Joining the contest to see who will own the No. 2 search engine, Time Warner's (NYE: TWX) AOL is reportedly in talks with Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO). News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) is already in intense talks to see if it can arrange a deal that will block Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) bid for Yahoo!

According to The Telegraph, "AOL's determination to present itself as the most attractive of the white knights available to Yahoo! follows the formal rejection last week of Microsoft's $31-a-share offer for Yahoo!"

With a market cap of $60 billion, Time Warner couldn't buy Yahoo! outright because the portal company already has an offer for $44 billion from Microsoft. But, like News Corp., it could offer to put AOL into Yahoo! in exchange for a piece of the firm. With AOL currently valued at about $20 billion, this stake might be as big as 33%.

In a consolidation, AOL and Yahoo! could cut large numbers of staff and Yahoo!'s search could be the de facto product for all of AOL, greatly expanding its reach. Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has this franchise now, but might give up its arrangement to stop Microsoft and Yahoo! from joining forces.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Reacting to $90-plus a barrel oil prices, airlines, many of whom are beginning to see profits again, are passing along increases to passengers. Led by AMR Corporation's (NYSE: AMR) American Airlines, the largest carrier, increases per ticket are being increased about $20, according to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
• The UAW may not face stiff opposition among its rank and file member for a new four year labor contact with Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), as local leaders in Detroit approved a tentative four year deal, reported the Wall Street Journal.

• The New York Post reported that two fired Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) executives shopped the company to investors, according to industry consultants' affidavits filed by the company to support its claims that the execs breached their corporate duties.
• The Telegraph reported that CIBC World Markets' financial services analyst Meredith Whitney has called for Chuck Prince's successors to break up Citigroup (NYSE: C).
• Several private equity firms are competing to buy the 32% stake in Sony Corporation's (NYSE: SNE) Sony Entertainment Television currently held by Indian investors, reported the Economic Times.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• In an interview with the Financial Times (subscription required), Carl Icahn said of Motorola (NYSE: MOT): "There is value there, and if that value doesn't manifest itself, I as an activist, would think very seriously about coming back."

• Universal Music is in talks with Sony Corporation's (NYSE: SNE) Sony BMG and Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) over launching a music subscription service to be called Total Music, which would be free on certain devices, reported the Telegraph.
• While Emerging Memory Technologies CEO Sreedhar Natarajan would not confirm the deal, stating "I'm under a non-disclosure agreement," it is clear that EMT has been acquired by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), the Ottawa Citizen reported.
• Lehman Brothers analyst Douglas Anmuth believes Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) will launch a mobile phone similar to that of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone in February, reported the Independent.
• The Associated Press reported that Nomura Holdings (NYSE: NMR) announced that it will close its mortgage-backed securities business in the U.S., and expects a group pretax loss of between $240M and $510M for the quarter ended in September.

• According to Unstrung.com's sources in the finance community, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is expected to enter the WiMax arena before the end of the month, and Navini Networks is Cisco's preferred target.

• Madonna, the original material girl, is signing a 10-year $120M deal with concert promoter Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), leaving Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) in her wake, reported the Wall Street Journal.
• According to the Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street" column, Progressive Corporation (NYSE: PGR) is struggling due to competitors' pricing, safer cars, and a struggling economy, to name a few factors.
• The Financial Times reported that General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) will decide whether to sell its 80% stake in NBC Universal after the Beijing Olympics in August 2008, according to sources.
• Tenaris (NYSE: TS), the maker of steel pipes for oil and gas exploration, has ruled out any possible sale of itself to ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT) , the world's biggest steel producer, reported the Financial Times.

• The New York Post reported that UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) has fired David Martin, its head of interest-rate trading, and James Stehli, the head of its collateralized debt obligation unit, due to the fallout from the mortgage meltdown.
• BP PLC (NYSE: BP) CEO Tony Hayward will today unveil plans to reduce bureaucracy and duplication of management at the oil giant, reported the Telegraph.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Singapore Airlines deal to buy 15.7% of China Eastern Airlines (NYSE: CEA), along with their parent Temasek Holding's 8.3% share, may be in jeopardy as Cathay Pacific Airways is said to also be interested in China Eastern, reported the Wall Street Journal.

