CORRECTED-SOUTH AFRICA&#8217;S HEALTH MINISTER MKHIZE SAYS COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED (NOT OXFORD/ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED)
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CORRECTED-SOUTH AFRICA’S HEALTH MINISTER MKHIZE SAYS COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED (NOT OXFORD/ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED)

SOUTH AFRICA&#8217;S HEALTH MINISTER MKHIZE SAYS OXFORD/ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED
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SOUTH AFRICA’S HEALTH MINISTER MKHIZE SAYS   OXFORD/ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED

By Felix Onuah
ABUJA, Feb 7 (Reuters) &#8211; The African Union must conduct a comprehensive reform if it is to stay relevant, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said at the close of the bloc&#8217;s two-day summit on Sunday.
Nigeria is Africa&#8217;s most populous nation and the largest economy on the continent, making it an influential member of the 55-nation bloc that was formed to promote international cooperation and harmonise member states&#8217; policies.
The bloc decided in 2016 it needed to work on changes to make it more nimble, focused and accountable, putting Rwanda&#8217;s President Paul Kagame in charge of the process.
&#8220;Global realities demand that the AU be overhauled, if it must remain relevant in intergovernmental processes,&#8221; Buhari said in a statement at the conclusion of the virtual summit.
&#8220;Nigeria demands a truly reformed, efficient and effective AU Commission, one that is fully committed to the discharge of its duties and responsibilities.&#8221;
Buhari did not outline any specific changes he envisaged for the bloc that also has a peacekeeping mission that enables it to send forces to member states and has secured millions of shots of COVID-19 vaccines for the continent.
In a report during the summit, Kagame said the AU needed to overhaul its judicial branch, the pan-African parliament and its commission structures.
He said a division of labour with the patchwork of regional economic communities that have sprung up, sometimes overlapping, across the continent was overdue.
&#8220;I ask the incoming commission to give priority attention to these items, so that they are completed this year, without fail,&#8221; Kagame said.
He also called for changes that he said would strengthen African healthcare systems, including by ranking nations according to service, rather than per-capita spending, and the creation of regional platforms to support member states in increasing domestic health financing. (Reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja; Additional reporting by Duncan Miriri in Nairobi; Writing by Libby George; Editing by Alison Williams)
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African Union must reform to stay relevant – Nigeria’s Buhari

Feb 7 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the European Tour Saudi International on Sunday -15 Dustin Johnson (USA) 67 64 66 68 -13 Tony Finau (USA) 68 65 67 67 Justin Rose (England) 68 66 68 65 -12 Calum Hill (Scotland) 65 68 68 67 Victor Perez (France) 67 66 66 69 -11 Ryan Fox (New Zealand) 65 65 71 68 Tyrrell Hatton (England) 67 67 66 69 Rasmus Hojgaard (Denmark) 70 69 68 62 Viktor Hovland (Norway) 68 66 67 68 -10 George Coetzee (South Africa) 66 70 65 69 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 65 71 68 66 -9 Paul Casey (England) 69 68 67 67 Sean Crocker (USA) 68 72 65 66 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 70 67 64 70 David Horsey (England) 61 71 69 70 Kurt Kitayama (USA) 67 68 68 68 Søren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 69 66 65 71 -8 Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 65 70 68 69 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 67 68 66 71 Ian Poulter (England) 67 69 67 69 -7 Laurie Canter (England) 66 68 68 71 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 62 68 72 71 Kevin Na (USA) 69 63 71 70 Chris Paisley (England) 68 67 69 69 Cormac Sharvin (Northern Ireland) 70 69 66 68 -6 Steven Brown (England) 68 67 73 66 Tommy Fleetwood (England) 68 65 73 68 Antoine Rozner (France) 67 67 72 68 -5 Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) 71 67 67 70 Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland) 70 67 67 71 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 71 68 65 71 Matthew Southgate (England) 70 67 65 73 -4 Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain) 69 69 69 69 Jamie Donaldson (Wales) 72 67 69 68 Mikko Korhonen (Finland) 66 70 71 69 Guido Migliozzi (Italy) 68 67 74 67 Wilco Nienaber (South Africa) 71 67 67 71 Andy Sullivan (England) 66 66 68 76 Jeff Winther (Denmark) 67 73 66 70 Ashun Wu (China PR) 68 68 68 72 -3 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 73 67 68 69 Dean Burmester (South Africa) 69 71 68 69 Justin Harding (South Africa) 68 70 68 71 Jason Kokrak (USA) 70 67 69 71 Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 67 66 75 69 James Morrison (England) 67 73 67 70 Matthias Schwab (Austria) 68 72 67 70 Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) 66 74 68 69 Justin Walters (South Africa) 68 68 70 71 -2 Masahiro Kawamura (Japan) 66 71 68 73 Julian Suri (USA) 69 67 70 72 Lee Westwood (England) 67 70 67 74 -1 Abraham Ancer (Mexico) 71 69 70 69 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) 68 69 69 73 Thomas Detry (Belgium) 67 70 71 71 Ross Fisher (England) 69 70 68 72 Takumi Kanaya (Japan) 67 71 69 72 Pablo Larrazábal (Spain) 69 71 69 70 Phil Mickelson (USA) 68 67 72 72 Matthieu Pavon (France) 68 72 67 72 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 64 68 71 76 Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 66 71 67 75 0 Ross McGowan (England) 68 72 73 67 Wade Ormsby (Australia) 71 69 69 71 Danny Willett (England) 67 72 71 70 1 Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 70 70 73 68 Patrick Reed (USA) 69 70 68 74 Richard Sterne (South Africa) 69 70 68 74 Oliver Wilson (England) 68 72 69 72 2 Marcus Kinhult (Sweden) 65 68 74 75 3 Joachim B. Hansen (Denmark) 70 70 68 75 4 Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand) 69 70 68 77 Romain Langasque (France) 69 67 77 71 Mike Lorenzo-Vera (France) 69 70 70 75 7 Julien Guerrier (France) 70 70 73 74 8 David Law (Scotland) 70 70 69 79 
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European Tour Saudi International Scores

