WASHINGTON – Amtrak (search) President David Gunn said Wednesday he believes the makers of the Acela Express (search) trains overestimated the life expectancy of their brake rotors, forcing Amtrak to pull the entire fleet out of service for repairs. “I believe they misjudged the life of the rotors,” Gunn told …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Shares of computer hardware and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW) climbed Friday on a report that it was planning to go private, a notion that was strongly denied by the company. Stock of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun rose 27 cents, or 7.8 percent, to $3.71 on …

WASHINGTON – Sales of existing U.S. homes rose 1.0 percent in March to the third-highest level on record as an increase in single-family sales offset a dip in sales of condominiums, the National Association of Realtors (search) said Monday. Sales of previously owned homes rose to a seasonally adjusted annual …

NEW YORK – Long-distance telephone company MCI Inc. (MCIP) rejected a $9.1 billion takeover offer from Qwest Communications International Inc. (Q), leaving the spurned suitor to gauge shareholder reaction as it weighs its next move in the two-month takeover battle. The rejection, announced early on Wednesday, marked the third time …

JERUSALEM – Israel will leave settlers’ houses in Gaza intact after its summertime pullout, a senior official said, choosing environmental and international factors over settler feelings of anger and insult because Palestinians will take over their homes. The question of what to do with the hundreds of red-roofed houses scattered …

VATICAN CITY – Cardinals began “an intense period of silence and prayer” before their conclave to choose the next pope, saying Saturday they would stop speaking publicly to protect the strict secrecy surrounding the centuries-old tradition. The throngs of pilgrims who attended John Paul II’s (search) funeral Friday flowed out …

WASHINGTON – The Commerce Department said Thursday it made a mistake in calculating Americans’ personal income in March. Income went up, though not as much as the government had said. Click here to visit FOXBusiness.com’s Economy page. Personal income, which includes government payments as well as wages, rose by 0.5 …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Two Italian soldiers were killed and four wounded by a roadside bomb that exploded while they were on patrol south of Kabul on Friday, a military spokesman said. Two military vehicles were patrolling together when one of them was hit around 5 p.m., said Maj. Luke Knittig, …

WASHINGTON – The White House on Saturday denied that President Bush had lost confidence in just-resigned CIA Director Porter Goss, saying there was a “collective agreement” the agency needed a new leader now. Bush planned to act quickly, perhaps as early as Monday, to nominate Goss’ successor. The leading candidate …

SAN FRANSISCO – Wachovia Corp. (WB), the nation’s fourth largest bank, is muscling into the West with a $25.5 billion deal to buy Golden West Financial Corp. (GWB), a mom-and-pop shop that blossomed into a prized savings and loan. The stock-and-cash acquisition initially valued Golden West at $81.07 per share …