Alpha Natural execs. face fraud charges for failing to disclose $100M in liabilities

Vale is the world's largest producer of iron ore and a top nickel miner, reported a quarterly net profit of $4.67 billion, compared to $5.9 billion in the same quarter last year.

Sydney Morning Herald reports that between 3500 and 4000 miners have walked off the job at BHP Billiton's coal operations in Queensland.

The Australian mining industry's determination to reach its goal of zero harm is reflected in the latest safety performance statistics released by the Queensland Government and reported by the Queensland Resources Council. Lost time injury frequency rates for the State of Queensland fell again from 3.8 to 2.9 injuries per million hours worked in 2010-2011. Days lost to injuries were down from 14,325 days to 11,027 days while the lost time injury plus disabling injury duration rate fell from 34.4 days to 27.4 days per injury.

Xstrata Plc is looking to offload a portion of its $6.4 billion Wandoan coal project in Australia, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Fortescue Metals was up 5% Monday on rumours that Canadian coal and copper/zinc miner Teck Resources is making a play for the third-largest iron ore producer in Australia.

An Indian conglomerate is planning to build Queensland's biggest coal mine near Rockhampton in the state's central region, including a new town, runway, railway and port facilities.

Canadian miner giant Teck Resources (TSX:TCK.B) reported Thursday a record annual profit of $2.7 billion, up by half from 2010, fuelled mainly by higher coal prices.

BHP Billiton raked in US$18.7 billion in the half-year ended December 31, 2011 — an 8.3% increase in Underlying EBITDA from the second half of 2010.

Russia's state railway firm Russian Railways plans to build a train line to transport coal in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province on Borneo island, with $1.7 billion of investment for a first phase due to be operating by 2017, Indonesia's government said on Tuesday.