NEW DELHI, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; Hosts India were placed in the same group as arch-rivals Pakistan on Friday in the Super 12 stage of the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman later this year.
The bitter neighbours, who play each other only in International Cricket Council (ICC) events, are joined in Group 2 by reigning world test champions New Zealand, Afghanistan and two qualifiers.
Defending champions West Indies and reigning 50-overs winners England share Group 1 with Australia, South Africa and two qualifiers.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are among eight teams divided into two qualifying groups, with the top two from each group progressing to Super 12 stage of the tournament to be played between Oct. 17 and Nov. 14.
&#8220;There are some great match ups offered by the groups and it starts to bring the event to life for our fans as our first multi-team event since the onset of the global pandemic draws closer,&#8221; ICC acting chief executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement.
The ICC was yet to announce the tournament fixtures with matches scheduled in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Oman.
The tournament was moved out of India last month because of the COVID-19 situation in the country and related travel restrictions.
&#8220;It is good to get Oman in the frame of world cricket with the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,&#8221; Indian board president Sourav Ganguly said.
&#8220;It will help a lot of young players take an interest in the game. We know it will be a world class event in this part of the world.&#8221;

Round 1
Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, Namibia
Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman

Super 12s
Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1, B2.
Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, A2, B1. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Toby Davis)
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Cricket-India, Pakistan in same group in T20 World Cup

(Recasts, adds quote, updates prices, adds bullet points)
* MSCI World index holds ground; Europe shares higher
* U.S. T-bill yields edge off lows; gold down
* Oil heads for biggest weekly drop since at least May
By Simon Jessop
LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; Global shares held steady while U.S. Treasury yields hovered near multi-month lows on Friday, with markets looking to U.S. consumer data as the next test of the Federal Reserve&#8217;s dovish rates outlook.
Oil markets were on course for their biggest weekly drop since at least May as traders bet supply from OPEC producers could rise to meet an expected increase in demand as economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
How quickly that happens, though, is far from certain, with a resurgence in the infection rate across a number of countries, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia as the Delta variant continues to take hold.
&#8220;The spread of the more infectious Delta variant is the key emerging threat for the time being, with COVID-19 cases on the rise again at the global level and in most of the G7 economies,&#8221; Deutsche Bank analyst Craig Nicol said in a note to clients.
MSCI&#8217;s broadest gauge of global shares was flat in European trading, broadly unchanged on the week, buoyed by early gains across most European markets, with Britain&#8217;s FTSE 100 up 0.4%.
That helped counter overnight weakness in Asia where MSCI&#8217;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 0.4%, weighed down by a 1.1% drop in China&#8217;s blue-chip index and a 0.8% fall for Taiwanese shares.
The Asian weakness was in large part driven by lacklustre earnings from TSMC, Asia&#8217;s biggest firm by market capitalisation outside China, which saw its shares fall almost 4%.
Looking ahead, U.S. stock futures pointed to a marginally higher open, up around 0.1%.
Markets continue to be supported by ultra-easy monetary policy from most of the world&#8217;s leading central banks, yet are skittish given the coronavirus threat and concern policymaker support could be yanked too early if inflation fears rise.
Against that backdrop, all eyes continue to be trained on the U.S. Federal Reserve for any signs that its dovish policy could be about to change.
This week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that rising inflation is likely to be transitory and the U.S. central bank would continue to support the economy.
Sparking a note of caution, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said inflation risks needed to be watched &#8220;very, very carefully&#8221; after data this week showed the biggest jump in 13 years.
Yet with policymakers being guided by the data, all eyes will turn later on Friday to the latest set of U.S. retail sales data for fresh clues to the strength of the recovery, with the June print expected to show a rise after a fall in May.
Ahead of that, yields on U.S. 10-year Treasuries edged off lows to trade up 2.8 basis points at 1.327%, albeit still near the five-month low of 1.250% touched last week.
Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, adviser to many of the world&#8217;s super-rich, said he expected rates to continue to move higher as confidence in the economic recovery took hold.
“We believe the downward trend in yields will reverse as confidence in the economic recovery mounts. However, we see a rebound in 10-year yields to 2% by year-end as consistent with a continued rally in equities.”
In foreign exchange, major currencies were little changed on the day but the dollar headed for its best weekly gain in about a month. It was last flat against a basket of major peers.
&#8220;Delta variants are raging in countries where vaccination is limited. In a way, the dollar and U.S. assets appear to be bought as a hedge against that,&#8221; said Arihiro Nagata, general manager of global investment at Sumitomo Mitsui Bank.
Gold on the other hand reached a one-month high of $1,834.3 per ounce before pulling back to trade down 0.4% at $1,822.5, yet remains on course for a fourth straight weekly gain on the back of the dovish Fed.
Oil prices were heading for their biggest weekly drop since at least May as expectations of more supplies spooked investors, with OPEC likely to add output to meet a potential revival in demand as more countries recover from the pandemic.
After trading lower earlier in the session, U.S. crude futures were last up 0.5% at $73.81 per barrel, while Brent futures were up 0.4% at $73.78 per barrel.
(Additional reporting by Hideyuki Sano, Swati Pandey, Sujata Rao and Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Sam Holmes and Mark Heinrich)
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GLOBAL MARKETS-World shares steady, U.S. yields hover near lows ahead of fresh data

