PRE-TAX profits at the largest Irish-based public and private company outside the financial services sector dropped by 24% last year in spite of revenues climbing by 31% to $29.1 billion (€21.4bn).

Seven of 10 oil workers missing in the Gulf of Mexico were found alive, according to Mexico’s state oil company, three days after evacuating their disabled rig in a tropical storm and escaping in an enclosed life raft.

A MASSIVE blast on a state-owned pipeline in central Mexico yesterday killed 11 people, injured 12 others and damaged more than 30 surrounding homes, state officials said.

Authorities in central Mexico were on alert today for possible mudslides and flooding as the remnants of Hurricane Karl pushed inland hours after the storm swept on to the Gulf coast and killed two people.

Mexican oil production has fallen 10% and exports have dropped 18% so far this year, the state-run oil company announced, blaming the drops on storms including Hurricane Ike.

Fears over winter supplies pushed crude oil prices closer to $100 a barrel today.

Oil prices reached another record high today as persistent supply concerns saw the psychologically important 100 US-dollars-a-barrel level come back into view.

Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans fled a flooded region of the swampy Gulf coast, jumping from rooftops into rescue helicopters, scrambling into boats or swimming out through the murky brown water.

Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans fled a flooded region of the swampy Gulf coast today, jumping from rooftops into rescue helicopters, scrambling into boats or swimming out through the murky brown water.

A week of heavy rains unleashed massive flooding in south-eastern Mexico, killing at least one person and forcing tens of thousands to flee the rising waters for shelters in Tabasco and Chiapas states.

THE price of crudeoil yesterday fell froma record after Mexico’s state oil company said it would resume immediate production today from platforms that were shut because of gale force winds.

Oil prices today eased back from yesterday’s record highs as fears faded over major disruption to Mexico’s oil production.

At least 18 oil workers were killed when a drilling rig hit an oil platform in stormy weather, spilling gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the state-owned oil company said.

Hurricane Stan knocked down trees, ripped roofs off homes and washed out bridges in south-eastern Mexico – but the storms it helped spawn proved far more destructive, killing more than 65 people in Central America.

Thousands fled as the outer edge of Hurricane Emily lashed coastal areas around the Texas-Mexico border and its already powerful centre continued to strengthen just offshore.

HURRICANE Emily was gathering strength in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday as it took aim at north-eastern Mexico and south Texas, a day after ripping roofs off resort hotels and stranding thousands of tourists in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Hurricane Emily stranded thousands of tourists along Mexico’s luxurious Mayan Riviera and left hundreds of local residents homeless yesterday, forcing many to remain in crowded, leaky shelters.

OIL prices eased slightly yesterday having hit almost $62 on Friday, because of the bomb explosions in London and fears that a hurricane in the Atlantic could damage US oil rigs.

MEXICAN state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos has recovered about two-thirds of the estimated 5,000 barrels of oil that spilled last week into a river feeding the Gulf of Mexico.

The price of crude broke through the $54 barrier today, following speculation fuelled by a pipeline explosion in Mexico.

Pounding rain caused an avalanche that broke a Mexican gas line, setting off an explosion at a truck stop that killed several people and injured scores, according to local officials.