South African maize futures ticked up further on Tuesday in line with Chicago and had scope for more gains given lingering concerns about this year’s harvest, traders said. The benchmark December white maize contract climbed R15 to R1 454 a tonne, bringing its gains so far this year to roughly 26%.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) cartel scolded consuming nations on Tuesday for forcing it to spend billions on spare crude production capacity while sending confusing policy signals on future demand. Opec has an estimated 100 exploration and production projects with investment in the region of -billion to meet rising demand.
Pedro De la Rosa will replace Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team, it was announced on Tuesday. The Spaniard will compete for McLaren for the first time as a first-choice driver at this Sunday’s French Grand Prix, the team said.
Seven tourists were killed and 35 people injured on Tuesday in a series of grenade attacks targeting holiday areas in the main city of revolt-hit Indian Kashmir, police said. In the bloodiest of the attacks blamed on Islamic separatist rebels, six tourists, including five women, were killed and 15 people wounded.
Hundreds of fighters who were battling Somalia’s Islamic militia in the capital, Mogadishu, surrendered early on Tuesday after a surge of violence that has killed more than 70 people and wounded 150 since Sunday, officials said. The fighters, loyal to secular warlord Abdi Awale Qaybdiid, turned over their arms, top Islamic commanders said.
Israel battered the Gaza Strip with fresh air strikes on Tuesday as troops stood poised to launch more incursions in a deadly offensive that has killed more than 50 Palestinians in a week. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert defended the operation, aimed at securing the release of an abducted teenage soldier and halting rocket attacks.
Consideration of legislation by South African members of Parliament to provide Fifa with a legislative platform to manage South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup in 2010 began at Parliament on Tuesday — with a discussion whether previous versions of the South African flag should be banned during the staging of matches.
Official records at the South African Department of Labour show that many unions and employer organisations are not "in good standing" in as far as registration procedures and legal requirements expected from bona fide organisations are concerned, the department said on Tuesday in a statement.
North Korea’s Vice-Minister Kim Hyong Jun arrived at the Union Buildings on Tuesday for bilateral discussions with Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad. High on the agenda of the meeting, that is expected to last just over two hours, would be North Korea’s test firing of seven missiles last week including a long-range Taepodong-2, believed to be able to hit Alaska or Hawaii.
Former Western Cape premier Peter Marais told his environment planning minister David Malatsi to make a ”political decision” on the Roodefontein golf-estate development if it was necessary, the Bellville Regional Court heard on Tuesday. He and Marais face corruption charges over payments totalling R400Â 000 to the New National Party in 2002, which the state claims were bribes.