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Microsoft is the most likely suitor to merge with Yahoo, analysts contend, as several deals now vie for the Internet giant's future. Sending a clear signal that it intends to pursue all options, the search leader has solicited alternate deals, including a possible merger with AOL, or partnership with arch-rival Google.

Yahoo is about to close a deal for combining its operations with Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit in effort to contend Microsoft's $44.6 billion takeover offer.

Google's chief in Brazil said the Internet giant will employ strategies to stop child pornography and hate crimes on the social networking Website used in the region.

Yahoo Inc., the target of a hostile takeover bid by Microsoft Corp., is in the eye of a storm of potential deals involving the some of the biggest players in technology and media including Google Inc., News Corp. and Time Warner Inc.

News Corp.'s social networking Web site, MySpace, said it plans to sell more merchandise to its 109 million users following an agreement with many leading record companies, to offer music downloads and concert tickets.

Yahoo Inc. may be near an announcement that it will carry search web search advertising from Google Inc., according to a report released Wednesday.

Google on Tuesday unveiled an important new feature for its mapping programs that will provide information on the movement of refugees around the world.

Sony, Warner Music Group and Vivendi sued Baidu.com Inc, seeking record damages on allegations that the Chinese Internet Search site infringed copyright by offering links to pirated music.

U.S. stocks tumbled the most in a week, sending the blue-chip index more than 100 points into the red and the tech-heavy Nasdaq was dragged down by disappointing news from Oracle and Google.

Frank Quattrone, the controversial financier who rose to stardom during the dot-com boom in the 1990's has announced his long-awaited return to finance with the formation of a new advisory firm.

Google, on Tuesday, unveiled its plan to make an unspecified number of job cuts at DoubleClick Inc following the closure of its 3.2 billion acquisition deal of the advertising technology company.

European Union regulators approved Google's $3.1 billion takeover of ad firm DoubleClick, an online ad tracker on Wednesday, saying the deal will affect online advertising competition. The Commission, the EU's top competition watchdog, said it found no proof that a merger between Google and DoubleClick would cause competitors to go out of business, according to Associate Press.

The U.S. Department of Defense issued restrictions to Google saying the internet giant shouldn't take its roving photographic vehicles that acquire Google Maps Street View images, near the U.S. military bases.

Google is making Google Gears available on mobile phones, an application programming interface that allows users store Web application data on their handsets.

Microsoft Corp, faced with Web rivals looking to poach its business customers, said on Sunday it plans to broaden the availability of its online services for e-mail and collaboration software. Last year, Microsoft started subscription-based online services to run its Exchange corporate e-mail program and SharePoint collaboration software on Microsoft's own computer systems as an alternative to customers buying their own hardware to run licensed software.

Google on Thursday unveiled its plan to give San Francisco's homeless lifelong phone numbers and voice mail.

Google unveiled a new Web-site publishing tool for office workers late Wednesday, taking aim at rival Microsoft in the corporate tools arena.

Web search company Google Inc is testing in the United States an online storage bank where individuals can store and access their medical records, the company said on Thursday. Just last week, Google said it was teaming up with the Cleveland Clinic, a leading academic medical center, to test an exchange of medical data that Google says will put the patient in charge of his own records.

Two industry groups representing China's local musicians and songwriters have filed a lawsuit against the country's Web search leader, Baidu.com Inc, accusing it of copyright violation.

Google Inc said on Wednesday it is offering a simple Web site publishing tool for office workers to set up and run their team collaboration sites, taking aim at Microsoft Corp's rival SharePoint franchise. Google Sites, as the new site publishing service is known, is a scaled back version of JotSpot, an easy-to-edit service for organizations and individuals to set up and edit Web sites that Google had acquired 16 months ago for undisclosed terms.

Wall Street dropped for the first time in three days after producer prices rose more than expected and Google shares fell after data showed that the number web users clicking on ads, have decreased.

Web search company Google Inc has agreed to build an undersea cable with five telecoms operators that will link the United States to Japan, and provide the capacity to sustain a surge in Internet traffic between the continents.

Google eased to the top rank after being rated as number one brand in the UK leading the nation's other 500 brands.

Microsoft Corp said on Monday it would test a new way to measure the effectiveness of Internet advertising in a challenge to an industry standard that has helped the likes of Web search leader Google Inc. Microsoft's Engagement Mapping is due to begin in beta form on March 1 and departs from a standard that ties sales, leads and traffic to the last ad that a user clicked on online. Instead, it attempts to take into account all the Internet interactions that lead a consumer to buy a pro...

A Microsoft executive assured employees in his division on Friday that the software maker would keep many of Yahoo's staff in their northern California headquarters if its bid to buy the Web portal company is successful.

What Are Yahoo's Other Options Besides Microsoft?

Technology related stocks rose Friday afternoon while tax-maker Intuit stumbled after reporting a drop in second quarter profit.

For Yahoo Inc to avoid Microsoft Corp's bear hug, it could potentially partner with companies ranging from eBay Inc to Comcast Corp, though an alternative deal would be unlikely to match the Microsoft offer. Retailer Amazon.com Inc, iPod maker Apple Inc and phone company AT&T Inc all could argue that integrating Yahoo's services and ads would be strategically smart, and some already have Internet-advertising partnerships with Yahoo. None, however, is expected to be able to compete f...

Google plans to enter the online music market in China for the first time, as it steps up its battle with local incumbent Baidu.com Inc, media reported on Thursday. Google is expected to announce a joint venture with Top100.cn, to allow users to listen to and download licensed music files for free, major portal Sina.com said, citing local newspaper reports based on sources close to the U.S. firm.