Mar 24 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the European Tour Kenya Savannah Classic on Wednesday -13 Danie Van Tonder (South Africa) 65 64 -12 David Drysdale (Scotland) 65 65 Justin Harding (South Africa) 64 66 -11 Darren Fichardt (South Africa) 65 66 Masahiro Kawamura (Japan) 67 64 Niklas Lemke (Sweden) 66 65 -10 Marcus Armitage (England) 65 67 Gonzalo Fernandez Castano (Spain) 66 66 Romain Langasque (France) 67 65 Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 64 68 Darius Van Driel (Netherlands) 70 62 -9 Jonathan Caldwell (Northern Ireland) 65 68 Victor Dubuisson (France) 67 66 -8 Rhys Enoch (Wales) 67 67 Julien Guerrier (France) 70 64 Sam Horsfield (England) 66 68 Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand) 66 68 Jacques Kruyswijk (South Africa) 70 64 Hurly Long (Germany) 69 65 Kristoffer Reitan (Norway) 69 65 Lee Slattery (England) 66 68 Clément Sordet (France) 64 70 Scott Vincent (Zimbabwe) 67 67 David Wakhu (Kenya) 66 68 -7 Steven Brown (England) 68 67 Alejandro Cañizares (Spain) 64 71 Ashley Chesters (England) 67 68 Calum Hill (Scotland) 67 68 Liam Johnston (Scotland) 66 69 Mathiam Keyser (South Africa) 65 70 James Morrison (England) 70 65 Robin Sciot-Siegrist (France) 66 69 Sebastian Soderberg (Sweden) 68 67 -6 Maverick Antcliff (Australia) 67 69 Wil Besseling (Netherlands) 67 69 Emilio Cuartero Blanco (Spain) 66 70 Louis De Jager (South Africa) 71 65 Ben Evans (England) 68 68 Jens Fahrbring (Sweden) 67 69 Scott Hend (Australia) 66 70 Ross McGowan (England) 65 71 Ricardo Santos (Portugal) 68 68 Lorenzo Scalise (Italy) 70 66 Jayden Schaper (South Africa) 69 67 Matthias Schwab (Austria) 66 70 Jack Senior (England) 67 69 Julian Suri (USA) 66 70 Lars Van Meijel (Netherlands) 68 68 -5 Nino Bertasio (Italy) 67 70 Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) 70 67 Lucas Bjerregaard (Denmark) 69 68 Aaron Cockerill (Canada) 69 68 Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (Spain) 70 67 David Howell (England) 70 67 Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) 68 69 Matthieu Pavon (France) 66 71 Garrick Porteous (England) 69 68 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 71 66 Cormac Sharvin (Northern Ireland) 65 72 Dale Whitnell (England) 70 67 -4 David Coupland (England) 70 68 Nicolai Von Dellingshausen (Germany) 70 68 Daan Huizing (Netherlands) 68 70 Sihwan Kim (Korea Republic) 68 70 Søren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 74 64 Ondrej Lieser (Czech Republic) 72 66 Jose-Filipe Lima (Portugal) 68 70 Adrian Otaegui (Spain) 68 70 Aaron Rai (England) 70 68 Shubhankar Sharma (India) 69 69 Martin Leth Simonsen (Denmark) 70 68 Toby Tree (England) 67 71 Daniel Young (Scotland) 73 65 -3 Dean Burmester (South Africa) 69 John Catlin (USA) 69 Craig Howie (South Africa) 68 Francesco Laporta (Italy) 70 Alexander Levy (France) 69 Adrian Meronk (Poland) 71 Carlos Pigem (Spain) 67 Romain Wattel (France) 71 -2 Oliver Farr (Wales) 71 Ewen Ferguson (Scotland) 70 Lorenzo Gagli (Italy) 69 David Law (Scotland) 71 Tae Hee Lee (Korea Republic) 68 Chris Paisley (England) 71 Benjamin Poke (Denmark) 70 JC Ritchie (South Africa) 70 Bernd Ritthammer (Germany) 72 Robin Roussel (France) 70 Matthew Southgate (England) 73 Johannes Veerman (USA) 70 -1 Jorge Campillo (Spain) 68 S.S.P. Chawrasia (India) 75 Thriston Lawrence (South Africa) 73 Richard Mansell (England) 70 Wilco Nienaber (South Africa) 72 0 Balala Adel (Kenya) 73 Pep Angles (Spain) 71 Samuel Chege (Kenya) 71 George Coetzee (South Africa) 70 Grant Forrest (Scotland) 72 Eirik Tage Johansen (Norway) 73 Kurt Kitayama (USA) 69 Richard McEvoy (England) 71 Marcel Schneider (Germany) 67 Greg Snow (Kenya) 71 Connor Syme (Scotland) 71 1 Matt Ford (England) 74 Garrick Higgo (South Africa) 72 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 74 Simon Ngige (Kenya) 77 Tapio Pulkkanen (Finland) 73 Jordan L Smith (England) 71 3 Jastas Madoya ASENA (Kenya) 72 Robson Chinhoi (Zimbabwe) 75 Gavin Green (Malaysia) 74 Dismas Indiza (Kenya) 72 Rikard Karlberg (Sweden) 75 Joakim Lagergren (Sweden) 70 Haydn Porteous (South Africa) 76 Alvaro Quiros (Spain) 71 Oliver Wilson (England) 71 4 Richard Bland (England) 74 Nicolai Hojgaard (Denmark) 76 Anton Karlsson (Sweden) 73 Mohit Mediratta (Kenya) 72 Kyung-Jun Moon (Korea Republic) 72 Andrew Odoh (Nigeria) 74 Damien Perrier (France) 73 5 Tyler Koivosto (USA) 72 Zander Lombard (South Africa) 75 Guido Migliozzi (Italy) 73 Ooko Erick Obura (Kenya) 76 Max Schmitt (Germany) 77 6 Gavin Moynihan (Republic of Ireland) 72 7 Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal) 76 Isaac Ogolla MAKOKHA (Kenya) 73 Joël Stalter (France) 72 C.J Wangai (Kenya) 73 8 Matthew Baldwin (England) 80 Adrien Saddier (France) 72 9 Rizwan Charania (Kenya) 71 Jaydeep Singh Sandhu (Kenya) 72 10 Edwin Inana Asuza (Kenya) 76 11 Yikeun Chang (Korea Republic) 74 Oliver Fisher (England) 75 Phillip Kasozi (Uganda) 76 13 Michael Karanga (Kenya) 75 Matthew Omondi (Kenya) 78 14 Deo Akope (Uganda) 82 15 Njoroge Njonge Kibugu (Kenya) 78 16 Taimur MALIK AM (Kenya) 82 30 Jamie Donaldson (Wales) 72 
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European Tour Kenya Savannah Classic Scores

