shares for apple computer rose 2% at the start of the year, giving the technology company market value of $300 billion. apple is now one of the most voluble companies traded, talked -- top only by exxon mobil. apple's thou elation plummeted aftethe stock-market collapse in september of 2008. one month later, it was worth $89 billion. the recovery is remarkable. the aft -- apple's market cap past microsoft in may of last year and is worth $60 billion more than its main rival. >> thank you. australia's worst floods in decades are forcing more people in rural areas to evacuate. the floodwaters have inundated territory the size of france and germany combined, bringing the biggest coal mining operations to a standstill. thousands of crops have been destroyed. authorities say the flood waters have yet to peak. >> the flood waters cover huge areas of land, completely swamping some home. the water is up to a meter deep in some places. thousands have fled and makeshift barriers have gone up in some places as homeowners and businesses do what they can to protect buildings. police have been going

shares for apple computer rose 2% at the start of the year, giving the technology company market value of $300 billion. apple is now one of the most voluble companies traded, talked -- top only by exxon mobil. apple's thou elation plummeted after the stock-market collapse in september of 2008. one month later, it was worth $89 billion. the recovery is remarkable. the aft -- apple's market cap past microsoft in may of last year and is worth $60 billion more than its main rival. >> thank you. australia's worst floods in decades are forcing more people in rural areas to evacuate. the floodwaters have inundated territory the size of france and germany combined, bringing the biggest coal mining operations to a standstill. thousands of crops have been destroyed. authorities say the flood waters have yet to peak. >> the flood waters cover huge areas of land, completely swamping some home. the water is up to a meter deep in some places. thousands have fled and makeshift barriers have gone up in some places as homeowners and businesses do what they can to protect buildings. police have been goi

rose after the company said its profits soared to $6 billion during the holiday quarter. sales hit a record of almost $27 billion. unbelievable. apple actually sold more ipads during the quarter than mac computers. about 7 million, versus 4 million. >>> the government has approved comcast's deal to take control of nbc universal. it's a deal that could reshape the entertainment industry. rig laters prohibited it from withholding its programming from rivals. >>> those blockbuster results from apple are lifting asian markets this morning. tokyo's nikkei average gained almost 0.4% today. hong kong's hang seng rose more than 1%. in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. on wall street, the dow gained 50 points yesterday, closing at the highest level in 2 1/2 years. the nasdaq rose 10 points. >>> fewer credit card users are having trouble keeping up with their bills. lowest level of 2010. there is evidence they will keep dropping this year. several factors are in play here, including individuals paying down balances and credit card companies tightening standards. >>> chrysler may give the minivan a complete makeover. the automaker ceo says he wants to make them more versatile. that can mean vehicles