By Marc Jones
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Debt experts, charity groups and investors welcomed news on Wednesday that the world&#8217;s poorest countries will get new IMF funds and COVID-19 debt relief, but they also cautioned that for some it would still only be a band-aid solution.
A new $650 billion allocation of the IMF&#8217;s quasi currency known as Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) will provide over $20 billion of funding, while an extended repayment holiday on loans from rich G20 nations will temporarily save another $7 billion.
The $20 billion share of the SDR increase alone is more than all the emergency money the IMF provided in Africa https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/COVID-Lending-Tracker last year and in relative terms, those under the most serious stress will receive the biggest benefit.
Zambia&#8217;s share of the handout &#8211; SDRs are allocated roughly according to the size of economies &#8211; will double its international reserves. It will lift those of Argentina, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kenya, Ghana and Sri Lanka by at least 10%.
More help might be forthcoming too. Talk has already begun about wealthier countries donating or recycling some of their new SDR either directly or into emergency IMF facilities where they could be put to good use.
That would add significant extra support but some feel that even that might not be enough for those in the deepest funk.
The European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), comprising 50 non-governmental organisations, estimates the average debt-to-GDP ratio for nearly 70 countries in the G20&#8217;s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) will rise above 60% this year from 52% pre-pandemic and 46% back in 2015.
In sub-Saharan Africa, interest payments suck up close to 50% of government revenues for Ghana and around 30% for Nigeria and Angola, S&amp;P Global calculates.
Zambia, Mozambique, Republic of Congo and Angola have all seen their debt burdens soar above 100% of GDP, while Morgan Stanley has flagged concerns about Cameroon, Kenya, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Laos and the Maldives.
&#8220;This SDR issuance will help the countries that were not in terrible shape coming into this crisis muddle through,&#8221; said S&amp;P sovereign analyst Ravi Bhatia. &#8220;But for others that already had very high debt levels and have big payments to make, this isn&#8217;t going to be enough.&#8221;
Carmen Altenkirch, an emerging market sovereign analyst at Aviva Investors, holds a similar view. She thinks Zambia, Pakistan, Ghana, Argentina and Bahrain will see the biggest benefit from the SDR increase, while Pakistan and Angola will get the most from the DSSI extension.
&#8220;Pakistan is a great example of a country that could have defaulted,&#8221; without the support she said. However, it won&#8217;t solve the underlying problems of those countries with the highest debt burdens and rising interest costs.

TICKING TIME-BOMB
Poorer countries are also lagging well behind with vaccine programmes, meaning the crisis will be prolonged for many. World Bank and IMF research estimates that Africa alone will need about $12 billion for vaccines, roughly what they will have deferred under the DSSI so far.
World Bank President David Malpass said on Monday this week&#8217;s DSSI extension would nevertheless probably be the &#8220;last or final&#8221; one.
It incentivizes countries to move towards the G20&#8217;s so called &#8220;Common Framework&#8221;, under which countries would fully restructure debts rather than just postpone payments for a year or two under the DSSI.
So far only Chad, Ethiopia and Zambia have said they will go down that route. It has become a hot potato for governments as the framework also encourages them to restructure their private sector debt, which would be a default in the eyes of the major credit rating agencies.
That could trigger knock-on effects and make it harder and more costly to borrow from international markets in future.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think this will be sufficient,&#8221; Richard Cooper a partner and debt specialist at law firm Cleary Gottlieb, said about the SDR increase and DSSI extension.
The concern is that with so many emerging market countries having taken on more debt during the COVID pandemic and global interest rates now rising, there will be more restructurings in the next 2-3 years.
&#8220;This is a little like a ticking time-bomb,&#8221; Cooper said.

(Reporting by Marc Jones; editing by David Evans)
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ANALYSIS-SDRs and debt holidays still just a band-aid for debt-hobbled countries

(For more Reuters DEALTALKS, click on)
* Sibanye-Stillwater CEO moots merger of S.African gold miners
* Cash-rich miner seeking gold assets
* Aim to create gold champion could face opposition -analysts
By Clara Denina and Tanisha Heiberg
JOHANNESBURG, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Precious metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater is at the centre of deal talks in the gold sector but it may see its desire to create a South African gold champion thwarted as peers cut exposure to the country.
Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman, 61, last month floated the idea of a merger with Johannesburg-listed AngloGold Ashanti and Gold Fields, arguing consolidation is needed for the country&#8217;s gold miners to compete globally.
Speculation has mounted that Sibanye, the world&#8217;s biggest platinum producer, may bid for one or both of its South Africa-listed peers with some assets potentially being hived off to a third party.
Both AngloGold and Gold Fields have shed most of their South African assets to focus on higher returns elsewhere as mining companies struggle with rising costs, volatile labour relations and power disruptions. Gold Fields retains one mine, South Deep.
A Sibanye spokesman said the miner is interested in a mid-tier gold company with more than 1 million ounces in annual output and operations outside South Africa.
He declined to comment on whether it was already in talks with any companies.
With a market value of 195 billion rand ($13.39 billion) Sibanye, which gets less than 20% of its earnings from gold currently, wants to attract a broader shareholder base.
&#8220;You can do 10 small transactions but that&#8217;s probably going to take you 10 years. Or you could do one or two large transactions and significantly increase your size and become relevant,&#8221; Froneman said last month at a mining roundtable.
Sibanye has long wanted to boost its gold exposure outside South Africa, where declining grades and persistent power outages pose challenges.
Soaring platinum, rhodium and palladium prices have boosted its coffers and helped its share price outpace peers