KHARTOUM, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Sudan will receive its first shipment of 250,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, state news agency SUNA said on Wednesday.
Sudan became the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to receive vaccine doses through the COVAX facility this month when 828,000 doses of the shot produced by AstraZeneca arrived in the East African country. (Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir Editing by David Goodman )
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Sudan to receive first batch of Sinopharm vaccines, SUNA reports

* Dozens of ships stranded in Suez Canal &#8211; shipping sources
* Ships may re-route around Africa if blockage extends-sources
* Efforts underway to refloat grounded Ever Given
* Over 20 tankers carrying crude, refined products affected
By Jonathan Saul
LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Dozens of ships carrying everything from oil to consumer goods have been delayed by the grounding of a vessel in the Suez Canal, and companies may have to re-route cargoes around Africa if the blockage extends beyond 24 hours, shipping sources said.
Efforts were underway on Wednesday to refloat the 400-metre, 224,000-tonne Ever Given, which got stranded on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm.
Shipping sources say the grounding has disrupted regular voyages through the Canal, which is one of the world&#8217;s critical chokepoints and the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe.
Kpler said more than 20 oil tankers carrying crude and refined products were affected by the disruptions.
The Suez Canal is also a major route for LNG tankers bringing supplies and seven LNG vessels were stuck on Wednesday, Refinitiv ship tracking data showed.
Any delays can have a knock-on effect for both LNG and European gas prices.
There were also more than 13 container ships anchored around Suez with at least two others waiting in the Mediterranean, Refinitiv ship tracking data showed.
The world&#8217;s biggest container line A.P. Moller Maersk said seven of its vessels had been affected so far, adding that &#8220;four of them are stuck in the canal system while the rest are waiting to enter the passage&#8221;.
Shipping sources said if the delays extend ships could potentially start re-routing around Africa, which takes a week longer to navigate, if they were unable to sail through the Canal.
&#8220;The next 24 hours will be critical in determining the longer-term impact,&#8221; said Chris Evans, international supply chain specialist with professional services company Colliers.
&#8220;If there is a significant delay, then it is likely that the Cape of Good Hope will serve as an alternative route to keep things moving.&#8221;
Disruptions caused by the coronavirus and a surge in demand for retail goods by consumers have led to wider logistical bottlenecks around the world for container lines and supplies in recent months.
&#8220;With the Asia-Europe supply chain already stretched to the limit, the Suez Canal blockage comes at a particularly unhelpful time,&#8221; said Greg Knowler with IHS Markit’s Journal of Commerce.
&#8220;Container shipping lines have deployed every available vessel to serve heavy demand from European and UK importers, with congestion delaying the handling of inbound cargo.&#8221;
(Additional reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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Ships carrying commodities stuck after vessel grounding in Suez Canal

