UNITED STATES

Senator Edward Kennedy's death marks the twilight of one of America's most fabled political families, with no heirs to the Kennedy name poised to emerge with the same mix of gravitas, ambition and celebrity.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods recorded their biggest gain in two years in July, buoyed by a surge in aircraft orders, a government report showed on Wednesday.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose more than expected in July, posting their biggest gain in two years, according to a government report on Wednesday that offered more evidence a modest economic recovery was probably starting to take shape.

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history and a towering figure in the Democratic Party, died at age 77.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was heartbroken by the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, a longtime pillar of the Democratic Party who was a crucial supporter of his presidential candidacy.

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, a towering figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America's most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died at age 77, his family said.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday as oil futures turned lower and ahead of durable goods and new home sales data.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 rise 0.1-0.4 percent, pointing to a firmer start on Wall Street on Wednesday.

Japan's exports slipped in July as annual drops in exports to the United States and China accelerated, in a sign that the impact of stimulus measures in major economies worldwide may be starting to wane.

Toyota Motor Corp , the world's largest automaker, said it would halt a production line in Japan as it looks to cut excess capacity to return to profitability amid an industrywide sales slump.

Asian stocks edged higher on Wednesday, with thin summer trading volumes keeping prices choppy and centered on short-term chart targets, while oil hovered near $72 a barrel, capped by a surprising rise in U.S. inventories.

Toyota Motor Corp will cut its global production capacity to match lower sales, a company source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, with potential annual cuts of at least 700,000 vehicles identified.

Colonial BancGroup Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, 11 days after regulators seized its banking operations and sold most of those assets to BB&T Corp .

More recovery signs; SEC says 'Reveal; Shrugs for Goldman

A federal judge ordered Bank of America to explain why it agreed to pay $33 million to settle a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit if it believed it properly disclosed bonuses it authorized for Merrill Lynch & Co employees.

The U.S. Postal Service, the nation's second-largest employer, offered buyouts on Tuesday to quickly slash up to 30,000 jobs as it grapples with declining mail volume and embraces more automation.

A $4.6 million bid submitted through online auctioneer eBay Inc for the crypt on top of Marilyn Monroe's final resting place fell through, an attorney for the seller said on Tuesday.

The space shuttle Discovery's launching was canceled on Tuesday night due to a trouble with a fuel valve, USA Today reports.

Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, claims he never received any payment during the time he served as the singer's personal physician, abcNEWS reported citing an unnamed source familiar with the agreement.

A major fund-raiser for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats was charged by federal prosecutors in New York in connection with a scheme to defraud Citigroup Inc .

(Corrects word in paragraph 2 to 'settlement' from 'statement')