JOHANNESBURG, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s Olympic 400 metres champion Wayde van Niekerk stepped up his return from long-term injury with a victory over 200 metres at the ASA Athletix Invitational on Tuesday.
Van Niekerk has barely competed since being injured in a charity touch rugby game in October 2017 but declared himself fully fit after winning in a time of 20.10 seconds, albeit with a +2.1m/s tailwind on a wet night on the Highveld.
&#8220;This definitely gave me confidence I didn’t have before,&#8221; he said in a media release from Athletics South Africa after clocking a season&#8217;s best time.
&#8220;It’s one thing training well, but it’s a different thing executing it against such a quality lineup, guys I have the world of respect for.&#8221;
Van Niekerk smashed Michael Johnson’s 400m world record at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics to claim gold in 43.03.
He announced last month that he will move to the United States to train under renowned sprint mentor Lance Brauman, alongside American 200m world champion Noah Lyles and women’s 400m Olympic champion Shaune Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas. (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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Athletics-Olympic hopeful Van Niekerk finds form with 200m win

March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Bergenbio ASA:
* BERGENBIO ANNOUNCES STOPPED RECRUITMENT TO THE BEMCENTINIB ARM IN UK ACCORD COVID PLATFORM TRIAL
* NO SAFETY CONCERNS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED.
* DECISION HAS BEEN MADE TO HALT UK RECRUITMENT AT 30 PATIENTS, SIMILAR NUMBER OF MATCHED CONTROLS, ENABLING A PROMPT ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
* DATA FROM ACCORD STUDY AND BERGENBIO&#8217;S PHASE II COVID-19 TRIAL STUDY WILL BE ANALYSED SEPARATELY
* BERGENBIO ASA &#8211; DATA FROM ACCORD STUDY AND BERGENBIO&#8217;S PHASE II COVID-19 TRIAL STUDY WILL BE ANALYSED IN COMBINATION IN A META-ANALYSIS
* BERGENBIO- PHASE II TRIAL OF BEMCENTINIB FOR TREATMENT OF COVID-19 IN HOSPITALISED PATIENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND INDIA COMPLETED RECRUITMENT Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
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&nbsp;

BRIEF-Bergenbio Announces Stopped Recruitment To The Bemcentinib Arm In UK Accord Covid Platform Trial

(Adds Spotify, Access Bank, Copersucar, Bayer and CD Projekt)
March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Tuesday


** German air shuttle startup Lilium said it would float on the U.S. stock market via a reverse merger with Qell Acquisition Corp, a blank-cheque acquisition company, in a deal valuing the combined business at $3.3 billion.

** Indosat Ooredoo has agreed to sell more than 4,200 telecommunication towers worth $750 million to a local unit of Singapore&#8217;s Edge Point, according to a company statement.
** South African budget retailer Mr Price Group said it had received all approvals to acquire retailer Power Fashion in a deal likely to top $105 million.

** Qatar Petroleum (QP), the world&#8217;s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier, will in 2022 take full ownership of Qatargas 1, which produces LNG and related products, it said in a statement.

** Australia&#8217;s top power producer and energy retailer AGL Energy unveiled a plan to split into a bulk power generator and a retail business, in a bid to revive its battered shares and lure investors who shun coal.

** Unite Group said it had sold eight properties for 133 million pounds ($183.15 million) to Aventicum Real Estate, as the British student housing provider turns its focus to high- and mid-tier universities.

** Shares of JSW Steel Ltd rose as much as 5.12% after the steel company completed its purchase of a rival under a bankruptcy resolution law, paving the way for it to become the country&#8217;s biggest steel producer.

** Talks on broadcaster RTL&#8217;s stake in France&#8217;s Groupe M6 are making progress and there is good interest from several interested parties, CEO Thomas Rabe told reporters.

** Spotify Inc said it has purchased Betty Labs, the company behind sports-focused social audio app Locker Room, to accelerate its move into live audio.

** Nigeria&#8217;s biggest lender, Access Bank, has bought a controlling stake in South Africa&#8217;s Grobank for around $60 million and will shore up the bank&#8217;s capital, its chief executive said, becoming the first Nigerian lender to venture into South Africa.

** Brazil&#8217;s Copersucar has reached a deal to buy Cargill&#8217;s 50% share in the sugar trading venture Alvean for an undisclosed amount, the Brazilian company said.

