Google Inc. slightly increased its leading market share among U.S. Internet-search engines last month, while Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine also gained market share Server 2003 Key, according to market researcher comScore Inc.
Google’s U.S. market share rose 0.1 percentage point to 66.5 percent in April from the prior month. Microsoft’s share also edged up 0.1 percentage point to 15.4 percent last month. Yahoo Inc.’s sites remained in the No. 3 spot Office Visio Key, slipping 0.2 percentage points to 13.5 percent. IAC/InterActiveCorp.’s Ask.com’s share and AOL Inc.’s shares were unchanged at 3 percent and 1.6 percent Windows XP Key, respectively.
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Iran, Indonesia replica watches, Guatemala, India, Cuba, Congo, Morocco. No – not the new axis of evil, but the homeland of some of the favourites to win this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
In the past few years, countries traditionally seen as mono-cultural or ethnically homogenous have increasingly sent singers and songs to Eurovision that cross geographical and cultural boundaries. Whilst in sporting events, the sight of black faces competing at the highest levels for countries with no known black population is common; participants in Eurovision have typically shown a more traditional – and provincial – side to a country. Countries typically sent artists as musical and national ambassadors. Viewers recognised this, and millions tuned in to the contest, safe in the knowledge that the Turkish number would have an Eastern beat and barely-clad dancers; the Spanish singer with her long, dark hair would reel something off with raunchy passion; and that somewhere from an ex-Yugoslav republic, there would be pan-pipes, an accordion and a man wearing a funny ethnic hat.
This year however, in line with an increasing trend, several major Eurovision countries are showing a more modern – and global – face to both their artists and their songs.
Songwriters and singers from different countries representing Eurovision nations is nothing new: Swedish songwriters have, particularly recently, been ubiquitous and co-wrote last year’s Azerbaijani winning entry. In terms of singers, Canadian Céline Dion won the contest for Switzerland in 1988; Greek-born Vicky Leandros did the same for Luxembourg 16 years before that. Neither artist however presented anything particularly new. Both sang in French (an official language of the country they were representing) and both sang powerful and catchy ballads about a departed loved-one. More importantly, both represented a popular, albeit mediocre, version of an easily identifiable Western European style of music – as do the majority of the recent Swedish-penned entries.
Much changed in Eurovision terms in the mid to late 1990s with the break-up of the Soviet Union. Between 1994 and 2008, no less than 22 Central and Eastern European countries joined the Eurovision party. Some bemoaned the move East and the accompanying cultural shift (stand up, Terry Wogan), but it was inevitable that the UK’s pop cultural hegemony would be less relevant in Belarus, than that of say, Russia. The European Broadcasting Union rode the wave of a huge increase in the contest’s reach and commercialisation (though sadly not credibility). The Eurovision Song Contest remains one of the most watched non-sporting events in the world.
Yet despite this move east, both geographically and culturally, the same principles applied: you could always on the whole tell by watching and listening where a song was from. That pretty curly-haired blond girl with great legs and knee-high boots? Yep, from Ukraine. That dark-haired demure-yet-devastatingly beautiful young woman singing about apricots? Yep replica watches, representing Armenia. The growing familiarity with these regional quirks (and their voting patterns) was part of the fun and the debate, for casual observers and die-hard fans alike.
Things slowly changed. Countries entered songs unrelated to their traditional musical style. The first of this new wave to win was Estonia in 2001 with a song co-sung by the Aruban Dave Benton. It was the first time a black singer had won the contest. The song, “Everybody”, had strong Calypso roots. It’s fair to say that Estonia isn’t typically associated with the genre. Nowadays, there is an increasing trend for contestants to ‘borrow’ musical styles from other countries, with mixed success. Norway won in 2009 with a young Belorussian-born singer, playing a violin with eastern flair and universal appeal. In 2005 the UK headed East with Javine Hylton singing “Touch my Fire” – a song more souk than so UK. She, however, finished third from bottom.
