Robot ghost ships to extend miner’s technology drive to seas

A group of protestors from anti-coal group Quit Coal have staged a dramatic protest in the Australian city of Melbourne today, abseiling down the front of the state parliament building and chaining themselves to its pillars.

The Chinese government has announced it will shut hundreds of small mines this year in an effort to boost safety standards following a colliery accident in Sichuan province which has so far left 45 people dead.

Colombia’s energy and mining minister Federico Renjifo, who assumed the position on Thursday, said he is aware he’ll face difficult times as analysts are predicting a slowdown in demand for the country’s commodities in coming years, but he said he’ll make sure the sector remains competitive and attractive to foreign investors.

Political controversy surrounding suspect allocations of coal mining concessions in India threaten to topple Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with chief opposition party the BJP issuing calls for his resignation.

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has publicly said Friday it will vote against the mooted $70 billion merger between Glencore (LON:GLEN) and Xstrata (LON:XTA), which sent shares of both the Swiss commodity trader and the coal giant down the slope Thursday in London.

A colliery explosion in China's vast southwestern province of Sichuan has left 19 miners dead and 28 still trapped underground.

49-year old Sardinian miner Stefano Meletti slashed his wrists in front of television cameras on Wednesday to protest the planned closure of Italy's last coal pit.

London-based Anglo American (LSE:AAL) has joined an expanding list of coal producers making staff cuts at specific Australian operations, after it announced it will cut at least 50 jobs when its Moranbah North mine reverts back to a single longwall operation.

The Republican Party's 2012 Party Platform says it will 'rein in the EPA' in the pursuit of domestic energy independence and push for the development of coal, oil and natural gas reserves as well as nuclear energy.