Abbott's Afghanistan gaffe

In a 7News exclusive, Tony Abbott has been caught on tape making an insensitive remark about one of our fallen soldiers while in Afghanistan.

The vision, obtained in a 7News investigation shows Abbott in discussion with a member of the armed forces, Colonel Jim Creighton, about the circumstances of a fallen Australian soldier.

Creighton explains some details surrounding the death Lance Corporal McKinney, and rhetorically states "Was everything done perfectly? Absolutely not."

"Was it tragic? Absolutely." he continued.

After a brief pause, Abbott replies to the officer by saying "It's pretty obvious, that sometimes shit happens."

ArcelorMittal Posted Net Loss of $780 Million in the Fourth Quarter of 2010

ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel maker, posted a net loss of $780 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 due to higher raw material prices and the cost of spinning off its stainless steel unit.

A year earlier ArcelorMittal had recorded a profit of $1.11 billion. Prices for key raw materials like iron ore and coking coal have been rising over the past year, hurting ArcelorMittal’s bottom line.

In addition, the company recorded a $547 million loss at Aperam, its stainless steel unit that it spun off last month. The loss was caused by $598 million in charges related to the spinoff. A sharp increase in financing costs further hit fourth quarter results.

Sales meanwhile rose to $20.7 billion from $17.43 billion in the same period a year earlier thanks to higher shipments. The company is still recovering from a collapse in demand for steel, used in buildings, bridges and cars, during the recession. Capacity utilization decreased to 69 percent in the fourth quarter from 71 percent in the third quarter due to weak market demand, ArcelorMittal said,

In its outlook for the first quarter of 2011, the Luxembourg-based company struck a more positive note. Shipment volumes and average steel prices are likely to rise, pushing earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization up to between $2 billion and $2.5 billion compared with $1.85 billion in the fourth quarter, the company said.

However, ArcelorMittal said it expects raw material costs to continue rising, while increased investment activity will also add to costs.

The company is in the process of working with Nunavut Iron Ore Acquisition to acquire Baffinland Iron Mines Corp., which owns large iron ore reserves in Canada.

The takeover is part of ArcelorMittal’s efforts to build up its iron-ore reserves as it seeks to protect itself against price increases in the metal.

The world’s three biggest iron ore suppliers decided in 2009 to price their contracts on a quarterly basis rather than an annual one, making steel producers more vulnerable to sudden price changes.

Will.i.am changes lyrics to send message to Obama

It wasn't quite a wardrobe malfunction, but Will.i.am had an off-script Super Bowl moment of his own during the Black Eyed Peas' performance on Sunday night. The singer delivered a message to President Obama by changing three lines to his band's hit "Where Is The Love?" during the 15-minute medley:

As far as political protest subjects go, children's education and creating jobs aren't the most radical of topics, but I appreciate Will.i.am using America's biggest stage for a constructive purpose. Normally, stars treat their Super Bowl halftime appearance as an opportunity to promote themselves, their albums or partial nudity, so it's nice to hear a little non-controversial social awareness. I think we're all in favor of smart kids and people having jobs.

It's not going to make anyone bring back those strained comparisons to Bob Dylan that Pepsi tried to sell us on two years ago or earn Will.i.am forgiveness for "Boom Boom Pow," but it was something (and much preferable to Fergie shrieking).

Queen Noor

Queen Noor of Jordan appeared in Piers Morgan in an exclusive prime time tonight to talk about and Egypt. He spoke, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood. "Most Arabs peaceful moderate center," he said.  "The Muslim Brotherhood is one of many groups in the region, which sets the view that it is necessary to come to the table."  These comments came in response to what Newt Gingrich said the Brotherhood today. Piers said the political rhetoric in America. "The extremists on both sides are very vain," he said.

UBS returns to full-year profit

UBS has posted a net profit of 7.2bn Swiss francs ($7.5bn; £4.7bn) for 2010 - its first full-year profit since the financial crisis.

It compares with a loss of 2.7bn francs in 2009.

"While we made substantial progress in 2010, we are fully aware that we have to continue to improve our results," chief executive Oswald Gruebel said.