Feb 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Mohammad Rizwan scored a first test century as Pakistan set South Africa a daunting target of 370 to win the second and final test in Rawalpindi, but the tourists closed the fourth day on 127 for one to set up an intriguing finale.
Rizwan was unbeaten on 115 and batted brilliantly with the tail to help add 222 for the final five wickets as the home side were bowled out for 298 in their second innings, profiting from a number of dropped catches by the visitors.
Aiden Markram (59 not out) and Rassie van der Dussen (48 not out) gave South Africa hope after adding an 94 for the second wicket, showing the patience and application that will be needed on the final day if they are to claim an unlikely victory.
South Africa have not made over 300 in the fourth innings to win a test since their remarkable 414 for four against Australia in Perth in 2008, while the highest successful run chase ever in Pakistan is 315 for nine by the home side, against Australia, in 1994.
The only wicket to fall was opener Dean Elgar (17), who edged to wicketkeeper Rizwan chasing a wide delivery from seamer Shaheen Afridi.
But the pitch is still good for batting and has not yet shown prodigious turn for the spinners, leaving South Africa in with a sniff on the fifth day.
They would have been chasing considerably less had they not dropped a number of catches, including off Rizwan when he had four.
Instead the latter was the anchor for the Pakistan second innings as they resumed the fourth day on 129 for six.
They lost Hasan Ali (5) early, lbw to Keshav Maharaj (3-118), before Rizwan put on 53 with Yasir Shah (23) and 97 for the ninth wicket with Nauman Ali (45).
The innings was over when left-arm spinner George Linde (5-64) bowled Shaheen (4) for his first test five-wicket haul, a remarkable effort given a horrific injury to the small finger on his bowling hand on the opening day that left bone protruding from the wound.
South Africa had spoken overnight of hoping to chase around 250, but Pakistan’s tail ensured it would be substantially more than that.
Pakistan won the first test in Karachi by seven wickets.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)
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Cricket-Rizwan’s maiden ton helps set big victory target for S Africa

