on Sunday.

He said Washington was working "in lockstep" with Israel, which was right to be very concerned about Iran's controversial activities.

Asked if he believed the Jewish state could launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran, Mr Obama said: "I don't think Israel has made a decision on what they need to do."

He declined to answer directly a question whether Washington would be consulted first, saying only that the US and Israel "have closer military and intelligence consultation... than we've ever had".

Mr Obama also said there was no evidence that the Iranians had "intentions or capabilities" to strike US targets in retaliation.

The US leader was eager to play down tensions between the US and Israel over suggestions that Israel is preparing a military strike against Iran, the BBC's Jane Little in Washington reports.

But she says that behind the scenes Washington is deeply alarmed by reports that Israel may strike Iran as early as April - in a move that would drive up tensions in the Middle East as well as oil prices, which would threaten the global economy and Mr Obama's re-election chances.

balloons | flowers

David Miliband has said his brother Ed will lead Labour into the next election and is the "best man" to do so.

The former foreign secretary told the BBC that the Labour leader was willing to confront the "big and difficult arguments" facing the country.

On his own future, Mr Miliband said it had been right to take a "step back" and focus on "grass roots" politics.

But he said he had not taken a "trappist vow" and would continue to speak out on issues that concerned him.

The former cabinet minister is spearheading a new initiative to tackle youth unemployment which he says has reached "emergency" proportions in parts of the country.

Mr Miliband has taken a back seat since being defeated in the 2010 Labour leadership contest, opting not to join his brother's shadow cabinet.

But he has assumed a higher profile in recent weeks, warning his party in a recent magazine article that it needs to challenge its assumptions about the role of the state in delivering policy, rethink its policies in areas such as education, health and crime and not spend its time simply "reassuring" its supporters.

'Soap opera'
Mr Miliband told the BBC it had been right for him "to step back" from frontline politics to avoid "the daily soap opera" that may have resulted from him working alongside his brother.

But he said this did not mean he could not make a contribution from the backbenches or that he had taken a vow of silence.

"I didn't stop thinking," he BBC told Radio 4's Today programme. "I didn't stop caring about the issues that matter to me."

"I have spent 18 months out Westminster trying to help Labour at the grass roots, trying to engage on some of these big issues facing the country and the party."

Ed Miliband continues to face questions about his leadership amid poor poll ratings and questions about economic credibility, but David Miliband said he was the right man to take Labour into the next election - scheduled for 2015.

"I think what Ed has shown in the last 18 months is a willingness to engage with those big and difficult arguments that the country desperately needs," he said.

"I want him to win the election and become prime minister because he is my brother, because he is the leader of my party and because I think he can make a big difference for the country.

"I am happy to say he is the best man to lead Labour into the next election. He will lead Labour in the next election."

Mr Miliband said he had lost the leadership election and had "no interest" in re-fighting that contest.

"The only election I care about is the general election, under Ed's leadership, which Labour needs to win for the good of the country," he added.

balloons | flowers

Britain is set for a cold and dry week after the snow which fell across much of Britain on the weekend.Part of the A1 northbound in North Yorkshire is closed after an accident, and the Met Office has nine severe warnings in place for ice in parts of Wales and England.Heathrow has cancelled about 40 flights on Monday but says it hopes to resume a normal service.

A small number of schools in several counties have been closed.

Schools in Leicestershire, Kent and Medway, Essex, North Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, Sussex, Humberside and Derbyshire have shut due to the weather.

According to the Met Office, ice is likely to be a hazard on roads and pavements across parts of south-east Wales and much of England, except the South West during the morning rush-hour. The warnings cover the period until midday.

Forecasters say there will be dense fog patches for many on Monday, with isolated snow flurries towards the South East. The rest of the week is expected to be cold and dry.

Alex Barnett, from the Highways Agency, said it had done everything it could to prevent traffic hold-ups such as the one on Saturday night which saw hundreds of motorists stranded for several hours on the M25.

But he said delays were inevitable if some vehicles could not cope with the conditions as time was needed for the Highways Agency to get there to help them.

