April 12 (Reuters) &#8211; Most major stock markets in the Gulf rose in early trade on Monday, supported by gains in their financial stocks, although Saudi bucked the trend to trade lower.
The benchmark index in Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, fell 0.9%, with Saudi National Bank, the kingdom&#8217;s top lender, declining 2%, while Banque Saudi Fransi retreated 3.2%.
The International Monetary Fund said on Sunday countries in the Middle East and Central Asia need to curb their financing requirements, as a surge in government debt, exacerbated by the pandemic, threatens recovery prospects.
Lower demand and a slump in commodity prices eroded state finances last year. In the Middle East and North Africa, fiscal deficits widened to 10.1% of GDP in 2020 from 3.8% of GDP in 2019.
The crisis led many countries to raise debt, partly taking advantage of abundant liquidity in the global markets, to afford extra spending needed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
In Dubai, the benchmark index added 0.2%, helped by a 0.9% increase in Emirates NBD Bank and a 1.6% rise in budget airliner Air Arabia.
The Abu Dhabi index rose 0.3%, with telecoms firm Etisalat rising 0.9% and the country&#8217;s largest lender First Abu Dhabi Bank up 0.3%.
In Qatar, the index increased 0.3%, led by a 1.1% gain in petrochemical firm Industries Qatar.
Elsewhere, Qatar National Bank (QNB), the biggest lender in the Gulf, added 0.6%.
On Sunday, the lender reported its first quarter net profit of 3.3 billion riyals ($906.22 million), down by 7% from a year earlier as it booked 1.4 billion riyals in &#8220;precautionary&#8221; loan-loss provisions.
However, QNB&#8217;s total assets grew by 8% from a year earlier to 1.042 trillion riyals at the end of March, the bank said in a statement. ($1 = 3.6415 Qatar riyals) (Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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MIDEAST STOCKS-Most major Gulf markets gain as financials rise

JOHANNESBURG, April 12 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s rand weakened early on Monday, its recent rally running out of steam as investors worried again about the pace of an economic rebound.
At 0700 GMT the rand was 0.1% weaker at 14.6250 compared to a close of 14.5900 on Friday in New York.
The currency rallied to 14.4475 last week, its strongest in six weeks, but again failed to hold below 14.50.
Recent demand for emerging-market currencies has been driven by weakness in the U.S. dollar and Treasury yields after minutes from the U.S. central bank&#8217;s latest meeting showed it was in no hurry to tighten monetary policy.
But the rocky outlook for South Africa&#8217;s economy, which shrunk by a record 7% in 2020 and has shown signs of a sticky rebound in 2021, has halted the rand&#8217;s rally, with investors taking profits and awaiting new data.
Bonds were weaker, with the yield on the benchmark 2030 government issue up 6 basis points to 9.36%.

(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana, editing by Larry King)
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South Africa’s rand down in early trade

April 12 (Reuters) &#8211; Emperador Inc:
* SEES INCREASE IN PRODUCTION &amp; DISTRIBUTION VOLUME OF BRANDY, WHISKY PRODUCTS ACROSS ASIA, NORTH AMERICA, LATIN AMERICA, EUROPE, AFRICA IN 2021 Source text http://newsfile.refinitiv.com/getnewsfile/v1/story?guid=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20210412:nPSX6pZRgg Further company coverage:
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BRIEF-Emperador Says Expect Increase In Production & Distribution Volume Of Brandy In 2021