• As a part of its annual report to be released this week, BHP Billiton Limited (NYSE: BHP) is expected to announce that it has uncovered potentially the largest gold reserves in the world at its South Australian Olympic Dam mine, reported the Herald Sun.
• According to the Washington Post, citing congressional investigators, the FBI is investigating technology company Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) after it allegedly failed to detect "cyber break-ins traced to a Chinese-language Web site and then tried to cover up its deficiencies."
• The Telegraph reported that British bank Barclays (NYSE: BCS) is reportedly preparing to sell FirstPlus, one of its subprime consumer loan units, at a loss. Barclays is expected to obtain a price lower than GBP4.5B, the book value of the unit's loan portfolio.
• Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) will tomorrow release its 'Halo 3' video game and the company expects over $150M in sales in the first 24 hours of its release, and a profit margin that could reach 90%, reported the Los Angeles Times.
• Housing slump or not, Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD) CEO Frank Blake says there will be no large jobs cuts or store closings, reported the Associated Press.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Barron's Online's (subscription required) "Weekday Trader Extra" reported that Wall Street is eyeing the negotiations of the First Data Corp (NYSE: FDC) buyout, as there has been talk that Kravis Roberts might be willing to make some concessions to a bank group arranging financing for the purchase.
• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that General Motors Corp (NYSE: GM) has sent the UAW two proposals as their negotiations are nearing the deadline.
• With near record high oil prices, there are signs that OPEC may increase crude output 2%, or 500,000 barrels a day, as a gesture to comfort oil markets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• The Associated Press reported that EPR, a leftist guerrilla group, said they caused a number of explosions yesterday aimed at about six Mexican oil and gas pipelines, resulting in millions of dollars in lost production and unsettling financial markets.
• Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC) is reportedly working with Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) and a law firm to put together another multi-billion dollar bailout plan for Countrywide, the nation's largest home lender, reported the New York Post.
• Sir Martin Sorrell believes that WPP Group (NASDAQ: WPPGY), the company he has built and is currently the CEO of, is likely to appoint his successor from within the company, reported the Telegraph.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC) announced another 900 job cuts as the company slashes costs in the face of a drop in lending volumes and rising defaults, The Wall Street Journal reported.
• Barron's Online's "Inside Scoop" section reported that CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS) chairman Edwin Crawford sold 120K shares worth $45.4M Friday and Tuesday after exercising the same number of options for $2.8M.

• Italian carmaker Fiat (OTC: FIATY) is negotiating with India's Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM) on a joint bid for Ford Motor Company's (NYSE: F) Jaguar and Land Rover divisions, reported the Telegraph.
• British mobile telecom company Vodafone Group (NYSE: VOD) has received a $2B tax bill from the Indian government, reported the U.K. Times.
• The Economic Times reported, citing a source close to the development, that Ranbaxy has joined the bidding on Bradley Pharmaceuticals Inc (NYSE: BDY) by placing a preliminary non-binding bid on the company.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Chinese finance minister Jin Renqing unexpectedly quit, just ahead of an important Communist Party meeting this October, reported the Wall Street Journal.
• Coors Brewing, part of Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP), will introduce "above-premium beers," its beer wholesalers were recently informed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Sony Corporation's (NYSE: SNE) Sony Ericsson is expanding into fast growing emerging markets such as India and Latin America, and is developing low cost models for those areas, reported the Wall Street Journal.
• Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra is conducting due diligence on Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) divisions Jaguar and Land Rover, which are both up for sale, but the Indian company is more interested in Land Rover, reported the Financial Times, citing sources.

• According to the Telegraph, Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) dealmaker Alain Carrier is set to leave the company to take a job with the Canadian government.
• The Globe and Mail reported that General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) will eliminate 1,000 jobs at a Canadian truck plant in Ontario.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to an internal email, Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC) has begun laying off employees involved in originating loans, reported the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

• The New York Times reported that the market is having doubts about the deal for the Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB), despite confidence from those involved that the deal will be done.
• Just weeks after acquiring its first pension scheme, Citigroup Incorporated (NYSE: C) is looking for another; Citi is said to be looking at a European scheme that is worth about £200M, reported the U.K. Times.
• While the rugged cowboy has been the face for Altria Group Inc's (NYSE: MO) Philip Morris for many years now, the global brand could be fading, according to the U.K. Times.
• American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) has put its private banking business, which could be worth $400M-$500M, up for sale, according to the U.K. Times.
• The Telegraph reported that a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings (NYSE: HBC), the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, is in talks to buy a 51% controlling stake in Korea Exchange Bank, which would cost in the region of £2.5B.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Barron's Online's (subscription required) "Inside Scoop" column reported that American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) Director Jan Leschly spent $2M on 32,000 shares -- the largest purchase at American Express in four years.
• Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Hasbro Inc (NYSE: HAS) have joined forces to create electronic versions of popular board games such as Monopoly and Scrabble, according to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
  
• Another former Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) executive, Sir Nick Scheele, has joined the bidding war for the company's Jaguar and Land Rover divisions, reported the Financial Times (subscription required).

• Lions Gate Entertainment Corp (NYSE: LGF) is in final negotiations to acquire production and foreign sales company Mandate Pictures for more than $40M, reported the Los Angeles Times.
• British retail chain WH Smith is among several companies seeking to buy the U.K. operations of troubled bookseller Borders Group Inc (NYSE: BGP) , reported the Telegraph.
• From BusinessWeek's "Inside Wall Street" section:
  
• People are buying Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (NYSE: MI) because it is a bargain when you consider that Marshall is spinning off to shareholders its traditional banking and processing business in Q4.
  
• One safe and steady stock in these volatile markets may be Iron Mountain Inc (NYSE: IRM), the world's largest provider of information storage and protection, whose business has been rock-solid and whose stock has kicked up despite the market's wild swings.
  
