US coal exports increased 35% to 53.6 million short tons through June 2011, according to a recent edition of NMA’s (National Mining Association) International Coal Review. Strong demand from Asia and Europe for steam and metallurgical coal is expected to push coal exports above 100 million tons by the year’s end, the highest level in nearly 20 years. NMA’s economic forecast prepared in May predicted 2011 coal exports would reach 101.5 million tons (up 24%).

Sensidyne, LP, a leading manufacturer and supplier of industrial health and safety equipment, releases the CDEM-1000 for sale. The Sensidyne CDEM-1000 Coal Dust Explosibility Meter is a portable, handheld, easy-to-use instrument, designed to provide a direct indication of the potential explosibility of a coal and rock dust mixture in accordance with Title 30, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 75.403.

Following extensive research, Cordner Aviation Group (CAG) has announced it will enter the growing worldwide mining, exploration and energy market sectors, offering aircraft with conversions based on proven Bae 146 and Avro RJ platforms. These are purpose-outfitted for the mining industry’s unique requirements. According to Stewart Cordner, the company’s president, “You might say we found a golden opportunity in this often overlooked market and the initial reactions to the Surveyor and our range of design concepts–resulting from many candid conversations with prospects in the mining industry–have been totally positive.”

WA's resources sector has been issued an SOS from the nation's steel and manufacturing industries to ramp up investment in Australian products to prevent thousands of more jobs going offshore.

Ivanhoe Mines (TSE:IVN,NYSE:IVN,NASDAW:IVN) announced an update to the production potential of its Oyu Tolgoi project.

Lawyers for Swiss mining giant Xstrata are in court today defending a massive coal project slated for Queensland. The AU$6 billion Wandoan coal mine has come under fire by environmentalists for its potential negative effects on the Great Barrier Reef. Bloomberg reports that Friends of the Earth, an international environmental lobby group, is attempting to block the mine’s approval at a trial in Brisbane that’s scheduled to take two weeks, arguing the coal exported from the project and burned overseas will add to global warming.

Tawsho Mining Inc. (TAW.V) is now surging 32%, hits a new year high of about 37 cents earlier, after announcing results from its summer 2011 drill campaignon its Whisker Valley Gold Project.

The platinum miner said Monday it was still in talks with the Zimbabwean capital over a key deadline after its indigenization plan was rejected last week.

Canadian company Silvercorp Metals Inc. said Monday it is buying a controlling share in two Chinese mining companies for about $10.4 million, including debt. Silvercorp will hold a 90 percent stake in Zhongxing Mining Co. Ltd. and Chuanxin Mining Co. Ltd. It will pay $4.3 million cash for the two companies and assume $6.1 million in debt. Silvercorp is making the purchase through its majority-controlled Henan Found Mining Co. unit.