What a week it has been! Having recently concluded a whirlwind tour of the Middle East, I return even more excited about the opportunity in this incredible region and impressed by the Yahoo! products, team and advertising capabilities.

Internet usage in the Middle East has grown more than 1,000 percent since the year 2000 and shows little sign of slowing. With the acquisition last year of Maktoob and the continued investment we are making in product and sales, Yahoo! is very committed to the region.

On November 22, we celebrated another significant milestone – launching a new Yahoo! Maktoob homepage in Arabic with content from local partners, including Rotana and Al Jazeera just to name a few. The new homepage brings together the best of the Web with the best of Yahoo! Maktoob, in a single destination.

Yahoo! Maktoob will also begin spotlighting all the latest news about the Middle East's entertainment elite with the unveiling of a new omg! Arabic page, catering specifically to the Arab world. From behind-the-scenes analyses to celebrity profiles, the Arabic page will feature the freshest news from the region and beyond. The site will be within the omg! global interface, enabling visitors to connect using the best tools and services from all the Yahoo! properties.

We look forward to launching many more Yahoo! products in Arabic and to continued success in the Middle East.

Al-salamu alaykum,

Rich

Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region