&#8220;MR FIX-IT&#8221;
Froneman, nicknamed &#8220;Mr Fix-It&#8221; for his successful turnarounds in the 1990s, is a veteran dealmaker but some bankers and analysts said a deal would not hold much value for either AngloGold or Gold Fields.
&#8220;There&#8217;s only South African assets in Sibanye on the gold side and (the two miners) have spent the last 10 years getting out of South Africa,&#8221; said Rene Hochreiter, mining analyst at NOAH Capital Markets.
With an interim CEO since Kelvin Dushnisky stepped down at AngloGold last year and Chris Griffith taking the top spot at Gold Fields only this month, both companies have looked vulnerable to a takeover, as the number of top-tier assets available grows thin.
The resignation last month of Gold Fields board member Rick Menell, who is also an independent non-executive director on Sibanye&#8217;s board, has further stoked speculation of a tie-up between the two companies.
AngloGold said it was focused on its organic growth strategy while Gold Fields declined to comment.
&#8220;Unless he comes in with an all-cash proposal, which is highly unlikely, shareholders at either of the two companies will not be easily convinced by the rationale of being taken over by Sibanye, which is first of all a South African miner,&#8221; a banking source said.
The value of mining sector M&amp;A bounced back in the second half of 2020, driven by higher gold prices, according to S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence.
Higher gold prices in 2020 also helped Sibanye pay down debt after a spate of acquisitions including a 2019 takeover of London-listed Lonmin. Sibanye, which was formed when Gold Fields spun off some of its assets in 2013, typically invests in a counter-cyclical way and is betting that gold prices will continue to retreat from 2020 highs as COVID-19 vaccines boost economic growth, Froneman said in a Kitco News interview last month.
The miner, which also wants to acquire more battery metals assets, was rumoured last year to be in talks to buy Canadian gold miner Kinross Gold Corp.
At the time, Froneman said the high gold price meant any deals would not make commercial sense.
A successful mega-merger would cement his reputation as a savvy dealmaker as he nears retirement.
&#8220;Neal has tried to position himself as the champion of the mining industry in South Africa,&#8221; an industry lawyer said.
&#8220;It&#8217;s an elegant exit for him.&#8221;
($1 = 14.5639 rand)

(Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg and Helen Reid in Johannesburg, Jeff Lewis in Toronto and Clara Denina in London, Writing by Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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DEALTALK-Flush from soaring platinum prices, Sibanye-Stillwater hunts for gold

By Lisandra Paraguassu
BRASILIA, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday that he had asked the armed forces if they had troops available to control possible social unrest from the COVID-19 crisis, adding to fears that he is pushing the military into a political role.
Critics fret that Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, aims to marshal the army and police as a political force ahead of a fraught 2022 election. He threw his support behind former U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s refusal to accept the 2020 election results, and some worry he is preparing to do the same next year.
&#8220;I fear for very serious social problems in Brazil,&#8221; he said on a trip to southern Brazil. &#8220;I talk with our armed forces. If this breaks out in Brazil, what are we going to do? Do we have troops to contain the amount of problems that we may face?&#8221;
Last week, Bolsonaro fired his defense minister and changed the leadership of the armed forces. He also named a new justice minister, who on Tuesday swapped out the federal police chiefs.
Brazil is now the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, piling pressure on Bolsonaro and pushing hospitals to the breaking point.
Bolsonaro has long sought to minimize the coronavirus, has shunned masks and was slow to purchase vaccines. Recently, he has suggested Brazilians could revolt against stay-at-home measures imposed by governors and mayors.
Brazil&#8217;s surge in COVID-19 deaths will soon surpass the record January wave in the United States to produce the highest daily tolls in any country since the pandemic began, with fatalities climbing for the first time above 4,000 on Tuesday.
To make matters worse, Brazil has recorded its first confirmed case of the highly contagious coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa, a fresh danger sign for a country already ravaged by a widespread local variant. (Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter Editing by Peter Graff)
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Bolsonaro asks Brazil military about troops to quell possible unrest

April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Opener Fakhar Zaman smashed his second century in as many matches as Pakistan beat much-changed South Africa by 28 runs in the third and final one-day international in Pretoria on Wednesday to clinch the series 2-1.
Fakhar followed up his scintillating 193 on Sunday with 101 as Pakistan posted 320 for seven in their 50 overs having been sent into bat.
South Africa, missing five key players on their way to the Indian Premier League in Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, were bowled out for 292 in the final over.
Fakhar&#8217;s 101 from 104 balls laid the platform for a sizeable Pakistan total.
But it was given a significant late boost by captain Babar Azam (94 from 82 balls) and Hasan Ali (32 not out from 11) who smashed 55 from the final 16 balls of the innings to propel Pakistan well past 300.
They looked to have stalled when spinners Keshav Maharaj (3-45) and part-timer Aiden Markram (2-48) slowed the scoring ahead of the powerful late assault.
South Africa needed a three-figure score from one of their batsmen to get close to the target, but Pakistan’s bowlers varied the pace on a slow wicket and retained control of the match.
Janneman Malan (70 from 81 balls), Kyle Verreynne (62 from 53) and Andile Phehlukwayo (54 from 61) all registered half-centuries, but none could push on as left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (3-34) was the pick of the visiting attack.
The teams now play a four-match Twenty20 International series starting in Johannesburg on Saturday.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)
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Cricket-In-form Fakhar leads Pakistan to ODI series win v S Africa