Jordan Spieth made a statement in the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday, while Xander Schauffele was able to keep pace, with both sitting atop the lead at 18-under par after three rounds at Scottsdale, Ariz.
Spieth shot a 10-under-par 61 at TPC Scottsdale, while Schauffele fired a 6-under 65 to put themselves in the final group Sunday, heading into the final round with a three-shot lead and 195 total.
Spieth, a three-time major winner, had 10 birdies Saturday, the most he has delivered in a single round in his PGA Tour career. His 61 also tied his career-low round.
Schauffele, who held sole possession of the lead after the second round, delivered birdies in four of his last six holes, with his only blemish of the day coming early when he bogeyed the par-4 second hole.
Scottie Scheffler and South Korea&#8217;s Kyoung-Hoon Lee were tied for second at 15 under after each shot a 5-under 66 on Saturday.
Justin Thomas and South Africa&#8217;s Louis Oosthuizen were in a two-way tie for fifth place at 14 under. Thomas had a 7-under 64 on Saturday, while Oosthuizen topped that with an 8-under 63 that was tied for the low round of the tournament until Spieth finished his day.
With small galleries of 5,000 fans each day, Spieth still was able to inspire massive roars after long birdie putts at Nos. 16 and 17. It is the first tournament where crowds have been welcomed since the PGA Tour returned following last year&#8217;s pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The par-3 16th hole is known for rowdy crowds of as much as 15,000 people per day, but the much smaller gathering still made its presence felt after Spieth drained a 37-foot putt.
&#8220;I only wish it was last year,&#8221; Spieth said on the NBC broadcast. &#8220;It was loud, but last year it would have been another level. It was really cool. It&#8217;s so awesome on that hole. I three-putted from 8 feet (Friday) so I got it back there.&#8221;
Without a victory since the 2017 Open Championship, Spieth flashed back to his prime shooting 4-under on the front nine before putting on a show after the turn.
The 11-time winner on tour had birdies at Nos. 10 and 11 then just missed a 6-foot eagle putt at the par-5 13th hole before tapping in for a birdie. He added three more birdies at Nos. 15, 16 and 17.
&#8220;I felt like I was able to get to a place mechanically to where I can get back to playing some golf,&#8221; Spieth said. &#8220;To be able to hit some of the approach shots I did today I really haven&#8217;t had those in the bag for a while. I played with patience and I feel like I played with a lot of freedom and making a couple of putts at the end helps.&#8221;
Schauffele had birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 15 to reach 17 under, then tied Spieth for the lead with a birdie at the short par-4 17th hole when he put his second shot to within 7 feet of the hole and knocked in the putt.
&#8220;(Sunday), hopefully I can get off to a good start, but if I don&#8217;t, I&#8217;d like to think I am playing good enough to make up shots,&#8221; Schauffele said on the broadcast. &#8220;Just stay patient. It&#8217;s something I didn&#8217;t do in the past. We&#8217;ll find out. This is something I wanted to do, to get into contention to see if I can win a golf tournament.&#8221;
Schauffele, who won the Tour Championship in 2017, will be looking for his first victory since 2019 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions on the Hawaiian Islands.
Defending champion Webb Simpson, who fired a 6-under 65 to make the cut Friday, followed with a 2-under 69 on Saturday and is in a tie for 36th place at 6 under over three rounds.
&#8211;Field Level Media
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Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele share lead at TPC Scottsdale

Feb 6 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa’s George Linde overcame injury on the opening day of the second test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi to bowl his side back into contention to win, after taking three key wickets on Saturday.
Left-arm spinner Linde recorded figures of 3-12 in nine tight overs as Pakistan closed the third day with a 200-run lead and four second-innings wickets remaining on a wearing pitch.
But it is remarkable that Linde is bowling at all after badly injuring the little finger on his left hand while trying to stop a rocket shot off his own bowling on the first day.
&#8220;I thought it was my season done when I saw the injury,&#8221; Linde told reporters. &#8220;I just started running off the field because I saw bone sticking out (on the finger).
&#8220;As I started running, I just popped it back in myself. I got stitches and went for X-rays and luckily it was not broken.&#8221;
The finger is heavily strapped, but he has been able to bowl, and his wickets late on the third day have kept the tourists in with a chance of sharing the two-game series.
&#8220;I had to make a small adjustment with the grip (of the ball), but not too much. I never actually knew I used my pinkie when I bowl, but every time now I have to first lift it up a little to get a better grip on the ball.&#8221;
South Africa have passed 300 just once in their last 17 away innings and their batting has been brittle again this series, not matching the excellent work done by the bowlers.
But all-rounder Linde is optimistic they can chase down anything under 300 with two full days remaining, though he admits quick wickets are needed on the fourth morning.
&#8220;Some balls were keeping low, but I believe we will have good game-plans for tomorrow.
&#8220;For us, (chasing) anything under 300, we will take it. But hopefully it is somewhere between 220 to 250. Then I am confident we will chase it down.&#8221; (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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Cricket-Linde plays through the pain to give S Africa a chance in second test

Feb 6 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa left-arm spinner George Linde took three wickets to reduce Pakistan to 129 for six at the close of the third day, but the home side have a lead of 200 in a finely balanced second and final test in Rawalpindi.
South Africa’s batting woes on the sub-continent are well-documented and they will not want to chase anything over 250 batting last on a wearing wicket, but have given themselves a chance to level the series with two full days remaining.
Mohammad Rizwan (28 not out) and Hasan Ali (0 not out) will hope to take the game away from the tourists on day four.
Rizwan put on an excellent 52-run stand for the sixth wicket with Faheem Ashraf (29) before the latter became Linde’s third victim, caught at backward point by Anrich Nortje just before the close.
Pakistan had been reduced to 76 for five in their second innings as South Africa’s spinners made inroads through the top order having been bowled out for 201 in another shambolic display with the bat.
Seamer Kagiso Rabada removed Imran Butt for a duck, before Abid Ali (13) fell to Keshav Maharaj (2-74), who also picked up the key wicket of home captain Babar Azam (8), trapped leg before wicket by the left-arm spinner for the third time in four innings.
When Linde (3-12 from nine overs) removed Azhar Ali (33) and Fawad Alam (12) in quick succession, the contest started swinging South Africa&#8217;s way.
They were made to pay for their profligacy in the field when they dropped Faheem and Rizwan in consecutive deliveries, but Linde’s late wicket has left the contest even.
Earlier, South Africa’s batting struggles continued. They have now passed 300 just once in their last 17 innings away from home, and again their effort was a mix of poor shot selection and inexplicable running between the wickets caused by panic.
They resumed their innings on 106 for four but lost captain Quinton de Kock (29) early as his ambitious attempt to take the attack to the bowlers saw him chop a Shaheen Afridi delivery onto his stumps.
Temba Bavuma (44 not out) and Wiaan Mulder (33) put on 50 for the sixth wicket to put pressure back on the home side, but the latter was run out attempting an unnecessary second run.
Including that wicket, the tourists lost their last five for a paltry 37 runs with left-hander Rabada also run-out after being called through by Bavuma for a risky single. (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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Cricket-Linde keeps South Africa hopes alive in second test v Pakistan

