* Lira leads EMEA FX gains
* MSCI EM stocks index recovers from worst week in 10 months
* Russian rouble lags on political concerns
By Ambar Warrick
Feb 1 (Reuters) &#8211; Turkey&#8217;s lira hit an over five-month high on Monday after positive manufacturing-sector data, while emerging market stocks bounced back from last week&#8217;s losses as readings from China showed a continued economic recovery.
The lira rose 1.1% to the dollar, leading gains across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) after Turkey&#8217;s manufacturing sector expanded at a strong pace in January.
Output, exports and new orders all showed growth after being subdued over the past two months on a second wave of coronavirus cases.
Sentiment towards the lira has also improved after the central bank vowed to keep monetary policy tight until inflation cools.
Turkish stocks rose 0.6%, while the MSCI&#8217;s index of emerging market stocks jumped 1.8% after marking its worst week in 10 months.
Concerns over spiking virus cases and sluggish vaccinations, as well as doubts over new U.S. stimulus measures had dampened sentiment over the last week of January.
Most emerging market assets still gained for the month, however, as investors bet on a sustained economic recovery this year, driven by vaccine programmes eventually gaining momentum.
Data from China &#8211; a large trading partner for several EMEA economies &#8211; showed a continued expansion in the country&#8217;s massive manufacturing sector through January. But spiking infections in the country caused activity to expand at its slowest pace in five months.
&#8220;While we think China will likely continue to benefit from exports of stay at home goods and medical equipment in Q1 21, given renewed lockdowns in the U.S. and Europe, the implication from the PMI data is that China&#8217;s recent robust trade performance will soften, albeit from a high level,&#8221; Mitul Kotecha, senior emerging markets strategist at TD Securities, wrote in a note.
Gains in Russia&#8217;s rouble were stifled by concerns over more political unrest after nationwide protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The incident has also angered the West, and could result in sanctions against Moscow.
Data showed Russia&#8217;s manufacturing activity returned to growth in January.
South Africa&#8217;s rand and stocks rose after January manufacturing activity expanded slightly. For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance in 2021, see http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance in 2021, see https://tmsnrt.rs/2OusNdX

For TOP NEWS across emerging markets
For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see
For TURKISH market report, see
For RUSSIAN market report, see (Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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EMERGING MARKETS-Lira hits 5-month high on manufacturing boost, stocks recover

By Colin Packham
CANBERRA, Feb 1 (Reuters) &#8211; Australia&#8217;s COVID-19 inoculation programme will cost at least A$6.3 billion ($4.8 billion), Prime Minister Scott Morrison plans to say on Monday.
Australia &#8211; which until Sunday had gone two weeks without any locally acquired cases of COVID-19 &#8211; is expected to begin administering vaccines this month.
Although it has pledged to spend A$4.4 billion to acquire enough doses for its 26 million population, Morrison will say that his government has set aside a further A$1.9 billion to pay for the roll-out.
&#8220;The strategy is backed by an initial allocation of around A$1.9 billion in new support for the vaccine roll-out. This is on top of more than $4.4 billion allocated for vaccines purchases,&#8221; according to extracts of a speech Morrison will deliver in Canberra on Monday.
Classifying the inoculation programme as his &#8220;first priority,&#8221; Morrison will add that the country&#8217;s economy must now begin to wean itself from government spending.
Australia has pledged more than A$250 billion in stimulus, which has already begun to taper.
Highlighting recent strong economic data, Morrison will say there is a limit to the support government can afford.
“We are not running a blank cheque budget,&#8221; Morrison will say in the speech.
Morrison&#8217;s speech comes as the Australian city of Perth begins its first full day of lockdown after the detection of a COVID-19 case.
The person infected, a security guard in his 20s, was working at a hotel where four people in quarantine had active cases of the virus, including the highly contagious strains that have been linked to Britain and South Africa, local health authorities said. (Reporting by Colin Packham. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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Australia’s COVID-19 inoculation programme to cost at least $4.8 billion, PM to say