Apr 7 (OPTA) &#8211; Scoreboard at close of play of 3rd odi between South Africa and Pakistan on Wednesday at Centurion, South Africa Pakistan win by 28 runs Pakistan 1st innings Imam ul-Haq c Kyle Verreynne b Keshav Maharaj 57 Fakhar Zaman c Heinrich Klaasen b Keshav Maharaj 101 Babar Azam c Kyle Verreynne b Andile Phehlukwayo 94 Mohammad Rizwan st Heinrich Klaasen b Keshav Maharaj 2 Sarfaraz Ahmed c&amp;b JJ Smuts 13 Faheem Ashraf c&amp;b Aiden Markram 1 Mohammad Nawaz c Temba Bavuma b Aiden Markram 4 Hassan Ali Not Out 32 Extras 2b 3lb 2nb 0pen 9w 16 Total (50.0 overs) 320-7 Fall of Wickets : 1-112 ul-Haq, 2-206 Zaman, 3-214 Rizwan, 4-246 Ahmed, 5-249 Ashraf, 6-257 Nawaz, 7-320 Azam Did Not Bat : Afridi, Qadir, Rauf Bowling Ov Md Rn Wk Econ Ex Aiden Markram 10 0 48 2 4.80 Beuran Hendricks 7 0 38 0 5.43 5w 1nb Lutho Sipamla 6 0 50 0 8.33 1w 1nb Daryn Dupavillion 5 0 30 0 6.00 Andile Phehlukwayo 4 0 37 1 9.25 1w Keshav Maharaj 10 1 45 3 4.50 2w JJ Smuts 8 0 67 1 8.38 &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230; South Africa 1st innings Janneman Malan lbw Mohammad Nawaz 70 Aiden Markram c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Shaheen Afridi 18 JJ Smuts b Usman Qadir 17 Temba Bavuma b Mohammad Nawaz 20 Kyle Verreynne c Usman Qadir b Haris Rauf 62 Heinrich Klaasen lbw Mohammad Nawaz 4 Andile Phehlukwayo c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Hassan Ali 54 Keshav Maharaj b Shaheen Afridi 19 Beuran Hendricks c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Haris Rauf 1 Lutho Sipamla Not Out 4 Daryn Dupavillion b Shaheen Afridi 17 Extras 0b 1lb 3nb 0pen 2w 6 Total (49.3 overs) 292 all out Fall of Wickets : 1-54 Markram, 2-77 Smuts, 3-127 Malan, 4-128 Bavuma, 5-140 Klaasen, 6-248 Verreynne, 7-251 Phehlukwayo, 8-257 Hendricks, 9-272 Maharaj, 10-292 Dupavillion Bowling Ov Md Rn Wk Econ Ex Shaheen Afridi 9.3 0 58 3 6.11 2nb Hassan Ali 10 0 76 1 7.60 1w 1nb Haris Rauf 9 1 45 2 5.00 1w Usman Qadir 9 0 48 1 5.33 Mohammad Nawaz 7 0 34 3 4.86 Faheem Ashraf 5 0 30 0 6.00 &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;. Umpire Bongani Jele Umpire Marais Erasmus Video Adrian Holdstock Match Referee Andrew Pycroft 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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Pakistan in South Africa 2021 Scoreboard

By Pedro Fonseca
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Brazil has recorded its first confirmed case of the highly contagious coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa, a fresh danger sign for a country already ravaged by the world&#8217;s highest daily death toll fueled by a widespread local variant.
Last week, scientists at the Butantan biomedical institute said the case, identified in a woman in Sao Paulo state, might be a new local variant. Further analysis confirmed it as the first known local case of the variant widely circulating in South Africa and elsewhere.
Scientists fear a showdown between the South African variant and the already rampant Brazilian variant, known as P.1, both of which are more contagious and possibly more deadly than the original version of the coronavirus and have led to accelerated COVID-19 surges.
&#8220;It could be a huge duel,&#8221; said Maria Carolina Sabbaga, one of Butantan&#8217;s coordinators for studying new variants. &#8220;I think P.1 has already taken over. I&#8217;m not sure if the South African will overtake P.1, let&#8217;s see.&#8221;
The South African variant in studies appears to lessen protection from current vaccines.
Brazil is in the midst of a brutal COVID-19 wave, setting records for deaths on a weekly basis. On Tuesday, the Health Ministry reported a single-day record of 4,195 deaths.
The outbreak in South America&#8217;s largest country may overtake the United States to become the world&#8217;s deadliest, some medical experts predict.
José Patané, a Butantan researcher, said the South African variant most likely arrived in Brazil after traveling through Europe toward the end of 2020.
The first local diagnosis, a woman in her 30s in the city of Sorocaba, had not traveled abroad or come into contact with someone who did, indicating local community transmission, researchers said.

SLOW VACCINE ROLLOUT
A possible surge of the South African variant could further complicate Brazil&#8217;s slow vaccine rollout.
Brazil&#8217;s COVID-19 immunization program is built around the vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and China&#8217;s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, which have proven effective against the Brazilian variant in preliminary studies, according to officials.
Research released on Wednesday showed the Sinovac shot was 50% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a study of nearly 68,000 health workers in Manaus, where the P.1 strain first emerged as the predominant variant. The results support preliminary findings of separate research reported by Reuters last month.
In studies, the South African variant appears to lower the level of protection offered by the AstraZeneca shot and other available vaccines.
Immunizations have been slow to ramp up in Brazil after the government dragged its feet last year in acquiring vaccines while other countries raced to secure supplies.
President Jair Bolsonaro has shifted his tone on vaccines, touting shots he had until recently disdained. But the far-right former army captain continues to oppose social distancing and mask requirements that health experts see as essential for curbing virus transmission.
Under pressure from business leaders desperate to vaccinate their workforces and reopen operations, the lower house of Congress has taken up a controversial bill to allow private-sector vaccine purchases.
A version of the bill, first passed on Tuesday, would allow businesses to acquire vaccines to inoculate their employees as long as they donate the same number of shots to the public health system. Under current rules, businesses could only do that once the country has fully vaccinated risk groups outlined in a national immunization plan.
Proposed amendments to new legislation are still pending in the lower house before the bill goes to the Senate.
Bolsonaro is set to meet with a group of business leaders including BTG Pactual founder Andre Esteves and Banco Bradesco Chairman Luiz Carlos Trabuco Cappi later on Wednesday, local media reported, with the private vaccine dose plan among the items on the agenda.
(Reporting by Pedro Fonseca Writing by Jake Spring; Editing by Brad Haynes and Bill Berkrot)
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Brazil detects first case of South African variant as COVID-19 deaths soar

LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; European demand was failing to mop up an overhang of crude on Wednesday as the region faces competition from cheap U.S. barrels and Mediterranean grades.