This year Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, the UK and France have fielded artist with backgrounds from (respectively) Congo, Iran, Morocco, India and Indonesia. Quite a smörgåsbord (or rather, a thali?). For France and the UK, this is nothing new – both have fielded singers from ethnic minorities on numerous prior occasions. Even Cliff Richard, who represented the UK twice, was born in India and has Anglo-Indian heritage, much like the UK’s 2012 entrant Engelbert Humperdinck. For somewhere like Ukraine however, it is quite a statement. As Yuriy Syrotyuk, a high-ranking member of the right-wing Svoboda (Freedom) Party controversially said of the mixed-race Ukrainian entrant for 2012, “Gaitana is not an organic representative of Ukrainian culture.
Sweden and Norway, despite simmering domestic tensions with their relatively new (but burgeoning) ethnic communities, have both recently sent artists, by popular vote, with heritage from Lebanon and Kenya (2011) and Morocco and Iran (2012). Whilst Kenya-born Stella Mwangi failed to qualify from the semi-finals for Norway in 2011 (singing partly in Swahili) replica watches, Swede Eric Saade, with a Lebanese father and boyband looks, placed an admirable third place with his aptly-titled song, Popular.
This year, Iranian-born Tooji (representing Norway) and Loreen of Sweden (of Moroccan-Berber descent) will both battle it out with modern, catchy dance tunes. They represent a new type of European singer: polished, comfortable, global – proud to be representing their families’ adopted countries yet unashamed of their ethnic heritage. Both Tooji and Loreen are ones to watch this year in Baku.
In terms of musical diversity, Romania’s Mandinga (singing in Spanish with Cuban musicians) is one of this year’s favourites.
For traditional fans, Portugal, Estonia, Slovenia and Finland will be performing songs in one of their official languages. What’s more, the long-haired passionate Spanish woman will still be there too. As will the pan-pipes and the man in funny ethnic clothing from an ex-Yugoslav republic. And the accordion. Except this year, that pretty curly-haired girl with great legs and knee-high boots representing Ukraine? Yeah, she’s from the Congo.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Yahoo Inc could be weeks away from selling 15 to 25 percent of Alibaba Group’s stock back to China’s largest e-commerce company, in a deal designed to eliminate complexities that had scuttled the parties’ previous negotiations, a person familiar with the matter said.
The two companies have been in talks for a month, the person said, but cautioned that there is no guarantee a deal will be reached.
Numerous discussions have been held in recent years about a deal for Alibaba to reclaim some or all of the 40 percent stake in the company that Yahoo acquired in 2005.
A $17 billion tax-free asset swap between the two companies fell apart in February.
The latest deal would not be tax-free and would be much more straightforward, the person told Reuters on Friday.
“The overall complexity of this deal is much simpler. There’s no IRS risk, there’s no complications with regards to the identification of assets Handmade Tattoo Machines,” the person said. In a best case scenario, a deal could be weeks away, the person said.
The situation may have become more complicated following Thursday’s revelation that Yahoo Chief Executive Scott Thompson’s resume falsely stated that he had earned a computer science degree in college.
Yahoo The Best Tattoo Kits, which initially called it an “inadvertent error Tattoo Machine Coils,” has since said its board is reviewing the matter. Activist investor Third Point, which is leading a proxy fight against Yahoo’s board of director and which discovered the error in Thompson’s resume, has demanded that Yahoo fire Thompson by Monday.
Yahoo and Alibaba declined to comment.
Yahoo acknowledged that it was in talks with Alibaba, during its first-quarter earnings conference call with analysts last month. During the call, Thompson said the two companies were working on a “simplified” transaction to “monetize” a portion of Yahoo’s stake in Alibaba.
To fund the deal, Alibaba would raise capital. The valuation that Alibaba receives in the fund-raising will determine how much Yahoo earns in the transaction, the source said.
In September, Alibaba was valued at $32 billion when Silver Lake and other firms invested in the company, according to media reports at the time. At that valuation, Yahoo could make $4.8 billion to $8 billion by selling 15 to 25 percent of Alibaba.
“Of all the previous ones we’ve worked on, this one feels like it might actually have a chance of getting done. Or at least it did until a day and a half ago,” the person said, referring to the controversy around Thompson’s resume.
