DUBAI, April 27 (Reuters) &#8211; Iran has found three suspected cases of the coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said on Tuesday, calling it an alarm bell after COVID-19 deaths hit a daily record of 496 a day earlier.
Iran, the epicentre of the pandemic in the Middle East and which is grappling with a fourth wave, reported 462 deaths on Tuesday. Some 70,532 people have died out of 2.4 million cases, according to official statistics.
&#8220;Unfortunately we received a report about three cases of the South African virus, and we are making more checks to confirm this,&#8221; Namaki said in remarks carried by state TV.
&#8220;We are also checking cases of Indian visitors infected with the coronavirus and hope that they don&#8217;t carry the (Indian) mutated virus,&#8221; Namaki said. &#8220;In any case, these alarm bells tell us that we need to increase social distancing and better follow health precautions.&#8221;
On Saturday Iran barred travelers from India and neighbouring Pakistan to avert the spread of the virus variant.
Non-essential businesses in Iran have been under lockdown for the past three weeks.
The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that it had vaccinated 90 percent of health workers and it was starting the vaccination of those aged over 80.
The government has faced criticism for its slow vaccination drive. But officials have blamed U.S. sanctions for hampering efforts to buy foreign vaccines.
Food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are exempt from sanctions that Washington reimposed on Tehran after withdrawing from Iran&#8217;s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers.
But the U.S. measures, which target sectors including oil and banks, have deterred some foreign banks from processing financial transactions with Iran, which Tehran says has frequently disrupted efforts to import essential medicines and other humanitarian items. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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Iran fears South African, Indian variants as daily virus deaths hit record

By Richa Naidu
CHICAGO, April 27 (Reuters) &#8211; Global shoppers are expected to spend 20% more online in 2021 than they did last year, according to an Adobe report released on Tuesday, likely adding pressure to supply chains as they struggle to keep up with a surge in demand.
Major retailers and vendors &#8211; from Home Depot to Peloton &#8211; are under pressure from high transportation and storage costs for expensive-to-ship items like appliances, furniture and exercise equipment that are in high demand.
Stores like Walmart, Target and Amazon.com have over the past year also run out of essential products that are easy to buy in bulk with one click, but hard to keep stocked.
Driven by demand in the United States, China and Britain, ecommerce sales will total an estimated $4.2 trillion this year versus $3.5 billion in 2020, according to Adobe, which gathers direct transaction data in over 80 countries. Online sales of items from toys and video games to furniture were $876 billion in the first quarter of this year.
As vaccines remain in short supply and many countries experience new waves of variant-fueled COVID-19 infections, retailers have kept many physical stores shut while investing heavily in online platforms.
Nike said last month only 65% of stores in Europe, the Middle East and Africa were open or operating on reduced hours. At the same time digital sales in its most recent quarter rose 60%.
But even as stores reopen, the Adobe data shows that after more than a year under lockdown people have become accustomed to ordering goods via their laptops or smartphones. The firm&#8217;s analysis echoes patterns predicted by retailers and vendors including Walmart, Kraft Heinz and Mondelez.
This spells bad news for companies that rely on physical stores, which were already on the decline because of Amazon.com , Alibaba and other ecommerce giants. In America, online sales surged 39% to about $200 billion in the first quarter, with growth spiking in the three weeks following President Joe Biden&#8217;s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. Growth wasn&#8217;t as impressive elsewhere however, with some countries like Japan &#8211; where fewer people have shopped online historically &#8211; seeing only modest ecommerce sales. (Reporting by Richa Naidu; Editing by Sam Holmes)
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Shoppers expected to spend $4.2 tln online in 2021, squeezing supply chains

April 27 (Reuters) &#8211;
For other diaries, please see:

