CANBERRA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Competition authorities in Australia and Canada have approved the internet search and advertising partnership between Yahoo and Microsoft, the companies announced on Thursday.

    "We continue to believe that this deal will create a true, competitive alternative in the marketplace that will benefit consumers, advertisers and publishers," Yahoo and Microsoft said in a joint statement.

    The companies said they expected the agreement to come into effect early in 2010.

    The agreement remains subject to review by U.S. anti-trust regulators.

    The 10-year partnership unveiled in July sets the stage for an offensive against Google, the clear leader in the lucrative internet search and advertising market.

    Under the no-cash deal, Yahoo will use Microsoft's new Bing search engine on its sites.