Details of the talks were first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Richard Chang)
Tech Deals Global Deals Review: 2011 Q3 Global Deals Review: 2011 Q2 Global Deals Review Inflows Outflows Media China Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News
Pauline Marois était très embarrassée mercredi devant la presse parlementaire à Québec. Les journalistes tentaient de savoir si elle considère que les étudiants doivent respecter les injonctions des tribunaux. Il a fallu toute la tenacité des correspondants des médias pour lui faire admettre, du bout des lèvres, que, oui, la loi est faite pour être respectée.
Le carré rouge qu’elle porte si fièrement devient de plus en plus lourd à porter au fur et à mesure que ce conflit s’enlise. Car ce carré rouge est devenu le catalyseur de toutes les revendications du gel des frais de scolarité, accessoirement, au système capitaliste lui-même.
Le carré rouge est aussi associé à la désobéissance civile, aux actions violentes des «hooligans» de gauche, à la subversion, au non-respect des tribunaux et des institutions qui, faut-il le dire, ont fait preuve de mollesse depuis deux mois.
Les manifestants opposent démocratie et judiciarisation se réclamant du pouvoir de la rue Tattoo Gun Tattoo Designs, comme si la rue avait été élue à l’Assemblée nationale. Or, le système judiciaire fait partie de notre démocratie. Combien de gouvernements ont utilisé des lois spéciales pour mettre fin à un conflit? Combien de syndicats les utilisent pour marquer un point ( un tribunal a ordonné ces jours-ci à la Ville de Québec de réembaucher 162 employés congédiés illégalement).
Le PQ de Pauline Marois s’est collé aveuglément aux étudiants qui boycottent leurs cours et aux syndicats de profs qui les encouragent. La chef péquiste affirme maintenant qu’il est possible d’annuler la hausse des frais de scolarité et de pédaler par en arrière pour rembourser les étudiants, sans hausser les impôts. Il s’agit, dit-elle, de faire preuve «d’imagination». Suffisait d’y penser.
Elle qui disait il y a quelques jours à peine que toute cette question serait réglée lors d’un sommet avec les partenaires fixe maintenant ces frais à la hauteur de l’indexation. Point. Le premier ministre Jean Charest, politicien aguerri et retors Tattoo Gun For Sale, a senti le vent. Chaque jour en Chambre il enfonce le carré rouge et cherche à démontrer que la chef de l’opposition n’est pas digne de diriger le Québec.
Les associations étudiantes ont perdu cette semaine beaucoup de crédibilité. La FECQ, collégiale, et la FEUQ, universitaire Tattoo Guns Kits, ont été dénoncés pour une «contre-offre» bidon, vieille tactique syndicale destinée à faire croire qu’on a bougé. Affamer les universités pendant deux ans au profit de sa cohorte, quelle belle solidarité!
Pauline Marois appelle de tous ses voeux une campagne électorale. Elle a bénéficié d’une prime à la résilience en février et a été consacrée comme «la dame de béton». En mars, son parti a reculé de 6 points et le béton s’est effrité un tant soit peu. Tout n’est pas joué, mais elle devrait faire attention à ce qu’elle demande avec tant d’insistance.
OPELIKA Discount Chloe Dresses, Alabama — The Alma Bryant girls’ team is in fourth place after the first round of play in the two-day, 36-hole Alabama High School Athletic Association state Class 6A golf tournament. The tournament is being played at Auburn-Opelika’s Grand National Golf Club, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
Auburn is in first place, having shot a round of 334. It has a five-shot lead over second place Mountain Brook (339). Spain park is in third place at 360, followed by Alma Bryant at 365. Hewitt-Trussville is in fifth place at 388, with Grissom in sixth at 420.
Huntsville High’s Janie Jackson, who qualified for a spot in the recent Mobile Bay LPGA Classic at Magnolia Grove’s Crossings Course, is leading the medalist play with a 2-under-par round of 70. She is playing as an individual and seeking to defend her state title. She has signed to play at Arizona next fall.
Mountain Brook’s Tatum Jackson is second at 1-over 73, with Phenix City-Central’s Alex Harrell third at 2-over 74.
