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Unvaccinated Kimmich, Choupo-Moting positive for Covid: Bayern

AFP

Bayern Munich confirmed Wednesday that star midfielder Joshua Kimmich and back-up striker Eric Choupo-Moting — both of whom are unvaccinated — have tested positive for Covid-19.

“Joshua Kimmich is isolating at home after testing positive. The FC Bayern midfielder is doing well,” the club said in a statement.

German international Kimmich, Cameroon’s Choupo-Moting as well as Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry were all already in quarantine as contact cases.

Bayern had arrived back in Munich after Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League to learn Choupo-Moting had tested positive with the club saying he was “doing well in the circumstances.”

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Kimmich sparked a vaccination debate in Germany last month when the 26-year-old admitted he had so far opted against being inoculated due to “personal reasons”.

The news angered some Bayern fans, as spectators at football matches in Germany must prove they are fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid, while the players they come to watch must only show a negative test result.

Bild and Kicker magazine both claim Gnabry and Musiala have now allowed themselves to be vaccinated.

Earlier Wednesday, Germany head coach Hansi Flick revealed that Kimmich had also had a change of heart.

“I think it’s going in the direction of ‘Jo’ getting vaccinated,” Flick said at a German FA event.

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Last week Bayern reportedly told those four players plus midfielder Michael Cuisance, who is also unvaccinated, that their wages would be docked if they had to quarantine after refusing to have a jab.

In Kiev, Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said the five players’ refusal to be vaccinated had been “trivialities”, adding it was “not easy” for the rest of the team.

Bayern have injury concerns after Lucas Hernandez picked up a hamstring strain in Kiev. Midfielder Marcel Sabitzer has a calf problem and defender Tanguy Nianzou injured his shoulder.

German international defender Niklas Suele and Croatia right-back Josip Stanisic returned to training on Wednesday having tested positive for Covid in the past fortnight.

Germany last week announced tougher Covid curbs and on Tuesday the weekly incidence rate stood at 399.8 new infections per 100,000 people, an all-time high, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

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Eight Killed in Series of Armed Attacks in Ecuador’s Manabí Province

At least eight people were killed in four separate armed attacks reported Sunday night in the cities of Manta and Montecristi, in Ecuador’s coastal province of Manabí, one of the areas hardest hit by the country’s escalating wave of criminal violence, local media reported on Monday.

The shootings occurred between 7:50 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. local time and affected several neighborhoods, as well as a family gathering, according to press reports. Police are investigating the incidents.

The first attack took place in the Los Artesanos sector of Montecristi, where a couple was shot dead in a public street.

Minutes later, in Manta’s 12 de Octubre neighborhood, a man was killed while sitting down. Police arrested a suspect at the scene and seized a 9mm magazine, authorities said.

A third incident occurred in the Bellavista area of Manta, when an armed assailant entered a home and shot a man during a family celebration. The attacker was captured by neighbors and sustained injuries.

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The deadliest attack was reported at 10:50 p.m. in the Leonidas Proaño parish of Montecristi, where gunmen opened fire from two vehicles on a group of people, leaving four dead and five wounded.

According to Jaime Salgado, acting chief of the Manta Police District, officers recovered seven 7.62mm shell casings, consistent with rifle ammunition, and 14 .40-caliber casings at the scene.

With these killings, the Manta police district, a port and tourist area on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, has recorded 51 violent deaths so far in January 2026, according to official figures.

The attacks occurred amid a state of emergency declared by the government in December due to serious internal unrest in Manabí, where military operations have been intensified this month, particularly in high-conflict zones.

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El Salvador Launches Fourth Year of Ocean Mission to Protect Marine Ecosystems

El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment has launched the fourth consecutive year of “Ocean Mission,” a permanent strategy focused on the protection, restoration, and responsible management of marine ecosystems, linking conservation efforts from inland mountain ranges to the coastline.

During an event held at the Los Cóbanos Protected Natural Area, Environment Minister Fernando López highlighted the ecological, social, and economic value of the site, which is recognized as the country’s eighth wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

“We are in one of the most valuable natural treasures of our country, not only because of its beauty, but also due to the enormous ecological, social, and economic importance that Los Cóbanos holds for El Salvador,” López said.

The minister emphasized that this volcanic-origin ecosystem is home to coral reefs and key coastal-marine systems that serve as refuge, breeding, and feeding grounds for emblematic species such as sea turtles, cetaceans, and a wide diversity of fish.

“Protecting Los Cóbanos means protecting biodiversity, community livelihoods, the local economy, and our natural heritage,” López stated.

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He also stressed that Ocean Mission goes beyond rhetoric, focusing instead on direct action framed within the National Environmental Education Policy. “We are not here to talk about environmental education; we are here to practice it,” he said, underscoring the guiding principle of moving from paper to action.

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Convicted gang member challenges Guatemala’s anti-gang law, citing Human Rights Violations

A member of a criminal gang currently facing sentencing for the crime of extortion has filed a constitutional appeal before Guatemala’s Constitutional Court against the recently approved and enacted Anti-Gang Law.

The appeal, submitted by Dylan Smaily Archila García, argues that the new legislation violates his fundamental human rights and claims there were procedural irregularities during its approval process, according to local Guatemalan media.

Archila García filed the motion just hours after the law took effect. The new legislation, passed by Guatemala’s Congress, increases penalties for crimes linked to gang activity and authorizes the construction of a mega-prison, modeled after El Salvador’s Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT).

Local outlets reported that in his petition, Archila García contends that the approval of the law did not comply with constitutional requirements and requests that the Court issue a ruling to annul the legislation, effectively halting its enforcement.

The appeal further claims that the Anti-Gang Law infringes on due process rights, as it allegedly fails to guarantee a fair criminal trial in which defendants can prove their innocence, undermining legal certainty and judicial security.

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Through this legal action, the petitioner seeks to have the law suspended and ultimately struck down by the Constitutional Court, preventing it from being debated again in Congress.