Yahoo CEO Bartz fired over the phone, rocky run ends

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock fired CEO Carol Bartz over the phone on Tuesday, ending a tumultuous tenure marked by stagnation and a rift with Chinese partner Alibaba. Chief Financial Officer Tim Morse will step in as interim CEO, and the company will search for a permanent leader to spearhead a battle in online advertising and content with rivals Google Inc and Facebook.

Groupon puts IPO on ice as SEC questions remain

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Groupon has put its IPO on hold for at least a few weeks, hoping to ride out global market turmoil while dealing with regulators' questions surrounding its highly anticipated public float, two sources with knowledge of the deal said. Groupon, which had intended to launch into the final phase of its initial public offering in mid- to late September, joins Zynga and other would-be market debutantes that have called off flotations after a dismal outlook for developed economies hammered stock markets.

AT&T could lower T-Mobile bid price if remedies grow: report

Bangalore (Reuters) - AT&T Inc can lower the price it pays for T-Mobile USA Inc if the remedies requested by regulators become too expensive, a Bloomberg report said, citing three people with direct knowledge of the merger contract. AT&T would be able to pay less than the deal's original $39 billion value if regulators demand asset sales that surpass 20 percent of that figure, or about $7.8 billion, the report cited unnamed people as saying.

Regulators raid Google's South Korea office: source

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Antitrust officials in South Korea raided Google Inc's Seoul offices on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter, expanding worldwide regulatory pressure on the Internet giant. Google, the world's No. 1 search engine, is under investigation by antitrust authorities in the United States and in Europe.

Sprint sues to block AT&T's proposed T-Mobile buy

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel sued to stop AT&T Inc's $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA, staking out its own private antitrust claims alongside the U.S. government's challenge to the deal. Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier, filed its lawsuit in the same federal court that is to hear the U.S. Department of Justice's case opposing the buyout. A fierce opponent of the deal, Sprint said the combination would lead to higher prices for consumers and create a duopoly between AT&T and Verizon Communications.

U.S. must reveal some cellphone tracking cases: court

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The government must tell the public how it tracked suspects by cellphone without having given a judge detailed reasons for the tracking in some cases, an appeals court ruled on Tuesday, in a case pitting new technology against privacy rights. A leading civil liberties group claimed victory in one of several cases making its way through the court system weighing privacy rights against law enforcement using data available through the proliferation of new technologies like the Global Positioning System (GPS), cellphones and laptop computers.