Death toll at India coal mine cave-in climbs to 18

Platts news service is reporting that Kinder Morgan, a pipeline company, and Ambre Energy will submit proposals to build coal export facilities at Port St. Helens, Oregon.

The debate over the use of coal in Britain is heating up. Reuters reports a British company, Clean Coal UK, is planning to mine an estimated billion tonnes of coal off the Welsh coast using underground coal gasification.

In what is likely to be upbeat year for Australian mining M&A, some large Asian and U.S. companies are ready to bet on the country's coal, iron ore and uranium assets to meet booming demand for power.

Novinite reported that on Saturday, miners at Bulgaria's state owned Maritsa Iztok Mines launched a symbolic protest, warning that effective strike was in store, after talks failed Friday.

The Australian reports the Queensland government is going after speculative prospecting by what the state treasurer termed two-dollar shell mining companies, slapping the industry with $375 million in additional fees. Under the radical new rules competitive cash-bidding auctions for mining exploration permits will replace the flat $1,030 application fee in force currently.

Patriot Coal was beaten down more than 12% on Friday after announcing it will cut production of coking coal due to weakening global demand.

AFP reports about 500 protesters blocked a coal train line in Mozambique in a dispute with Vale over housing.

US Labor Department figures released on Wednesday show the country's mining sector added more jobs in 2011 than at any other period since the early 1980s.

The richest woman in the world, Gina Rinehart, on Tuesday handed her daughter Ginia (sic) directorships of three companies, including Hancock Prospecting which controls her $10 billion empire. Ginia who is 25 years old is the only one of Rinehart's four children who are not currently suing her in court in a bitter dispute over control of the family fortune.