JOHANNESBURG, April 6 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa has signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc for 20 million dual shot COVID-19 vaccine doses, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday, boosting plans to start mass vaccinations from April.
The deal is another fillip for the country worst hit by COVID-19 infections in Africa as it adds to the 31 million single-shot doses from Johnson &amp; Johnson which the government approved on Thursday.
The first batch from Pfizer is expected to arrive later in April, Anban Pillay, Deputy Director-general at the Department of Health, told Reuters, but he did not comment on the price.
The government is buying the J&amp;J vaccine for $10 per dose.
After the Pfizer deal, the government will have enough to vaccinate roughly 41 million people out of its total population of 60 million.
The country has also been allocated 12 million shots under the World Health Organization&#8217;s COVAX scheme and is likely to get doses for 10 million people from the African Union&#8217;s AVATT initiative.
It is not clear whether the COVAX and AVATT doses will be a single shot, dual shot or a mix of both.
Health experts have urged the government to scale up its vaccination programme in the light of speculation that Africa&#8217;s most industrialized country is likely to be hit by a third wave of infections in the winter months of June and July.
South Africa&#8217;s vaccination campaign was dealt a blow in early February when it put on hold a plan to start inoculations with AstraZeneca&#8217;s vaccine, after a small trial showed it offered minimal protection against mild to moderate COVID-19 caused by the dominant local coronavirus variant.
The government then switched to the J&amp;J shot in an &#8220;implementation study&#8221; to start protecting frontline healthcare workers with limited doses. (Reporting by Alexander Winning and Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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S.Africa signs deal for 20 mln Pfizer COVID-19 doses

By Roshan Abraham and Anurag Maan
April 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Coronavirus-related deaths worldwide crossed 3 million on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the latest global resurgence of COVID-19 infections is challenging vaccination efforts across the globe.
Worldwide COVID-19 deaths are rising once again, especially in Brazil and India. Health officials blame more infectious variants that were first detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa, along with public fatigue with lockdowns and other restrictions.
(Open https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi in an external browser for global COVID graphic)
According to a Reuters tally, it took more than a year for the global coronavirus death toll to reach 2 million. The next 1 million deaths were added in about three months.
Brazil is leading the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported and accounts for one in every four deaths worldwide each day, according to a Reuters analysis.
The World Health Organization acknowledged the nation&#8217;s dire condition due to coronavirus, saying the country is in a very critical condition with an overwhelmed healthcare system.
&#8220;Indeed there is a very serious situation going on in Brazil right now, where we have a number of states in critical condition,&#8221; WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told a briefing last Thursday, adding that many hospital intensive care units are more than 90% full.
India reported a record rise in COVID-19 infections on Monday, becoming the second nation after the United States to post more than 100,000 new cases in a day.
India&#8217;s worst-affected state, Maharashtra on Monday began shutting shopping malls, cinemas, bars, restaurants, and places of worship, as hospitals are being overrun by patients.
The European region, which includes 51 countries, has the highest total number of deaths at nearly 1.1 million.
Five European countries including the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Italy and Germany constitute about 60% of Europe&#8217;s total coronavirus-related deaths.
The United States has the highest number of deaths of any country at the world at 555,000 and accounts for about 19% of all deaths due to COVID-19 in the world. Cases have risen for the last three weeks but health officials believe the nation&#8217;s rapid vaccination campaign may prevent a rise in deaths. A third of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.
At least 370.3 million people or nearly 4.75% of the global population have received a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Sunday, according to latest figures from research and data provider firm Our World in Data.
However, the World Health Organization is urging countries to donate more doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines to help meet vaccination targets for the most vulnerable in poorer countries.
(Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3tUM8ta in an external browser for global COVID vaccination graphic)
(Reporting by Anurag Maan and Roshan Abraham in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Andrew Heavens)
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Global COVID-19 death toll surpasses 3 million amid new infections resurgence

