The Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Microsoft is not privately bargaining with web portal giant Yahoo over its rejected 31-U.S.-dollar-per-share buyout offer for the Sunnyvale-based company, according to media reports Tuesday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    LOS ANGELES, March 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Internet portal Yahoo said Wednesday it is extending the deadline for nominating its new board of directors, in an apparent move to delay a hostile takeover effort by Microsoft.

    The new deadline for nominating board members will be 10 days after Yahoo announces a date for its annual meeting, according to the Internet search engine.

    The nomination process would be important as Microsoft is threatening to nominate its own directors to Yahoo's board after its unsolicited 45-billion-U.S.-dollar acquisition offer was rejected earlier by the Silicon Valley company.

    The previous deadline for Yahoo to nominate its board members was March 14, and by extending the deadline the company could have more time to weigh alternatives to the Microsoft takeover.

    Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang said in an e-mail message to his employees Wednesday that the company would enable its board to continue to explore all of its strategic alternatives for maximizing value for stockholders without the distraction of a proxy contest.

    Yahoo has reportedly been in talks with companies like Google, News Group and Time Warner about establishing some business partnerships.

    Software giant Microsoft last month announced the multi-billion-dollar buyout bid for Yahoo after more than one year of unfruitful talks about a merger of the search engine with its MSN unit.

    But the unsolicited offer was turned down by Yahoo's board of directors, who argued that Microsoft's offer price substantially undervalued the company.

    Microsoft's effort to take over Yahoo is seen widely as the software giant's latest attempt to challenge Google's dominance of the lucrative on-line search and advertising markets. The deal would be the largest in Microsoft's 33-year history.

    Silicon Valley nouveau riche Google has been gaining ground on Yahoo, which is also under pressure from the increasing popularity of social networking websites like Myspace and Facebook. 

Yahoo to repel Microsoft by possible alliance with News Corp.

    BEIJING, Feb.14 (Xinhuanet) -- Yahoo is discussing a possible partnership with News Corp. in its latest effort to repel Microsoft Corp.'s takeover bid, media reported Thursday.

    The specifics of the proposed joint venture haven't been worked out, according to the report. Full story

Microsoft to persist with takeover bid despite Yahoo's refusal

    LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft said Monday that it would continue its efforts to take over Internet search engine and web portal giant Yahoo although its former acquisition offer was turned down.

    The software giant didn't say what steps it would take, but called its former offer price "full and fair."  Full story

Yahoo rejects Microsoft's buyout offer, citing lower price

    LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Yahoo said Monday its board of directors has rejected Microsoft's 44.6-billion-U.S.-dollar unsolicited bid to buy the company, arguing the offer "substantially undervalues" the Internet giant's worth.

    "The proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo and our stockholders," the Silicon Valley search engine giant said in a statement.  Full story