TORONTO (Reuters) - The Toronto Stock Exchange sold off sharply for a second day in a row on Wednesday, giving up more than 2 percent by late morning in a broad decline led by resource shares, which followed commodities lower.

LONDON (AFP) - London shares closed sharply lower on Wednesday amid ongoing concerns over the state of the UK economy.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell on Wednesday as signs of increasingly sluggish growth in the United States and the rest of the world rattled investors already unsettled about the outlook for consumer spending and corporate profits.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda investment firm settled a regulator's allegations that it was misleading about its plan to cut its stake in General Motors Corp , the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday.

NEW YORK - A former Wall Street broker pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he and a colleague duped investors into purchasing more than $1 billion in high-risk securities by making it look as though the trades were protected by the federal government.

HONG KONG - Stocks fell around the world Monday, led by Asian exchanges as concerns about a slowing global economy weighed heavily on the markets. Oil prices declined sharply as Hurricane Gustav weakened, but investors were still waiting to see how much damage the storm might do to Gulf Coast oil operations.

LONDON (AFP) - Europe's leading stock exchanges rallied on Tuesday on tumbling crude oil prices and the prospect of lower interest rates, while British companies also benefited from a weaker pound.

LONDON (AFP) - London shares made gains as crude-oil futures fell Tuesday.