Mitsubishi kisses thermal coal goodbye, sells Aussie mines

Humpback whales may be the main victims of Australia's thriving coal industry, according to a study published on the May issue of the Marine Ecology Progress Series journal.

Canadian company Cameco, the world's largest uranium miner, has signed a deal to buy Nukem Energy, a German company that trades nuclear fuel products and services, for $136 million in cash plus debt.

Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer is threating to sue the Sydney Morning Herald, one of the most respected daily newspapers in Down Under, for $50 million over "totally false and improper claims" about his China First coal mine.

"It's not just resources versus the rest of the economy, it's iron ore versus the rest of resources versus the rest of the economy."

BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) added to market rumors that its nickel business is not relevant for the miner anymore by announcing yesterday it had merged the stainless steel materials unit with another struggling division: aluminum.

Rio Tinto, the world's third largest miner behind BHP Billiton and Vale, is bullish on the demand for commodities despite renewed volatility in Europe and the risk of financial contagion.

Except for Ginia of course, the only child who is not suing Gina for control of the family trust.

Canadian miner giant Teck Resources Ltd. (NYSE:TCK, TSX:TCK.B) is interested in entering the iron ore industry and would seek to acquire a producing asset rather than develop a mining project, chief executive Don Lindsay told Bloomberg yesterday at the Canada Economic Summit, in Toronto.

Giant miner Rio Tinto (LON and NYSE: RIO) says the automation technology being rolled out in driverless trucks and trains in the Pilbara will soon move to the Bowen Basin, the major coal producing region in Australia.