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May 19 (Reuters) - The following were the top stories in The New York Times business pages on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
* Two weeks after walking away from takeover talks with Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) made clear that it still needed to create an Internet powerhouse that could rival Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research). Microsoft said it approached Yahoo with a narrow aim: a collaboration on Internet advertising. But it hinted that it could still seek a takeover down the road.
* The $51.8 billion takeover of Bell Canada, the largest leveraged buyout ever proposed, appeared to be in trouble over the weekend as the Wall Street banks that committed to finance the deal sought to renegotiate the lending terms, people on both sides of the transaction said. Bell Canada is a unit of Canada’s largest telecommunications company BCE Inc (BCE.TO: Quote, Profile, Research).
* A would-be filmmaker is left in the lurch by nervous lenders, and his tale is becoming a common one as private money has become harder to obtain in Hollywood.
* While search advertising remains strong, there are signs that the growth in online advertising, particularly in more elaborate display ads, is slowing.
* Retailers are turning to data mining software to find links between customers’ interests and their online buying behavior.
* The English-language offshoot of Al Jazeera, the Arabic television news network, is pushing for a “breakthrough” that would make the channel available to American TV viewers and help it move beyond a turbulent start-up phase, according to its new managing director, Tony Burman.
* Not only does the White House expect a new leader by next year, but so does The Washington Post. Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. will almost certainly be gone by the time a new president is inaugurated next January, and the new publisher, Katharine Weymouth, has been talking about — and talking to — potential successors to Downie, people familiar with the matter said.

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