Mixed news on the economic front again today, with the release of index figures for industrial production and prices, and consumer prices for March.

Industrial production increased 0.8 percent in March and rose at an annual rate of 6.0 percent for the first quarter as a whole. Manufacturing output increased 0.7 percent in March, its fourth consecutive month of strong expansion, producing an annual rate of 9.1 percent for the first quarter.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States has given preliminary approval for an $805.6 million direct loan to South Africa’s state-owned utility Eskom.

The financing, if eventually approved, will support Eskom's purchase of engineering and construction management services which will be used to construct the Kusile power plant, located in the Emalahleni area of Mpumulanga Province.

The loan includes a business contract for Kansas, US-based Black & Veatch to provide the engineering and construction management services to Eskom.

The first country to discover and develop key nanotechnologies will lead the next technology era, a Congressional committee was told today.

Nanoelectronics is a priority for the US economy, for high paying jobs and for the nation's ability to innovate and compete in the future, was the message put across by Dr. Jeff Welser, director of the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI) tothe House Committee on Science, Space and Technology's Subcommittee on Research and Science Education.

In 2008, things looked very uncertain for mining company Weatherly Plc. However, as CEO Rod Webster tells Jane Bordenave, overcoming a crisis has led to even greater opportunities.

Weatherly Plc is a British-based copper mining company working primarily in Namibia. It has two mining projects currently in operation—Otjihase and Matchless—both located in central Namibia; and a further two in the north of the country expected to come into production within the next three or four years.

Tellumat Electronic Manufacturing is drawing on its distinguished heritage to offer a full turnkey solution to high end industrial and consumer equipment developers.

Caspar Gerwe, director of Stage Entertainment International Touring, takes Jayne Alverca behind the scenes of Holiday on Ice, the world’s biggest ice entertainment brand.

When the Canadian/Australian minerals company Equinox Minerals Limited ventured into Saudi Arabia, it knew little about the region. Just a few months on it’s becoming clear that it made the right decision, though, as Robert Rigo, vice president of project development, told John O’Hanlon.

Having pioneered modern mining in Oman, the government-owned Oman Mining Company (OMCO) is on the threshold of developing a lucrative new copper resource. Ali Waily talks to Gay Sutton about fast tracking the project and protecting the aquifers in an area where water is precious.

Sekoko Resources wants to extend its reach from exploration and development to supporting South Africa’s energy independence by harnessing the resources it can recover with emerging power generation technology. Jayne Alverca reports.

WS Atkins, the UK-based engineering consultancy, has revealed that a pick-up in construction activity in the Middle East contributed to its strong fourth quarter results.

In a trading statement yesterday, the company said that it now anticipates results for the year ending 31 March 2011 to be ahead of current market expectations.

The company said: “The Group's operations in the Middle East have benefited from increasing activity in the second half of the year, together with further recovery of client payments against which we had previously provided.”