** Poland&#8217;s CD Projekt will actively look for merger and acquisition targets in its bid to become one of the top three video game makers in the world, it said.

** German chemicals group Bayer is preparing to launch an auction for its pest control unit Bayer Environmental Science (BES) seen worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.35 billion) in the summer, people close to the matter said.

(Compiled by Amruta Khandekar and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru)
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Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

HRADF pre-qualifies interested parties for the next phase of the tenders of Alexandroupolis and Kavala ports, the UGS “South Kavala” and the lease of smelting plant, mines and relevant mining rights owned by the Hellenic Republic The Board of Directors of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) convened today and pre-qualified the interested parties that meet the eligibility criteria to participate in Phase B (Binding Offers Phase) of the following tender processes: · Alexandroupolis Port Authority The HRADF’s BoD decided that four interested parties meet the criteria to participate in Phase B for the acquisition of a majority stake of at least 67% of the “Alexandroupolis Port Authority” (in alphabetical order): 1. Consortium composed of the companies CAMERON S.A.- GOLDAIR CARGO S.A.- BOLLORE AFRICA LOGISTICS 2. Consortium INTERNATIONAL PORT INVESTMENTS ALEXANDROUPOLIS, composed of the companies BLACK SUMMIT FINANCIAL GROUP &#8211; EUROPORTS-EFA GROUP and GEK TERNA 3. QUINTANA INFRASTRUCTURE &amp; DEVELOPMENT 4. THESSALONIKI PORT AUTHORITY S.A. · “Philippos II” port, operated by Kavala Port Authority For the tender of the sub-concession of the right to use, maintain, operate and exploit a multi-purpose terminal within “Philippos II” port (currently operated by Kavala Port Authority S.A. &#8211; O.L.K. S.A.), the Fund’s BoD pre-qualified the following Interested Parties (in alphabetical order): 1. Consortium composed of the companies IMERYS GREECE S.A. &#8211; GOLDAIR CARGO S.A. &#8211; I.M.G. S.A. 2. Consortium INTERNATIONAL PORT INVESTMENTS KAVALA, composed of the companies BLACK SUMMIT FINANCIAL GROUP &#8211; EFA GROUP and GEK TERNA 3. QUINTANA INFRASTRUCTURE &amp; DEVELOPMENT 4. THESSALONIKI PORT AUTHORITY S.A. · UGS “South Kavala” The Fund’s BoD pre-qualified two interested parties to participate in Phase B (Binding Offers Phase) of the tender for the concession of the use, development and operation of an underground natural gas storage facility (UGS) in the almost depleted natural gas field of “South Kavala”. The pre-qualified interested parties are (in alphabetical order): 1. DESFA &#8211; GEK TERNA 2. ENERGEAN OIL &amp; G.A.S. · Smelting plant, mines and relevant mining rights owned by the Hellenic Republic For the lease of the Larymna smelting plant, the Larymna and Loutsi mines and relevant mining rights and other assets owned by the Hellenic Republic and currently leased to “LARCO General Metallurgical &amp; Mining Company S.A.” (LARCO), in Phase B of the tender will participate the following interested parties (in alphabetical order): 1. COMMODITY &amp; MINING INSIGHT IRELAND LIMITED 2. GEK TERNA S.A. &#8211; AD HOLDINGS AG 3. MYTILINEOS S.A. 4. SOLWAY INVESTMENT GROUP LIMITED 5. THARISA PLC 6. TRAFIGURA GROUP Pte Ltd. Following the signing of the relevant confidentiality agreement, the pre-qualified investment schemes for each tender will receive the documents of phase B’ (submission of Binding Offers) and will grant access to the virtual data room (VDR), where data and information related to the assets and the tenders will be uploaded.
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ANNOUNCEMENT-Greece shortlists investors in next phase of four tenders

SOUTH AFRICA&#8217;S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS SALE OF ALCOHOL FOR OFF-SITE CONSUMPTION PROHIBITED OVER EASTER WEEKEND
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&nbsp;

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS SALE OF ALCOHOL FOR OFF-SITE CONSUMPTION PROHIBITED OVER EASTER WEEKEND

LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; The differential for a key Angolan grade Girassol fell on Tuesday as European demand remained weak due to COVID-19 lockdowns while China looked to Iran for cheap barrels.

* Equinor offered a cargo of Angolan Girassol down to dated Brent minus 15 cents a barrel loading May 11-12 on a fob basis.
* Sonangol was still offering two cargoes on a spot basis for May &#8211; a cargo of Saturno loading May 18-19 at dated Brent plus $1.00 and a cargo of Cabinda loading May 8-9 at dated Brent plus 80 cents a barrel.