Political and General News
Top Economic Events
Emerging Markets Economic Events
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Today in Washington
&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211; This diary is filed daily. ** Indicates new events &#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;
TUESDAY, APRIL 27
** LONDON &#8211; OPEC+ to hold monitoring committee (JMMC) meeting.
** BRUSSELS &#8211; Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger visit next to the EU institutions and NATO. ** BERLIN &#8211; German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his Slovak counterpart Ivan Korcok speak to reporters during a virtual news conference ahead of their meeting to discuss &#8220;bilateral, European and international issues.&#8221; &#8211; 1400 GMT. ** PARIS &#8211; French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and his German counterpart Olaf Scholz give a joint news conference on recovery plans to alleviate the EU&#8217;s economic situation that has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis &#8211; 1430 GMT. ** TBILISI – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis will pay an official visit to Georgia, he will meet Georgian counterpart (to April 29).
** WASHINGTON DC – United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make his first visit to Africa, virtually, where he will meet with the presidents of Nigeria and Kenya.
MOSCOW &#8211; Mexico&#8217;s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard will visit Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart. (To Apr. 28) GLOBAL &#8211; World Immunization Week 2021 (to May 2).
BRUSSELS – The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will meet the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Eduard Heger, at NATO HQ. Joint press point by the NATO Secretary General and the Prime Minister – 1500 GMT. LISBON &#8211; Portugal&#8217;s Finance Minister Joao Leao speaks to lawmakers at a parliamentary committee &#8211; 1400 GMT.
KATUNAYAKE , SRI LANKA &#8211; China’s State Councilor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe will be in Sri Lanka to hold bilateral discussions with government officials. SAN FRANCISCO, United States &#8211; Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, will be on a virtual visit to San Francisco. (To Apr. 28) GENEVA &#8211; United Nations calls meeting of Greece, Britain, Turkey and the two rival sides on ethnically partitioned Cyprus to establish whether there is common ground for resumption of peace talks. (To April 29)
BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic speaks to press regarding better regulation in the EU – 1000 GMT. BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Commissioner for Budget Johannes Hahn give a press conference on Next Generation EU funding strategy. BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commission vice-president Margrethe Vestager gives a press conference on &#8220;Updating the new industrial strategy for Europe.&#8221; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28 ** BERLIN &#8211; German Chancellor Angela Merkel receives Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for virtual talks as part of the Sixth German-Chinese Government Consultations &#8211; 0700 GMT. ** MADRID &#8211; Spain&#8217;s economy minister Nadia Calvino chairs Advisory Council on Economy &#8211; 1000 GMT.
BRUSSELS, Belgium – The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will meet the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, at NATO HQ. Joint press point by the NATO Secretary General and the President – 1115 GMT.
MEXICO CITY &#8211; Mexico&#8217;s Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier and Mauricio Claver-Carone, President of the Inter-American Development Bank, are scheduled to speak at annual private equity event in Mexico. MOSCOW &#8211; Foreign minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov meets with foreign minister of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard in Moscow &#8211; 0900 GMT.
VIENNA – 16th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting Via videoconference.
PORT ARTHUR, Tasmania – 23rd anniversary of Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, APRIL 29
** MADRID &#8211; Spain&#8217;s economy minister Nadia Calvino takes part in the 2021 Artificial Intelligence Summit organized by Ametic &#8211; 0800 GMT. ** KAZAN, Russia – Prime ministers of EAEU, Cuba, Moldova, Uzbekistan to meet in Kazan (to April 30)
BRUSSELS &#8211; EU development ministers will meet in virtual format to hold an orientation debate on the future of the European financial architecture for development (EFAD).
LONDON – 10th wedding anniversary of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, APRIL 30
MADRID &#8211; Spain´s foreign affairs minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya holds a meeting with Mexican counterpart Marcelo Ebrard in Madrid &#8211; 1000 GMT.
BRUSSELS &#8211; EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis speaks at BusinessEurope event about the planned EU-Mercosur free trade agreement &#8211; 1300 GMT.
CHAD &#8211; Chad President election. BENIN &#8211; Benin President election.
DJIBOUTI &#8211; President election.
BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commissioner for economy Paolo Gentiloni speaks at an online event on the macroeconomic environment one year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe. &#8211; 1300 GMT
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
TUESDAY, MAY 4
MOSCOW &#8211; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold negotiations with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Moscow.
SINGAPORE &#8211; Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will visit Singapore to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, MAY 6
** BRUSSELS &#8211; European Union ministers of foreign affairs meet to discuss current affairs and exchange views on the Strategic Compass, a strategy for Europe&#8217;s security and defence. BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) meeting.
SCOTLAND (PART OF THE UNITED KINGDOM)- Scottish Parliament election. WALES &#8211; National Assembly for Wales Election.
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, MAY 7
WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet virtually with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to discuss migration. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; SATURDAY, MAY 08 PORTUGAL – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Portugal for the India-EU summit.
PORTO, Portugal – EU-India summit. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, MAY 10
** ATHENS &#8211; Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, EU&#8217;s Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni and EU&#8217;s Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides speaks at six-day economic forum in Athens (to May 15). BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
TUESDAY, MAY 11
BRUSSELS &#8211; EU General Affairs Council meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; WEDNESDAY, MAY 12
** BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis gives a press conference on the bloc&#8217;s new anti money-laundering legislative package.
DUBLIN &#8211; EU Financial Services Commissioner McGuiness speaks at green economy conference &#8211; 0900 GMT
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, MAY 17 BRUSSELS &#8211; Euro zone finance ministers meet &#8211; 1300 GMT
WELLINGTON &#8211; Trade ministers of Asia-Pacific countries meet ahead of the APEC Summit in New Zealand (to May 30)
BRUSSELS &#8211; EU Informal General Affairs Council meeting.
BRUSSELS – Eurogroup meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; TUESDAY, MAY 18
LUCERNE, Switzerland &#8211; World Economic Forum holds annual meeting (to May. 21).
BRUSSELS – EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, MAY 20
VIENNA &#8211; IMF&#8217;s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, ECB&#8217;s Christine Lagarde address conference on Gender, Money and Finance. (To May 21)
BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; FRIDAY, MAY 21 ROME &#8211; Italy hosts G20 summit on global health crisis.
PORTUGAL – EU Informal meeting of economic and financial affairs ministers, (To May 22). &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
SATURDAY, MAY 22
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES &#8211; Palestinians hold legislative elections &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
SUNDAY, MAY 23
CYPRUS &#8211; Cypriot House of Representatives election. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; TUESDAY, MAY 25
BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council (Development) meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
WEDNESDAY, MAY 26
CAYMAN ISLANDS &#8211; Cayman Legislative Assembly election. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, MAY 27
BRUSSELS – EU Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers – Gymnich
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, MAY 28
BRUSSELS – EU Informal meeting of defense ministers.
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
TUESDAY, JUNE 1
VALPARAISO, Chile &#8211; Chile&#8217;s President Sebastian Pinera delivers the annual state of the nation address. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
SATURDAY, JUNE 5
GAMBIA, THE – Referendum Election. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
SUNDAY, JUNE 6
MEXICO &#8211; Mexican Chamber of Deputies election.
IRAQ &#8211; Iraqi Council of Representatives election. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, JUNE 7
BRUSSELS – EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting. (To June 8) &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
MONGOLIA – President Election.
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, JUNE 10
DUSHANBE &#8211; President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will visit Tajikistan. (To June 12)
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, JUNE 11 CORNWALL, England &#8211; U.S. President Joe Biden will visit UK to attend the G7 summit in Cornwall, England (To June 13)
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, JUNE 14
BRUSSELS &#8211; U.S. President Joe Biden will visit to Brussels to take part in NATO summit in BRUSSELS, Belgium.
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, JUNE 18
IRAN, Islamic Republic of Iran – President Election.
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, JUNE 28
** MATERA, ITALY &#8211; G20 foreign ministers meet in the southern Italian city of Matera for a 3-day summit (to Jun. 30).
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; NOTE: The inclusion of diary items does not necessarily mean that Reuters will file a story based on the event.
For Technical Issues Please contact Thomson Reuters Customer Support (TRCS) at https://customers.reuters.com/kccontactus/telephone.aspx
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DIARY-Political and General News Events from April 27