The Swiss bank also announced a 10% cut in its bonus pool to 4.3bn francs from 4.8bn francs the previous year.

The BBC's Europe business correspondent Nigel Cassidy said that if the bonus pool were to fall by much more there was a danger - from the bank's point of view - that some of their talented staff might leave.

It was a very difficult balancing act for management, he added.

UBS's annual profit follows three successive years of losses.

It last posted a full-year net profit - of 12.6bn francs - in 2006, before it became swept up in the US subprime crisis.

WikiLeaks' founder Assange fights extradition to Sweden

(Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange asked a British judge on Monday to block his extradition to Sweden on sex crime allegations, arguing he would not get a fair trial and could end up facing execution in the United States.

The 39-year-old Australian computer expert, who has infuriated the U.S. government by releasing thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables on his website, is wanted in Sweden where two WikiLeaks volunteers allege sexual misconduct. Assange denies the allegations.

Assange's lawyer Geoffrey Robertson told a court in London that Assange would not be able to get a fair trial in Sweden because rape trials are usually held in private.

"You cannot have a fair trial when the press and the public are excluded from the court ... There is a real risk of flagrant violation of his rights," he said at the start of Assange's two-day extradition hearing.

Disney World reports 1 death in Fla. state update

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A 77-year-old woman collapsed and died at Walt Disney World in December after riding a carousal.

The Orlando Sentinel said Sunday that Disney reported the death as part of a quarterly injury report. Florida's big theme parks have an agreement with the state to report guest injuries in exchange for avoiding state ride-safety regulation.

The report indicated the woman had a pre-existing heart condition before she rode the Prince Charming Regal Carousel.

Walt Disney World reported two other injuries in the fourth quarter of last year. A 71-year-old woman broke a hip and shoulder after riding the carousel and a 76-year-old woman injured her leg after falling on a moving platform for another ride.

No other parks reported injuries in the quarter.

Islamist rebel leader vows a year of attacks in Russia

Moscow (CNN) -- The leader of Islamist rebels suspected of bombing Moscow's main international airport last month is pledging to step up deadly attacks in Russia.

In a video message posted Sunday on a pro-rebel website, Doku Umarov stopped short of claiming responsibility for the January 24 airport bombing, which left 36 people dead.

But the self-titled Emir of the North Caucasus vowed to deliver "a year of blood and tears" to Russia, saying that there were dozens of rebels prepared to carry out attacks.

"I wont tell you there are hundreds of us prepared for Jihad. But 50 or 60, God willing, we will find," Umarov said in Russian, wearing camouflage combat fatigues.

"Those operations will be conducted monthly or weekly, as Allah allows us," he said.

AOL buying Huffington Post for $315M

Internet company AOL Inc. is buying news hub Huffington Post in a $315 million deal that represents a bold bet on the future of online news.

AOL, once the king of dial-up Internet access known for its ubiquitous CDs and "You've got mail" greeting in its inboxes, is in the midst of a turnaround effort as it tries to find ways to boost online ad sales to offset declines in the access business. The acquisition announced early Monday is among the most aggressive strategic moves engineered by AOL CEO Tim Armstrong in an effort to reshape a fallen Internet icon.

Perhaps just as important as picking up a news site that ranks as one of the top 10 current events and global news sites, AOL will be adding Huffington Post co-founder and media star Arianna Huffington to its management team.

After the acquisition closes later this year, Huffington will run AOL's growing array of content, which includes popular technology sites Engadget and TechCrunch, local news sites Patch.com and online mapping service Mapquest.

The price that AOL is paying is "really just the hiring fee to get Arianna," said technology analyst Rob Enderle. "This is one of those out-of-left-field moves that actually makes a lot of sense. This could put AOL back on the map."

Armstrong, a former Google Inc. executive, has been trying to turn AOL into a go-to place for a wide variety of news since he was hired to turn around the company in April 2009 while it was still a part of Time Warner Inc. The makeover is designed to give people a reason to visit AOL's websites more frequently to help boost ad sales.

Fire near Natural History Museum in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Officials say a fire broke out at a building near the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, emitting a plume of black smoke and closing area streets.

Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas says a building detached from the museum that contains the facility's cooling tower caught fire early Monday.

