Unveiled this week at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh, the BRCK device is the brainchild of the Kenyan tech firm Ushahidi. Combining a rugged design with a range of connectivity options, switching between wi-fi, 3G and fixed broadband, BRCK came about as a result of a strong desire to move away from hardware that was never designed to cope with the specific issues faced in Africa.

Ever since it was first established in March of 1971 by Frank Pyott and Roger Boone, PBE’s (Pyott-Boone Electronics as it was previously known) mission has been to design and build reliable, high tech equipment to improve mine safety and productivity.

It is not hard to see why Resource Generation, a company listed on both the Australian and Johannesburg stock exchanges, was attracted to the Waterberg region of South Africa and in particular to the Boikarabelo coal mine which it has been developing since 2008. The area, in the north-east of South Africa close to the border with Botswana, is very accessible, and the quality of coal in the resource unrivalled.

Jamaica is not lacking in natural resources – for example it is a major exporter of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium – but it is not currently known as an oil producer. In fact it has to import its oil at a rate estimated at 80,000 barrels a day if oil based products like asphalt, are included. Oil to fuel cars boats and aircraft is imported from Mexico, Venezuela and other neighbouring Caribbean countries.

A quick glance over Chile’s basic health indicators makes one thing clear. With infant and maternal mortality levels amongst the lowest in Latin America, and the average life expecting coming in at close to 76 years, a figure that is up from just over 60 years in the early 1970s, it is plain to see that much of the country’s population is benefiting from what is an advanced health care system.

The privately-owned company, which specialises in drugs used in the treatment of lung disease and asthma, will be acquired in a deal worth up to $1.15 billion.

AstraZeneca, the UK's second largest drugs company, has been trying to gain a foothold in the emerging market for a new class of lung treatments known as LABA/LAMA drugs, administered via an inhaler. In purchasing Pearl Therapeutics it hopes to tap into a market where such drugs are used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which affects about 210 million people worldwide.

The economy grew by one percent between January and March, compared to the previous three months, indicating an annualised growth of 4.1%, the cabinet office said, adding to hopes of a recovery in the world's third-largest economy.

The data follows a series of aggressive policy moves aimed at spurring growth in Japan's economy. Since the re-election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in December last year, Japanese policymakers have introduced a slew of measures aimed at reviving the Japanese economy from years of stagnation.