By Abdiqani Hassani
GAROWE, Somalia, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; The security minister of a Somali regional administration said on Wednesday he had defected along with hundreds of troops and allied himself to President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who faces calls by rivals to quit after his term as national leader ended.
Abdirashid Janan, security minister of the semi-autonomous Jubbaland state, said he had defected together with 400 troops from Jubbaland&#8217;s forces, potentially bolstering the position of the president, known in Somalia by his nickname &#8216;Farmajo&#8217;.
Mohamed is facing pressures to resign, including from Jubbaland and another semi-autonomous state, Puntland. Somalia&#8217;s remaining three regional governments back him.
The standoff has stoked tensions in the Horn of Africa nation that was ripped apart by civil war and which is still battling an insurgency by al Shabaab, an Islamist group that launches attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.
&#8220;I defected to the federal government. I do not want to be part of the &#8230; war in the region,&#8221; Janan told Reuters, adding a colonel was among the defecting troops.
Jubbaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe said in a statement he had sacked Janan as security minister for conducting talks with the president.
Officials in both Jubbaland and Puntland say they do not recognise Mohamed as Somalia&#8217;s president since his term expired.
Mohamed&#8217;s four-year term ended last month without a successor. Somalia&#8217;s parliament was supposed to elect a new president on Feb. 8, but the exercise was delayed because new lawmakers have yet to be picked.
Opponents of Mohamed, who is seeking a second term, also accuse him of packing his supporters into the regional and national boards who choose the legislators.
Talks have been taking place involving Mohamed, various political leaders and members of the international community aimed at fixing a new date for elections. The presidents of Jubbaland and Puntland however refused to participate, arguing Mohamed must not chair the talks as he was no longer president.
In a sign the president is expanding support for his continued stay in office, residents in Dhahar district in Puntland demonstrated on Wednesday, expressing approval for Mohamed while denouncing the state&#8217;s president.
&#8220;We want Farmajo, we don&#8217;t want president Deni,&#8221; they chanted, referring to the state&#8217;s leader.
Police dispersed the protesters by firing in the air. (Writing by Elias Biryabarema, Editing by William Maclean)
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Somali president, under pressure to quit, gets backing from official in rival camp

(Fixes typographical error in first paragraph)
NEW DELHI, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; India&#8217;s oil minister said on Wednesday African nations could play a central role as the world&#8217;s third biggest oil importer seeks to diversify its sources of oil and gas imports.
&#8220;As India seeks to further diversify sourcing of crude oil and LNG, Africa has a central role &#8211; largely due to its proximity and absence of any choke points in trans-shipments,&#8221; Dharmendra Pradhan told an industry summit.
He said Africa&#8217;s share of India&#8217;s oil import basket was about 15%.
(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Edmund Blair)
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REFILE-Africa can play central role in India’s oil diversification, says minister

March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; 2888.HK:
* LAUNCHING SUSTAINABLE TRADE FINANCE SOLUTIONS ACROSS ASIA, AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE AND AMERICAS Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
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BRIEF-Standard Chartered Launches Sustainable Trade Finance Solutions

March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York&#8217;s SPDR Gold Trust, fell 0.6% on Tuesday from Monday, while holdings of the largest silver-backed ETF, New York&#8217;s iShares Silver Trust, remained unchanged during the same period. Exchange-traded funds, the most widely recognized type of ETP, back each security issued with physical stocks of a given commodity, creating a product they say is free from counterparty risk. Name New Date Prev Prev Abs % chg YTD Abs Change Holdings(OZ) Holdings(OZ) Change(OZ) (OZ) GOLD SPDR Gold Trust 33,609,494.0 Mar 23 33,815,634.7 Mar 22 -206,140.7 -0.61% -4,030,811.9 COMEX Gold Trust 16,322,867.1 Mar 23 16,322,867.1 Mar 22 0.0 0.00% -558,784.5 ETF Securities gold (ex-US) 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Gold ** 5,466,221.5 Mar 19 5,497,364.1 Mar 12 -31,142.7 -0.57% -131,568.1 Sprott Physical Gold Trust 2,604,200.0 Mar 23 2,604,200.0 Mar 22 0.0 0.00% 28,980.0 ETFS Physical Swiss Gold 844,902.3 Jan 24 844,902.3 Jan 24 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewGold ETF 636,242.0 Mar 19 639,996.6 Mar 18 -3,754.6 -0.59% -28,546.7 Total 68,777,669.3 69,018,707.2 -241,037.9 -0.35% -4,720,731.2 SILVER iShares Silver Trust 585,846,244.0 Mar 23 585,846,244.0 Mar 22 0.0 0.00% 27,130,361.6 Sprott Physical Silver 129,834,611.0 Mar 23 129,833,248.0 Mar 22 1,363.0 0.00% 38,725,956.0 ETF Securities silver ex-US 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Silver 94,956,516.3 Mar 19 94,989,728.0 Mar 12 -33,211.7 -0.03% 1,512,435.4 ETFS Physical Silver Shares 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; Total 933,935,431.2 933,967,279.9 -31,848.7 0.00% 189,991,261.4 PLATINUM ETFS Physical Platinum Shares 738,343.9 Mar 20 738,343.9 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewPlat ETF 572,691.1 Mar 19 572,696.5 Mar 18 -5.4 0.00% 10,244.0 ETF Securities platinum ex-US 617,330.8 Nov 30 617,330.8 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Platinum 442,230.8 Mar 19 442,230.8 Mar 12 0.0 0.00% 18,976.3 Total 2,370,596.6 2,370,602.0 -5.4 0.00% 2,051,939.9 PALLADIUM InvestPalladium ETF # 142,113.5 Mar 25 142,113.5 Mar 25 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ETFS Physical Palladium Shares 129,466.6 Mar 20 129,466.6 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ETF Securities palladium ex-US 111,915.0 Nov 30 111,915.0 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Palladium 78,361.8 Mar 19 78,361.8 Mar 12 0.0 0.00% 352.6 ABSA &#8211; NewPalladium ETF **** 25,527.6 Mar 19 25,527.8 Mar 18 0.0 0.00% 7,037.6 Total 487,384.5 487,384.8 -0.2 0.00% 409,767.5 The figures above are those reported to Reuters by the organizations involved by telephone or email on the date shown, or those that are publicly available on their websites. ** ZKB physical gold, silver, platinum and palladium funds are fully backed by physical precious metal and investors are entitled to physical delivery of them. *** Shareholders in the GAM Gold fund can elect to hold &#8220;A class&#8221; shares, which are fully backed by physical gold. Investors in that class are entitled to physical delivery of the precious metal. Investors may also elect to hold &#8220;AX&#8221; class shares, which are fully backed by physical gold. Investors in that class are not entitled to physical delivery of the precious metal. **** Absa Capital&#8217;s NewPalladium Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) was listed on March 27, 2014 and is fully backed with South African palladium. # Standard Bank&#8217;s AfricaPalladium ETF, South Africa&#8217;s first listed palladium exchange traded fund, debuted on March 24, 2014. 
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TABLE-Holdings of SPDR Gold fall, iShares Silver unchanged