By Lunga Masuku
MBABANE, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; Eswatini police fired teargas and water cannon at anti-monarchy protesters on Friday, the head of a teachers&#8217; union said, while videos on social media showed demonstrators running away as shots rang out in the background.
Campaigners organised the latest round of demonstrations after government forces quashed days of violent protests at the end of June against King Mswati III, Africa&#8217;s last absolute monarch.
(Reporting by Lunga Masuku; Writing by Emma Rumney; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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Eswatini anti-monarchy protest dispersed with teargas, water cannon

* Chinese infrastructure lending across Africa has fallen
* NNPC says it still seeks some funds from Chinese lenders
* Chinese lenders feel too exposed to Nigeria, source says
By Libby George
LAGOS, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; Nigeria is seeking $1 billion so work can continue on a gas pipeline costing up to $2.8 billion after Chinese lenders which had pledged to offer most of the funds did not disburse cash as quickly as expected, three sources close to the matter said.
It is the latest sign of falling Chinese financial support for infrastructure projects across Africa, after years of major Chinese lending for railway, energy and other projects.
A spokesman for state oil company NNPC, which is building the 614-km (384-mile) Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, said it was still negotiating with the Chinese lenders &#8211; Bank of China and Sinosure &#8211; to cover $1.8 billion of the project cost.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no cause for alarm,&#8221; the spokesman said, without saying whether NNPC was turning to other lenders.
But the three sources told Reuters the company was now approaching others, including export-import institutions, to continue work on the pipeline that will run through the middle of the West African country to its northern economic hub Kano.
Chinese lenders had originally been lined up to fund the bulk of the estimated $2.5 billion to $2.8 billion cost of the project, which is central to President Muhammadu Buhari&#8217;s plan to develop gas resources and boost development in northern Nigeria.
NNPC, which was funding 15%, said last year it had used its own funds to start construction. The sources said the Chinese lenders would not agree to disburse the cash NNPC had expected by the end of the summer, prompting it to turn to others.
&#8220;They are looking at Nigeria as one loan, and right now, they feel they are too exposed,&#8221; one source said.
Bank of China said it would not comment on specific deals. Sinosure did not respond to a request for comment.
The Nigerian ministries of transport, finance and petroleum also did not reply to requests for comment.
Chinese bank lending to African infrastructure projects has fallen across the continent, from $11 billion in 2017 to $3.3 billion in 2020, a Baker McKenzie report said in April.
With the continent facing an estimated annual $100 billion infrastructure investment deficit, the loss of Chinese funding leaves a big gap to fill.
Nigeria began building the AKK pipeline in June 2020, saying it would help generate 3.6 gigawatts of power and support gas-based industries along the route. The project was to be funded under a debt-equity financing model, backed by sovereign guarantee and repaid through the pipeline transmission tariff.
NNPC awarded engineering and construction work along three sections of the pipeline to Oando, OilServe, China First Highway Engineering Company, Brentex Petroleum Services and China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau.
Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi said this month Nigeria was negotiating a mix of loans from Chinese and European lenders to fund railway projects, after media reports said it had initially planned to rely primarily on Chinese banks.
(Additional reporting by Camillu Eboh in Abuja and Cheng Leng in Beijing; Editing by Veronica Brown and Edmund Blair)
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Nigeria seeks $1 bln for key gas pipeline as it awaits Chinese lending

* Lira up 1.3% this week
* Rand worst weekly performer, down over 2%
* Polish zloty lags CEE peers this week
By Ambar Warrick
July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s rand led gains across emerging market currencies on Friday, as it trimmed steep weekly losses on fears of civil unrest, while Turkey&#8217;s lira was among the top performers this week as low volatility favoured high-yielding currencies.
The rand rose 0.6%, but was set to lose more than 2% this week after a wave of violence tore across major financial hubs in the country. The currency was the worst performing emerging market (EM) unit this week.
MSCI&#8217;s currency index was set to snap a two-week losing streak, taking support from gains in the Chinese yuan. But a rise in Asian COVID-19 cases sullied broader sentiment, while fears of slowing growth kept risk appetite subdued.