* Turkish c.bank uncertainty continues to weigh
* EM FX index hits two-week high, stocks gain
* EM inflows at near one-year low
By Ambar Warrick
April 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Turkey&#8217;s lira dipped on Tuesday as annual inflation neared two-year highs, while an index of emerging-market currencies rose to a two-week high as pressure from the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields appeared to ease.
The lira fell as much as 0.7% to the dollar after marking large swings over the past few sessions.
Data on Monday showed annual inflation in March climbed to above 16% &#8211; its highest since mid-2019, underlining continued pressure on the central bank to meet its ambitious target of 5%.
Former central bank Governor Naci Agbal&#8217;s ouster last month, after only four months in office, had seen the lira plummet to record lows.
President Tayyip Erdogan has abruptly fired four bank chiefs in less than two years, hurting monetary credibility and contributing to the currency&#8217;s long-term decline, which in turn has driven up overall inflation via imports.
&#8220;New Central Bank of Turkey Governor Şahap Kavacıoğlu saying that rate cuts should not be taken for granted does not qualify as such a positive. If he refused to implement Erdogan’s monetary policy vision, this would not imply a stronger lira – it would only imply that he would not be around for very long,&#8221; said Tatha Ghose, FX and EM Analyst at Commerzbank.
&#8220;Whatever actually comes to pass, for now the FX market is very likely to think in this direction.&#8221;
Other emerging-market currencies rose on Tuesday, as the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields retreated from recent gains. The MSCI&#8217;s index of EM currencies rose 0.2% to a two-week high.
But currencies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa lagged their peers in Asia, amid concern over an economic recovery in the euro zone due to a sluggish COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
EM currencies have faced headwinds from strength in the dollar and U.S. yields this year, as a steady vaccination program has drummed up hopes that the U.S. economy will recover quickly from a virus-induced slump.
Recent manufacturing and payrolls data have also supported that view.
Data from the Institute of International Finance showed foreign net flows to emerging-market equity and debt portfolios slowed in March to their weakest in almost a year under pressure from U.S. assets.
Emerging-market stocks rose about 0.3% on Tuesday. Expectations of loose monetary policy around the globe have seen equities mark steady gains this year.
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 Larry King)
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EMERGING MARKETS-Turkish lira hurt by high inflation; other currencies gain

JOHANNESBURG, April 6 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s rand stabilised near a five-week high early on Tuesday, as a weaker dollar and a pullback in U.S. bond yields lifted demand for riskier but high-yielding currencies.
At 0610 GMT, the rand traded at 14.5600 against the U.S. dollar, largely unchanged from its previous close. The currency hit a five-week high of 14.5250 on Monday.
TreasuryONE currency strategist Andre Cilliers attributed the gains to weakness in the U.S. dollar.
The dollar stabilised near an almost two-week low versus a basket of its peers, even as data showed a gauge of U.S. services activity hit a record high in March and Friday&#8217;s bumper jobs report opened a cautious door to questions as to how much further the greenback and U.S. yields can go.
The rand is expected to take cues from global market events, in the absence of market-moving local news.
In fixed income, the yield on the benchmark government bond due in 2030 was down 3 basis points at 9.535% in early deals. (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)
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South Africa’s rand holds gains as dollar slips

The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Tuesday. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; GLOBAL MARKETS Asia&#8217;s stock markets rose on Tuesday as another batch of strong U.S. economic data bolstered the global outlook, while currency and bond markets paused for breath after a month of rapid gains in the dollar and in U.S. Treasury yields. WORLD OIL PRICES Oil prices rose early on Tuesday as a drop in the U.S. dollar made crude a more attractive buy, paring losses of more than 4% incurred overnight on the prospect of producers returning more than 2 million barrels per day of supply to the market by July. 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 South Africa&#8217;s rand extended gains against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, as positive manufacturing activity and new vehicle sales data pointed to a recovery in the economy. KENYA TRAVEL Kenya Airways will suspend flights to the United Kingdom effective April 9, the airline said in a statement. MOZAMBIQUE INSURGENCY The town in northern Mozambique that Islamic State-linked insurgents attacked late last month is now secure after the military killed a significant number of militants and cleared one final area, an army spokesman and a provincial official said. AFRICA CORONAVIRUS/WORLD BANK The World Bank estimates that Africa would need about $12 billion for COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution to attain sufficient levels of vaccination coverage to interrupt virus transmission, according to new paper by the bank and the IMF. ETHIOPIA TIGRAY/USA The United States is looking into reports of human rights abuses and atrocities in Ethiopia&#8217;s Tigray region, the U.S. State Department said on Monday. GHANA DOLPHINS At least 80 dolphins and large numbers of fish have washed up dead on beaches near Ghana&#8217;s capital Accra since Friday, prompting investigations by the authorities. CAMEROON LGTB Two transgender women facing charges of &#8220;attempted homosexuality&#8221; in a high profile case in Cameroon will spend more than two months behind bars without trial after a judge postponed their hearing again on Monday. 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 6

JOHANNESBURG, April 6 (Reuters) &#8211; The following scheduled economic events, company announcements, equity and currency market moves may affect South African markets on Tuesday.