Jan 31 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday -14 Patrick Reed (USA) 64 72 70 68 -9 Tony Finau (USA) 69 67 74 69 Viktor Hovland (Norway) 70 65 73 71 Henrik Norlander (Sweden) 73 69 68 69 Ryan Palmer (USA) 66 70 73 70 Xander Schauffele (USA) 70 72 68 69 -8 Lanto Griffin (USA) 66 70 72 72 Jon Rahm (Spain) 69 67 72 72 Will Zalatoris (USA) 68 71 70 71 -7 Luke List (USA) 66 77 72 66 Peter Malnati (USA) 66 71 73 71 Francesco Molinari (Italy) 72 71 72 66 Sam Ryder (USA) 71 69 69 72 Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 72 67 72 70 Adam Scott (Australia) 67 69 72 73 -6 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 68 71 70 73 Robby Shelton (USA) 73 64 73 72 -5 Joseph Bramlett (USA) 69 73 74 67 Sam Burns (USA) 66 72 70 75 Adam Hadwin (Canada) 69 70 73 71 Bo Hoag (USA) 72 69 71 71 Max Homa (USA) 71 68 72 72 Marc Leishman (Australia) 71 70 72 70 J.T. Poston (USA) 69 74 71 69 Ted Potter Jr (USA) 71 69 72 71 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 70 72 73 68 Kyle Stanley (USA) 72 70 70 71 Cameron Tringale (USA) 72 69 72 70 -4 Jason Kokrak (USA) 70 69 74 71 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 72 71 70 71 Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) 72 68 66 78 -3 Wyndham Clark (USA) 67 73 73 72 Cameron Davis (Australia) 70 71 71 73 Sungjae Im (Korea Republic) 69 74 69 73 Brandt Snedeker (USA) 69 70 77 69 Sepp Straka (Austria) 69 74 77 65 -2 Corey Conners (Canada) 72 71 73 70 Doug Ghim (USA) 70 71 73 72 Alex Noren (Sweden) 64 74 75 73 Kevin Streelman (USA) 68 75 73 70 Justin Suh (USA) 71 72 73 70 -1 Bronson Burgoon (USA) 69 74 74 70 Lucas Glover (USA) 68 72 75 72 Will Gordon (USA) 67 70 75 75 Bill Haas (USA) 71 71 72 73 Brandon Hagy (USA) 66 75 73 73 Tom Lewis (England) 68 75 71 73 0 Talor Gooch (USA) 66 74 77 71 Matt Jones (Australia) 70 73 74 71 Matthew NeSmith (USA) 70 73 76 69 Cameron Percy (Australia) 71 72 73 72 Gary Woodland (USA) 66 75 77 70 1 Rickie Fowler (USA) 70 73 73 73 Dylan Frittelli (South Africa) 70 73 71 75 Rhein Gibson (Australia) 66 76 73 74 Michael Kim (USA) 69 74 74 72 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 74 68 74 73 Phil Mickelson (USA) 71 72 74 72 Roger Sloan (Canada) 68 73 78 70 2 Kelly Kraft (USA) 73 69 79 69 Chase Seiffert (USA) 72 68 76 74 Steve Stricker (USA) 72 70 77 71 Richy Werenski (USA) 69 69 73 79 Xinjun Zhang (China PR) 70 73 74 73 3 Harry Higgs (USA) 71 69 76 75 John Huh (USA) 69 72 76 74 Danny Lee (New Zealand) 74 67 76 74 Kyle Mendoza (USA) 73 69 77 72 4 K.J. Choi (Korea Republic) 66 76 77 73 Tain Lee (USA) 71 72 75 74 Pat Perez (USA) 71 70 77 74 5 Troy Merritt (USA) 71 72 76 74 6 Denny McCarthy (USA) 67 75 73 79 Tim Wilkinson (New Zealand) 67 76 80 71 8 Byeong Hun An (Korea Republic) 72 71 75 78 Tyler Mccumber (USA) 76 67 78 75 9 Jason Dufner (USA) 74 69 78 76 Kevin Stadler (USA) 71 72 77 77 10 Grayson Murray (USA) 69 73 81 75 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open Scores

ACCRA, Jan 31 (Reuters) &#8211; Ghana plans to procure 17.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June with the first doses arriving in March, President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Sunday.
Like other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is battling a second wave of the novel coronavirus. Its daily infection rate is rising and is close to record levels, data compiled by Reuters shows. So far it has recorded over 63,000 cases and 416 deaths.
&#8220;Our aim is to vaccinate the entire population, with an initial target of twenty million people,&#8221; Akufo-Addo said in a speech to the West African nation of around 30 million.
He did not say which vaccines they planned to acquire.
As richer nations race ahead with mass immunisation campaigns, Africa is scrambling to obtain supplies for its 1.3 billion people. Only a handful of African nations have begun giving doses.


(Reporting by Christian Akorlie Writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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Ghana aims to get 17.6 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine by June

Jan 31 (Reuters) &#8211; England&#8217;s Paul Casey claimed his 15th European Tour title after a closing round of two-under-par 70 handed him a dominant four-shot victory at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.
Casey has previously lifted trophies in the United Arab Emirates with victories in Abu Dhabi in 2007 and 2009 and he made it a hat-trick in the desert at the Emirates Golf Club with a score of 17-under, four clear of South Africa&#8217;s Brandon Stone.
The 43-year-old also boosted his chances to make a fifth Ryder Cup appearance in September, with the Dubai triumph tying him with 2018 European captain Thomas Bjorn and current skipper Padraig Harrington for Tour wins.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very, very special,&#8221; said Casey, whose latest Tour triumph comes 20 years after his first. &#8220;It&#8217;s an unbelievable roster (of winners). That&#8217;s so cool, I&#8217;ve worked so hard.
&#8220;I feel like I&#8217;ve regained my youth, I mean that sincerely.&#8221;
Starting with a one-shot advantage, Casey struck two birdies and two bogeys for a level-par 35 on the front nine to extend his lead to three strokes, with Stone bogeying three of his opening seven holes.
Stone recovered with three quickfire birdies on the back nine but Casey never looked in danger as he cruised to victory that will move him back into the top 20 when the world rankings are updated on Monday.
A 15th European Tour title triumph also takes Casey past the tally of three-times Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy and makes it 350 tournament wins for English players.
Scot Robert MacIntyre finished third at 12-under after carding four consecutive bogeys in a round of 74, while England&#8217;s Laurie Canter and Finland&#8217;s Kalle Samooja were tied for fourth a further two strokes behind. (Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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Golf-Casey cruises to victory in Dubai for 15th European Tour crown

