INFOGRAPHIC: The numbers behind the world’s closest trade relationship

Indonesia will not be righting the perception that it's a place safe for miners after the country's supreme court said it will not hear Churchill Mining's (LON:CHL) appeal in its two-year legal battle to get compensation for a coal project that the company says was unfairly seized.

In China’s Qinhuangdao, the world’s largest coal port by capacity, inventories have exceeded levels last seen in late 2008 during the height of the financial crisis.

Illegality in the mining sector has deprived state governments of badly needed revenues, threatened the industry with costly and unpredictable shutdowns, and generated political chaos that helped bring down two state governments in 2011 and 2012.

Kentucky still has plenty of friends of coal and many turned out to bash federal regulators who have delayed action on 36 mining permits the state issued in 2010 and 2011.

Argentina's mining exports have virtually ground to a halt and companies are stockpiling gold, copper and other minerals due to foreign exchange rules that are impossible to comply with, a top industry executive said Tuesday.

Last year coal was the the only fossil fuel to record above average worldwide growth at 5.4%, while nuclear power consumption was off 4.3%, the largest decline on record, said BP in its look at energy use in 2011.

Nathan Tinkler had been widely expected to sell down his 21% stake in Whitehaven Coal, but is instead looking to taking over the business.

Greenpeace takes out ads saying investing in the mega-mine is "risky business" and calls into question the ability of India's GVK to pull off the project as the group "has never built a mine in Australia." State and federals officials call the campaign "deplorable and obnoxious." And that's just this week.

The 49-year-old boss of the world's largest mining company took home £9.8 million ($15.2 million) last year including bonuses, pension contributions and stock options.