* Differentials for Russian Urals have plunged to a one-year low while Azeri Light was at its lowest since October last year.
NIGERIA
* At least 10 cargoes of April loading crude were still available and slow to clear.
* Exxon Mobil was offering Qua Iboe cargoes loading in May at dated Brent flat, down from plus 10 cents previously. The company was also showing Chadian Doba at dated Brent plus 60 cents, down 20 cents.
* Gunvor was offering an end-May loading cargo of Qua Iboe at dated Brent plus 20 cents.
* Eni was showing a cargo of Forcados at dated Brent minus 20 cents, Brass River at minus 30 cents and Bonga at plus 40 cents a barrel.

ANGOLA
* Around a dozen May-loading cargoes were available from equity holders. Eni was offering Cabinda at dated Brent plus 30 cents loading in late May.
* Chevron was offering a cargo of Nemba at dated Brent minus 80 cents.
* CLOV was on offer at dated Brent plus $1.00 and Dalia at minus 10 cents.
* State company Sonangol was still offering a cargo of Saturno at dated Brent minus $1.50, loading May 18.
* Exxon sold last week a cargo of Kissanje at dated Brent minus 60 cents. The buyer was said to be Shell.

TENDERS
* South Africa&#8217;s Sasol closed a buy tender, seeking crude for May 24-25 delivery, closing April 6. Shell won with a cargo of Nigerian Forcados loading in April.
* India&#8217;s IOC issued two new tenders for west African crude loading in early June. Both close April 8.
* Pertamina did not award a tender that closed earlier this week and was expected to reissue a new one for May barrels. (Reporting by Julia Payne Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) ))
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W. Africa Crude-Cargoes slow to sell due to weak European demand

IMF&#8217;S GEORGIEVA SAYS MAKING CLEAR TO FINANCE MINISTERS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA THAT THEY NEED TO INCREASE TAX REVENUES, IMPROVE QUALITY OF SPENDING
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IMF’S GEORGIEVA SAYS  MAKING CLEAR TO FINANCE MINISTERS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA THAT THEY NEED TO INCREASE TAX REVENUES, IMPROVE QUALITY OF SPENDING

April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Bionano Genomics Inc:
* BIONANO GENOMICS ANNOUNCES CONTINUED GLOBAL EXPANSION IN ADOPTION OF ITS SAPHYR SYSTEM WITH ADDITION OF INDALO BIO IN SOUTH AFRICA, BRINGING ADVANCED GENETIC ANALYSIS TO AFRICA Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
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BRIEF-Bionano Genomics Announces Continued Global Expansion In Adoption Of Its Saphyr System With Addition Of Indalo Bio

* U.S. audio chatroom app proves popular in Middle East
* Clubhouse provides rare forum for open debate on taboo subjects
* Users, analysts wary of wider crackdown by governments
By Menna A. Farouk and Timour Azhari
CAIRO/BEIRUT, April 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) &#8211; Audio chatroom app Clubhouse is on the rise in the Arab world, providing a rare platform for open debate on taboo subjects from so-called honour killings in Egypt to sexual identity in Iraq, but with some authorities restricting use and others wary.
The app launched by a San Francisco-based company last year allows people to discuss varied topics in chatrooms, with its popularity surging after appearances by billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg and its use now rising in the Middle East.
&#8220;I knew I had certain leanings, but here I can express it more because people respect difference,&#8221; an Iraqi woman, who identified as pansexual, said during a recent debate in one of the app&#8217;s &#8220;rooms&#8221; where anyone can speak on the chosen topic.
&#8220;Hopefully it can be the same in our countries,&#8221; she said, explaining that she had only felt able to explore her non-traditional sexuality when she had left the Middle East.
But as Arab fans embrace Clubhouse as a means to broach matters seldom discussed in public, some fear a broad clampdown by authoritarian governments in the region after Jordan and Oman blocked access to the San Francisco-based app last month.
Clubhouse did not respond to a request for comment but the fast-growing app has already drawn the ire of governments in Asia.
In February China blocked access to Clubhouse after thousands of mainland users joined discussions often censored on sensitive issues such as Xinjiang detention camps, Taiwan independence and Hong Kong&#8217;s National Security Law.
Also in February Thailand warned users of Clubhouse not to break the law after the app emerged as a platform for discussion of the monarchy, and Indonesia warned Clubhouse could be banned if it failed to comply with local regulations.
Marc Owen Jones, assistant professor of digital humanities and societies at Qatar&#8217;s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, said the app could soon see its &#8220;honeymoon&#8221; in Arab states come to an end as the number of users kept rising.
&#8220;The newness creates moments where people feel free to say things they wouldn&#8217;t ordinarily do for fear of retaliation from the state,&#8221; Jones told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
&#8220;People let their guard down and perhaps forget that the political context in which they live hasn&#8217;t changed,&#8221; he said, adding that a few cases of state intervention could have a &#8220;chilling&#8221; effect on speech.
Oman blocked the app last month, saying it did not have the right operating permit. Local media in Jordan reported that the country had taken similar steps to restrict access.
Jordan&#8217;s Ministry of Information and Communications did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
&#8220;RIP, Clubhouse&#8221; one Omani Twitter user wrote weeks after praising the newly popular app as a means to promote dialogue across entrenched boundaries of social class or gender.