Haley Mize led Alma Bryant’s team with a round of 82. She is tied for eighth individually. Fairhope’s Virginia Green, playing as an individual Buy BCBG Dresses, is also tied for eighth at 10-over 82. Ellesha Smith (84) and Kristin Johnson (98) rounded out the scores used for Alma Bryant’s team total.
click above to view more high-res pics of the 2008 Jeep Liberty
Employees at Jeep’s factory in Toledo, Ohio reported back to work this week after two months of mandatory downtime. The good news is that they still have their jobs; the bad news is that they’ve been told to expect another four weeks off before the end of the year. This time Tattoo Supplies, however Tattoo Supplies, the shutdowns will be scheduled in week-long intervals instead of covering an entire four-week period. The slowdown of SUV sales has been widely covered and the Jeep brand has not been immune, including its bread-and-butter Wrangler model that had proven extremely popular a short while back when the first-ever four-door version was unveiled. Of course, back then gas was below $3 a gallon. Besides the Wrangler, Jeep also makes the Liberty and Dodge Nitro at the Toledo plant.
Related Gallery2008 Jeep Liberty
[Source: 13 ABC]
In the 1980s, the rising conservative movement tried to frame the pro-life cause as part of a broader family-values agenda that included reducing rates of illegitimate childbirth, welfare dependency, and divorce. To Ronald Reagan and many of his most ardent supporters, abortion-on-demand was the pre-eminent example of the breakdown of traditional morality brought about the sexual revolution. Few remember it this way, but Reagan’s “evil empire” speech, delivered to the National Association of Evangelicals in 1983, had more to say about the right of parents to prevent their daughters from receiving contraceptives without their consent than it did than about the Soviets.
In fact, these two conservative social goals—ending abortion and upholding the model of the nuclear family—were always in tension. The reason is that, like it or not, the availability of legal abortion supports the kind of family structure that conservatives once felt so strongly about: two parents raising children in a stable relationship Replica Missoni Dresses, without government assistance. By 12th grade, 60 percent of high school girls are sexually active or, as Reagan put it, “promiscuous.” Teen-pregnancy rates have been trending downward in recent years, but even so, 7 percent of high-school girls become pregnant every year. And the unfortunate reality is that teenagers who carry their pregnancies to term drastically diminish their chances of living out the conservative Replica Herve leger strapless, or the American, dream.
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Forget the Juno scenario—in the real world, only a tiny fraction of unwed mothers give their babies up for adoption. If you do not allow teenage girls who accidentally become pregnant to have abortions, you are demanding either that they raise their children as single mothers or that they marry in shotgun weddings. By the numbers, neither choice is promising. Unmarried teenage moms seldom get much financial or emotional support from the fathers of their babies. They tend to drop out of high school and go on the dole, and they are prone to lives of poverty, frustration, and disorder. Only 2 percent of them make it through college by the age of 30. The Bristol Palin option doesn’t promote family happiness, stability Discount Karen Millen Dresses, or traditional structure, either. Of women under 18 who marry, whether because of pregnancy or not, nearly half divorce within 10 years—double the rate for those who wait until they’re 25.
I’ve long expected the Republican Party to resolve this conflict in its social vision by moderating its stance on abortion. Politically, pro-life absolutism has never made much sense. A significant element within the GOP—libertarians, economic conservatives, Barbara Bush—favors leaving Roe v. Wade alone. A majority of the country agrees. Meanwhile, the percentage of people on either side of the debate who say they’ll vote only for a candidate who shares their views has been steadily shrinking. Since Lee Atwater’s heyday, pragmatic Republicans have been trying to figure out how the party can become a “big tent,” making room for a pro-choice as well as a pro-life faction. Until recently, the modernizers included John McCain himself, who in 1999 said, “Certainly in the short term Herve Leger sale, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roev. Wade White Herve leger sale, which would then force women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.” That was only one of several attempts on McCain’s part to evolve his position. If Roe ever were repealed, there would follow a fight in every state about whether to ban abortion by statute. Politically, this could be the best thing to happen to liberals since the New Deal. We got a taste of this dynamic after the Supreme Court’s 1989 Webster decision, which allowed states to restrict abortion in certain ways. As my colleague William Saletan has argued, fear of Roe being overturned contributed to Democratic electoral gains in 1989 and 1990 and to a wave of more conciliatory rhetoric from the GOP.