N&#8217;DJAMENA, Feb 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Police in Chad fired tear gas and made several arrests as hundreds protested at President Idriss Deby&#8217;s nomination on Saturday to run for a sixth term in April.
Deby, 68, who came to power in 1990 rebellion, pushed through a new constitution in 2018 that reinstated term limits but would let him stay in power until 2033. His opponents accuses him of trying to create a monarchy.
&#8220;The people&#8217;s confidence has a sacred value for me,&#8221; Deby, who took the title of field marshal last August, said as he accepted the nomination of his Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party.
In the capital N&#8217;Djamena, hundreds of protesters set tyres on fire and chanted &#8220;No to a sixth term!&#8221; and &#8220;Leave, Deby!&#8221;, a Reuters witness said.
Police fired tear gas and made several arrests, including of Mahamat Nour Ibedou, a prominent human rights activist. Protests were also held in the cities of Moundou, Doba, Sarh and Abeche, witnesses said.
Chad is an ally of Western nations in the fight against Islamist militants in West and Central Africa and one of the largest contributors to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali.
Deby has faced strikes and protests in recent years over economic woes caused by low oil prices and armed rebellions in the desert north, where former colonial power France has intervened in support of the government.
But he has drawn on his effective control of state media and institutions to maintain political dominance and won repeated landslide election victories. (Reporting by Madjiasra Nako; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Alison Williams)
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Chad police confront protesters as Deby nominated for sixth term

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 6 (Reuters) &#8211; Access to loans on favourable terms will be crucial to Africa&#8217;s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa&#8217;s President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday.
Ramaphosa, who is the outgoing chair of the African Union (AU), told the bloc&#8217;s summit that even though the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have deployed significant financial resources for the coronavirus outbreak response, more needed to be done.
&#8220;Assess to concessional finance will remain crucial as countries rebuild their economies,&#8221; Ramaphosa told the virtual summit.
&#8220;An injection of fresh resources by the IMF through reallocating and issuing new special drawing rights, with bias to the developing world, will correct the glaring inequality in fiscal stimulus measures between advanced economies and the rest of the world.&#8221;
Concessional loans generally offer terms that are more favourable to those available on the open market.
The precarious debt burdens of a number of African nations have worsened due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among a population of 1.3 billion, Africa has so far reported more than 3.6 million coronavirus infections and over 94,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally. South Africa has recorded the most infections of any African nation.
While wealthier nations push ahead with mass vaccination drives, only a few African countries have started vaccinations. The 55-member African Union hopes to see 60% of the continent&#8217;s population immunised in the next three years.
Ramaphosa said on Monday the AU has so far secured 1 billion vaccines, of which 700 million will come from the global COVAX facility, co-led by the World Health Organization, and 300 million had been facilitated by the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT). (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo Editing by Ros Russell)
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South Africa’s Ramaphosa says access to concessional loans key to  Africa’s recovery