MISCONCEPTIONS
Launched in early 2020, the app has grown quickly in socially conservative Arab countries and was the most downloaded app in Saudi Arabia in February.
Clubhouse has not published a regional breakdown of its users, but business data website Statista said downloads of the app in Europe, the Middle East and Africa overtook the Americas region in February.
Fans of the platform say it puts users on a somewhat equal footing, flattening hierarchies on other social media such as Twitter and Facebook, where those with a large following can sway the narrative.
During a recent debate in one of the app&#8217;s rooms, titled &#8220;Feminism and Homosexuality in Iraq&#8221;, Iraqis tackled misconceptions about being gay, such as false associations with paedophilia, and whether Muslims could be LGBT+.
Despite differences of opinion, the conversation was reasoned and the participants were respectful.
When one woman said she would never accept homosexuality as normal, an openly transgender woman replied: &#8220;You don&#8217;t have to accept us, just respect us.&#8221;
In Egypt, which rights groups say has witnessed increased curbs on free speech under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the app has been hosting debate recently about a contentious bill that critics fear would stifle women&#8217;s rights.
&#8220;We&#8217;re in 2021 and still a woman in Egypt will not be able to travel without the consent of her husband or her father. What shame!&#8221; said one woman in a room created to discuss the draft personal status law.
Last month, Sisi called on lawmakers to ensure the law was more balanced and protects women&#8217;s rights.

OFF-LIMITS
The app&#8217;s popularity may have troubled governments shaken by the 2011 &#8220;Arab Spring&#8221; protests, which were facilitated by the use of Facebook and Twitter, said Fady Ramzy, a social media instructor at the American University of Cairo.
Users in the United Arab Emirates have reported connectivity issues in recent weeks, with many saying that they could only access it using virtual private networks, or VPNs.
Mohamad Najem, director of Beirut-based digital rights NGO SMEX, said his organisation suspected the app had been blocked in the UAE or that connectivity had been otherwise impeded.
The UAE&#8217;s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But while some of the app&#8217;s users wonder how long the forum will last in their countries, Clubhouse debates in Arabic are flourishing for now &#8211; with few subjects off-limits.
In a recent room created in Egypt after the death of a woman who was allegedly killed because a man was seen in her house, Egyptian women decried &#8220;honour&#8221; killings, which are usually committed by victims&#8217; relatives.
&#8220;What does that have to do with honour?&#8221; one woman said. &#8220;Is it really moral to throw a woman from the balcony of her home and kill her because a man was at her place?&#8221; (Reporting by Menna A. Farouk and Timour Azhari @timourazhari Editing by Helen Popper and Belinda Goldsmith 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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Arabs talk sex and taboos on Clubhouse app, but for how long?

