US court rejects coal CEO Blankenship bid to remain free during appeal

Sherritt's Q1 earnings rose 116% over the same quarter a year ago. The company reported net earnings on Thursday of $63.6 million or 22 cents a share. A year ago, the company reported only $29.4 million in net earnings or 10 cents a share. The company's sales volumes were up slightly. Sherritt's sales volumes of nickel, reported in thounsands of pounds, was 9,438 in 2011 and 9,392 in 2010, less than a one per cent increase.

Russia's two main rail lines into Asia and, in particular China, are increasingly overburdened which is causing a headache for metals firms looking to increase exports.

India's Tata Steel , the world's No 7 steelmaker, will hold on to its stake in Africa-focused Riversdale Mining , its vice chairman said on Monday. "We will continue to hold on to our stake," B Muthuraman told reporters.

Miner Anglo American stuck to its production targets on Thursday despite a first quarter that saw floods and heavy rains hampering output, with coal output from its Australian operations down by over a third. Anglo, the world's fifth-biggest diversified miner, is the latest operator to detail the impact of freak weather across its operations. Image by Jam343.

Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) (TSX: WLT), the world's leading, publicly traded "pure play" producer of metallurgical coal for the global steel industry, today announced earnings per diluted share of $1.53 and net income of $81.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2011, compared to earnings per diluted share of $0.77 and net income of $41.6 million in the first quarter 2010. Results for the period exclude results from Western Coal, which the Company acquired on April 1, 2011.

Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TCK.A and TCK.B, NYSE: TCK) announced today that it will pay an eligible dividend of $0.30 per share on its outstanding Class A common shares and Class B subordinate voting shares on July 5, 2011, to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 15, 2011.

Brazilian steelmaker CSN (CSNA3.SA: Quote)(SID.N: Quote) struck a deal to sell its 19.9 percent stake in Australian coal miner Riversdale to mining giant Rio Tinto for A$780 million ($830 million), according to a securities filing. Sao Paulo-based CSN, Brazil's largest diversified steelmaking group, sold 47.29 million Riversdale shares at a price of A$16.50 each, the filing said. The shares (RIV.AX: Quote) closed little changed at A$16.50 in Sydney on Wednesday.

Platts reports the Chinese government is planning to categorize coking coal as a strategic resource that will be “protected” via incentives to […]

Vancouver-based Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TCK.A and TCK.B, NYSE: TCK) reported earnings attributable to its shareholders of $461 million, or $0.78 per share. Adjusted quarterly profit was $450 million, or $0.76 per share, more than double the $198 million reported in the first quarter of 2010. Image by Teck Resources Limited