(Corrects absolute change for COMEX Gold Trust, ABSA &#8211; NewGold ETF fund, total gold holdings, iShares Silver Trust and Sprott Physical Silver in the table) March 23 (Reuters) &#8211; Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York&#8217;s SPDR Gold Trust, remained unchanged on Monday from Friday, while holdings of the largest silver-backed ETF, New York&#8217;s iShares Silver Trust, fell 0.4% during the same period. Exchange-traded funds, the most widely recognized type of ETP, back each security issued with physical stocks of a given commodity, creating a product they say is free from counterparty risk. Name New Holdings Date Prev Holdings Prev Abs Change % chg YTD Abs (OZ) (OZ) (OZ) Change (OZ) GOLD SPDR Gold Trust 33,815,634.7 Mar 22 33,815,634.7 Mar 19 0.0 0.00% -3,824,671.2 COMEX Gold Trust 16,322,867.1 Mar 22 16,303,810.9 Mar 19 19,056.2 0.12% -558,784.5 ETF Securities gold (ex-US) 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Gold ** 5,578,245.6 Feb 12 5,578,245.6 Feb 12 0.0 &#8212; -19,543.9 Sprott Physical Gold Trust 2,604,200.0 Mar 22 2,604,200.0 Mar 19 0.0 0.00% 28,980.0 ETFS Physical Swiss Gold 844,902.3 Jan 24 844,902.3 Jan 24 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewGold ETF 636,242.0 Mar 19 639,996.6 Mar 18 -3,754.6 -0.59% 12,566.6 Total 69,095,834.1 69,080,532.7 15,301.6 0.02% -4,604,162.8 SILVER iShares Silver Trust 585,846,244.0 Mar 22 588,445,814.4 Mar 19 -2,599,570.4 -0.44% 27,130,361.6 Sprott Physical Silver 129,833,248.0 Mar 22 129,733,248.0 Mar 19 100,000.0 0.08% 38,724,593.0 ETF Securities silver ex-US 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Silver 94,280,964.8 Feb 12 94,280,964.8 Feb 12 0.0 &#8212; 836,883.9 ETFS Physical Silver Shares 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; Total 933,258,516.7 935,758,087.1 -2,499,570.4 -0.27% 189,989,898.4 PLATINUM ETFS Physical Platinum Shares 738,343.9 Mar 20 738,343.9 Mar 20 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewPlat ETF 689,119.7 May 28 689,119.7 May 28 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ETF Securities platinum ex-US 617,330.8 Nov 30 617,330.8 Nov 30 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Platinum 430,400.0 Feb 12 430,400.0 Feb 12 0.0 &#8212; 7,145.5 Total 2,475,194.4 2,475,194.4 0.0 0.00% 2,051,939.9 PALLADIUM InvestPalladium ETF # 142,113.5 Mar 25 142,113.5 Mar 25 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ETFS Physical Palladium Shares 129,466.6 Mar 20 129,466.6 Mar 20 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ETF Securities palladium ex-US 111,915.0 Nov 30 111,915.0 Nov 30 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Palladium 77,944.9 Feb 12 77,944.9 Feb 12 0.0 &#8212; -64.3 ABSA &#8211; NewPalladium ETF **** 26,336.7 May 28 26,336.7 May 28 0.0 &#8212; &#8212; Total 487,776.7 487,776.7 0.0 0.00% 409,767.5 The figures above are those reported to Reuters by the organizations involved by telephone or email on the date shown, or those that are publicly available on their websites. ** ZKB physical gold, silver, platinum and palladium funds are fully backed by physical precious metal and investors are entitled to physical delivery of them. *** Shareholders in the GAM Gold fund can elect to hold &#8220;A class&#8221; shares, which are fully backed by physical gold. Investors in that class are entitled to physical delivery of the precious metal. Investors may also elect to hold &#8220;AX&#8221; class shares, which are fully backed by physical gold. Investors in that class are not entitled to physical delivery of the precious metal. **** Absa Capital&#8217;s NewPalladium Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) was listed on March 27, 2014 and is fully backed with South African palladium. # Standard Bank&#8217;s AfricaPalladium ETF, South Africa&#8217;s first listed palladium exchange traded fund, debuted on March 24, 2014. 
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CORRECTED-TABLE-Holdings of SPDR Gold unchanged, iShares Silver drop (March 23)