Feb 6 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the European Tour Saudi International on Friday -10 Ryan Fox (New Zealand) 65 65 Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) 62 68 -9 Dustin Johnson (USA) 67 64 -8 David Horsey (England) 61 71 Kevin Na (USA) 69 63 Andy Sullivan (England) 66 66 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) 64 68 -7 Tony Finau (USA) 68 65 Tommy Fleetwood (England) 68 65 Calum Hill (Scotland) 65 68 Marcus Kinhult (Sweden) 65 68 Joost Luiten (Netherlands) 67 66 Victor Perez (France) 67 66 -6 Laurie Canter (England) 66 68 Tyrrell Hatton (England) 67 67 Viktor Hovland (Norway) 68 66 Justin Rose (England) 68 66 Antoine Rozner (France) 67 67 -5 Steven Brown (England) 68 67 Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 65 70 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 67 68 Kurt Kitayama (USA) 67 68 Søren Kjeldsen (Denmark) 69 66 Phil Mickelson (USA) 68 67 Guido Migliozzi (Italy) 68 67 Chris Paisley (England) 68 67 -4 George Coetzee (South Africa) 66 70 Mikko Korhonen (Finland) 66 70 Romain Langasque (France) 69 67 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 65 71 Ian Poulter (England) 67 69 Julian Suri (USA) 69 67 Justin Walters (South Africa) 68 68 Ashun Wu (China PR) 68 68 -3 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) 68 69 Paul Casey (England) 69 68 Thomas Detry (Belgium) 67 70 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 70 67 Masahiro Kawamura (Japan) 66 71 Jason Kokrak (USA) 70 67 Shane Lowry (Republic of Ireland) 70 67 Matthew Southgate (England) 70 67 Lee Westwood (England) 67 70 Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 66 71 -2 Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain) 69 69 Justin Harding (South Africa) 68 70 Takumi Kanaya (Japan) 67 71 Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) 71 67 Wilco Nienaber (South Africa) 71 67 -1 Jamie Donaldson (Wales) 72 67 Ross Fisher (England) 69 70 Rasmus Hojgaard (Denmark) 70 69 Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand) 69 70 Mike Lorenzo-Vera (France) 69 70 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) 71 68 Patrick Reed (USA) 69 70 Cormac Sharvin (Northern Ireland) 70 69 Richard Sterne (South Africa) 69 70 Danny Willett (England) 67 72 0 Abraham Ancer (Mexico) 71 69 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 73 67 Dean Burmester (South Africa) 69 71 Sean Crocker (USA) 68 72 Victor Dubuisson (France) 71 69 Julien Guerrier (France) 70 70 Joachim B. Hansen (Denmark) 70 70 Pablo Larrazábal (Spain) 69 71 David Law (Scotland) 70 70 Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 70 70 Ross McGowan (England) 68 72 James Morrison (England) 67 73 Wade Ormsby (Australia) 71 69 Matthieu Pavon (France) 68 72 Matthias Schwab (Austria) 68 72 Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) 66 74 Oliver Wilson (England) 68 72 Jeff Winther (Denmark) 67 73 1 Nacho Elvira (Spain) 71 70 Scott Hend (Australia) 71 70 Lucas Herbert (Australia) 70 71 David Howell (England) 71 70 Francesco Laporta (Italy) 70 71 Min Woo Lee (Australia) 69 72 HaoTong Li (China PR) 65 76 David Lipsky (USA) 70 71 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 73 68 Haydn Porteous (South Africa) 70 71 Kalle Samooja (Finland) 69 72 Shubhankar Sharma (India) 69 72 Joël Stalter (France) 69 72 Matt Wallace (England) 73 68 Chris Wood (England) 73 68 2 Harry Hall (England) 70 72 Garrick Higgo (South Africa) 70 72 Brandon Stone (South Africa) 70 72 3 Adri Arnaus (Spain) 69 74 Alexander Björk (Sweden) 72 71 Kristoffer Broberg (Sweden) 70 73 Jorge Campillo (Spain) 69 74 John Catlin (USA) 69 74 Gavin Green (Malaysia) 71 72 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 72 71 Andrew Johnston (England) 70 73 Zander Lombard (South Africa) 72 71 Adrian Otaegui (Spain) 68 75 Aaron Rai (England) 69 74 Jason Scrivener (Australia) 75 68 4 Grant Forrest (Scotland) 69 75 Benjamin Hebert (France) 71 73 Scott Jamieson (Scotland) 74 70 Alexander Levy (France) 71 73 Richie Ramsay (Scotland) 73 71 Paul Waring (England) 71 73 5 Nino Bertasio (Italy) 75 70 Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 74 71 David Drysdale (Scotland) 70 75 Ernie Els (South Africa) 74 71 Jordan L Smith (England) 71 74 6 Shergo Al Kurdi (Jordan) 69 77 Ashley Chesters (England) 70 76 Lorenzo Gagli (Italy) 71 75 Eduard Rousaud Sabate (Spain) 72 74 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 72 74 7 Othman Al Mulla (Kazakhstan) 71 76 Paul Dunne (Republic of Ireland) 73 74 Renato Paratore (Italy) 72 75 Tapio Pulkkanen (Finland) 73 74 Alvaro Quiros (Spain) 71 76 Sami Valimaki (Finland) 73 74 8 Oliver Fisher (England) 72 76 Jayden Schaper (South Africa) 74 74 Sebastian Soderberg (Sweden) 73 75 11 Richard McEvoy (England) 73 78 13 Andrea Pavan (Italy) 74 79 Marc Warren (Scotland) 74 79 18 Faisal Salhab (Saudi Arabia) 77 81 Saud-Al Sharif (Saudi Arabia) 80 78 36 Raphaël Jacquelin (France) 76 
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By Ted Hesson and Mimi Dwyer
Feb 5 (Reuters) &#8211; U.S. President Joe Biden plans to raise the refugee cap for the current fiscal year to 62,500, a sharp increase from the 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump, two people familiar with the move told Reuters on Friday.
The allocations will create spots for 22,000 refugees from Africa, 6,000 from East Asia, 4,000 from Europe and Central Asia, 5,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 13,000 from South Asia, the people said. Another 12,500 unallocated spots will also be available.
The move comes after Biden signed an executive order calling for changes to refugee processing in the United States on Thursday. He said he plans to set the limit for fiscal year 2022, which begins on Oct. 1, 2021, at 125,000 refugees.
Refugee admissions reached historic lows under Trump, who portrayed refugees as a security threat and made limiting the number of immigrants allowed into the United States a hallmark of his presidency.
The admissions slowed to a crawl amid Trump&#8217;s restrictions and the coronavirus pandemic. From Oct. 1 to Feb. 5, the United States resettled only 1,501 refugees, according to U.S. State Department data shared with refugee groups.
The White House referred a request for comment to the U.S. State Department, which did not immediately respond. (Reporting by Mimi Dwyer and Ted Hesson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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Biden to raise current U.S. refugee cap from historic lows