Jan 31 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the European Tour Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday -17 Paul Casey (England) 67 70 64 70 -13 Brandon Stone (South Africa) 70 67 66 72 -12 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 67 68 67 74 -10 Laurie Canter (England) 70 68 68 72 Kalle Samooja (Finland) 68 68 71 71 -9 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 66 73 67 73 Padraig Harrington (Republic of Ireland) 71 69 69 70 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 73 68 69 69 -8 Adri Arnaus (Spain) 68 69 74 69 Thomas Detry (Belgium) 67 67 74 72 Rasmus Hojgaard (Denmark) 72 72 69 67 Takumi Kanaya (Japan) 70 69 72 69 Alexander Levy (France) 70 68 71 71 Antoine Rozner (France) 70 71 69 70 Matthias Schwab (Austria) 70 69 73 68 Ashun Wu (China PR) 71 71 70 68 -7 Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) 70 71 70 70 Tommy Fleetwood (England) 68 68 73 72 Lee Westwood (England) 69 68 72 72 -6 Kurt Kitayama (USA) 65 72 75 70 Richard Sterne (South Africa) 64 74 75 69 -5 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) 74 70 70 69 Tyrrell Hatton (England) 76 64 71 72 Lucas Herbert (Australia) 74 66 72 71 Wade Ormsby (Australia) 68 73 71 71 Shubhankar Sharma (India) 70 68 72 73 -4 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 70 73 67 74 Grant Forrest (Scotland) 74 69 71 70 Justin Harding (South Africa) 66 70 72 76 Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 70 71 68 75 Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland) 70 72 67 75 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 71 73 68 72 Jeff Winther (Denmark) 69 75 71 69 Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 71 67 76 70 -3 Alexander Björk (Sweden) 71 71 73 70 Dean Burmester (South Africa) 72 72 71 70 Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain) 73 71 66 75 Mikko Korhonen (Finland) 70 67 72 76 David Lipsky (USA) 72 71 68 74 Justin Rose (England) 71 69 68 77 -2 Nino Bertasio (Italy) 75 68 72 71 Ryan Fox (New Zealand) 73 69 71 73 Jason Scrivener (Australia) 75 69 70 72 -1 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 68 70 75 74 Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 74 69 70 74 Guido Migliozzi (Italy) 71 67 73 76 Danny Willett (England) 74 69 72 72 0 Steven Brown (England) 72 70 72 74 Jayden Schaper (South Africa) 70 73 74 71 Andy Sullivan (England) 70 72 73 73 1 Ashley Chesters (England) 72 72 72 73 Sean Crocker (USA) 71 73 73 72 Nacho Elvira (Spain) 71 72 74 72 Benjamin Hebert (France) 72 72 72 73 Pablo Larrazábal (Spain) 70 73 71 75 Adrian Otaegui (Spain) 67 74 72 76 Sami Valimaki (Finland) 71 73 73 72 Matt Wallace (England) 71 71 72 75 2 Justin Walters (South Africa) 72 70 69 79 3 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 68 71 74 78 George Coetzee (South Africa) 72 72 74 73 Ross Fisher (England) 68 74 74 75 Marcus Kinhult (Sweden) 70 72 74 75 Jordan L Smith (England) 71 73 75 72 Chris Wood (England) 71 73 74 73 4 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 76 67 74 75 6 Renato Paratore (Italy) 74 70 73 77 7 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 74 70 76 75 Collin Morikawa (USA) 71 73 76 75 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 71 72 76 76 9 Gavin Green (Malaysia) 73 71 83 70 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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European Tour Omega Dubai Desert Classic Scores

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 31 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa has secured an additional 20 million coronavirus vaccines manufactured by Pfizer, national newspaper The Sunday Times reported on Sunday, citing an interview with the health minister.
Africa&#8217;s most advanced economy has been one of the slowest among major emerging market nations to secure enough vaccines for the majority of its population and is due to begin administering first shots next month.
The extra doses would potentially push total supply secured by the continent&#8217;s worst-hit country above 40 million. South Africa has recorded more than 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 with close to 44,000 deaths.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told the Sunday Times: &#8220;These vaccines are secured and awaiting manufacturers to submit final agreements with details of delivery dates and exact amounts.&#8221;
The article did not give further details and the ministry did not immediately responded to questions from Reuters.
South Africa has so far secured around 12 million doses from the COVAX vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization, 12 million from an African Union arrangement, and 9 million from Johnson &amp; Johnson.
Its first batch of 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses is due to arrive on Feb. 1, destined for healthcare workers. They are the AstraZeneca shots, produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
A further 500,000 doses is expected from the SII in February, also for health workers. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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South Africa to receive extra 20 mln COVID-19 vaccines, paper says