JOHANNESBURG, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s headline consumer price inflation slowed to 2.9% year-on-year in February from 3.2% in January, data from Statistics South Africa showed on Wednesday. PERCENTAGE CHANGES: Y/Y Y/Y M/M M/M February January February January Food, non-alcoholic bev 5.2 5.4 0.3 0.7 Alcoholic bev, tobacco 4.0 3.5 0.5 0.2 Clothing, footwear 0.3 0.6 0.0 0.4 Housing, utilities 2.6 2.6 0.0 0.0 Household contents 1.7 1.9 -0.3 0.3 Health 2.8 4.5 1.7 0.3 Transport 1.2 -0.4 1.8 0.9 Communication -0.5 -0.5 -0.1 0.1 Recreation and culture 1.4 1.6 0.0 -0.3 Education 6.4 6.4 0.0 0.0 Restaurants, hotels -0.5 0.3 -0.5 0.5 Miscellaneous goods 3.9 6.5 2.3 0.3 All items 2.9 3.2 0.7 0.3 (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana) 
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TABLE-South Africa’s consumer price inflation slows to 2.9% y/y in February

JOHANNESBURG, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s headline consumer price inflation slowed to 2.9% year-on-year in February from 3.2% in January, data from Statistics South Africa showed on Wednesday.
On a month-on-month basis, the CPI rose to 0.7% in February from 0.3% in the previous month.
Core inflation, which excludes prices of food, non-alcoholic beverages, fuel and energy, was at 2.6% year-on-year in February, from 3.3% previously. On a month-on-month basis core inflation rose to 0.6% from 0.1% previously. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Alison Williams)
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&nbsp;

South Africa’s consumer price inflation slows to 2.9% y/y in February

March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Lafarge Africa PLC:
* FY GROUP PROFIT BEFORE MINIMUM TAX FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 37.57 BILLION NAIRA VERSUS 17.89 BILLION NAIRA
* FY GROUP REVENUE FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 230.57 BILLION NAIRA VERSUS 213 BILLION NAIRA Source text for Eikon: [ID: https://bit.ly/3f9XDZO] Further company coverage:
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&nbsp;

BRIEF-Lafarge Africa FY Group Profit Before Minimum Tax From Cont Ops 37.57 Bln Naira Vs 17.89 Bln Naira

JOHANNESBURG, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s edged up against the dollar in early trade on Wednesday, benefiting from some easing risk aversion following a Turkish lira inspired rout in emerging market assets earlier this week, while investors awaited local inflation data release.
At 0650 GMT, the rand was 0.17% firmer against the dollar at 14.8500, compared to an overnight close of 14.8750.
Spillover from the Turkish lira&#8217;s sharp tumble at the beginning of the week after President Tayyip Erdogan fired his central bank governor hit demand for emerging market assets.
Increasing concerns over a third COVID-19 wave in Europe also dimmed risk appetite. But the rand found some takers as the consumer inflation data due later in the day and Thursday&#8217;s central bank decision on rates raised bets on higher rates.
A majority of analysts see the bank holding rates steady despite fellow emerging markets entering rate hiking cycles this year, although a small chance of preemptive hike by the Reserve Bank (SARB) has kept bulls and bears largely balanced.
&#8220;The local unit showed an uncharacteristically high degree of resilience,&#8221; said economists at ETM Analytics.
&#8220;This is primarily a function of SA&#8217;s positive current account dynamics, with strong commodity exports and weak import demand propping up the trade balance, while the high real yields SA offers also remain difficult to ignore.&#8221;
Bonds opened weaker, with the yield on the benchmark 2030 government issue up 5 basis points to 9.41%
(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
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&nbsp;

