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Google Inc. broke off negotiations to buy Groupon Inc. for a reported $5.3 billion. Groupon may be considering remaining independent, and possibly pursuing an IPO.

Google is negotiating the possible acquisition of Groupon Inc., a seller of local discounted products and services, for a reported price of above $5 billion. Groupon may also be considering other options, including an IPO.

Yahoo Inc. reports a third-quarter rise in profit to $396 million from $186 million a year ago. Revenue increased 1.7% to $1.6 billion, but - excluding commissions - revenue fell 0.6% to $1.12 billion. Yahoo expects fourth-quarter revenue in the range of $1.13 billion to $1.23 billion. In a conference call, chief Carol Bartz discussed her company's growth and future.

Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are competing to sell Web-based email services and software to the U.S. General Services Administration. Google has received certification from the GSA that its online applications meet the agency's security requirements. Microsoft is in the process of being certified.

Boosted by a recovery of online advertising, Google Inc.'s second-quarter profit rose 24% to $1.84 billion. Revenue increased to $6.82 billion from $5.52 billion a year earlier.

Despite its censorship of some of its online services, the Chinese government has renewed Google Inc.'s license to operate in China. Google handles about 31% of online searches in that country.

Google Inc. said it will buy flight-information software maker ITA Software Inc. for $700 million. The deal may have to be reviewed by antitrust regulators.

LITIGATION Trustee sues Madoff 'feeder' fund In the latest of a series of aggressive actions against the funds that helped to prop up Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, the trustee of [...]

JUSTICE Madoff relatives got millions, court filing says Bernard Madoff used the fruits of his multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme to lend millions to his brother and son, to support his relatives' [...]

Byline: KARA SCANNELL AND AMIR EFRATI The unusual nature of how Bernard Madoff's alleged $50-billion (U.S.) Ponzi scheme surfaced is complicating a high-profile investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. [...]

Byline: AMIR EFRATI AND CHAD BRAY U.S. prosecutors argued that money manager Bernard Madoff poses a 'danger to the community' and should go to jail after he may have violated [...]

Byline: AMIR EFRATI, AARON LUCCHETTI, TOM LAURICELLA Investigators probing the alleged fraud carried out by Bernard Madoff are focusing on a key lieutenant at the firm and have issued a [...]

Byline: AMIR EFRATI AND SUSAN PULLIAM At least three U.S. Attorneys offices are probing whether Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. misled investors before its bankruptcy filing, as pressure grows to hold [...]

Byline: AMIR EFRATI; Evan Perez contributed to this article. Federal prosecutors are stepping up their scrutiny of players in the U.S. subprime-mortgage crisis, with a focus on Wall Street firms [...]

Byline: JAMES R. HAGERTY AND AMIR EFRATI; Chad Bray contributed to this article. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced an agreement with New York Attorney-General Andrew Cuomo to discourage inflated [...]

Byline: AMIR EFRATI, SUSAN PULLIAM, KARA SCANNELL AND CRAIG KARMIN Federal criminal prosecutors are stepping up their interest in Wall Street's mortgage-securities activities. The Justice Department's U.S. attorney's office in [...]

Byline: AMIR EFRATI AND KARA SCANNELL More federal bankruptcy judges are calling into question the business practices of Countrywide Financial Corp., as Bank of America Corp. prepares to buy the [...]

UK petroleum company BP PLC has agreed to $373 mil in restitution and fines for environmental crimes, and has agreed to be monitored by a government-assigned trading compliance monitor for the next three years due to allegations of price manipulation. BP will also undergo a three-year probation for an Alaskan oil spill and a fatal accident at a Texas refinery.

A serious shortage of healthcare workers in developing countries is hampering AIDS treatment; imported workers help somewhat, but not enough local people are being trained and those who are often leave for better conditions in other countries.

Merck and Company has developed a method to stop the AIDS virus from self-replicating in monkeys; human trials are just beginning.

The National Board of Medical Examiners will require medical students to pass a clinical-skills assessement test before graduation. Testing centers will use actors, and social interactions will be evaluated.

Byline: Efrati, Amir Google has changed the way its market-leading search engine operates to speed-up finding and delivering search results. The new feature, called Google Instant, updates search results as [...]

Byline: Efrati, Amir Google and Facebook are increasingly competing for local advertising revenue. That competition heated up recently with the introduction of a program called Facebook Places, which permits users [...]

Byline: Efrati, Amir Google Inc and a host of start-up companies are zooming in on images on the Web as the next big source of revenue. Google, Image Space Media [...]

Byline: Efrati, Amir Google is talking to the maker of the Facebook hit 'Farmville' and other online game developers about broadening its social networking service, a potential competitor to Facebook. [...]

Richard Blumenthal, the Attorney-General of Connecticut, is considering filing suit against Google Inc. after it refused his request for personal information the company collected from wireless networks. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection is also considering the same option.

In response to privacy concerns, Richard Blumenthal, the Attorney-General of Massachusetts, wants Google to give him personal information that the company garnered by its Street View mapping vehicles. He and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection have issued a civil investigative demand to Google. A CID functions as a subpoena.

Google Inc. is under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission, which is looking into whether federal laws were violated when the company collected and used personal information for its Street View program. The possible breach of privacy has caused investigators around the globe to scrutinize Google, and new, stronger privacy laws are likely to emerge as a result.