April 12 (Reuters) &#8211; AGTHIA GROUP:
* AGTHIA GROUP REVEALED ITS LONG-TERM STRATEGY TO BECOME AN F&amp;B LEADER IN MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA AND PAKISTAN (MENAP) REGION AND BEYOND BY 2025
* STRATEGY IS BUILT ON THREE STRATEGIC PILLARS, NAMELY GROWTH, EFFICIENCY AND CAPABILITY, AND IS DESIGNED TO EXTEND GROUP’S MARKET LEADERSHIP, PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT VALUE FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS AND CONTINUE TO DRIVE PROFITABILITY GROWTH WITH CONSUMER-CENTRIC APPROACH
* AGTHIA STRATEGY OVER NEXT 5 YEARS WILL FOCUS ON IMPROVING EFFICIENCY OF EXISTING BUSINESSES, AND PURSUING NEW SCALABLE OPPORTUNITIES IN REGION
* WE WILL FOLLOW DISCIPLINED EXPANSION PLAN FOCUSED ON ACQUISITION, INTEGRATION AND SCALING OF NEW BUSINESSES
* AGTHIA WILL DELIVER ON GROWTH BY UPSCALING IN PRIORITY MARKETS, EXPANDING INTO VALUE-ADD CATEGORIES AND DRIVING MARGINS IMPROVEMENT BY 2025
* AGTHIA HAS EMBARKED UPON A INORGANIC GROWTH STRATEGY THAT IS FOCUSED ON ACQUISITION OF COMPANIES WITH STRONG CONSUMER BRANDS
* STRATEGY WILL GENERATE COST AND REVENUE SYNERGIES AS WE INTEGRATE THESE BUSINESSES
* GOING FORWARD, ORGANISATION IS TARGETING A SAVINGS OF AED 200 MILLION THROUGH SYNERGY EXTRACTION AS WELL AS SIMPLIFICATION OF ITS EXISTING AND ACQUIRED BUSINESSES
* NON-SCALABLE ASSETS WILL BE DIVESTED WHILE SUPPLIERS AND SPECIFICATIONS WILL BE STREAMLINED Source: (https://bit.ly/3d9Cg9t) Further company coverage:
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BRIEF-Agthia Announces Five-Year Growth And Expansion Strategy

April 12 (Reuters) &#8211; Sameer Africa PLC:
* SAMEER AFRICA PLC &#8211; FY GROUP REVENUE DOWN 57% TO KSHS 757 MILLION
* SAMEER AFRICA PLC &#8211; FY GROUP PROFIT BEFORE INCOME TAX KSHS 71.7 MILLION VERSUS LOSS OF KSHS 660.5 MILLION Further company coverage:
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BRIEF-Sameer Africa Posts FY Group Profit Before Income Tax Kshs 71.7 Mln

NAIROBI, April 12 (Reuters) &#8211; The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Monday. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; GLOBAL MARKETS Asian shares faltered on Monday as investors wait to see if U.S. earnings can justify sky-high valuations, while bond markets could be tested by what should be very strong readings for U.S. inflation and retail sales this week. WORLD OIL PRICES Oil rose on Monday amid hopes that fuel demand is picking up in the United States as the summer driving season approaches and the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations there accelerates, though increasing case numbers in other countries are set to cap gains. EMERGING MARKETS For the top emerging markets news, double click on AFRICA STOCKS For the latest news on African stocks, click on SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS The South African rand retreated from a six-week peak on Friday, taking a breather after dovish signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve spurred a rally in riskier assets. KENYA MARKETS The Kenyan shilling strengthened to an eight and a half month-high against the dollar on Friday spurred by inflows from foreign investors interested in investing in a government infrastructure bond, traders said. ETHIOPIA DAM Egypt and Sudan on Saturday rejected an Ethiopian proposal to share data on the operations of its giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile after negotiations between the three countries in Kinshasa this week ended without progress. UGANDA OIL Uganda, Tanzania and oil firms Total and CNOOC on Sunday signed agreements that will kickstart the construction of a $3.5 billion crude pipeline to help ship crude from fields in western Uganda to international markets. BENIN ELECTIONS Vote counting began in Benin on Sunday in a presidential poll that was boycotted by some opposition parties over violence triggered by objections to President Patrice Talon&#8217;s quest for a second five-year mandate. CHAD ELECTIONS Vote counting has started in Chad after a tense presidential election on Sunday that is likely to see President Idriss Deby extend his three-decade rule, despite signs of growing discontent over his handling of the nation&#8217;s oil wealth. DJIBOUTI POLLS Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh won a fifth five-year term on Saturday after an election boycotted by most of the opposition, securing over 97% of the votes cast, official data from the Interior Ministry on Saturday showed. 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 April 12

