Three productivity apps, Word, Excel and Powerpoint, are the first to become available, each optimised for touch-based controls. In a matter of hours after the launch, Word had become the most downloaded application for iPads in Apple's app store, with Excel and Powerpoint apps ranked third and fourth respectively.

The decision to use the money to purchase a mix of 30 planes from Airbus and 40 from Boeing, a record order for Japan’s biggest airline, comes as the company anticipates a rise in the demand for air travel when Tokyo hosts the Olympic Games in 2020.

Oculus VR is the Californian company behind the Oculus Rift, an immersive, google-like headset designed for video gaming. The device was developed through $2.4 million sourced by the crowdfunding website Kickstarter and subsequent investment of $75 million. Despite not yet being released there are 75,000 orders already in place for the development kits.

The incredibly reaction to Oculus Rift has already had ripple effects throughout the world of technology, with Sony being the latest company to announce the development of a rival product.

Ed Macha always felt there was a better way. Fascinated since childhood by the possibilities of automation, he learned the industry inside and out, knowing one day he would be the one to transform it. Beginning at the age of 15, he spent his summers sweeping electrical room floors and troubleshooting pull cords on conveyor belts at a mine site in Mexico.

Having been in production since late 2005, it took less than five years for Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine to produce its one-millionth ounce of gold. Located in the western highlands of Guatemala, 300 kilometres northwest of Guatemala City in the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacan, in an area boasting elevations ranging from 1,800 to 2,300 metres above sea level, Marlin has operated as both an open pit and underground mine, and continues to generate significant cash flow.

Founded in 1954, EXSA Peru is today part of Breca, the leading economic group in Peru, and is the country’s leading provider of rock fragmentation solutions to the mining and construction industries, with more than a 50 percent market share. The company’s market leadership is reflected in both its recent sales growth and its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

Born in 1998 following the merging of two Générale des Eaux subsidiaries, Compagnie Générale de Chauffe and Esys Montenay, it was in 2000 that Dalkia opened up its capital to the French electricity provider EDF, following an agreement between the provider and Vivendi Environmental. Representing the Energy Services Division of Veolia Environment, Dalkia is one of Europe’s leading energy companies, boasting operations in 35 countries and achieving managed revenues of €8.9 billion in 2012.

Nowadays, aquaculture is a major economic activity in Chile, due to its excellent geographic, climatic and water quality conditions. In fact, by 2006 the country had risen to become the second largest global producer of salmon, behind only Norway, while in the case of mussels it retains its crown as the largest global producer.

“When I look over the last two years, while I do see a highly problematic gold market, particularly for producers, I also see evidence to suggest that the long-term outlook is pretty good. Primarily this is because many of the underpinning reasons for the rise in gold price in the first place continue to exist, reasons like high degrees of sovereign debt.”

Proudly boasting a free and thriving economy, Kuwait stands tall amongst the top twenty richest nations on the planet. Among a number of other achievements, the Middle Eastern country has developed one of the largest shipping industries in the Arabian Gulf, within which exists Al Rashed International Shipping Company, one of, if not the leading player in the Kuwaiti marine sector.