Losses in Asian markets pushed MSCI&#8217;s index of emerging market stocks 0.5% lower. But the index was set to end the week about 1.8% higher, with a bulk of gains coming on assurances from the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, that policy would stay accommodative.
Turkey&#8217;s lira rose about 0.4% on Friday, and was set to outpace its peers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with a 1.3% gain.
The currency has been slowly rising since the central bank maintained interest rates this week and vowed to keep them there till inflation comes under control, although analysts argued more tightening was needed to rein in inflation.
Still, with the bank expected to maintain the status quo, volatility indicators on the lira hit a one-year low. And with benchmark rates at 19%, the lira is among the highest yielding currencies in the world.

But that yield comes with the risk of more government meddling in monetary policy, which has seen the lira plummet to record lows.
&#8220;The &#8216;tightness&#8217; of the current stance remains questionable, in our view, and we think that the overall dovish nature of (the central bank&#8217;s) guidance is unjustifiable given the predominant upside risks to the inflation outlook,&#8221; Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a recent note.
In central Europe, the Polish zloty lagged its peers this week, as the country&#8217;s central bank held interest rates this week, in contrast to hikes in Hungary and the Czech republic.
For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance in 2021, see http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance in 2021, see https://tmsnrt.rs/2OusNdX

For TOP NEWS across emerging markets
For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see
For TURKISH market report, see
For RUSSIAN market report, see
(Reporting by Ambar Warrick; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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EMERGING MARKETS-South African rand rises, Turkish lira leads weekly gains in EMEA

