Yahoo, MS finalise search deal

Yahoo and Microsoft have finalised their agreement to install Microsoft as the exclusive search provider for Yahoo's network of sites, reports CNET.

The deal, first reached in July, still needs to be approved by the US government before it becomes final.

The companies said in October that they needed more time to complete the deal due to the "complex nature of this transaction". This announcement is likely the result of hundreds of hours of painstaking review from expensive lawyers.

Google risked drawing the ire of privacy advocates by making its personalised search results available to all of its users, whether they are signed in or not, states eWeek.

Personalised search results take into account Google users' search queries and clicks over time, and attempt to surface results the algorithm feels will be more relevant and useful to users.

So, users who frequently search for Ruby Tuesday will likely see that restaurant and eateries like it higher in search results because Google has assigned a greater ranking for them based on users' activity.

Xhead = Ireland receives £48m broadband boost

Northern Ireland's communications infrastructure will be boosted to the tune of £48 million, following financial commitments from BT and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) programme, according to enterprise minister Arlene Foster, states Computing.co.uk.

UK incumbent BT will invest almost £30 million, with a further £18 million to come from the European Regional Development Fund's Sustainable Competitiveness Programme, and the EAFRD.

Foster explained that the contract between the bodies would aid further development of Northern Ireland's telecommunications infrastructure, and specifically the provision of next-generation broadband services.

Online social network Friendster is close to a deal that would see the company acquired by an Asian buyer for at least $100 million before year's end, DMWMedia reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

"We have a shortlist [of suitors] at this point that we are negotiating with," says Friendster CEO Richard Kimbert, adding that the majority are in Asia.

Founded in 2002, the social network pioneer has dwindled in popularity in the West, in the wake of MySpace and then Facebook, but is still widely used across Asia, where over half of its 100 million users reside.