Reuters: PRECIOUS-Gold climbs on weaker dollar, strong China factory data

Gold edged higher on Monday
after a sharp fall in the previous session, as the dollar eased
and data over the weekend showed stronger-than-expected factory
activity in China.

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RFE: Questioning The Environmental Cost Of Kyrgyzstan's Kumtor Gold Mine

Kyrgyzstan's Kumtor gold mine had only been in operation for months when one of its supply trucks crashed through a bridge, dumping more than a ton of toxic sodium cyanide into the Barskaun River. More than 2,500 people were poisoned.

The 1998 accident cost the mine $4.5 million in reparations and set the tone for years of discord between Kumtor's Canadian owners and local Kyrgyz who say the mine has not done enough to compensate for environmental damage.

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Time: Is this $250,000 Gold Shirt the Most Expensive Top Ever?

It’s no secret that Indians have an affinity for gold. But one man from Pimpri Chinchwad, a town outside Pune, India, raised the bar when he commissioned a $250,000 shirt made entirely from gold.

Datta Phuge, who calls himself “the gold man,” said his gilded, seven-pound top is an elite status symbol that’s helped him to attain a lifelong dream. “People have different aspirations,” Phuge told the BBC. “Some elite people want to own an Audi or Mercedes, and have big cars. I chose gold.”

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Business Insider: Gold Price Moves Are Really About US Home Prices

Everyone's got a different theory for what's been moving gold prices in recent years. Many attribute it to the Fed's balance sheet. Some attribute it to the debt ceiling. Others point to ETFs.

In his latest note to clients, Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Michael Hartnett points to U.S. home prices, which saw its bottom when gold prices topped.

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Business Insider: Anyone Who Wants To Short Gold Must Consider This Eye-Popping Chart

Gold has been one of the worst performing asset classes in the global financial markets this year, strengthening the bears' case that the yellow metal has no intrinsic value.

With gold prices trending lower and the dollar moving higher, the short-sellers have been piling on.

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BBC News: Kyrgyz protesters lift blockade of Centerra gold mine

Protesters have lifted their days-long blockade of a Canadian-owned gold mine in Kyrgyzstan.

About 1,000 people besieged the Kumtor mine, demanding its nationalisation and better social benefits.

Prime Minister Zhantoro Satybaldiyev visited the area and told protesters the government was in negotiations about ownership of the mine.

A state of emergency was declared on Friday after clashes broke out between police and protesters.

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The Times of India: Government hikes import tariff value of gold to $459/10 grams

Keeping in view the volatile price trend in global bullion market, the government has raised the import tariff value of gold to USD 459 per 10 grams, while it has been slashed at USD 737 per kg for silver imports.

Tariff value is the base price on which the customs duty is determined to prevent under-invoicing.

Last month, the tariff value of gold was at $440 per 10 grams and silver at $761 per kg.

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