(Recasts, adds quote, updates prices, adds bullet points)
* MSCI World index holds ground; Europe shares open higher
* U.S. T-bill yields edge off lows; gold down
* Oil heads for biggest weekly drop since at least May
By Simon Jessop and Hideyuki Sano
LONDON/TOKYO, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; Global shares held steady while U.S. Treasury yields hovered near multi-month lows on Friday, with markets looking to U.S. consumer data as the next test of the Federal Reserve&#8217;s dovish rates outlook.
Oil markets were on course for their biggest weekly drop since at least May as traders bet supply from OPEC producers could rise to meet an expected increase in demand as economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
How quickly that happens, though, is far from certain, with a resurgence in the infection rate across a number of countries, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia as the Delta variant continues to take hold.
&#8220;The spread of the more infectious Delta variant is the key emerging threat for the time being, with COVID-19 cases on the rise again at the global level and in most of the G7 economies,&#8221; Deutsche Bank analyst Craig Nicol said in a note to clients.
MSCI&#8217;s broadest gauge of global shares was flat in early European trading, broadly unchanged on the week, buoyed by early gains across most European markets, with Britain&#8217;s FTSE 100 up 0.6%.
That helped counter overnight weakness in Asia where MSCI&#8217;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 0.4%, weighed down by a 0.8% drop each in China&#8217;s blue-chip index and Taiwanese shares.
The Asian weakness was in large part driven by lacklustre earnings from TSMC, Asia&#8217;s biggest firm by market capitalisation outside China, which saw its shares fall almost 4%.
Looking ahead, U.S. stock futures pointed to a marginally higher open, up around 0.1%.
Markets continue to be supported by ultra-easy monetary policy from most of the world&#8217;s leading central banks, yet are skittish given the coronavirus threat and concern policymaker support could be yanked too early if inflation fears rise.
Against that backdrop, all eyes continue to be trained on the U.S. Federal Reserve for any signs that its dovish policy could be about to change.
This week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that rising inflation is likely to be transitory and the U.S. central bank would continue to support the economy.
Yet with policymakers being guided by the data, all eyes will turn later on Friday to the latest set of U.S. retail sales data for fresh clues to the strength of the recovery, with the June print expected to show a rise after a fall in May.
Ahead of that, yields on U.S. 10-year Treasuries edged off lows to trade up 2.3 basis points at 1.320%, albeit still near the five-month low of 1.250% touched last week.
In foreign exchange, major currencies were little changed on the day but the dollar headed for its best weekly gain in about a month. It was last up 0.1% against a basket of major peers.
&#8220;Delta variants are raging in countries where vaccination is limited. In a way, the dollar and U.S. assets appear to be bought as a hedge against that,&#8221; said Arihiro Nagata, general manager of global investment at Sumitomo Mitsui Bank.
Gold on the other hand reached a one-month high of $1,834.3 per ounce before pulling back to trade down 0.4% at $1,822.6, yet remains on course for a fourth straight weekly gain on the back of the dovish Fed.
Oil prices were heading for their biggest weekly drop since at least May as expectations of more supplies spooked investors, with OPEC likely to add output to meet a potential revival in demand as more countries recover from the pandemic.
U.S. crude futures fell 22 cents to $71.43 per barrel , near last week&#8217;s low of $70.76. Brent futures slipped 20 cents to $73.27 per barrel.
(Additional reporting by Swati Pandey, Sujata Rao and Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Sam Holmes and Mark Heinrich)
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NEW DELHI, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; India&#8217;s oil imports in April-June, the first quarter of this fiscal year, stood at 4.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, a growth of 11.7% from a year earlier when local fuel demand collapsed due to a COVID-induced nation-wide lockdown, the data showed. The following table shows India&#8217;s imports by country. The imports include condensate. Volumes are in &#8216;000 bpd. Region/Cou June May %Chg June Chg Jan-Jun Jan-June % chg April-Jun April-Jun % chg yr/yr ntry 2021 2021 m/m 2020 yr/yr 2021 2020 yr/yr e 2021 e 2020 Latin America Brazil 138.3 164.0 -15.7 0.0 &#8212; 96.3 70.0 37.5 146.3 46.3 215.8 Colombia 70.7 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 65.0 23.4 177.2 34.9 46.9 -25.6 Ecuador 34.5 35.6 -3.1 0.0 &#8212; 11.8 21.7 -45.5 23.5 26.5 -11.3 Mexico 104.2 203.9 -48.9 104.3 -0.1 155.9 205.5 -24.2 138.3 179.5 -23.0 Venezuela 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 257.9 -100.0 0.0 115.4 -100.0 Guyana 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 5.5 0.0 &#8212; 11.0 0.0 &#8212; TOTAL 347.7 403.5 -13.8 104.3 233.4 334.5 578.6 -42.2 353.9 414.6 -14.6 Asia Brunei 0.0 38.1 -100.0 0.0 &#8212; 20.6 18.7 10.5 13.0 12.7 2.4 Malaysia 45.0 18.0 149.4 60.9 -26.2 36.9 44.0 -16.0 28.1 41.7 -32.7 Indonesia 19.1 18.5 3.4 0.0 &#8212; 17.5 0.0 &#8212; 12.6 0.0 &#8212; Australia 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 3.1 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 0.0 &#8212; TOTAL 64.1 74.6 -14.1 60.9 5.2 78.2 62.7 24.8 53.6 54.4 -1.4 Middle East Neutral 42.7 48.6 -12.0 36.2 18.1 53.1 6.0 791.2 52.7 11.9 341.7 zone Oman 119.4 65.7 81.7 17.2 592.6 115.3 19.4 494.7 105.5 5.7 1756.5 Iraq 955.8 1011.5 -5.5 1092.1 -12.5 1052.0 995.4 5.7 1036.2 868.7 19.3 Qatar 33.3 32.1 3.8 34.9 -4.6 27.3 76.7 -64.4 33.0 64.7 -49.0 Kuwait 121.9 284.3 -57.1 197.0 -38.1 221.2 185.0 19.6 242.6 143.6 68.9 S. Arabia 517.8 559.2 -7.4 494.7 4.7 585.9 764.8 -23.4 572.7 759.3 -24.6 U.A.E. 498.8 222.1 124.6 242.1 106.0 451.6 471.5 -4.2 414.6 350.8 18.2 Dubai 16.6 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 8.2 2.7 201.5 5.5 5.5 0.0 TOTAL 2306.2 2223.5 3.7 2114.2 9.1 2514.7 2521.6 -0.3 2462.7 2210.1 11.4 Europe North sea 104.5 201.6 -48.2 0.0 &#8212; 62.2 0.0 &#8212; 103.1 0.0 &#8212; TOTAL 104.5 201.6 -48.2 0.0 &#8212; 62.2 0.0 &#8212; 103.1 0.0 &#8212; C.I.S. Azerbaijan 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 46.8 -100.0 22.2 37.5 -40.8 0.0 37.2 -100.0 Kazakhstan 96.9 125.2 -22.5 63.6 52.5 90.2 121.5 -25.8 96.3 113.5 -15.2 Russia 34.1 32.9 3.7 34.0 0.4 42.5 52.5 -18.9 22.5 33.6 -33.2 TOTAL 131.1 158.1 -17.1 144.3 -9.2 154.9 211.4 -26.7 118.7 184.3 -35.6 Africa Nigeria 275.6 338.4 -18.6 254.1 8.5 353.7 296.9 19.1 301.2 300.8 0.1 Angola 117.7 30.8 282.1 92.1 27.7 94.9 82.4 15.2 102.2 83.9 21.8 Ivory 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 5.8 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 0.0 &#8212; coast Cameroon 34.1 31.7 7.8 0.0 &#8212; 16.2 5.2 214.5 22.1 0.0 &#8212; Congo 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 61.3 -100.0 5.0 20.6 -75.6 10.0 41.3 -75.7 Chad 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 10.7 -100.0 0.0 0.0 &#8212; Egypt 89.3 54.9 62.6 51.3 74.0 55.3 56.3 -1.7 65.9 62.4 5.5 Gabon 0.0 61.3 -100.0 0.0 &#8212; 21.0 5.2 303.3 41.7 10.4 301.1 Ghana 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 10.4 0.0 &#8212; 20.7 0.0 &#8212; Sudan 0.0 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 &#8212; 12.4 0.0 &#8212; 0.0 0.0 &#8212; Eq Guinea 21.9 21.2 3.3 0.0 &#8212; 19.7 16.3 21.2 24.5 17.7 38.0 Algeria 0.0 31.1 -100.0 32.5 -100.0 10.7 30.0 -64.4 10.6 10.7 -1.0 Libya 34.0 31.5 7.9 0.0 &#8212; 16.7 0.0 &#8212; 22.0 0.0 &#8212; TOTAL 572.7 601.1 -4.7 491.3 16.6 622.0 523.5 18.8 620.8 527.3 17.7 CANADA 146.7 244.0 -39.9 46.2 217.7 120.3 35.9 235.0 143.5 65.6 118.7 USA 224.9 281.6 -20.1 236.8 -5.0 352.6 222.4 58.6 247.8 216.6 14.4 TOTAL ALL 3897.9 4188.0 -6.9 3198.0 21.9 4239.4 4156.0 2.0 4104.2 3672.9 11.7 NOTE: The total may not tally as numbers in tonnes have been rounded after converting them into barrels per day using a conversion factor of 7.3 barrels per tonne divided by the number of days. Numbers for previous months have been revised. Data also includes some crude parcels that arrived in June, but discharged this month. It also include some parcels that arrived in May and were discharged in June. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) 
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TABLE-India’s April-June oil imports up 11.7% y/y – sources

