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.

A new report by DRBS, a rating agency, warns of increasing volatility in the potash sector with a possible softening of prices, mostly due to supply factors.

Gold Reach Resources (CVE:GRV) enjoyed a 15% lift in its stock price today on news that it has quadrupled its resource estimate at the company's Ootsa Lake property in British Columbia, about 120 kilometres south of Smithers.

Western Star Auction, based in British Columbia, will be auctioning the world's largest cut emerald on Jan. 28.

Mercator Minerals has secured a permit for operating its El Pinar porphyry copper project in Mexico.

Kinross Gold (K.TO) erased 19.46% of its value, with shares dropping to $10.65 a share on Tuesday, after it disclosed that it will take ". . . a material non-cash accounting charge, primarily relating to the goodwill recorded for the Tasiast mine in connection with the 2010 Red Back acquisition."

Australian Mining reports: Atlas Iron's chief executive says the miner may need an extra 1000 workers in three years, highlighting once again the severe skills shortage for miners that will continue in Australia into 2012.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data released last week also indicated mining jobs were in demand across Australia. While total job positions in Australia have fallen by 181,000, the new figures showed resources states QLD and WA were still hungry for mining jobs, posting a rise in available positions. Like other companies in the Pilbara, particularly BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue Metals Group, Atlas is pursuing aggressive expansion targets.

Nineteen universities and companies from Australia and China have joined forces to develop new international, collaborative approaches to mining and energy research, reports Campus Daily. Included in this group are the University of Western Australia (UWA), Huainan Mining Corporation, and Shenhua Corporation.

UWA's Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Bill Louden said the collaboration between Australian and Chinese business and researchers would benefit science and technology, and long-term economic cooperation between the two countries. The Director of UWA's Centre for Energy, Winthrop Professor Dongke Zhang FTSE, said the partners would be well placed to bid for funds from the newly-created $18 million Australia-China Science and Research Fund.

Newmont Mining, the world's fourth-largest gold miner, says it plans to spend $3.0 to $3.3 billion on capital expenditures in 2012.