RELATED NEWS
* Saudi Arabia is prepared to support extending oil cuts by OPEC and its allies into June and is also ready to prolong its own voluntary cuts to boost prices amid a new wave of coronavirus lockdowns, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.
* China will receive another large influx of cheap Iranian oil in March passed off as crude from other origins, curbing the top importer&#8217;s appetite for crudes from other suppliers, according to traders and analysts. (Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) ))
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&nbsp;

W. Africa Crude-Angolan diffs continue to fall

By Mark Gleeson
CAPE TOWN, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Ethiopia and Mauritania became the latest countries to qualify for next January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals as they secured the runners-up berths in their respective groups on Tuesday.
Ethiopia were outplayed in their final group game but still qualified, while Mauritania won 1-0 in the Central African Republic to secure their spot for a second straight tournament.
Ivory Coast beat Ethiopia 3-1 in Abidjan to top Group K with 13 points but Ethiopia, with nine, qualified as runners-up when Madagascar were held to a 0-0 draw by Niger at the same time.
The Malagasy, who made the last Cup of Nations quarter-finals on their debut, needed a home win to usurp Ethiopia in the standings but despite their desperate onslaught at home in Toamasina failed to beat veteran goalkeeper Kassaly Daouda.
Ethiopia were a goal behind within three minute as Willy Boly scored for the Ivorians followed by a 19th minute penalty from Franck Kessie.
Getaneh Kebede pulled a goal back in the second half but the hosts quickly re-established a two-goal advantage through Jean Evrard Kouassi.
There was then an anxious few minutes for Ethiopia as they waited for the final whistle in Madagascar, before the players erupted in celebration.
Former Fulham striker Aboubakar Kamara scored on the stroke of halftime to ensure Mauritania qualified with a win in Bangui.
They finished second in Group E behind Morocco, who host Burundi later on Tuesday.
French-born Kamara had only agreed to play for Mauritania, where his father hails from, earlier this year and was playing his second international.
A total of 21 teams have so far qualified for the finals in Cameroon with the last three places to be settled later on Tuesday. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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WRAPUP 1-Soccer-Ethiopia, Mauritania qualify for Africa Cup of Nations finals

By Akhona Matshoba
JOHANNESBURG, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Apple Inc. introduced its contactless payment service in South Africa on Tuesday, as the global tech giant looks to cash in on the mobile payments boom in the country.
The use of digital finance and payments systems has surged in South Africa and elsewhere as the coronavirus crisis has prompted a shift towards e-commerce and contactless payments.
Apple Pay has joined Samsung&#8217;s digital wallet offering, Samsung Pay, which was launched in South Africa in 2018.
Apple said it had launched the service without giving details.
The service is available via three South African banks, namely Absa Group, Nedbank Group and Discovery Bank, which is part of the Discovery group.
(Reporting by Akhona Matshoba; Editng by Promit Mukherjee and Edmund Blair)
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Apple launches its contactless payment service in S.Africa

March 30 (Reuters) &#8211;
* TOTAL CEO PATRICK POUYANNE SAYS LOOKING AT RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS IN INDIA, AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA
* TOTAL CEO POUYANNE SAYS TARGETING 2021 EBITDA IN ELECTRICITY OF CLOSE TO $800 MILLION
* TOTAL CEO WAS SPEAKING ON INTERNET CONFERENCE HOSTED BY BOURSORAMA Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: [ ] (Reporting By Benjamin Mallet, Writing by Dominique Vidalon)
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BRIEF-Total looking at renewable energy projects in India, Africa and South America – CEO