But renewed evangelical dominance of the GOP in the Bush years has pushed McCain in the opposite direction—to the point of letting Phyllis Schlafly revise the abortion plank in the party’s 2008 platform. The new version actually eliminates language from the 2004 edition rejecting “punitive action against women who have an abortion.” This “base” bias explains how McCain ended up with a wildly underqualified running mate, instead of his preferred pro-choice veep picks Cheap Emilio Pucci Dresses, Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge. It’s the reason social conservatives have wholeheartedly embraced Sarah Palin, who chose to raise a child with Down syndrome rather than terminate a pregnancy. And it’s why a pregnant, unmarried 17-year-old and her boyfriend appeared onstage in St. Paul with the Republican presidential nominee last week. A pregnant teenager as role model, Mary Cheney’s gay parenting, the primary caregiver to a special-needs infant working a second, 24/7 job—the Republican right is prepared to overcome its objection to all of this and more as the price of an uncompromising pro-life agenda.
Give the anti-abortion extremists credit for living their principles. If they weren’t deadly serious, they wouldn’t sabotage their party’s political prospects or sacrifice so many other values they hold dear for the sake of denying exceptions in cases of rape and incest. But Sarah Palin’s pro-life extremism is as ethically flawed as it is politically damaging to the GOP. By vaunting their pro-life agenda over everything else, conservatives are abandoning one of their most valuable insights: that intact, two-parent families are best for children and for the foundation of a healthy society. The evidence here is overwhelming. Children with two parents, whether of the same sex or the opposite sex, are vastly better off. By every measure social scientists have devised, those raised by two parents grow up healthier (physically and psychologically), wealthier, and wiser, on average, than those raised by a single parent, divorced parents, or even a parent and a stepparent.
About this, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Bill Bennett, Gertrude Himmelfarb, and, yes, Dan Quayle were entirely correct. Remember Murphy Brown? I always thought the former vice president was on solid ground when he called it morally irresponsible to encourage women without the TV character’s resources to embark on child-rearing on their own. In today’s GOP, Quayle wouldn’t condemn Murphy Brown. He’d call her up to the stage and salute her for choosing life.
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Fire Department
Law. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spends the week trying to put out fires, but someone has filled the hose with butane. Gonzales sits down with NBC in order to “be more precise” (read: equivocate some more) about his supposed noninvolvement in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. His former chief of staff, testifying before the Senate judiciary committee, gets a little too precise and explicitly contradicts his former boss’s account. Aides to Gonzales remove all shoelaces and belts from his office.
War Chest Thumping
Congress. The battle between Congress and President Bush escalates as the Senate narrowly passes an Iraq funding bill that would withdraw troops by the end of March 2008. Bush chides Senate Democrats for attaching strings to the war money; Dems accuse Bush, who plans to veto the bill, of delaying funding for troops—childish bickering that gives new meaning to next week’s “recess.”
Re-run
2008. Buzz builds around Arthur “Fred Thompson” Branch Buy Bandage dresses, the ubiquitous Law & Order star who once worked in the Senate or something. Branch, er Buy Missoni Dresses, Thompson hasn’t announced his candidacy yet, but he’s already leading Mitt Romney in the polls. That gap will shrink, however, when America finds out about Thompson’s early-career appearance on Roseanne.
Glock and Spiel
Crime. An aide to Sen. Jim Webb is arrested for carrying a loaded gun and extra ammunition into a Senate building. Webb, a former expert marksman who openly flaunts his gun license Bandage dresses sale, denies giving his aide the gun and blames the incident on him. In another downright criminal act, Karl Rove participates in an ill-advised rap performance at the Washington radio and television correspondents’ dinner. (Watch it and you’ll understand why Jim Webb carries a gun.) John McCain considers recording a dis track about Giuliani.
War of the Google Maps
Middle East. After Iran seized 15 British soldiers in what it claims were Iranian waters, Prime Minister Tony Blair freezes relations with Iran. Iran demands that Britain admit it was wrong. Blair refuses, insisting the soldiers were 1.7 miles within Iraqi waters. The U.N. Security Council declares its “grave concern” over the cartographic dispute. Analysts agree this is the lamest hostage crisis ever.