JOHANNESBURG, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was due to visit KwaZulu-Natal province &#8211; one of the flashpoints of a spasm of violence and heartland of support for his predecessor Jacob Zuma &#8211; on Friday as the unrest appeared to abating.
Some companies worked to restart operations after days of looting and arson that destroyed hundreds of businesses and left more than 100 people dead.
Calm was returning in parts of the main commercial city Johannesburg, even though most shops remain closed, and operations at the ports of Durban and Richards Bay were improving.
Ramaphosa&#8217;s office said the president would visit KwaZulu-Natal to assess the impact of the violence.
The rioting broke out in several parts of the country following the jailing of Zuma last week for his failure to appear at a corruption inquiry.
It swiftly degenerated into looting and destruction, driven by widespread anger over the poverty and inequality that persist nearly three decades after the end of white minority rule.
The military called up all its reservists to bolster army and police who have struggled to contain the unrest, with the number of troops to be deployed doubling to 10,000 since Wednesday.
But pockets of unrest remained, with eNCA television reporting that a business park was torched overnight in Isipingo, a town south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
State logistics group Transnet said operations at the ports of Durban and Richards Bay, which had been hit by the unrest, were improving even though road closures and fuel and food shortages were constraining its supply chain.
&#8220;The Port of Richards Bay has managed to clear all shipping backlogs. Terminal operations at the Port of Durban continue to improve,&#8221; Transnet said.
The government said on Thursday the death toll had risen to 91 deaths in KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma&#8217;s home province where his support is greatest, and stood at 26 in Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg, making a total of 117 killed so far. (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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Ramaphosa to visit worst-hit province as South Africa violence eases

