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Geneva (AFP) - The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has passed an ominous milestone, ushering the planet into "a new era" of climate change, the UN said Monday. For the first time on record, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere averaged 400 parts per million (ppm) in 2015, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. CO2, the main greenhouse gas driving climate change, has previously passed the 400 ppm threshold on certain months in specific locations but never on a globally averaged basis, WMO said. The UN agency also reported that...

Gold futures rose to a record high near $1,188 an ounce Wednesday, getting a fresh lift on reports central banks were in the market to buy bullion and as the U.S. dollar slid to a key level against the euro. Also providing support, holdings in the biggest gold exchange-traded fund rose again. Climbing for the ninth straight session, gold for December delivery rose as high as $1,187.50 an ounce. The contract ended up $21.20, or 1.8%, at $1,187 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. India, Sri Lanka Analysts said speculation India could buy more...

Pushed up by soaring oil prices, America's trade deficit surged to a record high in the summer, but analysts predicted a slowly improving imbalance in the months ahead. The current account trade deficit increased 3.9 percent to an all-time high of $225.6 billion in the July-September quarter, the Commerce Department reported Monday. That third-quarter deficit was equal to 6.8 percent of the total economy, up from 6.6 percent of gross domestic product in the second quarter. The current account is the broadest measure of trade because it tracks not only the flow of goods and services across borders but also...

More than half of California's K-12 public education students enrolled in free or reduced-price meal programs last year, the first time that the majority of youngsters were approved for assistance, according to state and federal officials. California was one of a dozen states where the majority of students were certified for such programs, said Jean Daniel, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman. In Contra Costa, almost a third of all students signed up for the federally subsidized lunch and breakfast programs, the third school year in a row the county has seen an increase in the percentage of students. Nearly...

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Blue chips ended at a new high for the year Tuesday, and the Nasdaq posted modest gains as investors cheered better-than-expected data and sustained merger activity, with Circuit City the latest company to become the target of a takeover bid. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI - News) ended up 46.19 points, at 10,837.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NasdaqSC:^IXIC - News) was up 6.30 points, at 2,089.21, but off an intraday high of 2,103.45. Gains for semiconductor (Philadelphia:^SOXX - News) and Internet (CBOE:^GIN - News) stocks helped put a floor on declines. Computer hardware stocks...