SPECIAL REPORT-He returned to Iran to help save its environment. He had to flee.

* Turkey imposes nationwide lockdown from Thursday
* Lira gains 0.6% on local support
* Hungary rate decision at 1200 GMT &#8211; no changes expected
* Russian stocks at record highs on higher oil prices
By Shashank Nayar
April 27 (Reuters) &#8211; Caution ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting and a jump in virus numbers weighed on emerging currencies on Tuesday, although Turkey&#8217;s lira strengthened for a second session, shrugging off a freshly imposed lockdown.
The dollar near multi-week lows versus major peers and subdued U.S. Treasury yields ahead of the Fed&#8217;s policy decision on Wednesday did little to cheer emerging assets, with both currency and stock indexes treading water.
&#8220;The pandemic is raging across several major EMs such as India, Turkey, and Brazil, and the vaccine rollout is still sluggish,&#8221; analysts at BCA said in a note to clients.
Turkey&#8217;s lira gained 0.6% against the dollar in early trade, making it an outlier among developing currencies, after rebounding 1.5% on Monday from near an all-time low as locals took advantage of recent weakness to sell dollars. l
Six traders told Reuters on Monday they had not seen any moves outside market norms, adding that any forex sales by state banks were probably for tax payments at the end of the month and not reserve sales on behalf of the central bank.
&#8220;We aren&#8217;t seeing any reserve sales or such practices. Those stopped 10 days prior to (former central bank chief Naci) Agbal&#8217;s appointment,&#8221; one trader said on Tuesday. President Tayyip Erdogan sacked Agbal in March, less than five months after appointing him, rocking Turkish assets.
The move higher came even after Erdogan announced a nationwide &#8220;full lockdown&#8221; starting on Thursday and lasting until May 17 to curb a surge in coronavirus infections. nL8N2MJ5P4]
China&#8217;s yuan , South Africa&#8217;s rand and Russia&#8217;s rouble all softened, the latter unfazed by a rebound in crude oil prices ahead of a meeting of producer group OPEC+ to discuss output policy.
In central Europe, most currencies fell against the euro, with Hungary&#8217;s forint down 0.1% ahead of a central bank rate decision later in the day and the Polish zloty and Czech crown both trading lower by 0.2%.
&#8220;Hungary imposed a fresh lockdown in early March, the inflation-boosting effects of which could materialise in April and May and in any case, present monetary policy is widely viewed to be adequate, if not excessive,&#8221; analysts at Commerzbank said.
A Reuters poll showed Hungary&#8217;s central bank was likely to leave interest rates unchanged before an expected spike in inflation which the bank considers temporary but has said it will closely monitor for any possible second-round effects.
In stocks, Russia&#8217;s benchmark MOEX stock index climbed to a fresh record high, helped by higher oil prices.
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 Shashank Nayar in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu in Ankara, graphic by Marc Jones, writing by Karin Strohecker in London, Editing by Catherine Evans)
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EMERGING MARKETS-Fed, virus woes keep lid on currencies, locals lift Turkish lira