By Andrew Both
AUGUSTA, Ga., April 11 (Reuters) &#8211; Adam Scott vividly remembers the reception he received in Japan after winning the Masters eight years ago, so the Australian has an inkling of what Hideki Matsuyama has in store when he returns home wearing the champion&#8217;s green jacket.
Scott, a team-mate of Matsuyama&#8217;s on four International teams for the Presidents Cup, was delighted to see the 29-year-old win the Masters at Augusta National on Sunday to become Japan&#8217;s first male major champion.
&#8220;I took the green jacket over there (to Japan) and it was an incredible response I got, so I can only imagine what Hideki will experience,&#8221; Scott said after finishing 54th, last among those who made the cut.
Matsuyama carried the weight of his nation&#8217;s expectations on his broad shoulders, surviving some nervous moments late before securing a famous one-shot victory.
&#8220;I felt sorry for him last night because I think it was probably one of the hardest sleeps he&#8217;s ever had,&#8221; said another Masters champion, 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa.
Scott and Schwartzel both offered some insight into Matsuyama&#8217;s character, based on their Presidents Cup experiences together.
&#8220;I think he probably knows a little more English than he lets on, but it&#8217;s easy for him to kind of put the blinkers on and really not get distracted by much noise,&#8221; Scott said.
&#8220;I think he&#8217;s quite an intense character, actually, even though we don&#8217;t really see that, obsessive about his game.&#8221;
Added Schwartzel: &#8220;When I won the green jacket, he was low amateur, so he was sitting next to me when I was at presentation.
&#8220;He&#8217;s shown us all over the last 10 years that he&#8217;s been out here that when he gets going, he&#8217;s a guy that feeds off confidence.
&#8220;I think he can get down on himself when he starts playing badly. He sets high expectations.&#8221;
Expectations that were more than met this week. (Reporting by Andrew Both; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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Golf-Scott has idea of reception awaiting Masters champion Matsuyama

Apr 11 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the PGA Tour Masters Tournament on Sunday -10 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 69 71 65 73 -9 Will Zalatoris (USA) 70 68 71 70 -7 Xander Schauffele (USA) 72 69 68 72 Jordan Spieth (USA) 71 68 72 70 -6 Marc Leishman (Australia) 72 67 70 73 Jon Rahm (Spain) 72 72 72 66 -5 Justin Rose (England) 65 72 72 74 -4 Corey Conners (Canada) 73 69 68 74 Patrick Reed (USA) 70 75 70 69 -3 Tony Finau (USA) 74 66 73 72 Cameron Smith (Australia) 74 68 73 70 -2 Stewart Cink (USA) 74 69 72 71 Brian Harman (USA) 69 69 74 74 Si Woo Kim (Korea Republic) 71 69 74 72 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 74 70 70 72 Kevin Na (USA) 75 70 70 71 Webb Simpson (USA) 70 76 70 70 -1 Tyrrell Hatton (England) 71 74 74 68 Collin Morikawa (USA) 73 69 75 70 Scottie Scheffler (USA) 73 72 71 71 0 Harris English (USA) 74 71 73 70 Viktor Hovland (Norway) 73 70 72 73 Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland) 71 73 72 72 Phil Mickelson (USA) 75 72 69 72 Justin Thomas (USA) 73 67 75 73 1 Abraham Ancer (Mexico) 75 69 75 70 Paul Casey (England) 73 74 73 69 Cameron Champ (USA) 72 68 77 72 Matt Jones (Australia) 74 69 74 72 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 76 70 72 71 Ian Poulter (England) 74 73 72 70 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 74 71 72 72 Bubba Watson (USA) 74 70 73 72 2 Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) 74 70 73 73 Ryan Palmer (USA) 74 68 73 75 Michael Thompson (USA) 72 72 75 71 Matt Wallace (England) 74 72 71 73 3 Martin Laird (Scotland) 74 71 72 74 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 73 71 71 76 4 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) 70 76 74 72 Mackenzie Hughes (Canada) 72 72 72 76 Sebastian Munoz (Colombia) 74 73 71 74 Joaquin Niemann (Chile) 75 71 70 76 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 74 66 74 78 Gary Woodland (USA) 73 72 75 72 5 Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 76 67 75 75 Tommy Fleetwood (England) 74 70 73 76 Brendon Todd (USA) 73 71 76 73 7 Jason Kokrak (USA) 71 76 71 77 8 Billy Horschel (USA) 76 71 73 76 José Maria Olazabal (Spain) 75 71 75 75 9 Francesco Molinari (Italy) 74 73 69 81 10 Jim Herman (USA) 76 70 76 76 11 Adam Scott (Australia) 74 73 79 73 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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PGA Tour Masters Tournament Scores