Kangaroo Court
Terrorism. Australian Guantanamo detainee David Hicks pleads guilty to providing material support for terrorism, becoming the first prisoner to be convicted under the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Hicks, who could be sentenced to up to seven years, may have to serve his time back on that other lawless Chloe Dresses sale, God-forsaken island: Australia.
Four Play
Sports. Washington braces itself as Georgetown reaches the Final Four for the first time since Iran-Contra. The other semifinal game: a grudge match between Florida, the reigning champions Buy Herve Leger v neck, and UCLA, still smarting from their loss to the Gators last year.
Resurgency
Iraq. A series of sectarian attacks threatens to jumpstart the ongoing civil war. A truck bomb explodes in a Shiite district; Shiite gunmen go door to door executing Sunnis in Tall Afar; suicide bombs and car bombs shred crowds, killing nearly 100 in one day. Maybe that’s what John McCain means when he says we’re “starting to turn things around.” Meanwhile, the Green Zone gets pummeled by rockets and mortars day after day. Commanders propose retaliation in the form of a Karl Rove concert.
Cancer Spreads Across Party Lines
Health. White House press secretary Tony Snow announces that his colon cancer has returned and spread to his liver. What with Elizabeth Edwards’ announcement last week Herve Leger gown sale, cancer has shown itself to be remarkably nonpartisan and will likely endorse Unity08. Elsewhere, officials from the World Health Organization suggest that circumcisions could prevent 5.7 million AIDS infections in Africa over the next 20 years. Legions of carpet-bagging mohels book the Brooklyn-Khartoum flights.
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Click above for a hi-res gallery of the MINI Cabrio Herve Leger sale
Well, here’s one car we’ll all be able to cover in Detroit come January. BMW has officially announced that the second-generation MINI Cabrio will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show. No need to wait to place orders; you can do that now. The Cooper ragtop is priced at $24,550 while the Cooper S convertible costs $3,000 more. Customer delivery kicks off on March 28.
So Replica Marc Jacobs Dresses, what’s new? Well, for one, the new Cabrio looks like the current-gen Cooper. Likewise, it shares the hardtop cars’ 1.6L engines — 118 hp NA for the Cooper Discount Herve Leger v neck, and 172 hp turbo for the Cooper S. The Euro-market cars get BMW Efficient Dynamics features including brake regeneration and stop/start. The U.S.? Not so much. Out back, the fold-down tailgate’s hinges are now internal, giving the car’s tush a smoother look. The fixed roll hoops of the current car have been replaced by a pop-up system behind the back seat. This makes for a good-looking, clean top-down profile and should improve rearward visibility for the driver. Speaking of the top, it can be operated at speeds up to 20 mph or so Cheap White Herve leger, and it fully disappears in just 15 seconds. The sliding sunroof feature can be utilized at even higher speeds — up to 60 mph or so. Stability control is standard equipment.
Inside, the current MINI instrument panel is employed Buy DKNY Clothing, and drivers with a hankering for extraneous gimmickery can order up the “Openometer” Buy Herve Leger gown, a secondary gauge that mounts next to the tach. It monitors how much time you clock with the top down. Yeah, yeah — useless. You know people are gonna eat it up. Follow the jump for a video and MINI’s full PR (now updated with the U.S. version).
Related Gallery2009 MINI Cooper Convertible
[Source: MINI]
Fake Tag Heuer Watches
The Great Saab Sob Story of 2011 continues unabated as Saab Great Britain has officially filed for bankruptcy protection. Saab GB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Swedish Automobile N.V. Fake Concord Watches, the parent company of Saab Replica Versace Watches, and has the exclusive rights to distribute Saab automobiles in the UK.
There are 58 Saab dealerships in the UK Where buy best Replica Tag Heuer Watches, 20 of which are standalone operations. According to Saab Fake Paul Picot Watches, court-backed protection is its best course of action in the UK Fake Movado Watches, as it has yet to receive any sort of funding most of the promised funding from its supposed Chinese partners. Read the official press release after the break for all the details.