SOUTH AFRICAN MARKETS
South Africa&#8217;s rand extended gains against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, as positive manufacturing activity and new vehicle sales data pointed to a recovery in the economy.
Shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) rallied on Thursday, ending the week on a higher note as financial markets in South Africa closed for a four-day long weekend.

GLOBAL MARKETS
Asia&#8217;s stock markets rose on Tuesday as another batch of strong U.S. economic data bolstered the global outlook, while currency and bond markets paused for breath after a month of rapid gains in the dollar and in U.S. Treasury yields.

WALL STREET
U.S. stocks rallied on Monday with the Dow and S&amp;P 500 closing at record levels, as a round of strong economic data buoyed investor optimism for the economic reopening and a muted climb in the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield kept inflation worries in check.

GOLD
Gold prices rose on Tuesday, as a weaker dollar made bullion cheaper and more attractive for buyers outside the United States, while a pull-back in U.S. Treasury yields provided further support.

EMERGING MARKETS
For the top emerging markets news, double click on
&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; (Compiled by Promit Mukherjee)
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South African Markets – Factors to watch on April 6

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)
* GRAPHIC &#8211; OPEC+ spare production capacity https://tmsnrt.rs/30SZSYU
By Clyde Russell
LAUNCESTON, Australia, April 6 (Reuters) &#8211; The move by the OPEC+ group of oil exporters to ease their output restrictions from May onwards is effectively a bet that the current soft demand for crude will improve at the same pace as production returns.
If history is a guide, it will be extremely difficult to get that balance correct, especially in the wake of such a large disruption to the global oil market as the coronavirus pandemic.
With the impact of the pandemic still evident, the decision by OPEC+, the group that includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and their allies, to add back an effective 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of output by July seems brave.
The group decided at a meeting on April 1 to ease their output cuts of about 7 million bpd by 350,000 bpd in May, another 350,000 bpd in June and by 400,000 bpd in July.
In addition, OPEC+&#8217;s top exporter, Saudi Arabia, said it was phasing out its extra voluntary cuts by July, a move that will add 1 million bpd.
Last week&#8217;s meeting came as something of a surprise to the crude market, which had been expecting OPEC+ to roll over their cuts for another month into May.
However, adding back 350,000 bpd for May is a relatively small amount and given that most refiners will have already completed their buying programmes for the month, this part of the OPEC+ decision can be discounted.
The further 350,000 bpd for June may also have a limited impact on the market, again, as many refiners, especially in the top importing region of Asia, are likely to have worked out their needs and therefore their loading programmes.
However, by the time July arrives, another 1.4 million bpd could be added back into the market in addition to what was put back in May and June.
The question is whether OPEC+ will be proven correct that demand is recovering at a pace that will see the market being able to absorb that much additional crude.
The group won&#8217;t want prices to retreat too much further, despite coming under some pressure from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to lower energy costs, and increasing unhappiness about the current price in India, Asia&#8217;s second-biggest crude importer behind China.
Global benchmark Brent crude futures retreated somewhat on Monday, ending at $62.15 a barrel, down from $64.86 on April 1, the day of the OPEC+ meeting. They are also some 12.9% below the peak so far this year of $71.38, reached on March 8.

DEMAND RECOVERY?
There is evidence that Asia&#8217;s demand for imported crude is returning to levels seen before the pandemic hit demand toward the end of the first quarter of 2020.
Crude arrivals in Asia in March are expected to be around 25.2 million bpd, according to Refinitiv Oil Research, slightly down from 25.75 million bpd in February, but up from January&#8217;s 24.58 million bpd and December&#8217;s 23.21 million bpd.
Arrivals in March last year were 26.6 million bpd, while February 2020 saw 26.7 million bpd offloaded in Asia.
Overall, it seems that while Asia&#8217;s demand for imported crude is recovering, it&#8217;s not quite back to where it was pre-pandemic.
The other factor that may complicate matters is that the recovery in demand in Asia appears uneven, with gasoline performing better than middle distillates such as diesel and jet fuel.
This would suggest that light vehicle transport is returning, but industrial and aviation demand are still softer than normal.
The profit margin on a barrel of jet fuel in Singapore ended at $3.63 a barrel on Monday, up from the low so far this year of $2.23 on March 31, but still well below the levels of above $15 that were common before the pandemic.
In contrast, the profit on making a barrel of gasoline &lt;GL92-SIN-CRK&gt; was $7.20 on Monday, similar to levels that prevailed in the months prior to the coronavirus outbreak at the start of 2020.
Refiners may be tempted to switch to lighter crudes that yield more gasoline, rather than heavier grades that produce more middle distillates.
This would have the added potential benefit for some refiners, especially those in India, who are seeking to diversify supply away from OPEC+, given that many of the alternatives to Middle Eastern crude are lighter grades from West Africa, the United States, South America and Europe. (Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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COLUMN-OPEC+ bets crude oil demand will recover as fast as output returns: Russell