D.C. Deputy Fire Chief Ken Crosswhite says the fire did not pose any risk to the museum and has been brought under control. He says no injuries were reported.

The museum is located on 10th Street at Constitution Avenue. Several streets in the area are closed, including the 9th Street tunnel at Constitution Avenue.

Danaher to Purchase Beckman Coulter for $6.8 Billion

Danaher Corp. agreed to buy laboratory-equipment maker Beckman Coulter Inc. for $6.8 billion to add to its diagnostic products.

Danaher will start a tender offer of $83.50 a share for Beckman Coulter’s outstanding shares within seven days, the company said today in a statement. The total valuation includes available cash and net debt, Danaher said.

Danaher Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Culp said in December that the company would have about $4 billion for acquisitions during the next four to six quarters. So far in 2011, Danaher announced one purchase agreement, of Belgian software maker EskoArtwork for about $470 million.

The offer represents a premium of about 45 percent to Beckman Coulter’s closing price on Dec. 9, the day before speculation of a sale began, Danaher said. The average premium paid for more than 160 U.S. medical instrument companies in the past five years, based on the average share price in the 20 days before an announcement, was 40 percent. On that basis, Danaher’s premium for Beckman would be 15 percent.

The deal’s multiple of 7.1 times Beckman’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization compares with a median multiple of 26 in more than a dozen acquisitions, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Super Bowl Champion Aaron Rodgers – ‘Going to Disney World!’

After making memories with his heroic play in Super Bowl XLV, what is Aaron Rodgers going to do next? In the frenzied moments just after his team claimed the National Football League championship Sunday night in Dallas, Aaron stood in front of a TV camera and shouted five words that have become an almost iconic reaction to milestone achievements: “I’m going to Disney World!”

Aaron’s pronouncement, part of the production for one of TV’s most enduring and celebrated commercials, was captured after the Green Bay Packers’ 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers – a game during which Aaron threw three touchdown passes and was named MVP.

On Monday, Aaron Rodgers will celebrate the Packers’ big win with a Super Bowl Victory Parade down Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom.

This is the 25th year of the “I’m going to Disney World” commercials. The campaign pays tribute to personal achievements of athletes and continues to be an iconic celebration as only Disney can do.

Afghan bombing kills 1; gunmen kill local chief

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A bomb exploded in southern Afghanistan's largest city of Kandahar on Monday, killing at least one person and wounding two, Afghan officials said. It followed the killing of a local government leader near the country's volatile eastern border region earlier in the day.

The Kandahar bomb went off at the city's customs house during a visit by NATO troops, police chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid said. He said an Afghan interpreter was killed, and at least two people were wounded in the attack.

The government building is used by residents to clear customs paperwork on imported items. Visitors typically must undergo pat-downs to enter, raising questions about security procedures at the facility.

Mujahid said the bomber was able to enter the building before detonating the bomb. Zalmai Ayubi, the spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor, said only that the explosion occurred near the building. Conflicting reports are common in the immediate aftermath of bombings.

56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 6th Feb Watch Online | 56th Filmfare Awards - Red Carpet Watch Online | 56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 6th Feb Watch On

56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 6th Feb Watch Online | 56th Filmfare Awards - Red Carpet Watch Online | 56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 6th Feb Watch Online On Sony TV

Lits of 56th Filmfare Awards ( South) winners with the photographs. The function held at Hyderabad yesterday.Eminent stars from the North & south attended the function.

Ms.Mumaith khan, Gaurimunjal,Priyamani,Genelia,Shradddha das,Sindhura Gadde and Sneha performed at the function.

56th Filmfare Awards (South) - WINNERS

Aguilera flubs national anthem at Super Bowl

O say, can Christina have a do-over?

Christina Aguilera helped kick off Sunday’s Super Bowl with a singer’s nightmare, flubbing the words of "The Star-Spangled Banner" about 40 seconds into the song as tens of millions prepared to watch the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Standing at midfield at Texas' Cowboys Stadium, the singer-actress mixed a previously sung clause with the one she was supposed to be on.

Here's what she sang, with the error in bold:

"O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight

What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last [unintelligible].”

That fourth line was supposed to be: "O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming."

