Extreme pollution forces China to shut down hundreds of coal, steel operations

Stakeholders in the mining sector said they are targeting to create about two million direct jobs for Nigerians from the sector. Under the Progressive Miners Empowerment Association (PMEA), the miners said if about N200 billion is injected into the sector, it would be revived.

Four miners were killed when a coal mine collapsed in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila on Friday, a senior government official said. Labor Minister Javier Lozano said in a Twitter message the fourth body was recovered late on Friday and an extraordinary inspection of the mine was underway.

Global miner BHP Billiton Ltd is looking to build a new rail line between some of its inland Australian coal mines and the coast in a move that could threaten dominant coal haulage firm QR National Ltd, a newspaper said.

Earthquake and disruptions related to the Pike River mining disaster slashed Solid Energy's profit by about $35 million. Also, its renewable energy businesses are not profitable and made a loss of $17m in the year to June 30. However, the state-owned coal miner's chairman, John Palmer, said the company produced a strong performance, with a 29 per cent increase in profit to $87.2m for the year to June 2011 from a 20 per cent lift in sales to $829m.

Four miners have been killed in an explosion that caved in part of a coal mine in the northern Mexico border state of Coahuila.

China's coal mine safety watchdog said on Friday it had completed a manned experiment of a permanent underground chamber that can shelter miners in case of an accident as part of its efforts to reduce mining casualties.

Shaanxi Coal Industry plans an initial public offering in Shanghai to raise up to 17.3 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) in what could be China's biggest IPO this year. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said late on Thursday that it would review Shaanxi Coal's IPO application on August 29.

A proposed open-cast coal mine on West Coast conservation land has gained resource consents because of its economic benefits. West Coast Regional Council released the decision yesterday to grant consents for a subsidiary of Perth-based Bathurst Resources Ltd to mine 200 hectares in the Mt Rochfort Conservation Area on Denniston Plateau, near Westport.

Working in a mine is more dangerous than being a police officer in America, according to the latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.