Former oil sands workers eye renewables market

Drill results of the agreed upon regions estimated to at 540 million tonnnes of thermal coal.

US-based L&L Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: LLEN), a company with five-year track record of profitable coal operations in China, announced it has entered into an MOU to acquire the Lashu Mine in HeZhang County, Guizhou Province.

Australian environment minister, Tony Burke, has told GVK and #4 mining billionaire Gina Rinehart to improve four areas of their $6.4 billion Alpha Coal project if they want to gain Federal environmental approval.

Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR) has drastically cut its accident and injury rates in the six months since a landmark $210 million settlement, which spared the company criminal charges over the 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 workers, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Canadian Yamana Gold Inc. (TSX:YRI) (NYSE:AUY)(LSE:YAU) announced a $400 million acquisition Monday of Argentina-focused junior miner Extorre Gold Mines (AMEX:XG) (TSX:XG), which has an appealing gold-silver project in the South American country, while also saying it plans to boost its dividend by 18%.

"Natural resources companies with a pipeline of, say, five projects in five different countries are now likely to build just two or three of those. Thus, executives have the power to cherry pick which combination of country and project offers the best returns."

Apart from developments in Japan and the expiry of the Russia-US nuclear weapons agreement Beijing restarting its construction programme after a review will support oxide prices.

The since departed head of the institute which has staff of 78 was paid in excess of $500,000 per year and the organization racked up more than $54 million in "operational expenses" in the first two years including "conferencing in empire-style Parisian ballrooms" and being entertained by celebrity chefs in Tokyo.

Spanish coal miners armed with homemade rockets and slingshots have clashed with police over the country's austerity measures.