IMAGE GALLERY: Potash ponds in the Utah desert

In the wake of the Fukushima meltdowns, some nations are looking to move away from nuclear power. But not China, which is proceeding with plans to build 36 reactors over the next decade. As a result of such climate change concerns, as well as the need for more power in developing nations, more than 60 reactors are under construction around the world today in countries like India, Russia and South Korea. Even the US is currently building one new reactor — the second unit at Watts Bar in Tennessee.

A blast in a coal mine in China killed 10 people, officials said Monday. The blast, due to accumulation of gas inside the mine, took place Sunday night in southwest Guizhou province, Xinhua reported.

Mega Uranium today announces its unaudited results for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2011. As at June 30, 2011, Mega had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaling $31.1 million, as compared to $49.9 million at the end of September 30, 2010, a decrease of 38%. The decrease is primarily attributable to the Lake Maitland feasibility costs and other exploration expenditures incurred during the current period. As at June 30, 2011, the Company had mineral properties and related expenditures of $265.9 million, as compared to $251.7 million as at September 30, 2010. The increase reflects expenditures on our mineral properties of $18.9 million, offset by write offs of mineral properties of $4.6 million.

Even without a television crew filming every move they make underground, the coal miners who work at Cobalt Coal's Westchester Mine in Big Sandy are running coal and getting better at it according to Mike Crowder, Cobalt's chief executive officer.

Hiroko Kumagai will never forget the day in 1998 when she first stepped inside the red-brick building at the entrance to the closed and shuttered Miyahara shaft in the Miike coal mine. Image from YouTube

The number of deaths caused by coal mine gas explosions in China declined sharply during the first half of this year, coal mine safety authorities said. A total of 245 people died in 62 gas explosions that occurred between January and June this year, a year-on-year reduction of 31.2 and 25.3 percent respectively, the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety said.

China will need large quantities of Australian raw materials as its industrialisation and urbanisation race ahead, despite concerns about weak global economic conditions, Australian Trade Minister Craig Emerson said on Friday. Emerson also hinted that a fall in the Australian dollar amid the volatility that has jolted global financial markets for the past week was good, saying its strong currency had hurt manufacturing and exporters.

The lead singer of the band Radiohead is also joining the campaign against Keystone XL. Thom Yorke posted on the band's website, calling the pipeline "one of the big red climate self destruct buttons." Picture of Thom Yorke at the Latitude Festival, Suffolk, 2009

First Uranium announced that on August 11, 2011 a fatality occurred at the Ezulwini mine. An internal investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident. A day of mourning started on Thursday evening night shift in sympathy of the deceased. The Department of Mineral Resource's review and investigation is also in progress.