Microsoft has made a fresh approach to Yahoo about a deal to combine part of their online businesses, reports the FT, although this time, the proposal stops short of a full acquisition, Microsoft said Sunday. The approach came after activist investor Carl Icahn acquired a significant stake in Yahoo and demanded it reopen negotiations about selling itself to Microsoft. The WSJ reports that Microsoft has proposed to Yahoo a deal related to advertisements that run next to Internet search results, a large business that is dominated by Google. Microsoft’s move appears to be an attempt to stop Google from entering a search-related deal with Yahoo that is now under discussion and could be announced in coming days.