Feb 6 (OPTA) &#8211; Scores from the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open on Friday -12 Xander Schauffele (USA) 66 64 -11 Keegan Bradley (USA) 66 65 Steve Stricker (USA) 65 66 -10 Sam Burns (USA) 64 68 Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Korea Republic) 66 66 Scottie Scheffler (USA) 67 65 -9 Nate Lashley (USA) 64 69 -8 James Hahn (USA) 67 67 Billy Horschel (USA) 66 68 Patton Kizzire (USA) 69 65 Brooks Koepka (USA) 68 66 Matthew NeSmith (USA) 63 71 Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) 67 67 J.T. Poston (USA) 68 66 Jordan Spieth (USA) 67 67 -7 Lucas Glover (USA) 72 63 Nick Hardy (USA) 68 67 Kevin Streelman (USA) 68 67 Justin Thomas (USA) 70 65 Cameron Tringale (USA) 71 64 -6 Mark Hubbard (USA) 63 73 Matt Kuchar (USA) 69 67 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 69 67 Andrew Putnam (USA) 67 69 Bo Van Pelt (USA) 69 67 Harold Varner III (USA) 68 68 -5 Corey Conners (Canada) 69 68 Adam Hadwin (Canada) 67 70 Matt Jones (Australia) 68 69 Si Woo Kim (Korea Republic) 71 66 Russell Knox (Scotland) 68 69 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 70 67 Ted Potter Jr (USA) 66 71 Jon Rahm (Spain) 68 69 Sam Ryder (USA) 70 67 Scott Stallings (USA) 67 70 Brendan Steele (USA) 70 67 Brendon Todd (USA) 68 69 Will Zalatoris (USA) 71 66 -4 Byeong Hun An (Korea Republic) 69 69 Russell Henley (USA) 71 67 Bo Hoag (USA) 67 71 Max Homa (USA) 69 69 Zach Johnson (USA) 68 70 Michael Kim (USA) 67 71 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 71 67 Grayson Murray (USA) 70 68 Ryan Palmer (USA) 70 68 Davis Riley (USA) 72 66 Robby Shelton (USA) 72 66 Webb Simpson (USA) 73 65 Kyle Stanley (USA) 71 67 Brian Stuard (USA) 70 68 Richy Werenski (USA) 69 69 -3 Stewart Cink (USA) 69 70 Wyndham Clark (USA) 72 67 Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) 69 70 Brian Harman (USA) 71 68 Sungjae Im (Korea Republic) 72 67 Satoshi Kodaira (Japan) 68 71 Luke List (USA) 72 67 Henrik Norlander (Sweden) 68 71 Bubba Watson (USA) 71 68 Aaron Wise (USA) 74 65 Matthew Wolff (USA) 68 71 Xinjun Zhang (China PR) 70 69 -2 Ryan Armour (USA) 68 Daniel Berger (USA) 69 Joel Dahmen (USA) 75 Dylan Frittelli (South Africa) 71 Brice Garnett (USA) 70 Charley Hoffman (USA) 71 Tom Hoge (USA) 66 Beau Hossler (USA) 70 Jerry Kelly (USA) 71 Kelly Kraft (USA) 72 Adam Long (USA) 72 Denny McCarthy (USA) 70 Jesse Mueller (USA) 72 Pat Perez (USA) 69 Doc Redman (USA) 72 Sepp Straka (Austria) 71 Nick Taylor (Canada) 70 Erik Van Rooyen (South Africa) 73 -1 Austin Cook (USA) 71 Jason Day (Australia) 71 Jason Dufner (USA) 72 Harris English (USA) 72 Talor Gooch (USA) 70 Danny Lee (New Zealand) 74 Tom Lewis (England) 70 C.T. Pan (China PR) 71 Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 77 Michael Thompson (USA) 70 Kevin Tway (USA) 73 0 Mark Anguiano (USA) 72 Scott Brown (USA) 72 Cameron Champ (USA) 68 Luke Donald (England) 73 Rickie Fowler (USA) 74 John Huh (USA) 68 Chez Reavie (USA) 69 Patrick Rodgers (USA) 72 Adam Schenk (USA) 72 Robert Streb (USA) 72 1 Harry Higgs (USA) 75 J.B. Holmes (USA) 72 Troy Merritt (USA) 74 Keith Mitchell (USA) 75 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 72 Vaughn Taylor (USA) 73 Jimmy Walker (USA) 70 Gary Woodland (USA) 76 2 Tyler Duncan (USA) 74 Will Gordon (USA) 70 Padraig Harrington (Republic of Ireland) 71 Scott Harrington (USA) 72 Chris Kirk (USA) 70 Martin Laird (Scotland) 73 3 Sung-hoon Kang (Korea Republic) 77 Jamie Lovemark (USA) 70 William McGirt (USA) 75 Camilo Villegas (Colombia) 74 4 Brian Gay (USA) 72 Ryan Moore (USA) 70 Kevin Stadler (USA) 72 Vincent Whaley (USA) 73 6 Hunter Mahan (USA) 74 Martin Trainer (USA) 75 8 Hudson Swafford (USA) 77 9 John Augenstein (USA) 76 Sebastian Munoz (Colombia) 78 
(c) Copyright Opta Sports Data 2021. All Rights Reserved
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PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open Scores