MOSCOW/TUNIS, Jan 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Tunisia has become the third country in Africa to register Russia&#8217;s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Saturday.
Tunisian health ministry said the registration would be valid for one year.
To date Sputnik V has been registered in Russia, Belarus, Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, the UAE, Iran and the Republic of Guinea.
(Reporting by Anton Zverev and Tarek Amara Writing by Maxim Rodionov Editing by Katya Golubkova)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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Tunisia registers Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, says RDIF

By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO, Jan 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Clinical trial data on two COVID-19 vaccines show that a coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa is lessening their ability to protect against the illness, underscoring the need to vaccinate vast numbers of people as quickly as possible, scientists said.
The vaccines from Novavax Inc and Johnson &amp; Johnson were welcomed as important future weapons in curbing deaths and hospitalizations in a pandemic that has infected more than 101 million people and claimed over 2 million lives worldwide.
But they were significantly less effective at preventing COVID-19 in trial participants in South Africa, where the potent new variant is widespread, compared with countries in which this mutation is still rare, according to preliminary data released by the companies.
&#8220;Clearly, the mutants have a diminishing effect on the efficacy of the vaccines,&#8221; Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said in a briefing. &#8220;We can see that we are going to be challenged.&#8221;
Novavax reported midstage trial results on Thursday that showed its vaccine was 50% effective overall at preventing COVID-19 among people in South Africa.
That compared with late-stage results from the United Kingdom, in which the vaccine was up to 89.3% effective at preventing COVID-19.
On Friday, J&amp;J said a single shot of its coronavirus vaccine was 66% effective overall in a massive trial across three continents.
But there were wide differences by region. In the United States, where the South African variant was first reported this week, efficacy reached 72%, compared with just 57% in South Africa, where the new variant, known as B 1.351, made up 95% of the COVID-19 cases reported in the trial.
Another highly transmissible variant first discovered in the UK and now in more than half of U.S. states has been less able to evade vaccine efficacy than its South African counterpart.
The new findings, however, raise questions about how highly-effective vaccines from Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech, and Moderna Inc will fare against new variants. The two vaccines showed an efficacy of around 95% in trials conducted primarily in the United States before the new virus versions were identified in other countries.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a different pandemic now,&#8221; said Dr. Dan Barouch, a researcher at Harvard University Medical School&#8217;s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston who helped develop the J&amp;J vaccine.
Barouch said there are now a wide variety of new variants circulating, including in Brazil, South Africa and even the United States, that are substantially resistant to vaccine-induced antibodies.
Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said there was &#8220;a high possibility&#8221; that emerging variants may eventually render the company&#8217;s vaccine ineffective.
&#8220;This is not the case yet &#8230; but I think it&#8217;s a very high likelihood that one day that will happen,&#8221; Bourla said at the World Economic Forum. The drugmaker is considering whether its vaccine needs to be altered to defend against the South African variant.

&#8216;STOP HOSPITALS FROM GOING INTO CRISIS&#8217;
Experts said that all four vaccines still have great value in their ability to reduce severe COVID-19.
&#8220;The end game is to stop death, to stop hospitals from going into crisis &#8211; and all of these vaccines, even including against the South African variant, seem to do that substantially,&#8221; said Dr. Amesh Adalja, in infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
For example, J&amp;J&#8217;s vaccine was 89% effective at preventing severe disease in South Africa.
J&amp;J Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said he suspects a type of immune system reaction called a T-cell response is playing a protective role and may be helping to prevent severe disease.
&#8220;We knew that to a certain extent, but it&#8217;s also better and very confirming that we can see that now in the clinic,&#8221; Stoffels said in an interview.
Nevertheless, Fauci said the decreased efficacy rates underscore the need to follow variants closely, and to accelerate vaccination efforts before new, and even more dangerous, mutations arise.
&#8220;The best way to prevent further evolution of a virus is to prevent it from replicating,&#8221; Fauci said, &#8220;and you do that by vaccinating people as quickly as you possibly can.&#8221; (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Additional reporting by Rebecca Spalding in New York and Michael Erman in Maplewood, New Jersey; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Bill Berkrot)
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Fresh data show toll South African virus variant takes on vaccine efficacy