By Omar Mohammed
NAIROBI, April 27 (Reuters) &#8211; MultiChoice&#8217;s online streaming platform Showmax is investing in producing its own local content for African audiences as it competes for their attention against Netflix on the continent, a senior executive told Reuters.
MultiChoice is Africa&#8217;s largest pay-TV group, available in 50 African countries. Its streaming service Showmax, launched in 2015, is available in 46 African countries and also in several Western countries, including Britain and France, which have sizeable African diaspora populations.
The company is focusing on developing movies and shows set in its biggest markets of Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, senior executive Yolisa Phahle said in an interview.
&#8220;For us, it really is about getting the local entertainment which we know African audiences enjoy, programming in their languages, stories reflecting their realities, their hopes and their dreams,&#8221; said Phahle.
She did not say how much Multichoice was investing in the production of local content.
The company released six new original productions last year to add to its catalogue of content from the U.S-based cable channel HBO. It also offers global football, including the English Premier League, on its Showmax Pro platform.
Some of the shows released so far this year include a reality TV series from Nigeria and a police procedural drama set in Kenya.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to spend more time at home, there was an initial increase in viewership for Showmax, Phahle said.
Last week, MultiChoice said it would charge Showmax mobile subscribers across Africa on average 20% less for access on a single mobile device, in recognition that some users may not be able to afford such luxuries during the pandemic-induced economic slowdown affecting most countries.
Broadcasters of all kinds on the continent are under huge pressure to keep viewers engaged, said Phahle: &#8220;They simply have hundreds and hundreds of other places where they can take their eyeballs or their wallets.&#8221;
The company is co-producing programmes with HBO and Cinemax on productions set in Africa to global audiences, she said.
&#8220;They know that the stories that we are telling from our own backyard will find global audiences,&#8221; she said of HBO and Cinemax. (Reporting by Omar Mohammed Editing by Gareth Jones)
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MultiChoice’s Showmax invests in African content for growth

By Rami Ayyub
JERUSALEM, April 27 (Reuters) &#8211; An international rights watchdog accused Israel on Tuesday of pursuing policies of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians &#8211; and against its own Arab minority &#8211; that amount to crimes against humanity.
New York-based Human Rights Watch published a 213-page report which, it said, was not aimed at comparing Israel with apartheid-era South Africa but rather at assessing &#8220;whether specific acts and policies&#8221; constitute apartheid as defined under international law.
Israel&#8217;s foreign ministry rejected the claims as &#8220;both preposterous and false&#8221; and accused HRW of harbouring an &#8220;anti-Israeli agenda,&#8221; saying the group had sought &#8220;for years to promote boycotts against Israel&#8221;.
Just weeks ago the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced it would investigate war crimes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, with the Israeli military and armed Palestinian groups such as Hamas named as possible perpetrators.
In its report, HRW pointed to Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement and seizure of Palestinian-owned land for Jewish settlement in territory occupied in the 1967 Middle East war as examples of policies it said were crimes of apartheid and persecution.
&#8220;Across Israel and the (Palestinian territories), Israeli authorities have pursued an intent to maintain domination over Palestinians by exercising control over land and demographics for the benefit of Jewish Israelis,&#8221; the report says.
&#8220;On this basis, the report concludes that Israeli officials have committed the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution,&#8221; as defined under the 1973 Apartheid Convention and the 1998 Rome Statute.

BOYCOTT ACCUSATIONS
Israeli officials fiercely object to apartheid accusations.
&#8220;The purpose of this spurious report is in no way related to human rights, but to an ongoing attempt by HRW to undermine the State of Israel&#8217;s right to exist as the nation state of the Jewish people,&#8221; Strategic Affairs Minister Michael Biton said.
Israel&#8217;s foreign ministry said HRW&#8217;s Israel programme was being &#8220;led by a known (BDS) supporter, with no connection to facts or reality on the ground,&#8221; referring to the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
The report&#8217;s author, HRW Israel and Palestine Director Omar Shakir, was expelled from Israel in 2019 over accusations he backs BDS.
Shakir denies that his HRW work and pro-Palestinian statements he made before being appointed to the HRW post in 2016 constitute active support for BDS.
Shakir told Reuters that HRW would send its report to the ICC prosecutor&#8217;s office, &#8220;as we normally do when we reach conclusions about the commissions of crimes that fall within the Court&#8217;s jurisdiction.&#8221;
He said HRW also sent the ICC its 2018 report about possible crimes against humanity by President Mahmoud Abbas&#8217;s Palestinian Authority and the Islamist militant Hamas.

