Nicholas Watson in Prague
Mon, 30th May -- The long-awaited consolidation of Central Europe's coal industry has yet to materialise, a fact exemplified by last year's failure of Czech coal mining group NWR to acquire the Polish miner Bogdanka. Even so, industry experts say the driving forces behind any consolidation are still there and it's only a matter of time before this process starts.

Rachel Morarjee in Moscow
Mon, 30th May -- A year after a mining disaster that killed 90, Russian coal giant Raspadskaya is setting its sights on the Chinese market and working to raise transparency at the company.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Mon, 30th May -- The Kazakhstan government has been flirting with ideas to introduce nuclear and renewable energy, but due to the country's abundant reserves, coal remains the primary source of energy. As Kazakhstan seeks to ramp up electricity production to feed growing industrial demand, expanding coal generation capacity is the cheapest way to achieve this.

Oliver Belfitt-Nash in Ulaanbaatar
Mon, 30th May -- Ten years ago, the average Mongolian herder looked at coal as just a convenient, ubiquitous fuel used to heat the tent and brew tea. Today, however, noorse (the Mongolian word for coal) is heard on the lips of hairdressers, students and investment bankers alike. Coal is now big business.