He advised motorists heading out on Monday to make sure they know their route and have checked that it is clear and open.

balloons | flowers

Mark’s Work Wearhouse has pulled Caterpillar-brand boots off the shelves of its London, Ont.,-area stores in support of hundreds of local Electro-Motive workers who are losing their jobs.

The Caterpillar-owned Electro-Motive has decided to close down its London plant, just weeks after locking out its workers on Jan. 1.

Costs were the main factor in the dispute, with Caterpillar pushing certain employees to take a pay cut of 50 per cent.

The plant closure, which was announced Friday, will leave 450 people out of work.

Mark’s Work Wearhouse actually announced plans to pull the Caterpillar boots from its shelves before news of the closure was announced.

Graham Morley, the retailer’s district manager in the Greater London Area, told CBC News that many Mark’s Work Wearhouse customers worked at the plant that is now being shut down.Morley said it was a local decision to drop the Caterpillar products.

He said it is not clear how long the boots will be held from sale, though it will likely be only a temporary move.

balloons |flowers

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called a byelection for March 12 in Toronto-Danforth riding of the late NDP leader Jack Layton.

The byelection will be held just two weeks before the NDP holds its convention on March 24 in Toronto to select a new party leader, who will succeed interim leader Nycole Turmel.

The eight candidates vying for the position are Niki Ashton, Nathan Cullen, Paul Dewar,Thomas Mulcair, Peggy Nash, Romeo Saganash, Martin Singh and Brian Topp.

NDP members living in the Toronto riding east of the downtown core chose law professor Craig Scott to replace Layton as the party's candidate three weeks ago.

Also on Sunday, the Conservative Party announced communications consultant Andrew Keyes as its candidate in the riding.

The next NDP leadership debate will be in French on Feb. 12 in Quebec City, followed by another three debates in Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Layton, who led Canada's Official Opposition, died of cancer last August. He was 61. Layton led the NDP to a historic win in the last federal election, garnering 103 seats and landing the party official Opposition status for the first time.

A former Toronto city councillor, Layton held the Toronto-Danforth riding for more than seven years prior to his death.

The riding represents a diverse section of the city. Affluent neighbourhoods sit next to co-operatives and social housing. The area also includes large Chinese, Greek and South Asian communities, whose support will be key for the NDP to hang on to the seat.

balloons | flowers

The prime minister, along with Baird and a delegation of MPs and other Canadian officials, are heading to China on Monday where Obhrai said several issues will be raised, "not only Syria but Iran as well."

"This is the opportunity for the prime minister to raise these issues with the Chinese leadership," he said.

During an interview with CBC News on Sunday, NDP foreign affairs critic Helene Laverdiere welcomed the news, but said it wasn't enough. Recalling Canada's ambassador to Syria would send "a very strong message" to the Assad regime, she said.

"Recalling our ambassador doesn't mean that we stop the dialogue," Laverdiere added.

While Obhrai said Canada has not ruled out the move, he said withdrawing its ambassador would send "a message that Canada is upset."

"That message has already gone [out] to the Syrian government," Obhrai said.

As for diplomatic talks with Russia, Laverdiere conceded that Ottawa's expulsion of Russian diplomats in connection with spying allegations against a Canadian naval officer "may have impaired our ability to influence them."

However, the greater problem according to Laverdiere is "the fact that Canada has lost credibility on the world stage."

But Obhrai said that while Canada lost its bid for a seat on council in 2010, "to say we can't do anything because we don't have a seat at the UN Security Council is absolutely wrong,"

balloons | flowers

OK, political junkies. Get ready to start trading cards featuring President Obama and some of the Republicans who want to deny him a second term.

Upper Deck will insert cards from its "World of Politics" set into its sports packs starting Feb. 21. The company says one out of every 40 packs will include a "super rare" card featuring Obama or one of the current, former or would-be Republican presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney.

"We thought it was only fitting to produce a set of cards that would help pay tribute to all the highs and lows of this presidential race by capturing the top candidates on cardboard," said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck's vice president of marketing and business development.

The GOP trading cards include the remaining four presidential contenders (Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum). Plus, three candidates who are long gone from the White House race -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain -- are also now collectibles, as is former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Obama has been featured on an Upper Deck card before. His caricature was on the company's 2008 "presidential victor" card.