Jan 30 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the European Tour Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday -15 Paul Casey (England) 67 70 64 -14 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 67 68 67 -13 Brandon Stone (South Africa) 70 67 66 -10 Laurie Canter (England) 70 68 68 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 66 73 67 -9 Kalle Samooja (Finland) 68 68 71 -8 Thomas Detry (Belgium) 67 67 74 Justin Harding (South Africa) 66 70 72 Justin Rose (England) 71 69 68 -7 Tommy Fleetwood (England) 68 68 73 Padraig Harrington (Republic of Ireland) 71 69 69 Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 70 71 68 Mikko Korhonen (Finland) 70 67 72 Alexander Levy (France) 70 68 71 Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland) 70 72 67 Lee Westwood (England) 69 68 72 -6 Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain) 73 71 66 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 70 73 67 Antoine Rozner (France) 70 71 69 Shubhankar Sharma (India) 70 68 72 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 73 68 69 -5 Adri Arnaus (Spain) 68 69 74 Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) 70 71 70 Tyrrell Hatton (England) 76 64 71 Takumi Kanaya (Japan) 70 69 72 David Lipsky (USA) 72 71 68 Guido Migliozzi (Italy) 71 67 73 Justin Walters (South Africa) 72 70 69 -4 Lucas Herbert (Australia) 74 66 72 Kurt Kitayama (USA) 65 72 75 Wade Ormsby (Australia) 68 73 71 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 71 73 68 Matthias Schwab (Austria) 70 69 73 Ashun Wu (China PR) 71 71 70 -3 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 68 71 74 Ryan Fox (New Zealand) 73 69 71 Rasmus Hojgaard (Denmark) 72 72 69 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 68 70 75 Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 74 69 70 Adrian Otaegui (Spain) 67 74 72 Richard Sterne (South Africa) 64 74 75 -2 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) 74 70 70 Steven Brown (England) 72 70 72 Grant Forrest (Scotland) 74 69 71 Pablo Larrazábal (Spain) 70 73 71 Jason Scrivener (Australia) 75 69 70 Matt Wallace (England) 71 71 72 Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 71 67 76 -1 Nino Bertasio (Italy) 75 68 72 Alexander Björk (Sweden) 71 71 73 Dean Burmester (South Africa) 72 72 71 Andy Sullivan (England) 70 72 73 Danny Willett (England) 74 69 72 Jeff Winther (Denmark) 69 75 71 0 Ashley Chesters (England) 72 72 72 Ross Fisher (England) 68 74 74 Benjamin Hebert (France) 72 72 72 Marcus Kinhult (Sweden) 70 72 74 1 Sean Crocker (USA) 71 73 73 Nacho Elvira (Spain) 71 72 74 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 76 67 74 Renato Paratore (Italy) 74 70 73 Jayden Schaper (South Africa) 70 73 74 Sami Valimaki (Finland) 71 73 73 2 George Coetzee (South Africa) 72 72 74 Chris Wood (England) 71 73 74 3 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 71 72 76 Jordan L Smith (England) 71 73 75 4 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 74 70 76 Collin Morikawa (USA) 71 73 76 11 Gavin Green (Malaysia) 73 71 83 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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By Amlan Chakraborty
NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Keeping wicket on India&#8217;s low and turning tracks is a stumper&#8217;s litmus test and England&#8217;s Jos Buttler is keen to ace it in his only appearance in the four-test series between the sides next month.
The Indian pitches traditionally offer little bounce, forcing wicketkeepers to stand closer, which demands quick reflex to grab any edge.
&#8220;There&#8217;s some big challenges keeping wicket, the way the pitch will change and deteriorate over the five days,&#8221; Buttler told a video conference on Saturday.
&#8220;There&#8217;s less carry for the seam bowlers than we&#8217;re used to in England or Australia and South Africa.
&#8220;So you&#8217;re standing quite close and a lot of the chances are very quick, reactive chances.&#8221;
&#8220;And then obviously the challenge of standing up to the spinners when the ball starts to turn&#8230;&#8221;
Buttler kept wicket in Sri Lanka but will return home after the opening test in Chennai as part of England&#8217;s policy to rest their multi-format players.
Ben Foakes is likely to take over the gloves from him but Buttler wants to prove his wicketkeeping credentials before heading home.
&#8220;I certainly enjoyed being in Sri Lanka and the ball turning past the bat, it&#8217;s exciting,&#8221; the 30-year-old said.
&#8220;I think wicketkeeping in spinning conditions is a lot of fun.&#8221;
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) rested speedster Jofra Archer and all-rounder Ben Stokes for the Sri Lanka series, while opener Rory Burns was granted paternity leave.
The trio have rejoined the team in India but Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood will be available only for the last two tests as part of the ECB&#8217;s rotation policy.
&#8220;I think the ECB has been very forward-thinking,&#8221; Buttler said, praising the board for recognising the challenges of living in bio-bubbles following the COVID-19 pandemic.
&#8220;Sadly that does mean certain players resting at certain times and missing games which you never want because you want to play every time and you want your strongest team out every time&#8230;&#8221; added Buttler. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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Cricket-England’s Buttler ready to ace ultimate keeping test in India

BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) &#8211; A ship carrying iron ore from west Africa&#8217;s Tonkolili mine set sail for China from the Port of Pepel in Sierra Leone on Friday, China&#8217;s official Xinhua news agency said.
The shipment was the first export from the mine since Chinese firm Kingho Investment Co Ltd took over the project, Xinhua said. The report did not detail the size of the shipment.
Kingho could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday.
The mine, which has estimated resources of 13.7 billion tonnes, was previously owned by China&#8217;s state-backed Shandong Iron &amp; Steel Group.
Shandong bought the mine in 2015 but stopped operations when the Sierra Leone government cancelled its licence, along with those of several other big projects, in 2019 amid a push to ensure the country benefited from its natural resources. (https://reut.rs/3t8Q36e)
Kingho restarted operations at the site, complete with a rail and port transportation system, last September, Xinhua cited the company&#8217;s director as saying.
Kingho plans to construct a plant to process high grade products from raw magnetite and build an industrial park in the future, Xinhua reported, without providing a timetable.
China has been trying to ease its reliance of overseas iron ore, which accounts for 80% of its current consumption per year. The country aims to build one or two major overseas iron ore mines by 2025.
The most-traded iron ore futures prices on Dalian Commodity Exchange surged over 50% in 2020 and broke above 1,000 yuan ($155.64) a tonne to a record high.
($1 = 6.4250 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Min Zhang and Norihiko Shirouzu; editing by Jane Wardell)
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China’s Kingho ships first batch of iron ore from Sierra Leone’s Tonkolili mine

