OAK BLUFFS (Massachusetts) - US PRESIDENT Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was 'heartbroken' over the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, saying the liberal icon's demise closed an epic chapter in US political life.
'Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy,' he said in a statement.
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S economy shrank by 3.9 per cent in the second quarter from a year ago, less than expected, prompting the central bank to say expectations the economy would shrink 4-5 per cent this year would be revised.
Data from the central bank on Wednesday showed that a slower pace of decline in gross domestic product after a 6.2 per cent drop in the first quarter from a year earlier. Expectations in a Reuters poll were for a 5.1 per cent fall.
LONDON - TRIBUTES poured in on Wednesday for US Senator Ted Kennedy following his death from brain cancer, with world leaders hailing 'a great American' who was a tireless campaigner for peace and social welfare.
'Senator Edward Kennedy will be mourned not just in America but in every continent,' Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a statement.
SYDNEY - POP songstress Kylie Minogue on Wednesday edged out sports stars, personalities and the prime minister to take the title of Australia's best-known personal brand.
Girl-next-door Minogue had the most powerful branding of any famous Australian, according to a marketing and entertainment industry survey, with her name associated with music, acting, and ventures in perfume and underwear.