South Africa’s rand inches higher on easing risk aversion; inflation data in focus

March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Solarpack Corporacion Tecnologica SA :
* SAYS WILL START SELECTIVELY ENTERING NEW FRONTIER MARKETS WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON SEA AND AFRICA AS PART OF ITS STRATEGY
* SEES PROJECTED CAPACITY IN OPERATION AND UNDER CONSTRUCTION OF 1.8-2.0 GW BY 2023 AND ABOUT 4.0 GW BY 2026
* SAYS TO HAVE SPECIAL FOCUS ON CORPORATE PPAS, STORAGE AND INNOVATION AS PART OF ITS STRATEGY
* SEES YEARLY ORDER INTAKE OF 900-1,100 MW/YEAR FROM 2024 ONWARDS
* SAYS ITS GUIDANCE UP TO 2026 REQUIRES AN INVESTMENT OF ABOUT 1.5-2.0 BILLION EUROS
* SAYS CONSIDERS REINVESTING CASH GENERATION IN VALUE ACCRETIVE PROJECTS
* SAYS NO DIVIDENDS EXPECTED IN THE SHORT TERM
Source text for Eikon:
Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)
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&nbsp;

BRIEF-Solarpack Sees Capacity In Operation And Under Construction Of About 4 GW By 2026

JOHANNESBURG, March 24 &#8211; The following scheduled economic events, company announcements, equity and currency market moves may affect South African markets on Wednesday.

ECONOMIC EVENTS
Statistics South Africa is due to release inflation data for February at 0800 GMT.

SOUTH AFRICAN MARKETS
South Africa&#8217;s rand weakened in on Tuesday as caution prevailed ahead of a closely watched testimony by top U.S. policymakers, with investors looking out for comments on the rise of bond yields.

GLOBAL MARKETS
Asian shares hit a two-week low on Wednesday, oil weakened further and the dollar neared four-month highs as coronavirus lockdowns in Europe and potential U.S. tax hikes hit risk appetite, leading to a flight to safety.

WALL STREET
U.S. stocks tumbled on Tuesday as concerns about the cost of infrastructure spending and potential tax hikes to pay for President Joe Biden&#8217;s $1.9 trillion relief bill weighed on investors who also fear further downside in the market.

GOLD
Gold prices rose on Wednesday as U.S. Treasury yields held close to one-week low, with bullion shrugging off strength in the dollar following Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell&#8217;s reassurance that inflation would not spiral out of control.

EMERGING MARKETS
For the top emerging markets news, double click on
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Some of the main stories out in the South African press:

BUSINESS DAY
&#8211; Lesotho moves to cancel Netcare hospital contract
FIN 24
&#8211; Not selling their sole: Former Tekkie Town owners to vote against Steinhoff&#8217;s offer to settle
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South African Markets – Factors to watch on March 24

NAIROBI, March 24 &#8211; The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Wednesday. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; GLOBAL MARKETS Asian shares hit a two-week low on Wednesday, oil weakened further and the dollar neared four-month highs as coronavirus lockdowns in Europe and potential U.S. tax hikes hit risk appetite, leading to a flight to safety. WORLD OIL PRICES Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday as investors looked for bargains following the previous day&#8217;s plunge, but gains were capped as pandemic lockdowns in Europe and a build in U.S. crude stocks curbed risk appetite and raised oversupply fears. EMERGING MARKETS For the top emerging markets news, double click on AFRICA STOCKS For the latest news on African stocks, click on KENYA MARKETS The Kenyan shilling traded stable on Tuesday due to quiet market activity, traders said. SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS South Africa&#8217;s rand weakened in on Tuesday as caution prevailed ahead of a closely watched testimony by top U.S. policymakers, with investors looking out for comments on the rise of bond yields. NIGERIA CENTRAL BANK Nigeria&#8217;s central bank held its benchmark lending rate at 11.5% on Tuesday, said Governor Godwin Emefiele, who also denied that the country is adopting a new foreign exchange management policy. KENYA BANKS Absa Bank Kenya ABSA.NR on Tuesday reported a 47% drop in 2020 pretax profit reflecting higher impairments due to effects of the pandemic. ETHIOPIA CONFLICT Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed for the first time on Tuesday that troops from neighbouring Eritrea entered the northern Tigray region during the five-month-old conflict, the first such acknowledgement after months of denials. CONGO ELECTIONS Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso has been re-elected with more than 88% of the vote, official results showed on Tuesday, extending his 36 years leading the Central African oil producer despite a prolonged economic crisis. ANGOLA OIL ASSETS Switzerland&#8217;s top court this month partially ruled against a freeze on $900 million belonging to a jailed Angolan businessman, citing insufficient evidence for money laundering alleged by prosecutors. SUDAN MEDIATION &#8211; Sudan&#8217;s cabinet has backed an initiative for the United Arab Emirates to mediate in a dispute over Sudan&#8217;s border with Ethiopia, and over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Sudanese information minister said on Tuesday. For the latest precious metals report click on For the latest base metals report click on For the latest crude oil report click on 
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African Markets – Factors to watch on March 24