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; The World Bank estimates that Africa would need about $12 billion for COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution to attain sufficient levels of vaccination coverage to interrupt virus transmission, according to new paper by the bank and the IMF.
The paper argued for a further extension of the Group of 20&#8217;s debt service moratorium through year-end, noting the continued high liquidity needs of developing countries and their deteriorating debt sustainability outlooks.
It said the amount of money Africa needed to interrupt transmission of the virus was about the same as the total amount of official debt service payments already deferred by 45 of the poorest countries participating in the G20&#8217;s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal Editing by Chris Reese)
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Africa needs $12 bln for vaccines to interrupt COVID-19 transmission -World Bank

April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Novavax Inc on Monday said it had begun to crossover patients in its ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials in South Africa and the UK to ensure participants who previously received placebo also receive active vaccine. (Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D&#8217;Silva)
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Novavax begins participant crossover in two COVID-19 vaccine trials

April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Novavax Inc:
* NOVAVAX INITIATES COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICAL TRIAL CROSSOVER
* NOVAVAX INC &#8211; CROSSOVER ALLOWS PARTICIPANTS TO CONTINUE IN TRIALS AND REMAIN BLINDED
* NOVAVAX INC &#8211; CROSSOVER ENSURES THAT ALL TRIAL PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE ACTIVE VACCINE
* NOVAVAX INC &#8211; SOUTH AFRICA AND UK CROSSOVER ARMS INITIATED; US/MEXICO PREVENT-19 CROSSOVER PLANNED
* NOVAVAX INC &#8211; ALL PARTICIPANTS IN UK AND U.S. PHASE 3 TRIALS WILL BE OFFERED OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL ROUND OF INJECTIONS
* NOVAVAX &#8211; PLANNING TO EXPAND TRIAL TO INCLUDE PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT ARMS, WHICH ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN Q2
* NOVAVAX INC &#8211; COMPANY IS ALSO PLANNING A CROSSOVER IN PREVENT-19 STUDY, FOR WHICH COMPANY EXPECTS TO READ OUT INITIAL CLINICAL DATA DURING Q2 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
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BRIEF-Novavax Initiates Covid-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial Crossover

NAIROBI, April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Ethiopia has extended the deadline for telecoms firms to bid for new operating licences by three weeks to April 26, the sector regulator said on Monday, citing requests from interested companies to adjust their offers to a &#8220;Covid market environment&#8221;.
The Horn of Africa nation has one of the world’s last closed telecoms markets which is considered the big prize in a push to liberalise the economy.
Despite a six-month old conflict in the northern Tigray region, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pressed ahead with the auction of the new licences and the sale of a 45% stake in state monopoly Ethio Telecoms. (Reporting by Giulia Paravicini; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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Ethiopia extends deadline for new telecoms licence bids to April 26

DUBAI, April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; The United States and the United Arab Emirates will work together on coordinating finance to decarbonise the economy, focusing on areas including hydrogen, renewable energy and low carbon urban design, a joint statement said on Monday.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, who is leading efforts to get countries to step up commitments to cutting emissions, during a visit to UAE took part in a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) climate dialogue in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
&#8220;We will particularly focus our joint efforts on renewable energy, hydrogen, industrial decarbonization, carbon capture and storage, nature-based solutions, and low-carbon urban design,&#8221; a joint statement from the United States and the UAE carried on state news agency WAM said.
On Sunday, the climate dialogue concluded with another statement that was signed by Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan, the UAE and the United States pledging to accelerate climate action, mobilise investment in a new energy economy and help the world&#8217;s most vulnerable cope with climate change.
Kerry is also due to visit India, the world&#8217;s third biggest carbon emitter, to try to narrow differences on climate goals.
His efforts are ahead of a summit of 40 leaders on April 22-23 called by President Joe Biden and, later this year, world leaders gather for the United Nations climate summit to build on a 2015 Paris accord to limit global warming. (Reporting by Raya Jalabi; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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US, UAE pledge joint effort to finance decarbonisation

