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NEW YORK – Crude oil prices climbed more than $1 to close near the $51 mark after U.S. crude inventories fell 1.6 million barrels, the second drop in 15 weeks. Light, sweet crude for July delivery rose $1.31 to $50.98 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (search), after …

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration on Thursday sent Congress its plan to turn Amtrak (search) into a private operator, with a federal-state partnership supporting a railroad that would focus on running trains and would not maintain tracks or stations. “This legislation is a lifeline to a dying railroad company,” Transportation …

WASHINGTON – Homeland security spending nationwide is mired in administrative problems that are slowing down the cash flow essential for protecting the nation, say some members of Congress concerned about safety around high-risk areas such as Washington, D.C. The city, considered among the most attractive sites in which to commit …

BEIJING – China is suppressing peaceful Muslim religious and cultural activities in its west under the guise of fighting terrorism, two U.S.-based human rights groups said Tuesday. Comparing the situation to Tibet, a report by the two groups said Muslims in the Xinjiang region are “concerned for their cultural survival” …

NEW YORK – MCI Inc. (MCIP) on Saturday embraced a $9.75 billion takeover bid from Qwest Communications Inc. (Q), finally succumbing to pressure to scrap its lower-priced deal with Verizon Communications Inc.(VZ). Verizon (search) now has five business days to respond with an improved proposal or walk away without MCI …

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Mint (search) announced on Tuesday it will begin producing a new 24-karat gold bullion coin early next year, hoping to capitalize on growing international demand for purer gold coins. The Mint already produces the 22-karat American Eagle (search) gold bullion coin, and Mint officials estimate the …

WASHINGTON – Sen. Saxby Chambliss (search) said Thursday that the United States lacks human spies in North Korea and Iran, providing more detail than last week’s presidential commission did about U.S. intelligence capabilities inside the two countries. Aides to the Georgia Republican, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, insisted …

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency Thursday welcomed the delay in adopting a Security Council resolution on Iran and its nuclear program. More time is needed for negotiations with Iran to address concerns about its program, said Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy …

NEW YORK – It was a one-two encounter between Axl Rose and Tommy Hilfiger. The rocker and designer capped a Thursday evening out at a new club called The Plumm in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood with midnight fisticuffs. “There was an issue between the two of them,” Plumm owner Noel Ashman …

TORONTO – Hundreds of thousands of frustrated commuters in Canada’s largest city were forced to find alternate ways to work Monday as subway stations across Toronto were shut down and buses and streetcars halted due to a labor dispute. About 800,000 people use Toronto’s buses, streetcars and subway trains daily. …