* IMF sees divergent trends for rich, poor countries
* Fund plans to raise global forecasts for 2021, 2022
* Strong action seen needed to safeguard economic recovery
By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; The International Monetary Fund will raise its forecast for global economic growth in 2021 and 2022 after last year&#8217;s 3.5% contraction, but financial conditions remain highly uncertain, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Tuesday.
Georgieva said the global economy was on firmer footing after governments spent some $16 trillion on fiscal measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its economic impact. However, developments are diverging dangerously across regions and countries, and even within nations.
&#8220;Vaccines are not yet available to everyone and everywhere. Too many people continue to face job losses and rising poverty,&#8221; she told the Council on Foreign Relations ahead of next week&#8217;s release of the fund&#8217;s updated World Economic Outlook. &#8220;Too many countries are falling behind.&#8221;
Georgieva said the world was at a critical turning point, much as it was in 1945 when the IMF and World Bank were created, and called for continued strong actions to safeguard the recovery, ramp up vaccine production and distribution, and invest in a new green and digital infrastructure.
&#8220;We face the biggest test of our generation,&#8221; she said. &#8220;What we do now will shape the post-crisis world.&#8221;
Georgieva said the IMF would raise its January forecasts for global economic growth of 5.5% in 2021 and 4.2% in 2022 due to increased fiscal spending in the United States and prospects for a vaccine-powered recovery in other advanced economies.
It will release the new forecasts next week.

&#8220;MULTI-SPEED RECOVERY&#8221;
Georgieva said the United States and China were powering a &#8220;multi-speed recovery&#8221; from the crisis, with advanced economies facing an 11% cumulative loss in per capita income, relative to pre-crisis projections, while emerging and developing economies, excluding China, would see a 20% drop.
The IMF had provided over $107 billion in new financing to 85 countries and debt service relief for 29 of its poorest members. In sub-Saharan Africa, the IMF&#8217;s financing surged to 13 times its average annual level in the previous decade, she said.
But low-income countries needed more help, she said, citing new estimates that they would need $200 billion over five years to fight the pandemic and $250 billion to return to the path of catching up to higher income levels.
Georgieva said support was building for a possible $650 billion expansion of the IMF&#8217;s Special Drawing Rights, which would help all members but especially the most vulnerable, by boosting reserves without adding to their debt burdens.
Extraordinary measures undertaken by countries and more resilient banking systems had clearly helped avert a far worse global contraction and another global financial crisis, but the outlook remained highly uncertain, Georgieva said.
Much depended on the path of the pandemic, uneven vaccination rates and the emergence of new COVID-19 strains that are holding back growth prospects in Europe and Latin America.
Strong U.S. growth could help many countries by boosting trade, but it could also trigger a rapid rise in interest rates, which could cause tighter financial conditions and significant capital outflows from emerging and developing economies. That would pose major challenges, especially for middle-income countries with large external financing needs and high debt levels, she said.
Georgieva urged authorities to keep an eye on financial risk, including stretched asset valuations, and to take steps to prevent excess financial volatility &#8211; at home and abroad.
Small and medium-sized businesses needed further support, she said, warning of a sharp rise in expected insolvencies this year as countries cut back loans and grants. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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IMF to boost global outlook again, warns financial conditions uncertain

&#8212; Source link: https://bloom.bg/2QN0lKt
&#8212; Note: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy
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MEDIA-Coca-Cola considers options for $6 bln Africa unit – Bloomberg News

TUNIS, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Tunisian police fired tear gas on protesters on Tuesday after hundreds tried to storm a government headquarters in the southern city of Tataouine to protest against the government&#8217;s failure to provide jobs, witnesses said.
Protesters are calling on the government to implement a 2017 deal to create jobs in oil companies and infrastructure projects to reduce unemployment now running at 30% in the region, one of the highest rates in Tunisia.
The protests increase pressure on the government, which is suffering a political crisis from a power struggle between Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and President Kais Saied. Tunisia saw violent protests in January and February but had been comparatively quiet in March.
Tuesday&#8217;s protesters tried to enter to the government building to stage a sit-in and demand the resignation of the governor, but police blocked them, used tear gas to disburse them, and pursued them in the streets.
Witnesses reached by telephone said protesters threw stones at police and burned tyres.
Tunisia was the only country to emerge with a democracy from the &#8220;Arab Spring&#8221; revolts that swept North Africa and the Middle East in 2011. But a decade after a popular revolution ended Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali’s autocratic rule, the country is still struggling to deliver economic opportunities to young people, particularly in deprived regions such as Tataouine.
In 2017, protests over a lack of jobs in Tataouine and Kebili provinces hit oil and natural gas production in a region where French firm Perenco and Austria’s OMV operate. That led to a deal promising jobs in oil and development projects, but protesters say it has not been implemented. (Reporting by Tarek Amara Editing by Peter Graff)
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Tunisian police fire tear gas on protesters in southern city