April 7 (Reuters) &#8211;
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 ** PARIS &#8211; Togolese President Faure Gnassimbe begins an official visit to France.
** JAKARTA &#8211; British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab visits Indonesia and gives a press conference with his counterpart, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi. ** NEW YORK CITY &#8211; Finance ministers and central bankers from the G20 meet virtually on the side-lines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings.- 0500 GMT. ** CAPE TOWN &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s health minister Zweli Mkhize and WHO Africa director Matshidiso Moeti address a webinar. Among topics to be discussed are the COVID-19 pandemic and health inequities. &#8211; 0800 GMT ** ROME &#8211; Italy&#8217;s Economy Minister Daniele Franco and Bank of Italy&#8217;s governor Ignazio Visco hold news conference after the meeting of the finance officials from the Group of 20 major economies. &#8211; 1400 GMT
DELHI/ISLAMABAD/NUR-SULTAN – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit India, Pakistan and Kazakhstan (To April 8).
TRIPOLI &#8211; Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has announced that he would visit Libya (to April 7).
BERLIN &#8211; German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz gives a virtual news conference as the world&#8217;s financial leaders discuss closer cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic during the virtual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. &#8211; 1430 GMT
SEOUL – South Korea holds election for mayors of Seoul and Busan. MOSCOW &#8211; Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow.
WASHINGTON DC &#8211; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass speak at the IMF / World Bank 2021 Spring meetings.
GLOBAL &#8211; World Health Organisation observes World Health Day. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, APRIL 8 ASTANA &#8211; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visits Kazakhstan, meets his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tleuberdi.
WASHINGTON DC &#8211; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, FED Chairman Jerome Powell, and WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala speak on the global economy at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings.
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW – 10th anniversary of signing a bilateral treaty between Russia and the United States on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, START-2 (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty).
GLOBAL &#8211; International Roma Nation Day. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, APRIL 9 GENEVA &#8211; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), to give news conference on the latest developments in the COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON D.C. &#8211; Annual meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and IMF, Spring meetings (to April 11).
SAMOA &#8211; Samoan Legislative Assembly election.
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; SATURDAY, APRIL 10 ** ISTANBUL &#8211; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
ALGIERS &#8211; French Prime Minister Jean Castex visits Algeria.
SMOLENSK, Russia/CRACOW, Poland &#8211; 11th Anniversary of the Smolensk Tragedy to be held in Smolensk, Russia, as well as in Poland.
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
SUNDAY, APRIL 11
FRANCE – 10th Anniversary of the French law banning the burqa and niqab.
ABIDJAN – 10th anniversary of the arrest of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo by supporters of president-elect Alassane Ouattara with the help of French forces, thereby ending the 2010-2011 Ivorian crisis and civil war.
CHILE &#8211; Local and constitutional convention elections in Chile.
ECUADOR &#8211; Ecuador holds second round of presidential elections for 2021-2025 term. PERU &#8211; Peru holds presidential elections. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, APRIL 12
** NEW YORK &#8211; Economic and Social Council, Annual Economic and Social Council forum on financing for development follow-up including the special high-level meetings of the Council with the World Bank, IMF, WTO and UNCTAD. (To April 15)
CAIRO &#8211; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visits Egypt, meets President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
DUBLIN &#8211; EU economics commissioner Paolo Gentiloni speaks at Irish conference &#8211; 0900 GMT.
GLOBAL &#8211; International Day of Human Space Flight. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
TUESDAY, APRIL 13 TEHRAN – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to Tehran, Iran, at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 ANKARA &#8211; Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to meet his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Turkey. 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 Margaritis Schinas gives a press conference on the &#8220;EU Agenda to tackle organized crime (2021-2025)&#8221; and on a new &#8220;EU strategy towards the eradication of trafficking in human beings.&#8221; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, APRIL 15
BELFAST/NEW YORK – 108th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. BRUSSELS – EU General Affairs Council (Cohesion) meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, APRIL 16
WASHINGTON &#8211; Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will meet U.S. President Joe Biden.
VATICAN CITY – 94th birthday of Pope Benedict. BRUSSELS – Eurogroup meeting.
BRUSSELS – EU Informal meeting of economic and financial affairs ministers. (To Apr. 17)
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
SUNDAY, APRIL 18
CAPE VERDE &#8211; Cape Verde holds legislative election. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, APRIL 19 PARIS &#8211; OECD Economic Survey of Spain.
OTTAWA &#8211; Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will present the first federal budget in two years that will offer the support needed to those struggling during the pandemic, plus a plan to boost growth as it recedes – 2000 GMT.
BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; TUESDAY, APRIL 20
UNITED STATES &#8211; 11th anniversary of Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. BRUSSELS – EU General Affairs Council meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
LONDON &#8211; Queen Elizabeth to celebrate her 95th birthday.
PARIS – 60th anniversary of the first manned mission to space. BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commission vice president Valdis Dombrovskis gives a press conference on a communication on a climate change mitigation and adaptation taxonomy. BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis gives a news conference on the review of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive. BRUSSELS &#8211; European Commission digital chief Margrethe Vestager gives a press conference on artificial intelligence and on &#8220;A trusted and secure European e-ID.&#8221; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, APRIL 22
GLOBAL &#8211; Earth Day. PORTUGAL &#8211; Informal meeting of energy ministers &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, APRIL 23
GLOBAL – U.N. World Book and Copyright Day. BRUSSELS – EU Informal meeting of environment ministers. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
SUNDAY, APRIL 25
GERMANY &#8211; German state of Turingia (Thueringen) holds state elections.
GLOBAL &#8211; World Malaria Day. ALBANIA &#8211; Parliament of Albania election. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
MONDAY, APRIL 26
GLOBAL &#8211; World Immunization Week 2021 (to May 2). NEW DELHI &#8211; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be visiting India. It will be his first visit abroad since the UK left the European Union. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
TUESDAY, APRIL 27 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
PORT ARTHUR, Tasmania – 23rd anniversary of Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, APRIL 29
LONDON – 10th wedding anniversary of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
FRIDAY, APRIL 30
DJIBOUTI &#8211; President election.
BENIN &#8211; Benin holds presidential elections.
CHAD &#8211; Chad holds presidential elections. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
TUESDAY, MAY 4 BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) meeting. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;
THURSDAY, MAY 6
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; SATURDAY, MAY 08 PORTUGAL – 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
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; 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;
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; &#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 7

By Sarah Mills
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; South African director Oliver Hermanus says he wants to outrage audiences with his BAFTA-nominated film &#8220;Moffie&#8221; to help them understand the nature of racism.
Set in 1981 South Africa, &#8220;Moffie&#8221;, a derogatory slang term for being gay, depicts the brutal military service young white men had to complete during apartheid.
In an interview with Reuters, Hermanus, who is mixed race, said the drama explores homophobia, toxic masculinity and how Black people were treated at the time.
Below are excerpts edited for clarity and length.

Q: Why did you want to tell this story?
Hermanus: &#8220;It was actually a very difficult decision in the beginning because &#8230; the concept of the film &#8230; was a really big challenge for me &#8230; because I couldn&#8217;t really think of how I would connect with that.&#8221;
&#8220;Making &#8216;Moffie&#8217; has been going beyond that racial barrier, which is a very common South African thing, we kind of think very much in racial terms as a country. And so for me, this was a breaking of that barrier of my own.&#8221;

Q: Do you think this film speaks to the current moment?
Hermanus: &#8220;It definitely does. The intention &#8230; was this forced perspective for the audience to see the treatment of Black people from the white society during apartheid.
&#8220;And it was my hope &#8230; to position an audience inside of this racist headspace to see it from the inside and to see how horrific and unacceptable it is. And it is meant to outrage an audience. It&#8217;s meant to upset because I think that&#8217;s the only way that we really understand the nature of racism.&#8221;

Q: The film also enabled some of those involved to reflect on their experiences?
Hermanus: &#8220;&#8216;Moffie&#8217; is ultimately a film about a generation of men who are still alive and well in South Africa &#8230; What we found in showing the film in South Africa is that it allowed for a space, particularly for these men, to articulate something that they&#8217;ve never articulated before &#8230; This army came to an end right as Nelson Mandela came out of jail and the country changed.
&#8220;There was no room for this generation of men to have a public moment of articulating their levels of trauma and &#8216;Moffie&#8217; &#8230; has given &#8230; a lot of men an opportunity to talk about what they&#8217;ve been through and what they feel.&#8221; (Reporting by Sarah Mills; Editing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Alison Williams)
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A Minute With: “Moffie” director Hermanus on addressing racism and homophobia

By Marc Jones
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; The world&#8217;s top finance ministers are set to back a new $650 billion allocation of the International Monetary Fund&#8217;s own currency, Special Drawing Rights, to help low-income countries hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
We explain what SDRs are, how they are used and which countries could benefit the most.