NAIROBI, April 11 (Reuters) &#8211; Tanzanian opposition leader Freeman Mbowe called on Sunday for the new government to prioritise a new constitution, reviving calls for limiting presidential powers.
Mbowe, chairman of Chadema, the country&#8217;s main opposition party, said in a speech the current constitution gives “someone the chance to be a dictator or a king&#8221;, adding it should be a government priority to set a timetable and a procedural framwork to change the consitution.
Mbowe also called on President Samia Suluhu Hassan to &#8220;fast track&#8221; her proposal, presented on Tuesday, to form a scientific committee to research COVID-19.
Hassan took office on March 19 following the death of President John Magufuli, who had been Africa’s most prominent COVID-19 sceptic. Magufuli had urged people to shun mask-wearing and denounced vaccines as a Western conspiracy, and the country also stopped reporting data on coronavirus last May.
Magufuli disappeared from public life for several weeks before he died and there were rumours he was that he was ill with COVID-19. Hassan, who served as Magufuli’s deputy for six years, has said he died of heart disease. (Reporting by Nairobi newsroom Editing by Frances Kerry)
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Tanzania opposition calls for new constitution, faster COVID-19 research

EL HIERRO, April 11 (Reuters) &#8211; At least four people were found dead on a migrant boat off the Canary Island of El Hierro on Sunday, the Spanish Red Cross said.
The vessel was spotted by a fishing boat around 120 miles (193 km) to the south of El Hierro, one of the smallest of the Canary Islands, according to local media.
A rescue operation was underway on Sunday afternoon, with three helicopters deployed to airlift the injured to safety.
The Red Cross said that of the 23 people aboard the boat, 16 were in a &#8220;serious condition&#8221; and three in a better state had been airlifted to Tenerife. The four dead would be taken to El Hierro.
The number of undocumented migrants arriving in Spain&#8217;s Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean was more than eight times higher last year than in 2019, with the impact of COVID-19 on tourism and other industries in north and sub-Saharan Africa pushing many more to embark on the dangerous journey.
Hundreds died or went missing last year after attempting the crossing to the islands, often in rickety, overcrowded boats with unreliable engines, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR has said.
(Reporting by Borja Suarez; Writing by Jessica Jones; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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At least four migrants found dead on boat off Canary Islands

By Davide Barbuscia
DUBAI, April 11 (Reuters) &#8211; The International Monetary Fund said on Sunday countries in the Middle East and Central Asia need to curb their financing requirements, as a surge in government debt, exacerbated by the pandemic, threatens recovery prospects.
The region, which includes around 30 countries from Mauritania to Kazakhstan, saw an economic rebound in the third quarter as countries relaxed measures to contain the new coronavirus.
But the outlook remains highly uncertain and recovery paths will diverge depending on the speed of vaccinations, reliance on heavily impacted sectors, such as tourism, and countries&#8217; fiscal policy.
&#8220;Recovery has started, but recovery has started in an uneven, uncertain way,&#8221; Jihad Azour, director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF, told Reuters.
&#8220;The outlook is uncertain because the legacies of the pre-COVID-19 are still there, especially for countries who have high levels of debt.&#8221;
The Fund said &#8220;early inoculators&#8221;, which include the oil-rich Gulf countries, Kazakhstan, and Morocco, will reach 2019 gross domestic product (GDP) levels next year, while recovery to those levels is expected to take one year more for other countries.
&#8220;High financing needs could constrain the policy space required to support the recovery,&#8221; the Washington-based global lender said in its Regional and Economic Outlook Update.
Lower demand and a slump in commodity prices eroded state finances last year. In the Middle East and North Africa, fiscal deficits widened to 10.1% of GDP in 2020 from 3.8% of GDP in 2019.
The crisis led many countries to raise debt, partly taking advantage of abundant liquidity in the global markets, to afford extra spending needed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
The IMF warned that financing needs are projected to increase over the coming two years, with emerging markets in the region likely to need around $1.1 trillion during 2021-2022 from $784 billion in 2018-2019.
This presents financial stability risks and could slow economic recovery. Many countries rely on domestic banks to fund sovereign needs, which could make credit less easily available for corporates and small enterprises.
Countries with high external debt have also become more vulnerable to a tightening of global financial conditions, which would increase their borrowing costs and curb access to markets.
&#8220;Although comfortable reserve levels provide support for the region’s emerging markets, vulnerabilities for countries with elevated external debt and limited fiscal space are higher,&#8221; the Fund said.
&#8220;Countries need to implement policies and reforms to help reduce elevated public gross financing needs and, over time, mitigate the concentration of bank exposure to the sovereign,&#8221; it said.
It recommended coordination among monetary and fiscal authorities, as well as a deepening of domestic debt markets and an expansion of the investor base. (Reporting by Davide Barbuscia; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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IMF warns on rising debt risks in virus-hit Middle East, Central Asia

