CGA Mining ( ASX: CGX , TSX: CGA ) is ramping up exploration at the Masbate Gold Project in the Philippines by allocating a US$20 million exploration budget for financial year 2012, almost triple the current years spend.

Tata Steel Ltd will use the $1.12 billion ('5,030 crore) it earned from the sale of its 26.3% stake in Australia's Riversdale Mining Ltd to fund the expansion of its steel-making capacity in Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar, as well as mining operations and capital expenditure in its European operations.

Australian stocks are set to open higher on Tuesday, following a firm finish on Wall Street, on growing optimism that Greece will avoid a debt default. Stock index futures rose 1.1 percent to 4,491.0, a 29.2-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index . The benchmark fell 1 percent on Monday.

Papua Guinea's Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, has accused Australian mining giant Rio Tinto and its subsidiary Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) of being behind the PNG military's bloody suppression of Bougainville rebels opposed to the company's

Xstrata Coal has chosen to upgrade its existing fleet of simulators based in the Hunter Valley NSW, Australia to three PRO3 base simulators and a range of equipment modules units from Immersive Technologies. This purchase supports Xstrata Coal’s ‘SafeCoal’ approach which drives the delivery of correct safety skills training to the operator workforce. The new PRO3 simulators enable Xstrata Coal to simulate a range of emergency scenarios with realism without any risk exposure to people or equipment. It is also a useful tool for pre-employment screening, targeted and refresher training.

Saskatchewan has overtaken Manitoba as the best place in Canada for oil and gas investment, the Fraser Institute's annual survey of the petroleum executives and managers found. But Saskatchewan fell just short of finishing among the top 10 jurisdictions globally, ranking 11th overall in the survey of 136 jurisdictions, according to the public policy research institute's 178-page Global Petroleum Survey 2011, which was released today

An expansion of one of the world's largest open pit copper mine received an important boost Monday after Utah regulators signed off on a permit allowing increased emissions from dust. Kennecott Utah Copper can now begin to actively pursue almost two dozen other permits that are needed for the mine's expansion, including approvals for the conversion of a coal-fired power plant to natural gas.

Shell has signed an agreement with the Alberta and Canadian governments to ensure $865 million in funding is plugged into a project to capture and store some 1 million tonnes of CO₂ released from its upgrader near Edmonton. The facility processes heavy oil from the Athabasca oil sands and the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project comes after Shell’s announcement to expand its 100,000 barrels a day Athabasca project to 255,000 barrels per day.

Government and mining and agricultural companies are joining forces to offer jobseekers the opportunity to learn entry-level skills and help to meet the skills shortage in Queensland, Australia.

Under the Regional Agriculture and Mining Industry Training Project, 15 young Emerald residents will be teamed up with local training providers and businesses to obtain qualifications relevant to local industries, including Certificate Two Resources and Infrastructure Work Preparation, Certificate Two Rural Operations, BMA generic mining inductions and structured work placement.