JOHANNESBURG, July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s Massmart said on Friday protesters had looted 41 of its stores and two of its distribution centres, with four sites suffering significant damage from arson, in some of the country&#8217;s worst unrest in years.
&#8220;The full extent of the damage is still being assessed,&#8221; Massmart said in a statement, adding stores in vulnerable areas had been temporarily closed and it had insurance cover in place to minimise losses. (Reporting by Emma Rumney; editing by Jason Neely)
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S.Africa’s Massmart says 41 stores looted, four sites set ablaze

SOUTH AFRICA&#8217;S STATE LOGISTICS GROUP TRANSNET SAYS PORT OF RICHARDS BAY HAS CLEARED ALL SHIPPING BACKLOGS AFTER BEING IMPACTED BY UNREST
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SOUTH AFRICA’S STATE LOGISTICS GROUP TRANSNET SAYS PORT OF RICHARDS BAY HAS CLEARED ALL SHIPPING BACKLOGS AFTER BEING IMPACTED BY UNREST

July 16 (Reuters) &#8211; Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp overtook Apple Inc in the second quarter to become the world&#8217;s No. 2 smartphone maker, market research firm Canalys said in a report on Thursday.
Xiaomi took the second spot for the first time with 17% share of worldwide smartphone shipments, up 3% from the previous quarter, according to the research firm.
Global smartphone shipments grew 12% in the second quarter, led by Samsung Electronics with a 19% share, and Apple at third place with a 14% share.
The average selling price of Xiaomi phones is about 40% to 75% cheaper compared with Samsung and Apple respectively, Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton said, adding that a major priority for Xiaomi this year is to grow sales of its high-end devices.
The company&#8217;s shipments jumped more than 300% in Latin America, 150% Africa and 50% in Western Europe, the report said.
(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; editing by Vinay Dwivedi)
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Xiaomi trumps Apple to become world’s No. 2 smartphone maker – Canalys

July 15 (Reuters) &#8211; British ministers are considering putting France on the travel red list over concerns related to the Beta variant of COVID-19, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported, citing sources.
The proposal was discussed on Wednesday as part of the review of international travel by officials, the newspaper reported, adding ministers agreed to monitor the situation.
The Beta coronavirus variant was first identified in South Africa. Britain&#8217;s red list is of countries on which it has the most severe travel restrictions. The destinations in the list require hotel quarantine on return. France is currently in the medium-risk amber list of countries.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru Editing by Chris Reese)
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British ministers consider putting France on travel red list -The Telegraph

Jordan Spieth will enter the second round of The Open Championship as the consensus favorite to claim his second Claret Jug.
The 2017 Open champion opened with a 5-under 65 on Thursday that put him one shot behind South Africa&#8217;s Louis Oosthuizen. Spieth was the betting favorite at DraftKings (+350), BetRivers (+400) and BetMGM (+450) shortly after the first round concluded.
Oosthuizen, who has finished runner-up at each of the past two majors and in six majors overall since winning The Open in 2010, is being offered at +450 at each of the three sportsbooks. The next shortest odds belong to 2020 PGA champion Collin Morikawa, who is being offered at +1600 by all three despite playing in his first Open Championship.
Spain&#8217;s Jon Rahm opened as the heavy favorite after claiming his first major title at the U.S. Open last month and finishing seventh at the Scottish Open last week. However, he stumbled to a 1-over 71 on Thursday, causing his odds to lengthen to +3300 at BetRivers, +3500 at DraftKings and +400 at BetMGM.
Brooks Koepka opened the tournament at +1600 at DraftKings, where he was the most heavily-backed player with 10 percent of the money and six percent of the outright winner bets. The four-time major champion is still in the thick of the hunt at 1 under, with his odds lengthening only slightly to +1800 at DraftKings.
Those are the same odds as Dustin Johnson, who opened with a 2-under 68. Johnson, who reclaimed the No. 1 world ranking this week and tied for second at Royal St. George&#8217;s in 2011, opened the tournament at +2200.
Stewart Cink was one of the biggest pre-tournament liabilities at several sportsbooks, including PointsBet, where he opened as a +12500 longshot. A two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, Cink is among a group of five players only two shots off the lead.
Oosthuizen&#8217;s most recent worldwide victory came at the South African Open in 2018. He has numerous runner-up finishes since then, including three since the start of 2020.
&#8220;It gives me confidence going into majors knowing that I&#8217;m still competing in them and I&#8217;ve still got chances of winning,&#8221; Oosthuizen said of his close calls at majors. &#8220;But yeah, once the week starts, I need to get that out of my mind and just focus on every round and every shot.&#8221;
Spieth has had his own struggles on Sundays, including a T3 at Pebble Beach and a T4 at the Phoenix Open earlier this year despite playing in the final group. But he did break through with a win at the Valero Texas Open in April.
Spieth has eight top-10s in his past 13 starts, speaking to how far &#8211; and how quickly &#8211; he has re-established himself among the game&#8217;s elite players after dropping to as low as No. 92 in January.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve really loved this tournament,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Played well here, whether I&#8217;ve come in in form or not.&#8221;
And should he win Sunday, does Spieth anticipate it will feel different considering the struggles he has endured over the past four years?
&#8220;I&#8217;m not sure,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I would hope to answer that question for you in a few days.&#8221;
&#8211;Field Level Media
(c) Copyright Field Level Media. All Rights Reserved. 2021
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Jordan Spieth one back but favored to win The Open