ICC PROBE
The International Criminal Court&#8217;s prosecutor said in March that she would formally investigate war crimes in the Palestinian territories, after ICC judges ruled that the court had jurisdiction there.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed the ruling but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced it as anti-Semitism and said Israel does not recognise the court&#8217;s authority.
HRW called on the ICC prosecutor to &#8220;investigate and prosecute individuals credibly implicated&#8221; in apartheid and persecution.
HRW also said Israel&#8217;s 2018 &#8220;nation state&#8221; law &#8211; declaring that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country &#8211; &#8220;provides a legal basis to pursue policies that favour Jewish Israelis to the detriment&#8221; of the country&#8217;s 21% Arab minority, who regularly complain of discrimination.
Palestinians seek the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, areas captured in the 1967 conflict, for a future state.
Under interim peace deals with Israel, Palestinians have limited self-rule in the West Bank; Hamas runs Gaza. (Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam and Stephanie van den Berg in the Hague; Editing by Stephen Farrell and Howard Goller)
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Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ crimes against Palestinians

By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Monday met virtually with top executives of drugmakers Pfizer and AstraZeneca PLC to discuss a proposed waiver of certain intellectual property rights in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the World Trade Organization are due to discuss a proposal by India and South Africa to waive certain provisions of the WTO&#8217;s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on April 30, but the United States and a few other big countries have blocked such a move.
Democratic lawmakers, civil society groups, and 60 former heads of state and 100 Nobel Prize winners have urged President Joe Biden to back the waiver. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday said she had no updates on the issue.
Tai&#8217;s meetings with the Pfizer and AstraZeneca executives reflect her intense engagement on the issue, and follow similar meetings with advocacy groups, industry executives and others.
Earlier this month, Tai told a WTO meeting the gaping divide between developed and developing countries&#8217; access to medicines was &#8220;completely unacceptable&#8221; and industry needed to make sacrifices in times of crisis.
In her discussion with Pfizer Chief Executive Dr. Albert Bourla, Tai emphasized her commitment to working with other members of the WTO on a global response to the crisis, her office said in a statement.
That included &#8220;the role of developing countries in any solution that addresses critical gaps in global production and distribution of vaccines,&#8221; USTR said.
Tai also discussed the issue with Dr. Ruud Dobber, head of U.S. business at AstraZeneca, as well as the White House&#8217;s decision to share up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca&#8217;s COVID-19 vaccine with countries in need.
USTR said Tai and Dobber discussed &#8220;increasing vaccine production, global health issues and the proposed waiver.&#8221; (Reporting by Andrea Shalal Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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Top U.S. trade negotiator meets Pfizer, AstraZeneca execs on COVID-19 IP waiver

OUAGADOUGOU, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Four people including three foreigners are missing after an armed ambush on an anti-poaching patrol in eastern Burkina Faso on Monday, four local security sources said.
The attackers struck during the day on a road leading to the vast forested reserve of Pama. Those missing include a member of the Burkinabe armed forces, two Spanish citizens and an Irish national who worked for conservation organisations, two of the sources said.
There was no immediate comment from the local authorities or the Spanish foreign ministry.
Ireland&#8217;s foreign ministry said it was &#8220;aware of the reports and is liaising closely with international partners regarding the situation on the ground.&#8221;
Burkina Faso, like much of West Africa&#8217;s Sahel region, faces a deepening security crisis as groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State carry out attacks on the army and civilians, despite help from French and U.N. forces.
The worsening violence has led to one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises, the United Nations warned earlier in April. The Sahel now hosts nearly three million refugees and people displaced inside their own country.
The insurgents are believed to be holding a number of foreign hostages in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga Additional reporting by Conor Humphries in Dublin and Isla Binnie in Madrid Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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Three foreigners among missing after Burkina Faso ambush, say security sources

DAKAR, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Health authorities are reallocating around 75% of Democratic Republic of Congo&#8217;s 1.7 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses to other African countries to make sure they&#8217;re used before they expire, a UNICEF representative said on Monday.
Congo received the doses from the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility on March 2, but delayed the rollout after several European countries suspended use of the AstraZeneca shot in response to reports of rare blood clots.
The country began its vaccination campaign on April 19, but had administered doses to just 1,265 people out of its population of over 85 million as of Saturday, according to the state biomedical research laboratory.
Some 1.3 million of its remaining doses will now be sent to countries including Ghana, Senegal and Togo to ensure they are used before their June 24 expiry date, said Susie Villeneuve, senior health specialist for the U.N. children&#8217;s agency (UNICEF) in West and Central Africa.
&#8220;Process to re-allocate these doses to other countries in Africa is underway,&#8221; Villeneuve said at a vaccination conference in Ghana.
There was no immediate comment from health authorities in Congo.
COVAX, which is backed by the World Health Organization, aims to deliver 600 million shots &#8211; most of them from AstraZeneca &#8211; to some 40 African countries this year. That would be enough to vaccinate 20% of their populations.
But the situation in Congo illustrates the challenges many African countries face rolling out such large-scale vaccination campaigns despite their experience battling deadly infectious diseases.
Some health authorities do not have sufficient personnel and training to distribute vaccines at short notice and lack vital equipment because of funding shortfalls that could total billions of dollars, according to experts. (Reporting by Bate Felix; Additional reporting by Hereward Holland in Kinshasa; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Richard Pullin)
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Congo to lose 1.3 mln COVID-19 shots after delayed distribution

(Recasts, adds closing prices and comments)
NEW YORK/LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Arabica coffee futures on ICE hit the highest price in three years and eight months on Monday, buoyed by the prospect of tightening supplies in coming months and a stronger Brazilian currency, while raw sugar prices also rose.

