ST. LOUIS – Merger talks between May Department Stores (MAY) and rival Federated Department Stores (FD) reportedly have ended after the two retailers could not agree on how much Federated would pay for May. Negotiations broke down last week between Cincinnati-based Federated — owner of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s chains — …

WASHINGTON – President Bush’s top economic adviser is leaving his post, the White House announced Wednesday. N. Gregory Mankiw (search), the chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, submitted his letter of resignation. White House press secretary Scott McClellan would not discuss possible replacements. McClellan said Mankiw made it …

DENVER – A man believed to be the convicted rapist who slipped through the hands of officers in November after confessing to another assault was captured Friday after attacking a woman and stealing her car, authorities said. The man, who was believed to be Brent J. Brents, was in custody …

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Defiant and all over the map, Barry Bonds (search) dodged the steroids topic as much as he could and instead took shots at Jose Canseco (search) and the entire media contingent. The San Francisco Giants (search) superstar was as entertaining as ever when he showed up at …

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (search) on Tuesday promised a drastic overhaul of his Cabinet, signaling the start of long-sought reform, after his original lineup of political old-timers prompted an angry outcry and threats of a no-confidence vote. Qureia told parliament he would largely appoint experts, …

LONDON – Elated and exhausted, Ellen MacArthur (search) set a solo around-the-world sailing record after more than 71 days of navigating stormy seas, 65 mph winds, a broken sail, bruises and exhaustion. She even had a close encounter with a whale. MacArthur completed the 26,000-mile circumnavigation at 5:29 p.m. EST …

CHICAGO – Health insurer Cigna Corp. (CI) on Wednesday reported its quarterly net profit almost doubled, helped by the sale of its retirement unit, but its 2005 profit outlook fell short of analyst expectations. The fourth-quarter earnings soundly topped Wall Street estimates, but analysts were unsure whether the gain reflected …

UNITED NATIONS – Sudan’s government and the Janjaweed militia are not guilty of genocide but did commit mass killings, torture, rape and other atrocities in the Darfur region (search) that merit the trial of suspects in the International Criminal Court (search), a U.N.-appointed panel said in a new report. The …

BERLIN – German police carried out a series of raids Wednesday on individuals suspected of providing financial and other support to Islamic extremist activities (search) outside the country. Thirty-three apartments and four businesses were searched early Wednesday morning, most in the southern state of Bavaria (search), police said. The action …

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – It’s been 75 years since the discovery of Pluto (search), but it remains a mystery. Perhaps in another 10 years some of its secrets will be revealed when a space probe gets close enough for a good look. Pluto was quickly heralded as the ninth planet in …