To access a PDF version of this newsletter, please click here http://share.refinitiv.com/assets/newsletters/Indiamorning/MNC_IN_03242021.pdf If you would like to receive this newsletter via email, please register at: https://solutions.refinitiv.com/MNCIndiaSubscriptionpage FACTORS TO WATCH • 9:15 am: Anupam Rasayan lists on exchanges in Mumbai. • 10:00 am: Barbeque Nation Hospitality IPO opens for subscription in Mumbai. • 11:00 am: Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari at a PHD Chamber of Commerce webinar on green infrastructure. • 12:00 noon: Power Minister R.K. Singh, Power Secretary Alok Kumar to launch Gram Ujala programme via video conferencing. • 2:00 pm: Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Commerce Ministry Additional Secretary Sanjay Chadha, Shipping Corp of India CMD H.K. Joshi at CII national e-conference on boosting exports • 3:00 pm: Shriram Transport Finance Managing Director Umesh Revankar, Sundaram Finance Managing Director T.T. Srinivasaraghavan, Mahindra Finance Vice Chairman and Managing Director Ramesh Iyer at Finance Industry Development Council webinar on NBFCs. • 3:30 pm: NITI Aayog Chief Executive Amitabh Kant at a U.K. India Business Council webinar. • 5:00 pm: Kotak Mahindra Bank Joint Managing Director Dipak Gupta at Marcellus “Kings of Capital” webinar on Indian banking in the post-Covid era. • 5:25 pm: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at IMC Chamber of Commerce Indo-Africa Virtual Summit 2021. • 6:00 pm: Petroleum Secretary Tarun Kapoor, Indian Oil Director &#8211; R&amp;D S.S.V. Ramakumar, Reliance Industries Group President &#8211; R&amp;D Ajit Sapre at Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry R&amp;D Conclave 2021. PROMOTION LIVECHAT-REUTERS GLOBAL MARKETS FORUM Hans Goetti, Independent research consultant joins the forum to discuss developments in Asian markets. To join the conversation at 9:30 am IST, click here https://www.refinitiv.com/en/products/refinitiv-messenger/editorial-communities-financial-forums INDIA TOP NEWS • India to expand vaccination amid case surge, denies supply shortage India said on Tuesday it would expand its vaccination campaign from April 1 to include everyone above 45, and denied there was any shortage as a second surge in infections drives up demand. • Indian federal police charge 71 anti-Vedanta protesters over 2018 violence, sources say India&#8217;s federal police have charged 71 people for rioting and arson during deadly protests over environmental concerns at Vedanta&#8217;s copper smelter in Tamil Nadu state three years ago, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. • Supreme Court rules against extending moratorium on bank loan repayments India&#8217;s top court on Tuesday rejected an attempt to extend a six-month moratorium on loan repayments to banks, but ruled that no borrowers can be charged any extra interest incurred on loans during that period, which ended in August last year. • Coal India bets on solar, eyes further mine closures Coal India could venture into solar wafer manufacturing and wants to &#8220;aggressively&#8221; participate in the country&#8217;s solar energy auctions, its chairman told Reuters on Tuesday. • Hopes low for progress at India, Pakistan&#8217;s first river-sharing talks in 3 years An Indian official played down on Tuesday prospects for a breakthrough at the first talks in three years with neighbouring Pakistan aimed at resolving long-running disputes over hydroelectric projects on the shared Indus River. • Indian state warns of COVID-19 vaccine shortage, immunisation halt The eastern Indian state of Odisha might have to stop its coronavirus immunisation drive for four days starting at the end of March because of a shortage of vaccine doses, according to a letter to the federal government reviewed by Reuters. GLOBAL TOP NEWS • Yellen says post-crisis plans will move to infrastructure, taxes Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday the U.S. economy remains in crisis from the pandemic even as she defended developing plans for future tax increases to pay for new public investments. • Intel to spend $20 billion on U.S. chip plants as CEO challenges Asia dominance Intel will greatly expand its advanced chip manufacturing capacity as the new chief executive announced plans to spend as much as $20 billion to build two factories in Arizona and open its factories to outside customers. • Japan&#8217;s factory activity picks up in March on growing output, orders &#8211; flash PMI An expansion of Japan&#8217;s factory activity gathered pace in March, a private sector survey showed on Wednesday, helped by the prospect of a global economic recovery as an increasing number of countries roll out COVID-19 vaccines. LOCAL MARKETS OUTLOOK (As reported by NewsRise) • SGX Nifty nearest-month futures were trading down 0.6% at 14,735. • The Indian rupee is expected to weaken against the U.S. currency amid broad dollar strength and tepid risk appetite. • Indian government bond yields are likely to open lower, tracking fall in U.S. Treasury yields and crude oil prices, while sentiment remained positive after the cancellation of the last scheduled debt auction for this fiscal. The yield on the benchmark 5.85% bond maturing in 2030 is likely to trade in a 6.10%-6.16% band. GLOBAL MARKETS • U.S. stocks tumbled on Tuesday as concerns about the cost of infrastructure spending and potential tax hikes to pay for President Joe Biden&#8217;s $1.9 trillion relief bill weighed on investors who also fear further downside in the market. • Asian shares hit a two-week low, oil weakened further and the dollar neared four-month highs as coronavirus lockdowns in Europe and potential U.S. tax hikes hit risk appetite, leading to a flight to safety. • The safe-haven U.S. dollar approached a four-month high as concerns over a third COVID-19 wave in Europe, potential U.S. tax hikes and escalating tensions between the West and China sapped risk appetite. • The Treasury Department drew solid demand for a $60 billion sale of two-year notes on Tuesday, the first sale of $183 billion in coupon-bearing supply this week, while longer-dated yields held below one-year highs reached last week. • Oil prices edged higher as investors looked for bargains following the previous day&#8217;s plunge, but gains were capped as pandemic lockdowns in Europe and a build in U.S. crude stocks curbed risk appetite and raised oversupply fears. • Gold prices eased, as the dollar touched a more than two-week high after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reassured Congress that inflation would not spiral out of control. CLOSE FII INVESTMENTS EQUITIES DEBT PNDF spot 72.42/72.45 March 23 276.50 crores 379.27 crores 10-yr bond yield 6.14% Month-to-date 15,084 crores (9,512) crores Year-to-date 60,344 crores (18,518) crores (FII investment numbers are in Indian rupees. Source: National Securities Depository Limited) For additional data: India govt bond market volumes Stock market reports Non-deliverable forwards data Corporate debt stories [IN CORPD] Local market closing/intraday levels [IN SNAPSHOT] Monthly inflows [INFLOWS RTRS TABLE IN] ($1 = 72.55 Indian rupees) (Compiled by Siddharth Athreya V in Bengaluru) 
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Morning News Call – India, March 24

