NYTimes: Microsoft to Buy Norway’s Fast Search for $1.23 Billion

"Microsoft agreed to buy Norwegian online-search software maker Fast Search & Transfer for 6.6 billion kroner ($1.23 billion) as it adds products that help companies mine information on the Internet.
Microsoft, the world’s biggest software maker, will pay 19 kroner for each Fast Search share, the Oslo-based company said in a statement through the Oslo Stock Exchange. The offer is 42 percent more than the closing price on Jan. 4.
The purchase will give Microsoft tailored Internet search functions used by customers including Deutsche Telekom and United Parcel Service."