COFFEE
* July arabica coffee settled up 4.9 cents, or 3.6%, at $1.4175 per lb​​, after peaking at $1.4415, the highest for the benchmark second month since August 2017.
* Dealers said Brazil was set to harvest a smaller crop this year while demand was expected to revive in the United States and Europe as COVID-19 restrictions are gradually eased and coffee shops reopen for normal business.
* Starbucks Corp is expected to report record high second-quarter revenue as speedy vaccinations in the U.S. and China make customers more comfortable with returning to their morning coffee runs.
* A stronger Brazilian currency, trading at a two-month peak against the dollar, was also seen by dealers as supporting the market as it deters producer selling.
* July robusta coffee settled up $24, or 1.7%, at $1,440 a tonne.
SUGAR
* May raw sugar ​​settled up 0.26 cent, or 1.5%, at 17.17 cents per lb​​ after peaking at 17.24 cents, its highest since Feb. 26. The contract expires on Friday.
* Dealers said the release by industry group UNICA of cane and sugar production data for the Centre-South of Brazil this week would provide a short-term focus as the market seeks to assess the situation.
* The data will cover the first half of April.
* Weather remained drier-than-normal in most of Brazil cane areas in April, possibly hurting plant development.
* August white sugar ​​settled up $4.30, or 0.9%, at $465.50 a tonne.

COCOA
* July New York cocoa ​​settled up $37, or 1.5%, to $2,487 a tonne.
* The global cocoa market is heading to a small deficit of 8,000 tonnes in the 2021/22 season, from a 123,000 tonne surplus in the previous season, due to stronger consumption and drier-than-normal weather in West Africa, Rabobank forecast.
* Cocoa arrivals at ports in top grower Ivory Coast reached 1.846 million tonnes by April 25 since the start of the season on Oct. 1, up 7.5% from 1.718 million tonnes over the same period last season.
* July London cocoa ​​settled up 7 pounds, or 0.4%, to 1,654 pounds per tonne​. (Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira and Nigel Hunt, Editing by Marguerita Choy and Susan Fenton)
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SOFTS-Arabica coffee rises to highest since 2017; sugar also up

By Eric M. Johnson
SEATTLE, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Max Polyakov, an ultra-wealthy entrepreneur with ambitions of building a space transportation empire, has acquired South African satellite maker Dragonfly Aerospace, he told Reuters.
The deal gives Polyakov an anchorpoint in the booming but fiercely competitive market for small-satellite technology, and a potential revenue source for rocket maker Firefly Aerospace, which is majority-owned by Polyakov&#8217;s Noosphere Ventures investment fund.
He declined to disclose the value of the deal, which closed earlier this month. It has not been previously reported. An announcement is expected on Tuesday.
&#8220;This deal gives us cost-control and mass production of components,&#8221; Polyakov told Reuters by phone. &#8220;It allows us to bring everything in-house.&#8221;
The acquisition comes amid a frenzy of capital infusions and blank-check deal-making around a new breed of firms building miniaturized launch systems to cash in on the exponential growth of compact satellites needing a ride to orbit in the coming years.
Texas-based Firefly is seeking to raise up to $350 million in multiple tranches over 12 months as part of a plan to expand production and bring to market its higher-capacity Beta rocket, two people familiar with the matter said.
One of them told Reuters an announcement on an initial infusion could be made in the coming days.
A Firefly spokesman declined to comment.
Polyakov hopes Dragonfly&#8217;s satellites could launch on Firefly&#8217;s Alpha rocket, which Polyakov said could potentially debut before the end of June.
Firefly, U.S.-New Zealand startup Rocket Lab and billionaire British entrepreneur Richard Branson&#8217;s Virgin Orbit are front-runners in a long list of small-launch providers seeking to cash in on the small satellite trend.
The boom is fueled in part by venture cash and technology leaps that have reduced the size and boosted the capabilities of satellites used for everything from communications to national security to climate studies.
The sprawling field of small-satellite makers includes SpaceX&#8217;s Starlink, Amazon.com&#8217;s Kuiper, Britain&#8217;s OneWeb, venture-backed Planet, and Raytheon Technologies Corp&#8217;s Blue Canyon Technologies.
Among them, Polyakov&#8217;s Dragonfly aims to build up to 48 satellites per year for commercial and civil space customers. For example, Dragonfly develops satellite cameras for Earth Observing Systems Data Analytics, which is owned by Polyakov&#8217;s Menlo Park, California-based Noosphere Ventures.
Polyakov plans to expand Dragonfly Aerospace&#8217;s presence with new facilities in the U.S. and Europe, he said, without providing a specific time frame. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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EXCLUSIVE-Space entrepreneur Max Polyakov acquires South Africa’s Dragonfly satellite maker

