8 NEWS The world at a glance ...
London
Worrying Covid mutation: The highly contagious U.K. coronavirus
variant has picked up a mutation that might reduce the effective-
ness of vaccines and antibody therapies—and potentially cause
reinfections among people who have already fought off Covid-19.
The mutation, called E484K, appears to make it more difficult
for Covid-fighting antibodies to cling to the virus’ spike protein.
E484K is also present in the Covid strains that emerged in South
Africa and Brazil. Scientists in England have identified E484K in
at least 11 samples of the new U.K. variant; it appears that some
of these samples acquired the mutation independently, rather than
spreading from a single case. This is “a worrying development,”
said virologist Julian Tang. Recent studies suggesting that the Pfizer
and Moderna vaccines “offer optimum protection against the origi-
nal U.K. variant may no longer apply.”Buenos Aires
Soak the rich: Argentina has
imposed a one-time tax on its
wealthiest citizens to pay for Covid
relief. Those with assets worth more
than $2.3 million—about 12,000 of
Argentina’s 45 million residents—will
have to pay 3.5 percent on assets
within the country and up to 5.25 per-
cent on assets held abroad. The center-
left government of President Alberto
Fernández hopes to raise $3 billion with the levy; the money will be
used to buy medical supplies, assist small businesses, and give aid
to people who’ve lost jobs during the pandemic. Most Argentines
welcome the new tax, but the center-right opposition says it fears
the measure will become permanent, given the country’s perennial
economic woes. More than 40 percent of Argentines live in poverty.Amsterdam
Turn off the red light: Amsterdam’s council has approved a plan
to shutter and relocate the city’s famous red-light district. The De
Wallen neighborhood has been a home to brothels for hundreds
of years, but locals have grown tired of the crowds of tourists that
pack its narrow streets to gape at scantily clad women posing in
windows. The sex workers will be offered a
specially built “erotic center” in a different
neighborhood. Many of them objected to
the decision, saying customers would not
know where to find them. But the proposal
by Mayor Femke Halsema won support
from across the political spectrum. “This is
about a reset of Amsterdam,” said Dennis
Boutkan, of the Labor Party. “Tourists are
welcome to enjoy the beauty and freedom
of the city, but not at any cost.”San Salvador, El Salvador
Opposition activists killed: Gunmen opened fire
on supporters of El Salvador’s main opposition
party this week, killing two and wounding five
more in a brazen political attack that has shocked
a nation familiar with scenes of bloody vio-
lence. Activists with the leftist Farabundo Martí
National Liberation Front (FMLN) were return-
ing from a campaign rally in San Salvador in
an open-backed pickup truck when the gunmen
opened fire. Three suspects have been arrested. The shooting comes
after FMLN politicians accused center-right President Nayib Bukele
of stoking violence against their party and “threatening anyone
who doesn’t agree with him.” Bukele condemned the attack and
said those responsible “would pay for their acts.” Legislative and
municipal elections are set to take place on Feb. 28.Camargo, Mexico
Migrants slaughtered: The bodies of 19 people, most of them
Guatemalan migrants, were found in two burned-out trucks near the
U.S. border last week, grisly casualties of a cartel conflict over profit-
able human-trafficking routes. The migrants, and the coyotes appar-
ently smuggling them, were shot before the vehicles were set alight.
Mexican analysts suspect the massacre was committed by cartel-
funded police or members of a federal security force, because only a
few shell casings were found at the scene. All of those matched guns
used by the coyotes to return fire. That indicates the killers picked up
their casings so they could not be traced to law enforcement weap-
ons. Local officials said a third truck of migrants made it to the U.S.,
and the witnesses to the attack are now north of the border.Bedford, U.K.
Covid hero dies: Capt. Sir Tom Moore, the
World War II veteran who raised
$45 million for Britain’s National
Health Service during the first lock-
down by making slow laps of his
garden with the aid of a walker, died
at age 100 this week after contract-
ing Covid-19. Moore, known to
his fans as “Captain Tom,” was seen as the embodiment of British
pluck in the face of adversity. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him at
a ceremony at Windsor Castle in July and was one of the first to
offer public condolences this week. “The last year of our father’s life
was nothing short of remarkable,” Moore’s children said in a state-
ment. “He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever
dreamed of.” Despite his advanced age, Moore could not receive a
Covid-19 vaccine because he was on medication for pneumonia.Reuters,
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2 )The bloodstained FMLN truckCaptain Tom: Veteran fundraiserA De Wallen attraction
President Fernández