Jordan Spieth has learned as much about his mental approach to the game as he has about his golf swing in reclaiming his status among the world&#8217;s elite players over the past six months.
To &#8220;sum that up,&#8221; as he put it, links-style tests such as The Open Championship bring out the best in the Texan.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of external factors over here, and I think that external is where I need to be living,&#8221; Spieth said after carding a 5-under 65 at Royal St. George&#8217;s on Thursday that left him one shot off the first-round lead held by South Africa&#8217;s Louis Oosthuizen.
Spieth&#8217;s last major title came at The Open in 2017. It was his most recent victory of any sort until breaking through at the Valero Texas Open in April.
Spieth is enjoying being back at The Open after the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said all the factors involved in playing links golf forces him to focus on every shot.
&#8220;Instead of just a driving range shot in Palm Springs, there&#8217;s always some shot you have to play that gives you a little bit of an advantage or certain club selections based on you hit a fade or a draw; they go 15 to 20 yards different distances than between which shot you play,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;You get less swing-focused and more shot-focused over here because the second you take your brain off of what you&#8217;re hitting, you may not find your ball.&#8221;
Despite his relative career struggles since his victory four years ago, Spieth entered the week leading all players in Open Championship scoring average since 2015 (69.6), according to the PGA Tour. His 65 marked his 13th Open round in the 60s in that span, also No. 1.
Spieth&#8217;s round was even more impressive considering he fell to 1-over with a bogey on the par-3 third hole. He rebounded with four consecutive birdies from Nos. 5-8 to make the turn in 3-under 32.
Spieth went bogey-free on the back, adding consecutive birdies on Nos. 15 and 16.
He will enter Friday tied with Brian Harman at 5-under, and he knows the next three days will require as much mental fortitude as swing plane thoughts in order to hoist the Claret Jug for the second time.
&#8220;Golf is a game played between the ears,&#8221; Spieth said. &#8220;When it&#8217;s not going great, you can certainly lose quite a bit of confidence in it.
&#8220;By no means do I feel like I&#8217;m where I want to be mechanically yet, but this year has been a really, really good progression for me, and that&#8217;s all I&#8217;m trying to do is just get a little bit better each day.&#8221;
&#8211;Field Level Media
(c) Copyright Field Level Media. All Rights Reserved. 2021
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‘Shot-focused’ Jordan Spieth one off The Open lead

By Loucoumane Coulibaly
ABIDJAN, July 15 (Reuters) &#8211; Eleven African heads of state called on Thursday for $100 billion in hardship funding to help dig their economies out of the hole caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most African nations have been spared the levels of death and infection caused by the coronavirus in other parts of the world, but lockdowns and reduced travel and trade have thrown sub-Saharan Africa into recession.
The leaders met in Ivory Coast&#8217;s commercial capital Abidjan, where they produced a declaration asking for $100 billion for the period of 2022-2025 from the International Development Association (IDA), an arm of the World Bank Group that offers loans and grants to some of the world&#8217;s poorest countries.
The funding would be a step up from a previous disbursement of $82 billion agreed in 2019.
&#8220;I appeal to our partners to take ownership of this Abidjan declaration and significantly increase their contribution &#8230; to fight inequalities and help finance the most vulnerable economies,&#8221; Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said in a speech.
The presidents of Guinea, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Togo, Liberia and Madagascar were also part of the meeting.
So far, only 18 million people in Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, deepening fears of a protracted economic slowdown as much of the world re-opens.
Africa recorded a 43% jump in COVID-19 deaths last week as infections and hospital admissions rise and countries face shortages of oxygen and intensive-care beds, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