GENEVA, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; The World Health Organization expects to decide whether to give conditional emergency approval for China&#8217;s two main COVID-19 vaccines in the next two weeks, Assistant Director-General Mariângela Batista Galvão Simão told a briefing on Monday.
Simao said the WHO could decide on a vaccine made by Sinopharm by the end of this week, and a vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech next week. China has deployed millions of doses of both vaccines at home and has exported them to many countries, particularly in Latin America, Asia and Africa. (Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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WHO expects decision on two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in next two weeks

NAIROBI, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Gunmen opposed to Somalia&#8217;s Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed had control of strategic parts of the capital Mogadishu on Monday, Reuters journalists saw, after factions in the security forces clashed at the weekend over his term extension.
Mohamed signed a law earlier this month extending his mandate for two years after elections were cancelled, setting off a political furore that threatens to distract Somalia&#8217;s armed forces from fighting al Qaeda-linked insurgents.
The presidential term extension has also irked foreign donors, who have backed his fragile government in the hope of bringing long-needed stability to the Horn of Africa nation largely in turmoil since a 1991 civil war.
After exchanges of gunfire rocked Mogadishu on Sunday and some forces came from outside the capital, anti-Mohamed factions controlled the Hawle Wadag district, according to Reuters reporters. Many hotels, businesses and schools are there.
Opposition forces also controlled some roads leading to the Sayidka junction, a security checkpoint near the presidential palace, interior ministry and parliament.
Sand barricades were erected outside some schools, which were closed on Monday due to the violence the day before. Metal spikes lay across one road.
Government officials did not respond to phone calls, though Prime Minister Mohammed Hassan Roble, appointed by the president last year, tweeted: &#8220;War should be stopped&#8221;.
Military commander Saney Abdule, from the Hirshabelle area of central Somalia, had announced plans go to Mogadishu to denounce the presidential term extension. Some of his forces were already arriving, several residents of both areas said.
Residents in the Karan and Gubadlay districts of Mogadishu said they planned protests against the president on Monday evening when they break their daily fast for Ramadan.
At the weekend, some protesters burned photos of the president, while two prominent opposition figures alleged that pro-Mohamed forces had attacked their homes though they gave no proof for that. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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Forces opposed to Somali president control parts of Mogadishu

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Millions of children whose immunisations have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Africa, are now at risk from life-threatening diseases such as measles, polio, yellow fever and diphtheria, U.N. health agencies warned on Monday.
Gaps in vaccination coverage have already led to serious measles outbreaks in Pakistan and Yemen, the agencies said, and are likely to lead to more epidemics as more regular childhood vaccinations are missed.
Compared to 2020, some progress has been made in restoring routine vaccinations disrupted by the pandemic, but more than a third of the 135 countries that responded to a World Health Organization survey said they were still experiencing difficulties.
&#8220;Even before the pandemic, there were worrying signs that we were beginning to lose ground in the fight against preventable child illness, with 20 million children already missing out on critical vaccinations,&#8221; Henrietta Fore, executive director of the U.N. children&#8217;s fund UNICEF, said in a joint statement with the WHO and the GAVI vaccines alliance.
She said the pandemic had &#8220;made a bad situation worse&#8221;.
The WHO survey found that at least 60 mass immunisation campaigns in 50 countries were currently on hold, putting around 228 million people, mostly children, at risk from preventable serious diseases. More than half the affected countries are in Africa.
Immunisation programmes against measles &#8211; one of the world&#8217;s most contagious diseases &#8211; account for 23 of the postponed campaigns, affecting around 140 million people. (Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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Disruptions to immunisation put millions of children at risk – U.N.