* Extent of losses still unclear, says a Nomura insider
* Nomura had surge in overseas and U.S. profit last year
* Bank sought to expand beyond Japanese heartland
* CEO&#8217;s &#8216;relative honeymoon&#8217; draws to close, says analyst
By Makiko Yamazaki and Sumeet Chatterjee
TOKYO/HONG KONG, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Nomura Holdings will have to sharpen its focus on risk management systems and may need to rein in its U.S. ambitions, analysts said after the Japanese bank flagged a possible $2 billion loss tied to a single U.S. client.
Nomura and other investment banks may lose more than $6 billion after lending to Archegos Capital, a U.S. investment firm run by former Tiger Asia manager Bill Hwang that was forced to liquidate large equity bets last week in a sell-off that rocked Wall Street.
It raises tough questions for Nomura, Japan&#8217;s biggest brokerage and investment bank, which has been on a drive to expand beyond its domestic market, mainly with a push in the United States, and as it seeks to join the top league of global investment banks.
&#8220;The key question that comes up is what were the compliance and risk folks doing all this while?&#8221; said one person with knowledge of a debate now going on inside Nomura.
&#8220;There were definitely plans to do more (in the United States) and those plans will now be put on the hold until they sort out this mess. The exact extent of the losses is not clear yet,&#8221; said the person, who was not authorised to speak to the media and asked not to be named.
Some brokerages have cut their ratings on Nomura, whose shares have fallen 17% in two sessions.
Nomura is not alone. Credit Suisse warned of losses linked to a U.S. client, which like Nomura it did not name, although sources said it was Archegos. The brokerage arm of Japan&#8217;s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group on Tuesday flagged potential losses of about $300 million, also related to an unnamed U.S. client.
Yet it deals a particular blow to Nomura and Chief Executive Kentaro Okuda, who has been running the bank for about a year. He has been driving the Japanese firm&#8217;s global expansion after stop-start efforts in the past decade.

MARKET TURBULENCE
&#8220;Nomura has been repeating this cycle – expanding the overseas business and restructuring it after a financial hit. This is exactly the same pattern again,&#8221; said Fumio Matsumoto, chief strategist at Okasan Securities.
&#8220;To become a top global bank, Nomura would have to take risk with emerging clients and increase its share, in the hope of eventually getting conventional clients. It&#8217;s extremely hard, but Nomura has no choice,&#8221; Matsumoto said.
Nomura declined to comment.
Till now, under Okuda, international operations have grown strongly. Overseas business, including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia excluding Japan, tripled its profit in the nine months to December to 167.2 billion yen ($1.52 billion).
Nomura&#8217;s U.S. income in the same period surged to 126.8 billion yen, after its reported just 7.4 billion yen in profit in the year to March 2020 and a 114.1 billion loss in the year to March 2019, according to its latest financial filings.
&#8220;I still feel that our international business is seen as unstable, affected by market conditions,&#8221; Okuda, who previously headed U.S. operations, told an investor event in December.
But he added: &#8220;We are transforming into an organization capable of delivering consistent revenues despite market turbulence.&#8221;
Turbulence looks set to continue for now.
&#8220;If it proves that there has been a big loss on transactions with only one client, there will be questions asked about the company&#8217;s risk management system,&#8221; JPMorgan wrote, as it lowered its rating on Nomura stock to &#8220;underweight&#8221; from &#8220;neutral&#8221;.
Morningstar Equity Research said Nomura could decide to take fewer risks in some areas where it had been more aggressive, such as U.S.-listed equity options.
&#8220;We think the unexpected loss may end the relative honeymoon new CEO Kentaro Okuda has enjoyed since assuming the top post last April,&#8221; it said.

($1 = 110.3600 yen) (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo and Sumeet Chatterjee in Hong Kong; Editing by Edmund Blair)
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ANALYSIS-Nomura faces tough questions over global plans after U.S. client loss

JOHANNESBURG, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa recorded a budget deficit of 12.831 billion rand ($859 million) in February, compared with a 2.153 billion rand surplus in the same month last year, National Treasury data showed on Tuesday. The tables below show revenue and expenditure for the eleventh month of the 2020/21 fiscal year (April to March), compared with the previous fiscal year. These are also expressed as a percentage of the 2020/21 revised budget and the audited outcome for 2019/20. REVENUE February Year-to-date % of revised estimate/ Fiscal year R&#8217;bln R&#8217;bln audited outcome 2020/21 132.745 1,089.179 90.71 2019/20 144.479 1,202.876 89.37 EXPENDITURE February Year-to-date % of revised estimate/ Fiscal year R&#8217;bln R&#8217;bln audited outcome 2020/21 145.576 1,611.217 89.30 2019/20 142.326 1,497.981 88.58 (1 = 14.9293 rand) (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana Editing by Nqobile Dludla) 
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&nbsp;