&#8212; Source link: https://on.ft.com/2QbuFy8
&#8212; Note: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy
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MEDIA-S. Africa’s MTN targets valuation of at least $5 bln for mobile money arm – FT

By Mahamat Ramadane and Joel Kouam
N&#8217;DJAMENA, April 11 (Reuters) &#8211; Voters in Chad head to the polls on Sunday for a presidential election in which Idriss Deby is widely expected to extend his three-decade rule despite growing signs of popular discontent and opposition criticism over his handling of oil wealth.
Deby, 68, is one of Africa&#8217;s longest-serving leaders and an ally of Western powers in the fight against Islamist militants in West and Central Africa.
He seized power in 1990 in an armed rebellion, and in 2018 pushed through a new constitution that could let him stay in power until 2033 &#8211; even as it reinstated term limits.
Deby has relied on a firm grip over state institutions and one of the region&#8217;s most capable militaries to maintain power. He said recently he knew in advance that he would win again &#8220;as I have done for the last 30 years&#8221;.
&#8220;Many of you, my daughters and sons, were not yet born when I took power in 1990,&#8221; he said at his final campaign rally on Friday. &#8220;You have asked me to be a candidate for this sixth term.&#8221;
Among Deby&#8217;s six rivals is former Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke, but several leading opponents are boycotting the race, including the 2016 runner-up Saleh Kebzabo, who has vowed to make Chad &#8220;ungovernable&#8221; if Deby wins.
Several recent anti-government demonstrations in the capital, N&#8217;Djamena, have turned violent and there was a heavy military presence in the city on Saturday.
As soldiers patrolled the streets, municipal workers collected car tyres and plastics that protesters could set on fire.
Earlier this week, the authorities arrested several people, including at least one opposition leader, for what they said was a plot to assassinate politicians and bomb polling stations and the electoral commission headquarters.
The opposition said the arrests showed mounting repression under Deby, whose government has also arrested scores of people ahead of the vote, according to Human Rights Watch.
The government rejects allegations of human rights abuses.
It has come under increasing public pressure over a flagging economy as low prices for the main export, oil, in recent years forced cutbacks in public spending and sparked labour strikes.
Norbert Djimadoum, a N&#8217;Djamena resident, said he expected many people to express their dissatisfaction by staying at home on Sunday.
&#8220;There won&#8217;t be a lot of enthusiasm at the polls tomorrow and that will be a victory for the start of change,&#8221; he said. (Writing by Aaron Ross Editing by Helen Popper)
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Chad’s veteran leader Deby targets sixth term in presidential vote

By Allegresse Sasse
COTONOU, April 11 (Reuters) &#8211; Benin votes on Sunday in a presidential election following a week of deadly protests against the incumbent Patrice Talon, who is heavily favoured to win a second term.
Talon, a multi-millionaire cotton magnate who touts strong economic growth under his leadership, is accused by his opponents of undermining Benin&#8217;s standing as one of West Africa&#8217;s most stable democracies.
Protests in several cities this week turned violent. Some people were killed in gunfire on Thursday in the central town of Bante when security forces fired warning shots, its mayor told local radio, without saying how many died.
In the commercial capital Cotonou, several people said they feared violence on election day.
&#8220;The events of these last days scare me,&#8221; said Christophe Dossou, a student. &#8220;I prefer to remain cautious.&#8221;
Among the protesters&#8217; complaints are Talon&#8217;s U-turn on a pledge he made as a candidate in 2016 to serve only one term, and changes he pushed through to election laws that he said were aimed at streamlining unwieldy government institutions.
In practice, those reforms resulted in total control of parliament by Talon&#8217;s supporters and the exclusion of leading opponents from the presidential race.
U.S. democracy watchdog Freedom House downgraded Benin last year in its annual rankings from &#8220;free&#8221; to &#8220;partly free&#8221;.
Talon faces two relatively little-known opposition candidates: Alassane Soumanou, who was a minister under former President Thomas Boni Yayi, and Corentin Kohoue, a veteran politician.
Several more prominent opposition leaders have been detained this year on terrorism-related charges, Amnesty International said. Talon has denied his government is targeting his opponents.
He has campaigned on his economic record. Benin, a country of about 12 million people, became Africa&#8217;s top cotton exporter in 2018 and recorded average annual Gross Domestic Product growth of over 5% before the global economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
&#8220;What we did was not easy,&#8221; Talon said at one of his final campaign rallies on Friday. &#8220;We are strong and we know how to get it done.&#8221; (Reporting by Allegresse Sasse Writing by Aaron Ross Editing by Frances Kerry)
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Benin votes for president after week of violent protests