By Nancy Lapid
Feb 5 (Reuters) &#8211; The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
New &#8220;DARPin&#8221; drugs may be superior to antibody drugs
A new class of drugs called DARPins may be better than monoclonal antibodies at neutralizing the coronavirus even when it mutates, researchers wrote in a report on medRxiv published on Wednesday ahead of peer review. DARPins, which consist of protein structures that play important roles in protein interactions, are smaller and cheaper to produce than monoclonal antibodies. In lab tests, two experimental DARPin drugs &#8211; ensovibep and MP0423 &#8211; were &#8220;highly potent&#8221; against mutations of the virus identified in the UK and in South Africa and other variants circulating around the world. MP0423 targets three proteins on the virus that help it break into cells. Even if one protein mutates, the drug can still attack the other two and neutralize the virus, the report says. &#8220;These results, combined with the relatively small size and high production yields of DARPin molecules, suggest ensovibep and MP0423 as superior alternatives to monoclonal antibody cocktails,&#8221; the researchers wrote. (https://bit.ly/3q5IqM5)
&#8220;Good&#8221; HDL cholesterol levels tied to lower COVID-19 risks
Healthy levels of &#8220;good&#8221; HDL cholesterol are associated with a lower risk of severe COVID-19, said a study posted on medRxiv on Jan. 26 ahead of peer review. Researchers analyzed records of 317,306 participants in the UK Biobank study, including 869 people who were hospitalized for COVID-19. Participants with healthy HDL levels were at lower risk of becoming infected with the new coronavirus, and those who did become infected were less likely to be hospitalized. Healthy levels of HDL are at least 40 mg/dL (1 mmol/L) for men and 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) for women, according to U.S. guidelines. After taking health behaviors, socioeconomic status and other factors into account, the odds of hospitalization for COVID-19 went down 9% with every 0.2 mmol/L (roughly 8 mg/dL) increase in HDL-cholesterol, the study found. Earlier studies of Biobank participants found the same inverse relationship between HDL and hospitalizations for other infectious diseases, the authors said. The study does not prove that HDL itself protects against COVID-19. Still, the authors said, the anti-inflammatory and immune properties of HDL may explain their findings. (https://bit.ly/3ty4Wzh)
Viral load most important factor in transmission
The amount of virus in the noses and throats of COVID-19 patients is the most important factor in determining whether they will infect others, according to a report published on Tuesday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Researchers in Spain studied 282 patients and 753 of their recent close contacts. While household members most often became infected, the viral load &#8220;was the most important factor in determining whether transmission occurred between a case and their contacts,&#8221; said coauthor Michael Marks of the London School of Hygiene &amp; Tropical Medicine. &#8220;Whether the case was coughing or had other symptoms didn&#8217;t seem to play a major role,&#8221; he said, reinforcing that even patients without symptoms need to isolate themselves. He said health authorities might want to consider more enhanced contact tracing for individuals with higher viral loads. A separate study by UK researchers, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, reported similar findings. (https://bit.ly/3cLewIQ; https://bit.ly/36fquXt%20)
Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl in an external browser for a Reuters graphic on vaccines in development.
(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Tiffany Wu)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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COVID SCIENCE-New DARPin drugs show promise, “good” cholesterol tied to lower risk