By Borja Suarez
LA LAGUNA, Spain, April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Dozens of migrants have set up a makeshift camp in Spain&#8217;s Canary Islands, leaving an official, much larger camp where they said they had received poor food, scant medical attention and did not have enough showers.
In the face of soaring levels of migration from Africa, authorities on the Canaries have resorted to housing thousands in converted former military facilities.
More than 1,500 have been living in the Las Raices camp, a former barracks near the city of La Laguna on Tenerife for the last two months.
&#8220;The camp is really bad,&#8221; said a Senegalese migrant who gave only one name, Babacar.
&#8220;The food is not good, every day, I have been here for a month, everyday the food is bad,&#8221; Babacar, speaking at the makeshift camp, said of Las Raices. There were also not enough showers, he said.
ACCEM, the humanitarian group that manages Las Raices for the Spanish government, told Reuters the food could be better, but said medical attention was available for anyone who needed it.
A spokeswoman for the migration ministry said the government supported ACCEM&#8217;s work and that the camp was regularly monitored by the European Union asylum agency.
&#8220;The food at the centre has met European standards as we have said on many occasions. The centre has a health area which allows it to screen cases,&#8221; the spokeswoman said.
Some migrants who had left Las Raices for the makeshift camp, and other NGOs, said otherwise.
&#8220;The situation is quite desperate. The food is scarce, the medical service is scarce, they have few translators, few doctors,&#8221; said Roberto Mesa, of the Tenerife Migrants Support Assembly, a volunteer group that brings food and clothes to the migrants.
&#8220;These people only want to travel on to see their families elsewhere but they do not know what their future will be.&#8221;
The number of undocumented migrants arriving in the Canary Islands jumped eight-fold from 2019 to more than 25,000. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and other industries in north and sub-Saharan Africa pushed more to embark on the dangerous journey. (Reporting by Borja Suarez and Elena Rodriguez Additional reporting by Nathan Allen Writing by Graham Keeley Editing by Ingrid Melander and Barbara Lewis)
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Seeking better conditions, migrants set up makeshift camp on Spain’s Canary Islands

April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York&#8217;s SPDR Gold Trust, and the largest silver-backed ETF, New York&#8217;s iShares Silver Trust were not reported on the respective websites. 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 Prev Abs Change % chg YTD Abs Change (OZ) (OZ) (OZ) GOLD SPDR Gold Trust 33,206,602.9 Apr 1 33,206,602.9 Apr 1 &#8212; &#8212; -4,433,703.0 COMEX Gold Trust 16,202,344.8 Apr 1 16,202,344.8 Apr 1 &#8212; &#8212; -679,306.8 ETF Securities gold (ex-US) 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 9,293,742.4 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Gold ** 5,442,921.6 Mar 26 5,466,221.5 Mar 19 -23,299.8 -0.43% -154,867.9 Sprott Physical Gold Trust 2,606,214.0 Apr 1 2,606,214.0 Apr 1 &#8212; &#8212; 30,994.0 ETFS Physical Swiss Gold 844,902.3 Jan 24 844,902.3 Jan 24 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewGold ETF 634,304.7 Mar 31 634,309.9 Mar 30 -5.2 0.00% 10,629.3 Total 68,231,032.8 68,254,337.8 -23,305.0 -0.03% -5,468,964.1 SILVER iShares Silver Trust 575,124,211.9 Apr 1 575,124,211.9 Apr 1 &#8212; &#8212; 16,408,329.5 Sprott Physical Silver 132,641,084.0 Apr 1 132,641,084.0 Apr 1 &#8212; &#8212; 41,532,429.0 ETF Securities silver ex-US 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 100,389,761.6 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Silver 95,035,446.4 Mar 26 94,956,516.3 Mar 19 78,930.1 0.08% 1,591,365.5 ETFS Physical Silver Shares 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 22,908,298.3 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; Total 926,098,802.2 926,019,872.1 78,930.1 0.01% 86,359,360.2 PLATINUM ETFS Physical Platinum Shares 738,343.9 Mar 20 738,343.9 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ABSA &#8211; NewPlat ETF 571,657.1 Mar 31 572,631.4 Mar 30 -974.3 -0.17% &#8212; ETF Securities platinum ex-US 617,330.8 Nov 30 617,330.8 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Platinum 442,230.8 Mar 26 442,230.8 Mar 19 0.0 0.00% 18,976.3 Total 2,369,562.6 2,370,536.9 -974.3 -0.04% -406,647.8 PALLADIUM InvestPalladium ETF # 142,113.5 Mar 25 142,113.5 Mar 25 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ETFS Physical Palladium Shares 129,466.6 Mar 20 129,466.6 Mar 20 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ETF Securities palladium ex-US 111,915.0 Nov 30 111,915.0 Nov 30 &#8212; &#8212; &#8212; ZKB Physical Palladium 78,361.8 Mar 26 78,361.8 Mar 19 0.0 0.00% 352.6 ABSA &#8211; NewPalladium ETF **** 29,414.6 Mar 31 29,414.9 Mar 30 -0.3 0.00% -12,452.9 Total 491,271.5 491,271.8 -0.3 0.00% -49,404.2 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, iShares Silver not reported

