Our top stories this week: we take a look at Africa's first ‘green-city' precinct; we report on recent OECD warnings about South Africa's youth unemployment crisis; and we look at some of Africa's infrastructure needs.

Our top stories this week: a new crime-fighting system is launched in South Africa; we take a ride in a 370-horsepower electric sports car and discuss the future of eMobility with engineering group Siemens; and the artisan shortage crisis slowly starts to improve.

Our top stories this week: electronics manufacturer Sony is preparing to launch its 3D television into private homes; while Europe flounders, Africa booms; and Southern Africa establishes a regional energy efficiency centre.

Our top stories this week: Tom Albanese believes that Rio Tinto is under-invested in Africa; new biofuels technology to benefit agricultural sector; and the South African government, labour unions and business have come together to build a better mining industry.

Our top stories this week: ArcelorMittal South Africa commits itself to cleaning up its operations; the laser celebrates its 50th anniversary this year; and Steinmuller engineering services demonstrates its explosive welding technology.

The pressure equipment industry has stepped up to meet international accreditation demands to ensure compliance with both domestic and global standards, and is on a par with, or in some areas ahead of, its international counterparts, reports Pressure Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA) chairperson Peter Viljoen.

South Africa’s economy was falling further and further behind the rest of the continent owing to deficiencies in the education system and its skills development efforts, which was, in turn, eroding the country’s competitive ability, Econometrix chief economist Azar Jammine said on Thursday. Jammine pointed out during a discussion on the World Bank’s ‘Second Investment Climate Assessment' report, that South Africa’s economy has been following the trends of the world economy, but that it had not followed the rest of the African countries’ economic growth trends.

South Africa had an opportunity to further improve its business environment, as perceptions towards the country were changing in its favour, Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies said on Thursday. Speaking at the launch of the World Bank's ‘Second Investment Climate Assessment', the Minister highlighted that South Africa's business environment had fared well against those of countries in its peer group.

South African chemicals and explosives group AECI reported a near doubling of interim profits to R484-million for the six months to June 30, 2010, and reported a 127% rise in headline earnings to 238 c/share when compared with the corresponding period in 2009. Revenue from continuing operations rose 3% to R5,4-billion during the period and a cash dividend of 70 c/share was declared.

Africa's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), which is embroiled in a bitter dispute with Kumba Iron Ore (KIO) over iron-ore supply and prices, reported on Wednesday that it would, from August 1, suspend a controversial iron-ore surcharge and begin charging a "single all-in price", reflecting the higher cost of iron-ore as agreed in an interim price agreement with KIO last week. However, the company's new chief marketing officer Sunil Kumar indicated that, even under the new formula, domestic selling prices would decline by an average of 3% as from August 1, 2010, when compared with July prices, which were set against a base selling price, but also included the surcharge.

The global steel industry has returned to a solid growth footing in 2010; the RMB/BER Business Confidence index fell by seven points to a level of 36 in the second quarter; and Exxaro plans to develop clean energy power projects with a total capacity of 350 MW.

The new east-to-north directional flyover at the Gillooly's interchange is opened to traffic; Eskom's discussions with Anglo American regarding a price agreement for the Skorpion zinc mine are "progressing well"; and the CrossPolo becomes the second model of the refreshed Polo series to be introduced locally.

Gautrain announces costs to use the Gautrain first-phase service; Eskom is granted an urgent court interdict to prevent union members from striking from May 26 onwards; and transport workers call for possible sympathy stoppages.

SA transport unions reach a proposed wage deal with Transnet; South Africa could sell its stake in ArcelorMittal's South Arica unit if competition authorities find the company raised steel prices without good reason; and 300 000 jobs could be created in South Africa's renewable energy sector over the next ten years.

South African iron-ore miner Kumba Iron Ore (KIO) on Tuesday effectively moved its ongoing dispute with ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) from the realm of a pure dispute over pricing, into one that could now also affect supply, indicating to Engineering News Online that it could as "a last resort" terminate supply to Africa's largest steel producer. In a note to shareholders, the JSE-listed miner said that, unless there was urgent resolution on an interim pricing and payment mechanism, the basis upon which it would continue to supply iron-ore the steel producer could be affected.

Canadian government has undertaken to provide R140-million for the establishment of five African maths and science hubs; Africa needs huge dollops of foreign investment to tackle its massive infrastructure backlog and South Africa is due to publish its wind atlas and also its carbon-capture atlas.

Gold has emerged from beneath the skirt of the forgotten old Agnes mine in Mpumalanga; Rio Tinto is planning a massive new iron-ore mine in West Africa and Africa is the region that is growing fastest out of the global recession.

South Africa and Brazil have agreed to build a new air-to-air defence missile together; A cloud is hanging over South Africa's obligation to migrate from analogue to digital TV broadcasting and South Africa's State-owned Industrial Development Corporation is embroiled in a mining controversy in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Government, labour and business have clinched an historic mining-industry accord that other sectors should follow; As the sun sets on the FIFA World Cup, are the host cities ready to sweat their new multi-billion-rand sporting assets and The black-controlled Exxaro coal-mining company is preparing to ‘wheel' electricity from four non-Eskom power stations.

Eskom and Transnet have massively underspent their investment targets; Transnet is trying to breathe new life into South Africa's under-used branch lines with private sector help and Transnet says that it is determined to move coal into a growth trend after years of missed opportunity.