SAN FRANCISCO - WORLDWIDE notebook computer shipments topped those of desktops for the first time ever in the third quarter, research group iSuppli said on Tuesday, calling it a 'watershed event' for the industry.

Shipments of notebook PCs surged nearly 40 per cent to 38.6 million units, while desktop shipments fell 1.3 per cent to 38.5 million.

CHICAGO - YOUTH who study just a short walk from a fast-food outlet eat fewer fruit and vegetables, drink more soda and are more likely to be obese than students at other schools, according to research published on Tuesday.

The study, which involved more than 500,000 adolescents at middle schools and high schools in California, lends new fuel to a growing backlash against the fast-food industry as studies suggest they contribute to the rising obesity epidemic in the United States.

WASHINGTON - MICRO-BLOGGING service Twitter is gaining 5,000 to 10,000 new accounts a day and most of its users have joined this year, according to a study released on Tuesday.

Internet marketing company HubSpot, in a 'State of the Twittersphere' report, said 70 per cent of the estimated four to five million people using Twitter have signed up in 2008 and 20 per cent have joined in the last 60 days.