WHAT ARE SPECIAL DRAWING RIGHTS?
SDRs are the IMF&#8217;s reserve asset, and are exchangeable for dollars, euros, sterling, yen and Chinese yuan or renminbi. An allocation of SDRs requires approval by IMF members holding 85% of the total votes. Because the United States holds 16.5% of the votes, Washington&#8217;s view is decisive.
So far, the IMF has allocated SDR 204.2 billion, equivalent to roughly $285 billion.

HOW DO THEY WORK?
The IMF issues SDRs to its member countries&#8217; central banks as a reserve asset – i.e., an asset they can easily exchange for hard currency with another central bank. Most central banks voluntarily carry out the exchange but, if not, the IMF has the power to decree who must accept the SDRs.
The value of an SDR is set daily based on a basket of five major international currencies: the U.S. dollar (42%), the euro (31%), the Chinese yuan (11%), the Japanese yen (8%) and the British pound (8%).
A new SDR allocation can be done very quickly. Once there is enough support among the international community, the formal IMF process only takes a couple of months. In 2009, the IMF officially proposed an SDR allocation to its board in early June and countries received their SDRs at the end of August.

HOW MUCH IS THE INCREASE GOING TO BE?
A draft of a G20 communique to be released later showed leaders have given the green light to a $650 billion SDR issuance. That is bigger than the $500 billion that had been seen as likely earlier in the year.
Economists at Morgan Stanley say there is a practical reason for the size. The IMF does not have any specific limits on SDR allocations, but U.S. law limits the size of an SDR allocation that the Treasury Secretary can accept and vote for without pre-approval by Congress.
It cannot be more than the size of the U.S. quota in the IMF. This effectively limits the size of any single SDR allocation to about $680 billion.
WHO WILL BENEFIT THE MOST?
Since SDRs are allocated pro rata in relation to a country&#8217;s IMF &#8220;quota&#8221;, the distribution is heavily skewed towards the bigger and richer countries that arguably have the least need for it. The United States, European Union and United Kingdom alone would receive nearly half of the new liquidity.
Analysts estimated that a $650 billion increase will deliver roughly $21 billion in added reserves to low-income countries. It could be much higher if the richer countries, which will receive around $400 billion from the allocation, lend on or donate some of their new SDRs.
Analysts at Citi have calculated the increase will more than double Zambia&#8217;s reserves and increase Zimbabwe&#8217;s more than six-fold. It is also good for countries like Argentina, Turkey, Sri Lanka South Africa, Pakistan and Nigeria, which will also see a 10% to 20% boost to their FX reserves.

(Reporting by Marc Jones, editing by Larry King)
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EXPLAINER-Which countries will benefit most from an IMF SDR increase

April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York&#8217;s SPDR Gold Trust fell 0.37% on Tuesday from Monday, while holdings of the largest silver-backed ETF, New York&#8217;s iShares Silver Trust remained unchanged during the same period. Exchange-traded funds, the most widely recognized type of ETP, back each security issued with physical stocks of a given commodity, creating a product they say is free from counterparty risk. Name New Holdings (OZ) Date Prev Holdings (OZ) Prev Abs Change (OZ) % chg YTD Abs Change (OZ) GOLD SPDR Gold Trust 33,084,810.6 Apr 06 33,206,602.9 Apr 05 -121,792.3 -0.37% -4,555,495.3 COMEX Gold Trust 16,181,738.4 Apr 06 16,198,887.1 Apr 05 -17,148.7 -0.11% -699,913.2 ETF Securities gold (ex-US) 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Gold ** 5,439,013.1 Apr 01 5,442,921.6 Mar 26 -3,908.6 -0.07% -158,776.4 Sprott Physical Gold Trust 2,606,214.0 Apr 06 2,606,214.0 Apr 05 0.0 0.00% 30,994.0 ETFS Physical Swiss Gold 844,902.3 Jan 24 844,902.3 Jan 24 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewGold ETF 633,336.2 Apr 06 634,299.5 Apr 01 -963.3 -0.15% 9,660.8 Total 68,083,757.0 68,227,569.8 -143,812.8 -0.21% -5,616,239.9 SILVER iShares Silver Trust 574,858,999.9 Apr 06 574,858,999.9 Apr 05 0.0 0.00% 16,143,117.5 Sprott Physical Silver 133,543,149.0 Apr 06 133,041,866.0 Apr 05 501,283.0 0.38% 42,434,494.0 ETF Securities silver ex-US 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Silver 95,169,161.3 Apr 01 95,035,446.4 Mar 26 133,714.9 0.14% 1,725,080.4 ETFS Physical Silver Shares 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; Total 926,869,370.1 926,234,372.2 634,997.9 0.07% 183,600,751.8 PLATINUM ETFS Physical Platinum Shares 738,343.9 Mar 20 738,343.9 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewPlat ETF 571,624.6 Apr 06 571,651.7 Apr 01 -27.1 0.00% -447,684.0 ETF Securities platinum ex-US 617,330.8 Nov 30 617,330.8 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Platinum 442,230.8 Apr 01 442,230.8 Mar 26 0.0 0.00% 18,976.3 Total 2,369,530.1 2,369,557.2 -27.1 0.00% -406,680.3 PALLADIUM InvestPalladium ETF # 142,113.5 Mar 25 142,113.5 Mar 25 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ETFS Physical Palladium Shares 129,466.6 Mar 20 129,466.6 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ETF Securities palladium ex-US 111,915.0 Nov 30 111,915.0 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Palladium 78,361.8 Apr 01 78,361.8 Mar 26 0.0 0.00% 352.6 ABSA &#8211; NewPalladium ETF **** 27,468.1 Apr 06 27,469.4 Apr 01 -1.3 0.00% -14,399.4 Total 489,325.0 489,326.3 -1.3 0.00% -51,350.7 The figures above are those reported to Reuters by the organizations involved by telephone or email on the date shown, or those that are publicly available on their websites. ** ZKB physical gold, silver, platinum and palladium funds are fully backed by physical precious metal and investors are entitled to physical delivery of them. *** Shareholders in the GAM Gold fund can elect to hold &#8220;A class&#8221; shares, which are fully backed by physical gold. Investors in that class are entitled to physical delivery of the precious metal. Investors may also elect to hold &#8220;AX&#8221; class shares, which are fully backed by physical gold. Investors in that class are not entitled to physical delivery of the precious metal. **** Absa Capital&#8217;s NewPalladium Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) was listed on March 27, 2014 and is fully backed with South African palladium. # Standard Bank&#8217;s AfricaPalladium ETF, South Africa&#8217;s first listed palladium exchange traded fund, debuted on March 24, 2014. 
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TABLE-Holdings of SPDR Gold fall, iShares Silver unchanged