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) will increase the stake held by employees and black empowerment investors in the company to 20%, it said on Friday, in a bid to meet merger conditions laid out by competition authorities.
In 2014, the Coca-Cola Company and SABMiller Plc reached an agreement with the majority shareholder of Coca-Cola&#8217;s bottling company to combine their bottling operations of their non-alcoholic beverages businesses in Southern and East Africa, which led to the creation of CCBSA&#8217;s parent company.
The parent company is Coca-Cola Beverages Africa.
The merger required the parties to increase black empowerment ownership of CCBSA, a government rule meant to reverse decades of economic exclusion of black people under apartheid.
Companies in South Africa are required to meet rules of a scheme called Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) which allows black employees and investors to hold equity in the company. This makes a company more likely to qualify for government tenders.
The deal will see nearly 8,000 employees increase their current holding of around 5% in CCBSA to an approximate 15% shareholding, CCBSA Managing Director, Velaphi Ratshefola and Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel said in a joint statement.
Adding to the company&#8217;s external BEE partners, the combined equity stake will be 20%, Patel said.
In June the company said every employee will receive an equal allocation of shares regardless of staff level, race or years of service.
CCBSA, a bottler for the Coca-Cola Company, will also be contributing 80 million rand ($5.39 million) per year for three years to the government&#8217;s localisation initiatives.
&#8220;We have also undertaken to collaborate with our sugar suppliers to increase the volume of sugarcane procured from black farmers,&#8221; Ratshefola added. ($1 = 14.8383 rand) (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla Editing by Promit Mukherjee)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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Coca-Cola’s South African bottler to increase black ownership stake to 20%

MADRID, Feb 5 (Reuters) &#8211; Madrid health authorities on Friday confirmed the first case of the Brazilian variant of COVID-19 in the region, three days after Spain restricted air travel with Brazil and South Africa to curb the spread of virulent new strains.
The national health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether other cases of the Brazilian variant had been detected elsewhere in Spain.
On Wednesday, Spain detected its second known case of the South African coronavirus variant. (Reporting by Nathan Allen Editing by Ingrid Melander)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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Madrid detects first case of Brazilian coronavirus variant

By Shrivathsa Sridhar and Hardik Vyas
Feb 5 (Reuters) &#8211; With Olympics officials reiterating their commitment to holding the Tokyo Games this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic, several sports will soon resume qualifying for athletes with less than six months to go.
The pandemic decimated Olympic qualifying across sporting disciplines last year, with numerous competitions postponed or cancelled before the Games itself was pushed back a year.
As things stand, 61% of athlete quota places have already been allocated to National Olympic Committees for the July 23-Aug. 8 Games, with another 25% to be determined by June 29.
The remaining 14%, in sports including swimming, tennis, badminton and golf, will be decided according to their respective ranking systems, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said last week.
Olympic officials unveiled their first Games guidelines on Wednesday, including mandatory mask-wearing, a ban on chants during events and another on the use of public transport.
So far, only five Olympic disciplines have completed the qualification process for Tokyo &#8212; road and track cycling, equestrian, hockey, volleyball and climbing.
Track and field athletes have until June 29 to secure qualification through World Athletics&#8217; rankings pathway, which will be based on the average of an athlete&#8217;s top five results, with performances weighted according to the status of the meet.
The top 10 finishers in marathon events at the 2019 Doha world championships and each of the marathon majors held up to April 5, 2020, have already qualified for the Games.
Triathlon hopefuls, however, are in limbo because standings have been frozen since March. The World Triathlon Executive Board said on Friday that it would not restart qualifying until May 1, and would only take a final decision next month.
Modern pentathlon has had to contend with political unrest in Belarus apart from the pandemic, with world championship organisers forced to move the June 7-13 event to Cairo from Minsk due to safety concerns.
Wrestling hopes to hold qualifying events in Europe, Asia, and Africa and Oceania in March and April, as well as a world qualification tournament in May, while table tennis events will be held in Europe, Asia and Latin America in March and April.
In handball, the top two teams at tournaments in Norway, France and Germany from March 12-14 will complete the men&#8217;s lineup, while the two best women&#8217;s teams from events in Spain, Hungary and Montenegro (March 19-21) will also head to Tokyo.
The two-legged women&#8217;s soccer qualifying playoff between China and South Korea &#8211; which will determine Asia&#8217;s last entry &#8211; is now set for April after initially being scheduled for this month, marking the fourth time the tie has been postponed.
The artistic swimming qualification event due to be held in Tokyo in March as a test event for the Games has also been pushed to May because of novel coronavirus restrictions in Japan. (Additional reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html
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CORRECTED-SOUTH AFRICA’S HEALTH MINISTER MKHIZE SAYS COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED (NOT OXFORD/ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT WILL PROCEED)

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