Jan 30 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday -8 Tony Finau (USA) 69 Lanto Griffin (USA) 66 Viktor Hovland (Norway) 70 Ryan Palmer (USA) 66 Jon Rahm (Spain) 69 Patrick Reed (USA) 64 Adam Scott (Australia) 67 -7 Will Gordon (USA) 67 Peter Malnati (USA) 66 Robby Shelton (USA) 73 -6 Alex Noren (Sweden) 64 Richy Werenski (USA) 69 -5 Sam Burns (USA) 66 Adam Hadwin (Canada) 69 Max Homa (USA) 71 Jason Kokrak (USA) 70 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 68 Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 72 Brandt Snedeker (USA) 69 Will Zalatoris (USA) 68 -4 Wyndham Clark (USA) 67 Lucas Glover (USA) 68 Talor Gooch (USA) 66 Harry Higgs (USA) 71 Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) 72 Ted Potter Jr (USA) 71 Sam Ryder (USA) 71 Chase Seiffert (USA) 72 -3 Cameron Davis (Australia) 70 Rickie Fowler (USA) 70 Doug Ghim (USA) 70 Rhein Gibson (Australia) 66 Brandon Hagy (USA) 66 Bo Hoag (USA) 72 John Huh (USA) 69 Tain Lee (USA) 71 Marc Leishman (Australia) 71 Pat Perez (USA) 71 Roger Sloan (Canada) 68 Steve Stricker (USA) 72 Cameron Tringale (USA) 72 -2 Joseph Bramlett (USA) 69 K.J. Choi (Korea Republic) 66 Bill Haas (USA) 71 Kelly Kraft (USA) 73 Danny Lee (New Zealand) 74 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 74 Denny McCarthy (USA) 67 Kyle Mendoza (USA) 73 Francesco Molinari (Italy) 72 Grayson Murray (USA) 69 Seung-Yul Noh (Korea Republic) 68 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 70 Kyle Stanley (USA) 72 Gary Woodland (USA) 66 -1 Byeong Hun An (Korea Republic) 72 Bronson Burgoon (USA) 69 Corey Conners (Canada) 72 Jason Dufner (USA) 74 Dylan Frittelli (South Africa) 70 Sungjae Im (Korea Republic) 69 Matt Jones (Australia) 70 Michael Kim (USA) 69 Si Woo Kim (Korea Republic) 68 Hank Lebioda (USA) 73 Tom Lewis (England) 68 Luke List (USA) 66 Troy Merritt (USA) 71 Henrik Norlander (Sweden) 73 Cameron Percy (Australia) 71 J.T. Poston (USA) 69 Xander Schauffele (USA) 70 Kevin Stadler (USA) 71 Sepp Straka (Austria) 69 Kevin Streelman (USA) 68 Justin Suh (USA) 71 Tim Wilkinson (New Zealand) 67 Xinjun Zhang (China PR) 70 0 Scott Brown (USA) 71 Beau Hossler (USA) 66 Mackenzie Hughes (Canada) 70 Satoshi Kodaira (Japan) 71 Martin Laird (Scotland) 65 Tyler Mccumber (USA) 76 Ryan Moore (USA) 70 Matthew NeSmith (USA) 70 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 72 Doc Redman (USA) 73 Scottie Scheffler (USA) 65 Jordan Spieth (USA) 69 Scott Stallings (USA) 69 Robert Streb (USA) 68 Brian Stuard (USA) 71 1 Rafael Campos (Puerto Rico) 71 Tyler Duncan (USA) 73 Chesson Hadley (USA) 73 Billy Horschel (USA) 76 Russell Knox (Scotland) 71 Phil Mickelson (USA) 71 Andy Ogletree (USA) 72 Cameron Smith (Australia) 66 Erik Van Rooyen (South Africa) 74 Cameron Young (USA) 74 Jared du Toit (Canada) 70 2 Matt Every (USA) 76 Michael Gellerman (England) 74 Kramer Hickok (USA) 73 J.B. Holmes (USA) 75 Anirban Lahiri (India) 68 Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Korea Republic) 74 Patrick Rodgers (USA) 72 Adam Schenk (USA) 75 Jimmy Walker (USA) 73 3 Chris Baker (USA) 72 Cameron Champ (USA) 68 Jason Day (Australia) 76 Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) 76 Charles Howell III (USA) 80 Hunter Mahan (USA) 76 Keith Mitchell (USA) 77 Ben Taylor (England) 73 Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) 70 4 Aaron Baddeley (Australia) 75 Scott Harrington (USA) 74 Tom Hoge (USA) 70 Brooks Koepka (USA) 72 Maverick McNealy (USA) 74 J.J. Spaun (USA) 74 Kristoffer Ventura (Norway) 72 Bubba Watson (USA) 70 5 Mark Anderson (USA) 78 Sebastian Cappelen (Denmark) 70 Joel Dahmen (USA) 78 James Hahn (USA) 70 David Hearn (Canada) 74 Jamie Lovemark (USA) 79 Willie Mack (USA) 74 Rob Oppenheim (USA) 72 Kevin Tway (USA) 69 6 Ryan Brehm (USA) 77 Harris English (USA) 79 Charley Hoffman (USA) 75 Jim Knous (USA) 72 Nelson Ledesma (Argentina) 73 Harold Varner III (USA) 78 Nick Watney (USA) 74 7 Vincent Whaley (USA) 72 8 Ty Strafaci (USA) 77 9 Seamus Power (Republic of Ireland) 78 11 Michael Gligic (Canada) 79 13 Andres Gonzales (USA) 70 15 John Senden (Australia) 76 27 Fabian Gomez (Argentina) 71 33 Martin Trainer (USA) 77 34 Matthew Wolff (USA) 78 36 Camilo Villegas (Colombia) 80 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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By Ludwig Burger
Jan 29 (Reuters) &#8211; Novavax Inc expects to produce up to 150 million COVID-19 vaccine doses monthly by May or June, its chief executive told Reuters on Friday, a day after reporting interim data that showed its shot to be 89% effective in a UK trial.
Novavax expects to complete the clinical trial for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in the next few weeks, but is already working on manufacturing to be able to reach full production capacity quickly, Chief Executive Officer Stanley Erck said.
&#8220;We should be at full capacity starting in May or June, maybe as much as one hundred and fifty million doses per month globally,&#8221; he said.
Novavax shares jumped 65% on Friday to $221.27
Erck said he expects it will be several weeks before Novavax files the trial data with regulators in the United Kingdom, Europe and elsewhere, meaning that full review for authorization of its vaccine could take &#8220;a couple months.&#8221;
Novavax on Thursday released initial results from a UK trial showing its vaccine to be 89.3% effective in preventing COVID-19, and was nearly as effective in protecting against the more highly contagious variant of the coronavirus first discovered in the UK. It also protected against the potent South Africa variant, though at a lower rate.
Erck said 16,000 volunteers have already taken part in its U.S. trial and that it will likely hit its target of 30,000 participants by early-to-mid February. The company would then observe them for about six weeks before reviewing the results, he added.
Novavax will initially focus its data review from the U.S. trial on the primary goal of preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and subsequently analyze the shot&#8217;s effectiveness against various concerning virus variants that have emerged.
The United States found its first cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa in South Carolina this week.
Novavax has supply contracts with the United States, Canada and Australia and is in talks with the European Union on a supply deal as well, the CEO said.
He added that his Maryland-based company has an agreement with the GAVI vaccine alliance to supply poorer countries with its shot to be produced by the Serum Institute in India &#8211; the world&#8217;s largest vaccine maker. It aims to produce 2 billion doses per year.
Novavax will begin scaling vaccine production in February or March, and expects to have its own production ramped up by the second quarter, along with production from the Serum Institute and partners in South Korea and Japan, Erck said.
Vaccine rollouts in the EU and other areas have been held back by supply issues as makers including AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc have said they would cut their shipments, at least temporarily. (Additional reporting by Carl O&#8217;Donnell in New York; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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Novavax expects to produce 150 mln vaccine doses per month as early as May -CEO

PARIS, Jan 29 (Reuters) &#8211; Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Friday the coronavirus variants first detected in Britain and South Africa posed a dangerous risk to France but that a third nationwide lockdown could still be avoided.
Instead, Castex said France would further tighten COVID-19 controls at its borders, reduce the number of people allowed into shopping malls and increase police controls against people breaking a nightly curfew.
(Reporting by Geert de Clercq; Editing by Richard Lough)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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French PM says we can still avoid a third COVID lockdown

