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President Ahmadinejad receives Senegal's Parliament Speaker
(IRNA) -- IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Monday received visiting Senegalese Parliament Speaker Bob Diob and described two countries' relations "strong and still expanding."
President Ahmadinejad said that Iran and Senegal enjoy brotherly and most friendly ties, based on mutual interests of the two nations, adding, "There are no limits to further expansion of such good ties." He also referred to the good level of the two countries' cooperation within the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), adding, "The high ranking officials of both countries are determined for comprehensive expansion of bilateral ties."
The President said, "We need to work for the two nations, for the entire Islamic nations, and for world peace and stability hand in hand."
Referring to the outstanding status of Senegal in Africa, he said, One of the major foreign policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran is comprehensive expansion of ties with African countries, particularly with such major countries there, as our friend country, Senegal." Ahmadinejad meanwhile pointed out that expansion of parliamentary relations between the two countries is to the benefit of the two nations, announcing Tehran's readiness for further deepening of such ties, and for transfer of experience to Senegal in various fields.
Diob, too, during the meeting conveyed President Abdoulaye Wade's, as well as the Senegalese Government and nation's warmest regards to the Iranian President, Government and nation, describing his talks with the high ranking Iranian officials as "good and constructive." He said that the main objective of his visit of Iran was expansion of bilateral cooperation, particularly strengthening parliamentary relations in line with safeguarding the two nations' interests, adding, the Senegalese Government and nation attach great importance to ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
He meanwhile voiced the Senegalese parliament's support for ever expanding ties and cooperation with Iran, asking for transfer of Iran's experience in various fields, particularly in the field of agricultural engineering.
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Obama aiming to end Clinton's challenge
(IRNA) -- Senator Barack Obama is hoping to seal the Democrat nomination for the US presidential election when primaries take place in Kentucky and Oregon later Tuesday.
The votes will not officially hand him victory over rival Hillary Clinton, who started the contest as firm favourite to represent her party's bid for the White House.
But in a clear indication of how he sees the contest shaping up, he will not spend the election night in either state, heading instead to Iowa and then Florida.
Both states have already held their primaries, but will be key when the election proper gets under way in November.
Polls show Obama leading in Oregon, where 52 delegates - the people who will elect the Democratic nominee at this summer's party convention - are up for grabs.
Clinton is ahead in Kentucky, a state with 51 delegates and a similar demographic to West Virginia, where she won by a landslide last week.
Obama's campaign says he needs just 17 more pledged delegates - won through state contests - to reach a majority of 1,627.
However, that does not count "superdelegates," party leaders who can vote for the nominee of their choice at the convention.
And Clinton is vowing to battle on until the end of the primary season.
After Tuesday, there will be just three Democratic contests left - Puerto Rico on June 1, and Montana and South Dakota on June 3.
In another sign that he considers the race all but over, Obama has already launched an offensive against John McCain, criticising the Arizona senator's plans to privatize social security benefits.
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Microsoft proposes to buy Yahoo search: source
(Reuters) -- Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) has proposed to buy Yahoo Inc's (YHOO.O) search business and take a minority stake in the Web pioneer, stopping short of a full-out merger, a person familiar with the discussions said on Monday.
As part of the deal, Yahoo would sell its Asian assets including significant minority stakes in Yahoo Japan (4689.T) and China's Alibaba Group, while Microsoft would buy a chunk of what remains of the company, the source said.
The talks were revealed by the two companies on Sunday, but they declined to reveal the terms of the discussions. Earlier this month, Microsoft walked away from a proposal to acquire Yahoo for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share, after Yahoo rebuffed the offer, saying it would only settle for $37 a share.
The new deal, if completed, would forge an alliance between the two companies that would represent an alternative means of competing with rival Google Inc (GOOG.O), whose ubiquitous search engine has made it an online advertising powerhouse.
The proposal represents an outline of Microsoft's current thinking and it does not yet put a value on Yahoo's search business, said the source, who was not authorized to speak on the record because the discussions are confidential.
Microsoft and Yahoo representatives declined to comment.
Shares of Yahoo fell as much as 0.87 percent on Monday, before closing up 2 cents at $27.68 on Nasdaq. Microsoft dropped 1.8 percent to $29.46.
Collins Stewart analyst Sandeep Aggarwal estimates Yahoo's search advertising business is worth about $21 billion, while putting the value of its international assets at $9.25 billion, according to a research note he published on Monday.
"Microsoft is the most interested in Yahoo Search," said Aggarwal, who added that Microsoft may buy parts of Yahoo for a premium or buy all of Yahoo and then spin off certain assets.
Microsoft said on Sunday that it was talking with Yahoo about an alternative transaction that did not involve a full buyout after withdrawing its sweetened $47.5 billion bid for the company on May 3.
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