By Paulina Duran
SYDNEY, March 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Investec&#8217;s Australian unit has agreed to sell its A$1.2 billion ($912.96 million) acquisition finance loan-book to corporate lender Metrics Credit Partners, sources told Reuters, as part of the investment bank&#8217;s move to exit the country.
The portfolio is made up of leveraged finance debt and loans to private equity-owned companies in Australia&#8217;s entertainment, retail, childcare, healthcare, mining services and financial services sectors, Investec and Metrics said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
Both firms declined to comment on the value of the book or its price.
&#8220;The credit quality of this portfolio is sound and provides a great opportunity to expand our relationship with Australian corporate borrowers,&#8221; Metrics Managing Partner Andrew Lockhart said.
Investec, which had been operating in the Antipodean country for over 20 years, earlier this year announced it would close its office in Australia to focus on its core operations in the U.K. and South Africa.
Its exit comes in the midst of a shake-up in the investment banking market in Australia, with Lazard Ltd also handing over its mergers and acquisitions advisory business in the country to a new, &#8220;affiliated&#8221; firm, while newcomers Barrenjoey and Jarden, raid competitors for talent.
($1 = 1.3144 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Paulina Duran in Sydney; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
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CORRECTED-TABLE-Holdings of SPDR Gold unchanged, iShares Silver drop (March 23)

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South African Markets – Factors to watch on March 24

African Markets – Factors to watch on March 24

Morning News Call – India, March 24

Investec sells Australian $913 mln acquisition finance loan-book to Metrics

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European Tour Kenya Savannah Classic Scores

Sudan to receive first batch of Sinopharm vaccines, SUNA reports

Ships carrying commodities stuck after vessel grounding in Suez Canal

Somali president, under pressure to quit, gets backing from official in rival camp

REFILE-Africa can play central role in India’s oil diversification, says minister

BRIEF-Standard Chartered Launches Sustainable Trade Finance Solutions

TABLE-Holdings of SPDR Gold fall, iShares Silver unchanged

CORRECTED-TABLE-Holdings of SPDR Gold unchanged, iShares Silver drop (March 23)

TABLE-South Africa’s consumer price inflation slows to 2.9% y/y in February

South Africa’s consumer price inflation slows to 2.9% y/y in February

BRIEF-Lafarge Africa FY Group Profit Before Minimum Tax From Cont Ops 37.57 Bln Naira Vs 17.89 Bln Naira

South Africa’s rand inches higher on easing risk aversion; inflation data in focus

BRIEF-Solarpack Sees Capacity In Operation And Under Construction Of About 4 GW By 2026

South African Markets – Factors to watch on March 24

African Markets – Factors to watch on March 24

Morning News Call – India, March 24

Investec sells Australian $913 mln acquisition finance loan-book to Metrics

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