Apr 11 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the PGA Tour Masters Tournament on Saturday -11 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 69 71 65 -7 Marc Leishman (Australia) 72 67 70 Justin Rose (England) 65 72 72 Xander Schauffele (USA) 72 69 68 Will Zalatoris (USA) 70 68 71 -6 Corey Conners (Canada) 73 69 68 -5 Jordan Spieth (USA) 71 68 72 -4 Brian Harman (USA) 69 69 74 -3 Tony Finau (USA) 74 66 73 -2 Si Woo Kim (Korea Republic) 71 69 74 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 74 70 70 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 74 66 74 -1 Stewart Cink (USA) 74 69 72 Viktor Hovland (Norway) 73 70 72 Kevin Na (USA) 75 70 70 Ryan Palmer (USA) 74 68 73 Patrick Reed (USA) 70 75 70 Cameron Smith (Australia) 74 68 73 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 73 71 71 Justin Thomas (USA) 73 67 75 0 Mackenzie Hughes (Canada) 72 72 72 Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland) 71 73 72 Phil Mickelson (USA) 75 72 69 Francesco Molinari (Italy) 74 73 69 Joaquin Niemann (Chile) 75 71 70 Jon Rahm (Spain) 72 72 72 Scottie Scheffler (USA) 73 72 71 Webb Simpson (USA) 70 76 70 1 Cameron Champ (USA) 72 68 77 Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) 74 70 73 Tommy Fleetwood (England) 74 70 73 Matt Jones (Australia) 74 69 74 Martin Laird (Scotland) 74 71 72 Collin Morikawa (USA) 73 69 75 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 74 71 72 Matt Wallace (England) 74 72 71 Bubba Watson (USA) 74 70 73 2 Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 76 67 75 Harris English (USA) 74 71 73 Jason Kokrak (USA) 71 76 71 Sebastian Munoz (Colombia) 74 73 71 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 76 70 72 3 Abraham Ancer (Mexico) 75 69 75 Tyrrell Hatton (England) 71 74 74 Ian Poulter (England) 74 73 72 Michael Thompson (USA) 72 72 75 4 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) 70 76 74 Paul Casey (England) 73 74 73 Billy Horschel (USA) 76 71 73 Brendon Todd (USA) 73 71 76 Gary Woodland (USA) 73 72 75 5 José Maria Olazabal (Spain) 75 71 75 6 Jim Herman (USA) 76 70 76 10 Adam Scott (Australia) 74 73 79 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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&nbsp;

