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 FrumForum teased out an interesting factoid after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney filed his financial disclosure report: he and his wife Ann own a significant amount of gold. Out of a personal wealth of $190 and $250 million, the couple own between $250,000 and $500,000 in gold. Given his personal wealth, however, that may be considered light. Some financial experts suggest that a minimum of 5% of an individual's wealth should go to gold as an insurance policy. In that case, the couple are about $2 million short.

Christina Romer, former economic advisor to Obama, says that the gold standard was not as great as we imagine it, and it didn't provide economic sability. "As we know in the 1930s gold flows were a big part of what was causing countries to raise interest rates in the middle of a Great Depression for heaven's sakes," said Romer in an interview with the New York Times on Friday. Romer says that unanticipated gold flows that filled the U.S. treasuries at the start of World War II allowed the country to shake off the depression, and says that monetary policy is an unappreciated policy tool that helped the U.S. restart the economy.

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.

Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN)(NYSE: IVN)(NASDAQ: IVN) today announced its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. All figures are in US dollars, unless otherwise stated. Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN)(NYSE: IVN)(NASDAQ: IVN) today announced its results for the

The mine operated and controlled by BHP Billiton Limited said that the 15 day illegal strike at the Escondida copper mine in Chile didn't have a relevant impact. As Escondida produces roughly 1.09 million tonnes of copper a year, press reports estimated

Kenyan government will in October issue London listed Goldplat a lease to exploit the large gold deposits at Kilimapesa gold site in Narok County. An official at Kenya's ministry of mines said that Goldplat will be given a mining lease after completion

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