JOHANNESBURG, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; South African business confidence inched lower in March, data showed on Wednesday, constrained by uncertainty over the country&#8217;s economic recovery and fears of another coronavirus lockdown.
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry&#8217;s (SACCI) monthly business confidence index (BCI) slipped to 94.0 in March from 94.3 in February.
The measure had reached a two-year high in January after slumping to a record low in the immediate aftermath of pandemic last year.
The recovery in the first two months of the year was driven by eased lockdown restrictions on falling COVID-19 infections.
However, infections have began to creep up as winter approaches in the southern hemisphere. The slow pace of vaccine rollouts has hampered businesses as they are less confident about returning to normal operations.
&#8220;The business climate remained constrained due to continuing economic uncertainty and the prospects of a further lockdown in the offing with rumours of a third wave of infections becoming prevalent,&#8221; SACCI said in a statement.
&#8220;The vaccination process should play an important positive role in re-igniting the economy,&#8221; the business group added.
On Tuesday health officials said the country has signed an agreement to buy 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech dual-shot COVID-19 vaccine, boosting plans to accelerate the pace of vaccinations from this month.
South Africa is the worst hit country on the continent with more than 1.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 50,000 deaths. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana Editing by Promit Mukherjee)
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South African business confidence inches lower in March

AMSTERDAM, April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Prosus NV, the Dutch-based technology investment company, said on Wednesday it would sell a 2% stake in software giant Tencent worth around $15 billion at current prices in an accelerated offering to institutional investors.
Prosus, majority-owned by Naspers of South Africa, said the sale would lower its stake in Tencent to 28.9% from 30.9%. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; editing by Jason Neely)
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Prosus to sell 2% stake in Tencent worth $15 billion

* Rouble at 5-month low
* Turkish lira extends losses
* Hungarian forint gains slightly
By Ambar Warrick
April 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Russia&#8217;s rouble hit a five-month low on Wednesday as concerns over strained relations with the West weighed, while many other emerging market currencies retreated as the dollar appeared to have paused its losses.
The rouble dropped about 1.1%, leading losses across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as investors fretted over a possible Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine, which could lead to response from the West.
This offset optimism over a possible interest rate hike by the Russian central bank, after higher-than-expected March inflation data strengthened the case for policy tightening.
&#8220;In our view, the March inflation data and the balance of risks are in favour of 50bps hike. However, this outcome seems to be fully priced in due to fears over military escalations in Donbass,&#8221; Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a note.
Other EMEA currencies also dropped, with Turkey&#8217;s lira extending losses after disappointing inflation data on Monday. The unexpected sacking of the country&#8217;s central bank head last month had pushed the lira to record lows.
South Africa&#8217;s rand retreated from five-week highs, a recent dip in the dollar and bond yields having benefited the currency.
The dollar hovered around a two-week low, but appeared to have stabilized after large losses in recent sessions. Investors were also awaiting the minutes of the Federal Reserve&#8217;s last meeting to gauge the bank&#8217;s stance on policy tightening.
Optimism over a swift economic recovery in the United States had pushed up the dollar and treasury yields this year, pressuring emerging market bonds and currencies as investors sought more reliable returns in U.S. assets.
While emerging market economies are also eventually expected to recover, the International Monetary Fund forecast a mixed path to pre-pandemic levels, with many economies outside Asia likely to lag their peers.
G20 officials are also set to meet today and decide on a $650 billion boost to the IMF&#8217;s emergency reserves, as well as extending efforts to help developing economies struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emerging market stocks retreated from a more than two-week high on Wednesday, with most Asian and EMEA bourses trading lower.
In central Europe, Hungary&#8217;s forint marked small gains to the euro, hovering around one-month highs as the central bank&#8217;s hawkish stance continued to support the currency.
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 in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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