Reuters - A brokerage firm and a Hollywood investment adviser that were key middlemen for Wall Street thief Bernard Madoff were hit with civil fraud charges on Monday, accused of steering new clients into the swindler's lair as he sought to keep his massive Ponzi scheme running.

AP - Federal regulators filed securities fraud charges Monday against a prominent California investment adviser and a New York brokerage firm said to be secretly controlled by Bernard Madoff, accusing them of funneling billions of dollars from investors into Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

AFP - Stocks in London were in the red at the start of trade on Tuesday as economic concerns persisted among investors.

AP - Asian stock markets tumbled Tuesday, knocked by heavy losses on Wall Street after the World Bank warned of a sharper contraction in the world economy. European markets were lower in early trade.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets dropped more than one percent nearing the half-way mark on Monday amid consolidation moves in the mining sector and further woes for ailing group British Airways.

AP - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the country has no choice but to revamp its health care program because current costs are "crushing families and businesses."

AP - European and U.S. stock markets fell Monday as investors worried about the global economic outlook after the World Bank warned that the downturn would be deeper than it previously predicted.

AFP - The London stock market closed lower on Monday over renewed concerns about the health of the world economy.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Monday as a sharp drop in oil prices weighed on energy company shares, while a global forecast fueled worries about an economic recovery.

AP - Expectations of a weaker global economy are giving stock investors more to be wary about.

Reuters - A brokerage firm that was a key middleman for confessed Wall Street thief Bernard Madoff was hit with civil fraud charges on Monday, accused of helping enable the swindler's massive Ponzi scheme by luring new investors through unscrupulous marketing methods.

Reuters - World stocks slipped on Monday while government bonds and the dollar rose as a decline in oil prices below $70 a barrel and caution ahead of this week's data and Federal Reserve meeting weighed on risky assets.

AP - Asian stock markets rose for a second session Monday amid optimism about China after the Chinese premier said the economy was improving. But European markets opened lower.