Bavaria Tightens Covid Lockdown and Declares Disaster Situation

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The German state of Bavaria is tightening its coronavirus lockdown regime, mostly banning people from leaving their homes starting from Dec. 9 and formally declaring a “disaster situation.”

Previous and existing measures haven’t sufficiently brought down infections in the region, the Bavarian government said in a statement on its website on Sunday. Under the new rules, people will only be allowed to leave their homes if they have a valid reason.

The list of exceptions has 14 bullet points. Apart from going to work, to the doctor or shopping for groceries, Bavarians will also be allowed to see people in another household, take care of needy persons and pets as well as do “Christmas errands.” They may also participate in certain meetings and attend religious services.

In communities that have more than 200 infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days there will be a nightly curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. with fewer exceptions. The consumption of alcohol will also be banned outside of buildings.

Sudan Minister Says Army Forging Israeli Ties Without Oversight

Sudan’s information minister criticized the military for developing ties with Israel without informing other officials, signaling further tensions within the power-sharing government.

Speaking to a local broadcaster late Saturday, Faisal Mohamed Salih said an Israeli delegation’s visit to Sudan’s military manufacturing corporation last month was without the cabinet’s knowledge. The trip came roughly a month after Israel and Sudan agreed to a U.S.-brokered peace deal as the African nation pushed for its removal from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Foreign relations are “supposed to be in the hands of the council of ministers,” Salih told S24, a Khartoum-based TV channel. “But matters related to normalization have actually been unilaterally seized by the military.”

It’s the latest sign of strains between civilian and army officials within the transitional government that’s steering the African country in the aftermath of veteran dictator Omar al-Bashir’s ouster last year.

The civilian faction has repeatedly accused the military of taking steps toward normalization without its consent, casting doubts over Sudan’s ability to transform into a transparent democracy with elections in 2022. Army officials didn’t immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

Qatar Says Doesn’t Plan Normalization With Israel For Now

Follow us @middleeast for more news on the region.

Qatar does not plan to follow the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in signing a normalization pact with Israel unless the deal has the interests of the Palestinian people at its heart, the country’s foreign minister said on Friday.

“Right now, I don’t see that normalization of Qatar and Israel is going to add value to the Palestinian people,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in an interview as part of the Mediterranean Dialogues conference.

The UAE and Bahrain normalized ties with Israel in September as part of a U.S.-mediated agreement. A trip to the Gulf by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser on the Middle East, had raised questions about whether more countries were about to sign up.

Bahrain Joins UAE in Establishing Relations With Israel (2)

Japfa to Sell Dairy Unit Stake to TPG Venture for $295 Million

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Japfa Ltd., a Singapore-based food company, said it will sell an 80% stake in its Indonesian dairy unit to private equity firms TPG and Northstar Group for $236 million.

Japfa will retain a 20% stake in PT Greenfields Indonesia and support the new investors in managing the business, it said in a statement.

The company said the partnership will help drive its dairy business in Southeast Asia, where demand for products such as milk and yogurt is expected to grow in the next few years.

Credit Suisse Group AG advised Japfa on the transaction.

Japfa Is Said to Weigh Selling Indonesian Dairy Unit Greenfields

Pemex Suspends Contracts to Company Controlled by AMLO Cousin

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Mexico’s Pemex suspended contracts to companies controlled by a relative of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, arguing a lack of disclosure of familial relations with the government.

Litoral Laboratorios Industriales, owned by Felipa Guadalupe Obrador Olan, a cousin of the president, had won two of four public tenders from Pemex, according to a statement of the oil company.

Obrador Olan’s relationship to the president “should have been reported as sensitive data” during the tender processes to senior company officials, according to the statement.

An “exhaustive investigation” has been launched into the contracts to determine “consequences.” Pemex is also investigating the possibility that Litoral Laboratorios “has provided its services together or in support of other contractor companies” since 2014.

“The president of Mexico has been and is categorical in the sense that under no circumstances is the assignment of contracts to his family members allowed,” Pemex said in the statement.