World breaking news today (February 2): Chinese police arrest over 80 people suspected of manufacturing fake vaccines.

	World breaking news today (February 1): Proposal to build permanent fence around the Capitol meets resistance
	World breaking news today (January 31): US CDC makes face masks mandatory on public transportation from Feb 1
	World breaking news today (January 30): US extends temporary residency for thousands from Syria

A vaccination center in Beijing last month (Photo: Getty Images)

The Chinese police arrest more than 80 people suspected of manufacturing fake vaccines.

The police in China have broken up a counterfeiting ring that they say manufactured and sold more than 3,000 fake coronavirus vaccines across the country, Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, reported on Monday.

More than 80 suspects have been arrested in the provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong, in the city of Beijing and in other places, Xinhua said.

According to the agency, the police said that the main suspect, a person surnamed Kong, had been injecting saline into vials and selling them as coronavirus vaccines since September.

The arrests began with an order from the Ministry of Public Security to crack down on vaccine-related crimes. Late last year, the demand for Covid-19 vaccines in China was so high that it inspired a cottage industry of scalpers who charged as much as $1,500 for an appointment.

The government is also wary of having to deal with the possible political fallout from another vaccine scandal. In recent years, reports that Chinese companies have fabricated data about their vaccines or made inoculations that have sickened infants have rattled public confidence in domestic vaccines, even though they have been proved safe. Many well-off parents shun them in favor of their Western counterparts, as reported by NY Times.

Biden threatens U.S. sanctions after Myanmar coup, launches policy review

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday threatened to reimpose sanctions on Myanmar following a coup by the country’s military leaders and called for a concerted international response to press them to relinquish power.

Biden condemned the military’s takeover from the civilian-led government on Monday and its detention of elected leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as “a direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and the rule of law.”

The crisis in Myanmar, also known as Burma, marks a first major test of Biden’s pledge to collaborate more with allies on international challenges, especially on China’s rising influence. That stance contrasts with former President Donald Trump’s often go-it-alone ‘America First’ approach.

(Photo: APA .Az)

It also represented a rare policy alignment between Biden’s fellow Democrats and top Republicans as they joined in denouncing the coup and calling for consequences.

Biden warned the United States was “taking note of those who stand with the people of Burma in this difficult hour.”

Biden called on the military in Myanmar to lift all restrictions on telecommunications and to refrain from violence against civilians.

A U.S. official later told Reuters the administration had launched high-level internal discussions aimed at crafting a “whole of government” response and planned to consult closely with Congress.

Estonian MEP nominates Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize

Jaak Madison, an Estonian far-right member of the European Parliament, has nominated the former US president, Donald Trump, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Due to the fact that nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize can also be nominated by members of parliaments, I used this opportunity,” Madison wrote on his Facebook page on 1 February, adding he did so a couple of hours before the deadline for nominations on 31 January.

Jaak Madison, an Estonian far-right member of the European Parliament (Photo: Estonia World)

“Donald Trump is the first president of the United States in the last 30 years, during whose tenure the country has not started any wars,” Madison said, justifying the suitability of the former US president in the application. “In addition, he has signed a number of peace agreements in the Middle East that have helped ensure stability and peace in the region.”

“I’m certainly not the only one to nominate this particular candidate, but as we know: the more nominators, the greater the likelihood of success,” the MEP said.

With regards to the “peace agreements”, Madison most likely refers to the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalisation agreement (the UAE became the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to agree to formally normalise its relationship with Israel), signed at the White House in September 2020. As for the wars, it is indeed, a fact, that no war was started during Trump’s tenure.

Hundreds gather in Tokyo to protest Myanmar military coup

Hundreds of Burmese protesters holding portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi gathered in Tokyo on Monday to protest against the detention of the country’s leaders earlier in the day in a sudden military coup, according to Reuters.

Than Swe, president of the Union of Myanmar Citizen Association, said he wanted Suu Kyi and all of the other democratically elected leaders to be released immediately.

One of the protest organisers said nearly 800 people attended the demonstration on Monday.

(Photo: US News and World Reports)

The National League for Democracy (NLD) Party said on Monday its leader Suu Kyi called on the public not to accept a coup by the military and urged them to protest.

The Japanese government called on Myanmar on Monday to release leaders arrested after the military seized power, adding that it had long supported democracy in the nation and demanded it be promptly restored, according to Reuters.

Gold price forecast – gold markets test 50 day EMA

Gold markets have gapped higher to kick off the trading session, pulled back to fill that gap, and then turned around to hang around the 50 day EMA again.

Gold markets have gapped higher during the trading session on Monday to kick off the week strong, pulled back to fill that gap, and then rally again. Ultimately, this is a market that looks as if it is trying to find its way higher, especially as we have seen so many shenanigans being played in the silver market. There is a bit of a “knock on effect” that could send gold higher as well. If we can break above the highs of the Friday candlestick, that would be a broken inverted hammer, a very bullish sign indeed. At that point, I would fully anticipate that the market goes looking towards the $1900 level.

(Photo: The Balance)

We are in a longer term uptrend and have been forming a base for quite some time, so I think that is something worth paying attention to. To the downside, I do not have any concerns about this market until we break significantly below the $1800 level, with perhaps the $1750 level being the area where I would consider shorting gold. I would also need to see interest rates in the United States spike again, and of course the US dollar rise, FX Empire said.

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