By Nancy Lapid
Jan 29 (Reuters) &#8211; The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine 66% effective in global trial
Johnson &amp; Johnson&#8217;s single-dose vaccine was 66% effective in preventing moderate and severe COVID-19 in a late-stage global trial with nearly 44,000 volunteers that includes regions with worrisome variants of the virus, the company said on Friday. Protection levels 28 days after vaccination varied from 72% in the United States, to 66% in Latin America and just 57% in South Africa, where a potent new variant has become prevalent. Two-dose vaccines from Pfizer /BioNTech and Moderna were around 95% effective in pivotal trials. But those were conducted before the highly transmissible new variants emerged. &#8220;Right now, any protection and additional vaccine is great,&#8221; said Walid Gellad, a health policy associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh who was not involved in the trial. &#8220;The key is not only overall efficacy but specifically efficacy against severe disease, hospitalization, and death.&#8221; In a news release, J&amp;J said its vaccine was 85% effective in stopping severe disease and preventing hospitalization across all geographies and against multiple variants. The vaccine uses a common cold virus to introduce coronavirus proteins into cells and trigger an immune response. The company plans to seek emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next week. (https://bit.ly/3cmnnk1; https://reut.rs/3opLsJe)
High antibody levels seen in newborns of COVID-19 survivors
A mother&#8217;s COVID-19 antibodies can cross the placenta, potentially protecting her fetus from infection, researchers reported on Friday in JAMA Pediatrics. Several weeks after the mother&#8217;s infection begins, antibody levels in umbilical cord blood &#8220;can be as high as &#8211; or even higher &#8211; than the levels in maternal blood,&#8221; said study leaders Dr. Karen Puopolo and Dr. Scott Hensley of the University of Pennsylvania. In their study, out of 83 women who had COVID-19 antibodies when they gave birth, 72 of their newborns also had antibodies but no evidence of direct infection. &#8220;It is reassuring that maternal infection, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, results in sufficient antibody production for an efficient transplacental antibody transfer to newborns of infected mothers,&#8221; said Dr. Flor Munoz of Baylor College of Medicine in an editorial published with the study. It is possible antibodies created via a vaccine could have the same effect, Munoz noted. Transfer of substances in the mother&#8217;s blood to the fetus starts around 17 weeks of gestation, she said, which suggests that &#8220;maternal vaccination starting in the early second trimester &#8230; might be optimal to achieve the highest levels of antibodies in the newborn.&#8221; (https://bit.ly/3cn3kSM)
Skin problems can persist after COVID-19
Add bothersome skin conditions to the list of symptoms that can follow infection with the new coronavirus, a new report warns. Between April and October, an international registry established by dermatologists received reports of roughly 1,000 COVID-19 patients with itchy welts, rashes, scaly plaques, or pernio, an inflammation of the fingers and toes upon exposure to cold. In half of the cases, the skin problems lasted more than two weeks. That was more often true for patients with scaly plaques and pernio. Given that some of the patients had only mild COVID-19, the data suggest that inflammation from the disease may persist even among those who were not seriously ill, researchers said in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. &#8220;Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, appreciation for persistent morbidity beyond the acute phase of disease has increased,&#8221; they said. &#8220;To our knowledge, our data represent the largest dataset to date on persistent skin signs and symptoms of COVID-19.&#8221; (http://bit.ly/2McCwta)

Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl in an external browser for a Reuters graphic on vaccines in development.
(Reporting by Nancy Lapid, Julie Steenhuysen and Megan Brooks; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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COVID SCIENCE-J&J vaccine effective in preventing severe disease; a mother’s COVID-19 antibodies may protect newborns

CAIRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) &#8211; Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended acceptance of new bookings from the United Arab Emirates for the next seven days due to the British government&#8217;s concerns, the airlines said in a tweet on Friday.
Qatar Airways also said South Africa and Rwanda are also temporarily suspended, adding that exceptions include nationals from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and resident permit holders returning to other GCC countries. (Reporting by Nayera Abdallah)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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News

EMERGING MARKETS-Lira hits 5-month high on manufacturing boost, stocks recover

Australia’s COVID-19 inoculation programme to cost at least $4.8 billion, PM to say

PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open Scores

Ghana aims to get 17.6 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine by June

Golf-Casey cruises to victory in Dubai for 15th European Tour crown

European Tour Omega Dubai Desert Classic Scores

South Africa to receive extra 20 mln COVID-19 vaccines, paper says

Tunisia registers Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, says RDIF

Fresh data show toll South African virus variant takes on vaccine efficacy

European Tour Omega Dubai Desert Classic Scores

Cricket-England’s Buttler ready to ace ultimate keeping test in India

China’s Kingho ships first batch of iron ore from Sierra Leone’s Tonkolili mine

PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open Scores

Novavax expects to produce 150 mln vaccine doses per month as early as May -CEO

French PM says we can still avoid a third COVID lockdown

COVID SCIENCE-J&J vaccine effective in preventing severe disease; a mother’s COVID-19 antibodies may protect newborns

Qatar Airways says new bookings from UAE, South Africa, Rwanda are temporarily suspended – tweet

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