People walk past Yahoo! offices in Santa Monica, California, May 19, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    LOS ANGELES, June 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. software giant Microsoft and major Internet search engine Yahoo may begin new talks about Microsoft's proposal to buy out the Internet company or at least take over its online search business, according to a report Tuesday.

    Silicon Valley blog website TechCrunch, citing multiple sources from both companies, said official talks are back between Microsoft and Yahoo, and Microsoft is talking a price lower than what it offered earlier to Yahoo.

    Earlier in the day, Yahoo shares jumped as much as 5 percent in the NASDAQ stock market following media reports that the company is supposedly once again in discussions about some kind of acquisition by Microsoft. Both companies declined to comment on those reports.

    According to a report by technology news website CNet.com Monday, Microsoft has signaled a willingness to sweeten its bid specifically for Yahoo's search business, and Yahoo's board of directors has in turn signaled a willingness to entertain such an offer.

    Microsoft made a unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo for 44.6 billion dollars in February, but the companies broke off official talks last month after Yahoo insisted that the price was too low.

    Yahoo later announced a partnership on search advertising with rival Google, but its stock price has been on the decline since Microsoft withdrew its acquisition bid.     

    LOS ANGELES, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft intensified its recruitment campaign on Saturday to woo Yahoo's technical talent as turmoil in Yahoo intensified with a stream of new reports about departing executives.

    "There is just great search talent here," said Doug Free, a Microsoft spokesman, who noted that the company has been expanding in the Silicon Valley for years. Full story

Report: Microsoft proposes to buy Yahoo search-source

    BEIJING, May 20 -- Microsoft Corp has proposed to buy Yahoo Inc's search business and take a minority stake in the Web pioneer, stopping short of a full-out merger, a person familiar with the discussions said yesterday.

    As part of the deal, Yahoo would sell its Asian assets including significant minority stakes in Yahoo Japan and China's Alibaba Group, while Microsoft would buy a chunk of what remains of the company, the source said. Full story

Yahoo's CEO says no to Microsoft, shareholders irate

    BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhuanet) -- By rejecting Microsoft's 47.5 billion U.S. dollar offer, Yahoo Inc. Chief Executive Jerry Yang will get a chance to prove his plan to right the Internet giant is working -- if disgruntled shareholders don't throw him to the wolves first.

    Many analysts believe Yahoo's stock price, which had advance almost 50 percent since Microsoft's initial offer, will give up most, if not all, of that gain, leaving the Sunnyvale-based company's market value around 30 billion dollars. Full story