Free Republic

Mexico's central bank bought more than 90 tonnes of gold between January and March, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The World Gold Council has said it expects central banks in emerging markets to be the biggest buyers of gold, with its price near record highs. Banks are seeking to diversify their reserves out of US dollars. Mexico now owns 100.15 tonnes of gold, data on the IMF website showed. At the end of January it held 6.84 tonnes. Mexico's purchase is equivalent to about 3.5% of annual mined output. The country now owns $4.93bn (£2.98bn) worth...

BRUSSELS (AFP) – Hackers stole two million tonnes of polluting rights in a five-day raid this week on the European Union's carbon emissions trading system, an EU source said on Thursday. The volume of carbon credits stolen in online action, which a European Commission spokeswoman was "possibly concerted", represents just a fraction of global industrial greenhouse gas permits, but is potentially worth many millions of euros. The scale of the theft, which involved five unnamed EU states, was revealed a day after Brussels shut all 27 national trading registries for a week, citing inadequate online protection. Credits stolen just from...

Fruity headache for cafe ownersBy Samantha Williams and Karina Dunger 03jul06 Cafe workers ... Julie Hanssens and Jodie Lee / Troy Bendeich BAD weather is set to affect the price of oranges after already crippling Australia's banana industry. The worst frost in 24 years has destroyed 40,000 tonnes - about 25 per cent - of the citrus fruit produced in southern Australia. "They won't hit skyrocketing prices of bananas but there will be some price hike due to the reduction of fruit on the market," Riverina Citrus CEO Peter Morrish said. Oranges currently sell for $2.50kg, with experts predicting rises...