IBT Staff Reporter

Oilfield service company Halliburton Co posted higher-than-expected profits, boosted by oil projects in North America, and forecast steady growth elsewhere, but said pricing competition could be tough.

Twitter is set to triple its advertising revenue this year and could generate $250 million in ad revenue in 2012, according to an industry research firm's projection.

McDonald's Corp reported weaker-than-expected December sales at established European and U.S. restaurants as poor weather hurt demand, and said its food costs would rise in 2011.

Nearly four out of five women and three of five men say they believe texting, Facebook and other social media tools for staying connected cause new couples to jump into bed faster, a survey released on Monday found.

Intel Corp authorized another $10 billion to buy back its shares, which have been under pressure in recent months from concerns that the giant chipmaker is falling behind in the exploding mobile market.

Hewlett-Packard Co has decided to stop selling its Neoview data warehousing platform, after it failed to attract enough customers, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

A bombing at Russia's largest airport in Moscow on Monday has killed more than 30 people and injured numerous others, according to reports.

Intel Corp raised its dividend by 15 percent and authorized another $10 billion in its share buyback program after posting solid results earlier this month.

(Corrects Jan 20th story throughout to reflect that Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S changed forecast EPS figure to 37 cents a share from 35 cents, and adjusted actual EPS figure to 43 cents from 26 cents. The bank therefore beat expectations for profits, rather than missing them. The error first appeared in UPDATE 4)

Millions of children worldwide die every year from preventable diseases and the bad situation is only going to worsen due to an increasing shortage of healthcare workers.

Technology and retail stocks continue to drive market

Online retail sales in Europe are set to rise 18 percent to more than 200 billion euros ($271 billion) this year, outpacing growth at traditional shops as well as internet sales in the United States.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge temporarily blocked bankrupt subprime lender Mortgage Lenders Network USA from destroying 18,000 boxes of original loan files after federal prosecutors said documents in them may be needed as evidence in more than 50 criminal investigations.

On Monday's lone Premier League encounter, Chelsea will travel to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton Wanderers.

Luxottica , the world's biggest premium eyewear group, expects a solid 2011 after stronger demand for luxury brands, especially in the United States and Asia, boosted 2010 sales to record levels.

Halliburton Co , the world's second-largest oilfield services company, posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on strong demand in its North American market.

Jack LaLanne, the longtime fitness and nutrition advocate, and entrepreneur known as the Godfather of Fitness, died on Sunday at 96.

Near field communications (NFC) chips will be implemented in Visa credit and debit cards and used for touch and go technology at McDonald's in the U.K.

One of the brightest stars in the sky could get as bright as a full moon and offer scientists an inside look at how supernovae work.

Stocks rose on Monday, lifted by natural resource shares on bets on global growth and a share-buyback plan by Intel that added to the allure of the large-cap technology sector.

Oilfield service company Halliburton Co posted higher-than-expected profits, boosted by oil projects in North America, and forecast steady growth elsewhere even if pricing competition is tough.

Mozilla, Microsoft are two major browser providers with 'Do Not Track' features. Independent developers and small companies also have possible anti-data mining solutions.

Software and biotech startups once again got the msot money from U.S. venture capital funds in 2010.

Shares of chip designer Nvidia extended their rally after a Barron's article highlighted its newly launched mobile chips for tablets and smartphones and the growing importance of its graphics technology.

Gold continues to form a long consolidation pattern which has lasted basically for the final quarter of 2010, says Phil Smith in his chart analysis for Reuters' clients. [On] the possible topping [head-and-shoulders] pattern I've been looking at...we have now broken the neckline. Watch for a decisive break below this line. The target for this topping pattern is $1230.

Gold rose on Monday as lower prices after the metal's third consecutive weekly loss attracted some buyers back to the market, but a more optimistic view of global growth still limited fresh investment.

Pope Benedict gave a qualified blessing to social networking Monday, praising its potential but warning that online friendships are no substitute for real human contact.

Steel Dynamics Inc's quarterly fell short of Wall Street estimates for the third successive time on lower flat rolled volumes and pricing, but the fifth-largest U.S. steelmaker said it expects 2011 to be favorable.

RadioShack Corp warned of a weak fourth-quarter profit due to contracting margins and said CEO Julian Day plans to retire, sending its shares down to a year low.