TABLE-South Africa’s budget deficit at 12.8 bln rand in February

March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Konsolidator A/S:
* KONSOLIDATOR SIGNS THE FIRST CUSTOMERS IN FRANCE AND UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE)
* KONSOLIDATOR&#8217;S SOFTWARE IS NOW BEING USED BY CUSTOMERS IN 14 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ACROSS EUROPE, AFRICA, ASIA, MIDDLE EAST, AND NORTH AMERICA Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)
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&nbsp;

BRIEF-Konsolidator Signs First Customers In France And United Arab Emirates

March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; BASF SE:
* BASF AND AGBIOME COLLABORATE ON A NEW BIOLOGICAL FUNGICIDE FOR EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* FIRST MARKET INTRODUCTIONS IN SELECTED COUNTRIES ARE EXPECTED IN 2024/2025
* FINANCIAL DETAILS OF AGREEMENT ARE NOT DISCLOSED Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)
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&nbsp;

BRIEF-BASF And Agbiome Collaborate To Sell New Biological Fungicide

JOHANNESBURG, March 30 (Reuters) &#8211; Ratings agency Moody&#8217;s said on Tuesday it was withdrawing all ratings of South Africa&#8217;s cash-strapped state-owned Land and Agricultural Development Bank, citing &#8220;its own business reasons&#8221; for the move.
Moody&#8217;s did not elaborate on why it had taken the decision in the statement, but policy documents on its website say business reasons, often refers to Moody&#8217;s &#8220;business reasons, not the business reasons of the Rated Entity or obligor&#8221;.
&#8220;MIS&#8217;s (Moody&#8217;s) business reasons generally do not reflect any concerns about the Rated Entity’s creditworthiness or the quality of its management,&#8221; the policy reads.
(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana, editing by Louise Heavens)
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Newsfeed

Athletics-Olympic hopeful Van Niekerk finds form with 200m win

BRIEF-Bergenbio Announces Stopped Recruitment To The Bemcentinib Arm In UK Accord Covid Platform Trial

Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

ANNOUNCEMENT-Greece shortlists investors in next phase of four tenders

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS SALE OF ALCOHOL FOR OFF-SITE CONSUMPTION PROHIBITED OVER EASTER WEEKEND

W. Africa Crude-Angolan diffs continue to fall

WRAPUP 1-Soccer-Ethiopia, Mauritania qualify for Africa Cup of Nations finals

Apple launches its contactless payment service in S.Africa

BRIEF-Total looking at renewable energy projects in India, Africa and South America – CEO

IMF to boost global outlook again, warns financial conditions uncertain

MEDIA-Coca-Cola considers options for $6 bln Africa unit – Bloomberg News

Tunisian police fire tear gas on protesters in southern city

ANALYSIS-Nomura faces tough questions over global plans after U.S. client loss

TABLE-South Africa’s budget deficit at 12.8 bln rand in February

BRIEF-Konsolidator Signs First Customers In France And United Arab Emirates

BRIEF-BASF And Agbiome Collaborate To Sell New Biological Fungicide

Moody’s withdraws all ratings of South Africa’s Land Bank for ‘business reasons’

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Athletics-Olympic hopeful Van Niekerk finds form with 200m win

BRIEF-Bergenbio Announces Stopped Recruitment To The Bemcentinib Arm In UK Accord Covid Platform Trial

Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

ANNOUNCEMENT-Greece shortlists investors in next phase of four tenders

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS SALE OF ALCOHOL FOR OFF-SITE CONSUMPTION PROHIBITED OVER EASTER WEEKEND

W. Africa Crude-Angolan diffs continue to fall

WRAPUP 1-Soccer-Ethiopia, Mauritania qualify for Africa Cup of Nations finals

Apple launches its contactless payment service in S.Africa

BRIEF-Total looking at renewable energy projects in India, Africa and South America – CEO

IMF to boost global outlook again, warns financial conditions uncertain

MEDIA-Coca-Cola considers options for $6 bln Africa unit – Bloomberg News

Tunisian police fire tear gas on protesters in southern city

ANALYSIS-Nomura faces tough questions over global plans after U.S. client loss

TABLE-South Africa’s budget deficit at 12.8 bln rand in February

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