April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan will miss the rest of the tour of South Africa and the tour of Zimbabwe due to a toe injury, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday.
The 22-year-old spinner will be sidelined for up to four weeks after sustaining the injury while batting during the second one-dayer in Johannesburg, which South Africa won by 17 runs to level the three-match series.
&#8220;X-rays conducted following the match revealed an &#8216;intra articular communicated fracture&#8217; though there is neither any displacement nor angulation,&#8221; the PCB said in a statement.
&#8220;The injury will be treated conservatively and Shadab will undergo a four-week rehab.&#8221;
The third one-dayer takes place in Centurion on Wednesday followed by four T20s. Pakistan will travel to Zimbabwe for three T20s and two test matches beginning on April 21. (Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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Cricket-Pakistan’s Shadab out of South Africa, Zimbabwe tours due to toe injury

By Rocky Swift
TOKYO, April 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Japanese health authorities are concerned that variants of the coronavirus are driving a nascent fourth wave in the pandemic with just 109 days remaining until the Tokyo Olympics.
The variants appear to be more infectious and may be resistant to vaccines, which are still not widely available in Japan. The situation is worst in Osaka, where infections hit fresh records last week, prompting the regional government to start targeted lockdown measures for one month from Monday.
A mutant COVID-19 variant first discovered in Britain has taken hold in the Osaka region, spreading faster and filling up hospital beds with more serious cases than the original virus, according to Koji Wada, a government adviser on the pandemic.
&#8220;The fourth wave is going to be larger,&#8221; said Wada, a professor at Tokyo&#8217;s International University of Health and Welfare. &#8220;We need to start to discuss how we could utilize these targeted measures for the Tokyo area.&#8221;
Japan has twice declared a state of emergency that covered most of the country in the past year, most recently just after New Year as the pandemic&#8217;s third and most deadly wave struck. Officials are now opting for more targeted measures that allow local governments to shorten business hours and impose fines for noncompliance.
Osaka cancelled Olympic Torch relay events there, but Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has insisted Japan will carry out the Games as scheduled. Suga said on Sunday that measures employed in Osaka could be expanded to Tokyo and elsewhere if needed.
There were 249 new infections in Tokyo on Monday, still well below the peak of over 2,500 in January. In Osaka, a record 666 cases were reported on Saturday.
The true extent of the mutant cases is unknown, as only a small fraction of positive COVID-19 cases undergo the genomic study necessary to find the variants.
A health ministry report last week showed 678 cases of mutant variants from Britain, South Africa, and Brazil had been discovered nationwide and at airports, with the biggest clusters in Osaka and nearby Hyogo prefecture.
But another strain, known as E484K, may be more widespread. Around 70% of coronavirus patients tested at a Tokyo hospital last month carried the mutation that was different from the British and South African varieties, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday.
The rebound in cases came within weeks of the government lifting state of emergency measures, and the priority measures being rolled out now are intended to halt an unexpected rise in mutant cases, said Makoto Shimoaraiso, a Cabinet Secretariat official for Japan&#8217;s COVID-19 response.
&#8220;We take the criticism when people say that we have not been able to detect any variants,&#8221; he said. (Reporting by Rocky Swift in Tokyo; Editing by Giles Elgood)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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S.Africa signs deal for 20 mln Pfizer COVID-19 doses

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EMERGING MARKETS-Turkish lira hurt by high inflation; other currencies gain

South Africa’s rand holds gains as dollar slips

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