• Shinhan Financial Group (NYSE: SHG), which has very solid credit metrics and top-quality loan portfolios, is attracting positive attention.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal's "Ahead of the Tape" focused on the upcoming earnings report from American International Group Inc (NYSE: AIG) after the close today, as a fresh barometer to gauge the subprime market -- AIG has exposure as a lender, insurer, and investor.
• With uncertainty in the debt markets, Virgin Media Inc's (NASDAQ: VMED) plans to sell itself were put off until conditions improve, reported the Wall Street Journal.
• The Financial Times reported that Oleg Deripaska, the owner of Russia's biggest aluminum maker, has acquired a stake in General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) of just under 5%, say two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

• The Chinese government, which holds $1.33 trillion in foreign reserves, has made economic threats against the U.S., saying it may liquidate its holdings in U.S. Treasury bonds if the U.S. imposes trade sanctions to force a yuan revaluation, reported the Telegraph.
• The New York Post has learned that Warner Music Group Corp (NYSE: WMG) may go private due to its plummeting stock price and negative investor sentiment towards the music industry in general.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Bear Stearns Companies Inc (NYSE: BSC), already forced to shut two hedge funds that bet heavily on the risky subprime-mortgage market, is now facing big losses in a third fund that has roughly $900 million in mortgage investments, according to people familiar with the matter, reported the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
• Three months after announcing that it may sell itself to Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Crescent Real Estate Equities Company (NYSE: CEI) is expected to move ahead with the $2.9B sale for its exit from the public market, reported the Wall Street Journal.

• According to people familiar with the matter, Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), the largest chemicals group in the U.S., is considering making a counter-bid for ICI, which has a GBP7.8B bid from Akzo Nobel (NASDAQ: AKZOY), reported the Telegraph.
• The Telegraph reported that British Airways (OTC: BAIRY) has agreed to pay a fine of GBP121.5M to the U.K.'s Office of Fair Trading and will also pay a fine to the U.S. Department of Justice because of its involvement in an alleged price-fixing scandal.

• Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD) has fired four purchasing managers for their involvement in a purchasing scandal involving millions of dollars in kickbacks regarding the display of flooring products, reported CBS News.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The IRS is looking at derivatives trades of Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C) and Lehman Brothers Holdings (NYSE: LEH) to see if trades made on behalf of hedge funds and other clients, including those offshore, were to avoid paying taxes on U.S. stock dividends, reported the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
  
• The Financial Times (subscription required) reported that Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) is expected to sell its stake in Brasil Telecom (NYSE: BTM).

• The New York Times reported that Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is expected to receive opening bids today for its Jaguar and Land Rover units. A variety of companies, including private equity firms and possibly other automakers, are expected to bid for the two divisions, said people with direct knowledge of the situation.
• Retail shoe store chain Foot Locker Inc (NYSE: FL) is reportedly considering putting itself up for sale again, after disappointing sales by its U.S. shoe stores and its failed attempt to acquire rival Genesco Inc (NYSE: GCO), reported the New York Post.
• The Telegraph reported that Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) is examining a deal to invest in Beijing Hualian, one of China's biggest retail groups.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Mohamed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi & Sons WLL, a Kuwaiti-based firm led by the Al Kharafi family, recently bought 1.25 million shares of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc (NYSE: KKD) and now owns 7.37, or 11.4% of Krispy Kreme, according to Barron's Online's "Inside Scoop" section.
• The board of Dow Jones & Company Inc (NYSE: DJ) is taking over talks on the company's future, reported the Wall Street Journal, which added in a different article that Brad Greenspan, the former CEO of MySpace says he will seek a non-controlling stake in Dow Jones through a $60-per-share Dutch auction.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that the London Exchange is discussing a possible merger with Italian stock exchange operator Borsa Italiana.

• The Telegraph reported that state-run Russian gas company Gazprom (OTC: OGZPY) wants to nix an Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM)-led project to supply Russian gas to China.
• The Telegraph also reported that Vodafone Group plc (NYSE:VOD) will have to pay about $900 million to avoid having its stake in Verizon Wireless reduced by 1%, as joint venture partner Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) has the right to increase its share to 56% from 55% if Vodafone does not pay the additional money.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street" column wrote that it may not be a good time to buy Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ: BBBY), due to the stocks slump, earnings that will miss estimates, the housing slump and edgy consumers.
• According to Barron's Online's "Weekday Trader," Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation's (NASDAQ: SWHC) fortunes could really take off if the U.S. Army decides to issue soldiers powerful .40 or .45 caliber pistols as standard-issue sidearms.
• The Financial Times reported that a review of data involving pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE: GSK) diabetes drug did not reduce concerns about the drug's safety -- Some medical professionals have linked the company's diabetes drug, Avandia, to heart problems.

• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) has advised its clients to reduce their exposure to stocks, after the investment bank's three key warnings began indicating sell signals for the first time since the dotcom bust, according to the Telegraph.

• According to technology website The Register, Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) has acquired start-up PeakStream for an undisclosed sum.