By Menna A. Farouk
CAIRO, April 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) &#8211; Egypt has toughened penalties for female genital mutilation (FGM), imposing prison terms of up to 20 years in a push to end the ancient practice.
It is the second time Egypt&#8217;s parliament has cracked down on FGM &#8211; which typically involves the removal of a girl&#8217;s external genitalia &#8211; but activists remain sceptical about enforcement in a country where cutting is deep-rooted and widespread.
&#8220;It&#8217;s fantastic news that Egypt has strengthened its law on FGM again. However, unless the government takes it seriously this time, nothing is likely to change,&#8221; Brendan Wynne, co-founder of The Five Foundation advocacy group, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Monday.
&#8220;Medical professionals are still performing FGM in Egyptian clinics &#8211; and even offering their services publicly,&#8221; said Wynne by email from his group&#8217;s New York headquarters.
Most of the 28 countries in Africa where FGM is endemic have banned FGM, although enforcement is generally weak.
World leaders have pledged to end FGM by 2030, but the practice remains as common as it was 30 years ago in Somalia, Mali, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Chad and Senegal.
In Egypt, the government and civil society groups have tried awareness campaigns, field visits and tougher penalties.
But Wynne said perpetrators are rarely held to account &#8211; particularly in rural areas, where FGM is more entrenched.
&#8220;We need to see a few high profile cases of doctors being given long sentences and struck off for performing this horrific act of violence. Unless this happens it doesn&#8217;t really matter what type of law there is,&#8221; he said.
Amendments approved on Sunday include increasing the maximum sentence from seven years and banning medics involved in FGM from practising for up to five years.
Under the changes, prison terms of five to 20 years will be recommended, depending on who performed surgery and whether it caused permanent damage or death, a government statement said.
Whoever requested the FGM &#8211; usually a close family member &#8211; will also face imprisonment, according to the amendments, which must still be approved by the president.
Nearly 90% of Egyptian women and girls aged 15 to 49 have undergone FGM, according to a 2016 survey by the United Nations, in a ritual practised widely by Muslims and Christians.
Entessar El-Saeed, a woman’s rights activist and director of the Cairo Foundation for Development and Law, said stricter penalties alone would not sway minds.
&#8220;It is a good step, but we are still struggling with a deeply-rooted concept in the Egyptian society and even among some doctors and judges that FGM is not (a) crime,” El-Saeed told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Egypt has struggled to stamp out FGM since 2008, when its parliament first passed a law to criminalise a practice some researchers have traced back to Egypt in the fifth-century BC. (Reporting by Menna A. Farouk, Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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Egypt toughens penalties for FGM; activists remain sceptical

By Don Burgess
HAMILTON, April 26 (Reuters) &#8211; All non-vaccinated travellers visiting Bermuda will have to quarantine for 14 days from June 6, Premier David Burt said late on Sunday, tightening restrictions after a rise in coronavirus cases and deaths.
Burt announced a raft of new measures as Bermuda suffered its worst month since the pandemic began, with the Atlantic island in April recording 11 of its 23 deaths from the coronavirus and 1,118 of its 2,335 positive cases so far.
Bermuda has been hit by the fast spread of the highly-infectious B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant first found in Britain, and Burt said the government would implement stricter border controls to &#8220;reduce the possibility that another dangerous variant is introduced into our community&#8221;.
He said Bermuda will ban flights originating from Brazil, India and South Africa, while passengers who have travelled to those countries within the previous two weeks face mandatory quarantine for 14 days.
Travellers who have not been vaccinated will also face growing restrictions in the British overseas territory of about 60,000 people. From May 2 to June 5, all non-inoculated travellers will have to quarantine for four days, pending a negative coronavirus test on the fourth day.
From June 6, all non-vaccinated travellers will be subject to supervised quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility at their own expense. Vaccinated travellers entering with a negative pre-arrival test will not have to quarantine after testing negative on arrival, but must test again on days 4, 8, and 14.
&#8220;We must achieve long-lasting protection from the virus and its variants so that our healthcare system can turn its attention to much-needed reform,&#8221; said Burt.
He said 50% of people in Bermuda have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and he was hoping to have 70% of the population fully inoculated in the coming weeks. (Writing by Drazen Jorgic Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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Top U.S. trade negotiator meets Pfizer, AstraZeneca execs on COVID-19 IP waiver

Three foreigners among missing after Burkina Faso ambush, say security sources

Congo to lose 1.3 mln COVID-19 shots after delayed distribution

SOFTS-Arabica coffee rises to highest since 2017; sugar also up

EXCLUSIVE-Space entrepreneur Max Polyakov acquires South Africa’s Dragonfly satellite maker

WHO expects decision on two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in next two weeks

Forces opposed to Somali president control parts of Mogadishu

Disruptions to immunisation put millions of children at risk – U.N.

Egypt toughens penalties for FGM; activists remain sceptical

Bermuda to quarantine non-vaccinated travellers, says premier

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Iran fears South African, Indian variants as daily virus deaths hit record

Shoppers expected to spend $4.2 tln online in 2021, squeezing supply chains

DIARY-Political and General News Events from April 27

SPECIAL REPORT-He returned to Iran to help save its environment. He had to flee.

EMERGING MARKETS-Fed, virus woes keep lid on currencies, locals lift Turkish lira

MultiChoice’s Showmax invests in African content for growth

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ crimes against Palestinians

Top U.S. trade negotiator meets Pfizer, AstraZeneca execs on COVID-19 IP waiver

Three foreigners among missing after Burkina Faso ambush, say security sources

Congo to lose 1.3 mln COVID-19 shots after delayed distribution

SOFTS-Arabica coffee rises to highest since 2017; sugar also up

EXCLUSIVE-Space entrepreneur Max Polyakov acquires South Africa’s Dragonfly satellite maker

WHO expects decision on two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in next two weeks

Forces opposed to Somali president control parts of Mogadishu

Disruptions to immunisation put millions of children at risk – U.N.

Egypt toughens penalties for FGM; activists remain sceptical

Bermuda to quarantine non-vaccinated travellers, says premier

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