By Maayan Lubell
JERUSALEM, April 10 (Reuters) &#8211; The coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa can &#8220;break through&#8221; Pfizer/BioNTech&#8217;s COVID-19 vaccine to some extent, a real-world data study in Israel found, though its prevalence in the country is low and the research has not been peer reviewed.
The study, released on Saturday, compared almost 400 people who had tested positive for COVID-19, 14 days or more after they received one or two doses of the vaccine, against the same number of unvaccinated patients with the disease. It matched age and gender, among other characteristics.
The South African variant, B.1.351, was found to make up about 1% of all the COVID-19 cases across all the people studied, according to the study by Tel Aviv University and Israel&#8217;s largest healthcare provider, Clalit.
But among patients who had received two doses of the vaccine, the variant&#8217;s prevalence rate was eight times higher than those unvaccinated &#8211; 5.4% versus 0.7%.
This suggests the vaccine is less effective against the South African variant, compared with the original coronavirus and a variant first identified in Britain that has come to comprise nearly all COVID-19 cases in Israel, the researchers said.
&#8220;We found a disproportionately higher rate of the South African variant among people vaccinated with a second dose, compared to the unvaccinated group. This means that the South African variant is able, to some extent, to break through the vaccine&#8217;s protection,&#8221; said Tel Aviv University&#8217;s Adi Stern.
The researchers cautioned, though, that the study only had a small sample size of people infected with the South African variant because of its rarity in Israel.
They also said the research was not intended to deduce overall vaccine effectiveness against any variant, since it only looked at people who had already tested positive for COVID-19, not at overall infection rates.
Pfizer and BioNTech could not be immediately reached for comment outside business hours.
The companies said on April 1 that their vaccine was around 91% effective at preventing COVID-19, citing updated trial data that included participants inoculated for up to six months.
In respect to the South African variant, they said that among a group of 800 study volunteers in South Africa, where B.1.351 is widespread, there were nine cases of COVID-19, all of which occurred among participants who got the placebo. Of those nine cases, six were among individuals infected with the South African variant.
Some previous studies have indicated that the Pfizer/BioNTech shot was less potent against the B.1.351 variant than against other variants of the coronavirus, but still offered a robust defence.
While the results of the study may cause concern, the low prevalence of the South African strain was encouraging, according to Stern.
&#8220;Even if the South African variant does break through the vaccine&#8217;s protection, it has not spread widely through the population,&#8221; said Stern, adding that the British variant may be &#8220;blocking&#8221; the spread of the South African strain.
Almost 53% of Israel&#8217;s 9.3 million population has received both Pfizer doses. Israel has largely reopened its economy in recent weeks while the pandemic appears to be receding, with infection rates, severe illness and hospitalizations dropping sharply. About a third of Israelis are below the age of 16, which means they are still not eligible for the shot. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Pravin Char)
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South African variant can ‘break through’ Pfizer vaccine, Israeli study says

NAIROBI, April 10 (Reuters) &#8211; Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh won a fifth five-year term on Saturday after an election boycotted by most of the opposition, securing over 97% of the votes cast, official data from the Interior Ministry on Saturday showed.
Friday&#8217;s vote pitted only one challenger against the incumbent &#8211; relative newcomer Zakaria Ismail Farah. The Interior Ministry data showed that he came second with 2.48% of the 177,391 votes cast. Some 5,447 ballots were declared invalid.
Farah said the results were &#8220;far from reality&#8221;.
&#8220;This outcome is undoubtedly the result of ballot-box stuffing, (which) occurred in the absence of my delegates,&#8221; he told Reuters, adding they were barred from accessing polling stations to monitor the process.
Alexis Mohamed, the president&#8217;s chief advisor, denied the allegations of fraud and said Farah had abstained from casting his vote.
&#8220;Allegations of ballot-box stuffing are absolutely false, the gentleman who raises them didn&#8217;t even vote and in doing so attacked our democracy,&#8221; Mohamed told Reuters over the phone.
Farah did not respond to a request for comment on whether he voted.
The Horn of Africa country, with a population of less than 1 million, is relatively stable, especially compared with its regional neigbours Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
It hosts U.S., Chinese, and French military bases and is located along one of the world’s busiest trade routes, the Gulf of Aden, making it a strategic post.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM NEIGHBOURS
Ethiopia and Somalia&#8217;s leaders congratulated Guelleh on his victory.
One of Africa’s longest-ruling leaders, Guelleh, 73, has been in power since 1999 when he was handpicked by his uncle Hassan Gouled Aptidon, the country’s first president after independence from France in 1977.
He won the last two elections, in 2016 and 2011, decisively. Some opposition parties boycotted those votes too.
In 2010 his government amended the constitution on presidential term limits allowing him to run for office more than twice, though an age limit of 75 was inserted, meaning that this is supposed to be his last term.
Last year, security forces suppressed rare anti-government street protests which erupted after the arrest of a former air force pilot who had denounced corruption and clan-based discrimination.
(Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; Editing by Clelia Oziel and Frances Kerry)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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