(Reporting By Loucoumane Coulibaly Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
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African countries call for $100 billion pandemic boost

LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) &#8211; The current unrest in South Africa will likely prove costly for the country in terms of damage to property, dampening subdued confidence and weighing on broader economic activity, ratings agency Moody&#8217;s said on Thursday.
The continent&#8217;s most industrialised economy has been gripped by some of the worst violence in decades after the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma. The spate of arson and looting has destroyed hundreds of businesses and killed at least 70 people as the spasm of violence began to ebb on Thursday.
&#8220;The recent escalation of violence in several regions represents a manifestation of South Africa’s exposure to social risks inherent in its credit profile, stemming from the high levels of income inequality and unemployment, particularly among the youth,&#8221; Aurelien Mali, a senior credit analyst at Moody&#8217;s, told Reuters.
&#8220;A protracted period of unrest would further complicate an already difficult challenge the authorities face in progressing the structural reform agenda, restoring the health of public finances and reviving longer-term growth prospects.&#8221; (Reporting by Karin Strohecker; Editing by Toby Chopra)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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Moody’s: South Africa unrest will prove costly for broader economic activity

By Marc Jones
LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) &#8211; The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved its first project in sub-Saharan Africa on Thursday, adding to a growing list of international development banks now moving into the continent.
The Beijing-based AIIB, which began operations in 2016, said its would provide a $100 million loan to Rwanda in east Africa as part of a broader COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Facility it set up last year.
AIIB economist Suzanne Shaw said the move, which is co-financed with World Bank in Washington, demonstrated the AIIB&#8217;s &#8220;relevance and value to its non-regional members during a time of severe crisis and need&#8221;.
Since its launch five years ago the AIIB has spent just over $21 billion on projects https://www.aiib.org/en/projects/summary/index.html. It has 103 governments as shareholders, although unlike most big development banks that does not include the United States, or Asia&#8217;s second-largest economy, Japan.
It is now though joining a growing scrum of multilateral institutions looking to expand into sub-Saharan Africa.
The resource-rich region is seen as having growth potential, but the International Monetary Fund estimates it will need an additional $425 billion between now and 2025 just to fight COVID-19 and reduce poverty levels that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
The AIIB might find itself elbowing for space however.
Last month, top G7 development banks &#8211; a group that does not include China &#8211; made a landmark joint pledge to pump $80 billion into African companies and projects over the next five years.
The African Development Bank, Afreximbank and Islamic Development operate there too, while the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is looking at expansion there again after putting earlier plans on ice last year. (Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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Cricket-India, Pakistan in same group in T20 World Cup

GLOBAL MARKETS-World shares steady, U.S. yields hover near lows ahead of fresh data

Eswatini anti-monarchy protest dispersed with teargas, water cannon

Nigeria seeks $1 bln for key gas pipeline as it awaits Chinese lending

EMERGING MARKETS-South African rand rises, Turkish lira leads weekly gains in EMEA

GLOBAL MARKETS-World shares steady, U.S. yields hover near lows ahead of fresh data

TABLE-India’s April-June oil imports up 11.7% y/y – sources

Ramaphosa to visit worst-hit province as South Africa violence eases

S.Africa’s Massmart says 41 stores looted, four sites set ablaze

SOUTH AFRICA’S STATE LOGISTICS GROUP TRANSNET SAYS PORT OF RICHARDS BAY HAS CLEARED ALL SHIPPING BACKLOGS AFTER BEING IMPACTED BY UNREST

Xiaomi trumps Apple to become world’s No. 2 smartphone maker – Canalys

British ministers consider putting France on travel red list -The Telegraph

Jordan Spieth one back but favored to win The Open

‘Shot-focused’ Jordan Spieth one off The Open lead

African countries call for $100 billion pandemic boost

Moody’s: South Africa unrest will prove costly for broader economic activity

China-backed development bank AIIB makes first move into Sub-Saharan Africa

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