It was in Larderello, Italy, back in 1904 that the world’s first geothermal power plant was constructed, a facility that continues to produce green energy to this very day. In the 110 years since then more than 20 of the planet’s major countries have integrated geothermal power into their respective energy portfolios, countries including the US, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, Cost Rico and Iceland. Kenya, meanwhile, holds the distinction of being the first country in Africa to generate electricity from geothermal sources.

No matter how well senior executives are performing at work, they all tend to dread their annual performance review. Whilst many are trained in the art of giving feedback to their teams, how do they cope when the tables are turned on them?

Receiving feedback and acting upon it is a vital ingredient in the development of leaders in business today.

Nickel may be one of the most common elements in the earth's crust but that does not mean that it is the most accessible. Unlike some metal commodities, the global supply of nickel is concentrated in a handful of regions of the world. According to the US Geological Survey, in 2011 Russia was the world’s largest producer of nickel followed by Canada, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The increasing occurrence of cybersecurity breaches – such as the recent case at eBay when it is believed more than 145 million user accounts were infiltrated – is causing executives around the globe to seek ever more sophisticated  solutions to prevent future violations . As they review their procedures, tighten their operational environment and add additional levels of security, finding the optimum formula is still proving elusive.

The fines were imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in London and United States authorities. In a letter dated 15 July to Lloyds' chairman Lord Blackwell and made public on July 28, the governor of the Bank of England Mark J Carney, said: "Such manipulation is highly reprehensible, clearly unlawful and may amount to criminal conduct on the part of the individuals involved." In his response Blackwell, agreed that: "This was truly shocking conduct, undertaken when the bank was on a lifeline of public support."

Russia's main financial regulator unexpectedly increased its key rate half a percent from 7.5 to 8 percent on Friday, saying that even in the present situation of slowing economic growth, quelling inflation is its main priority. “Inflation risks have risen, connected, among other things, with the increased political tension and with its possible impact on the dynamics of the national currency rate, as well as with the changes in tax and tariff policies that are being discussed,” the Central Bank said in a statement on its website.

The contraction in the economy of the United States to an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the first three months of 2014 has caused the IMF to predict just 1.7 percent growth this year, the weakest since the recession ended five years ago. Introducing the new forecasts, the IMF's chief economist Olivier Blanchard (pictured) said: "The recovery continues, but it remains a weak recovery, indeed a bit weaker than we forecast in April." The reduction also reflects a number of downgrades to the outlook for several other individual economies.

When a young Welshman by the name of Herbert Evans first arrived in Johannesburg in 1889 he probably would never have believed that in 2014 a company would exist that traces its history back well over a century. It was however the young Mr Evans who introduced the production of floor polish, carriage varnish and ready-mixed tinted paints to the country of South Africa.