In a statement released by her publicist, Aguilera explained what

happened:

"I got so lost in the moment of the song that I lost my place," the

singer said. "I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through."

Aguilera isn't the first person to have trouble with the song, as Time magazine's "Top 10 Worst National-Anthem Renditions" will remind us.

The list includes Michael Bolton's effort at a 2003 playoff baseball game in Boston's Fenway Park, where he had to pause midsong and check some notes before correctly getting through the same line that troubled Aguilera.

Aguilera sang the national anthem twice during last year's NBA finals.

She delivered both performances without incident.

When HuffPost Met AOL: "A Merger of Visions"

I've used this space to make all sorts of important HuffPost announcements: new sections, new additions to the HuffPost team, new HuffPost features and new apps. But none of them can hold a candle to what we are announcing today.

When Kenny Lerer and I launched The Huffington Post on May 9, 2005, we would have been hard-pressed to imagine this moment. The Huffington Post has already been growing at a prodigious rate. But my New Year's resolution for 2011 was to take HuffPost to the next level -- not just incrementally, but exponentially. With the help of our CEO, Eric Hippeau, and our president and head of sales, Greg Coleman, we'd been able to make the site profitable. Now was the time to take leaps.

At the first meeting of our senior team this year, I laid out the five areas on which I wanted us to double down: major expansion of local sections; the launch of international Huffington Post sections (beginning with HuffPost Brazil); more emphasis on the growing importance of service and giving back in our lives; much more original video; and additional sections that would fill in some of the gaps in what we are offering our readers, including cars, music, games, and underserved minority communities.

Chesapeake Energy plans to sell $5B in assets

NEW YORK (AP) -- Chesapeake Energy Corp. says it will sell all of its Fayetteville Shale assets and investments in two companies.

Chesapeake says it hopes to bring in more than $5 billion from the sales and will use the proceeds to reduce its debt. Chesapeake Energy says it plans to reduce its debt by 25 percent by 2012.

The Fayetteville shale is a natural gas field in central Arkansas, and Chesapeake Energy is the second largest producer of natural gas from the formation.

The Oklahoma City company says it will sell its 25.8 percent stake in Frac Tech Holdings LLC and its 20 percent interest in Chaparral Energy Inc.

Bryan Adams to sing at WC's gala opening

Mumbai: Popular Canadian singer Bryan Adams will be the only western artist to perform at the opening ceremony for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The February 17 performance will fall near the end of Adams' India tour, which begins on Friday in Pune. Also on the itinerary are Bangalore, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

While the gala opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2011 is on February 17, the matches are scheduled from February 19 to April 2 and 14 countries will vie for the trophy in 49 matches spread across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Adams will stay one more day in Dhaka for a special acoustic concert before finishing this leg of the tour in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The new Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY. Android is ready to play

Introducing the World's first Sony PlayStation™ certified smartphone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY.

Super Bowl ads: Eminem, Roseanne, singing cowboys

NEW YORK (AP) -- In the Super Bowl of advertising, Eminem was everywhere, Roseanne Barr took a big hit from a log and Joan Rivers became a GoDaddy girl.

It was also hard to throw a Pepsi can without hitting a car commercial during Super Bowl XLV between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. Automakers took advantage of advertising's biggest showcase to try to show they're back after two tough years for the industry.

After avoiding the Super Bowl for two years as it went in and out of a government-led bankruptcy, General Motors came back back with five ads for Chevrolet. In one ad, a seemingly mundane car dealership ad is disrupted when a Camaro suddenly morphs into the Bumblebee character from the "Transformers" movies. Chrysler was expected to push the limits of how long a Super Bowl ad could be with a two-minute commercial featuring rapper Eminem.

Overall, celebrities and humor dominated the commercials, which wooed 100 million-plus viewers at cost of $3 million per 30 seconds.

Slapstick violence was the theme of several of PepsiCo's Pepsi Max and Doritos ads, which were created by consumers and voted on in an online contest called crashthesuperbowl.com. A man got hit in the crotch with a speeding can in one ad, and a jogger got clocked on the head with another flying can. A man taunting a dog with Doritos wound up underneath a glass door.