News of the World

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WHO Explains Why It Skipped ‘Xi’
When Naming New COVID-19 Variant Omicron

The World Health Organization (WHO) has explained why it skipped the Greek letters “nu” and “xi” in naming the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

“Two letters were skipped—Nu and Xi—because Nu is too easily confounded with ‘new’ and Xi was not used because it is a common surname and [the] WHO best practices for naming new diseases … suggest avoiding ‘causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups,'” the United Nations agency told The Epoch Times in a statement on Nov. 27.

The WHO best practices for naming new diseases were developed in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. and the World Organisation for Animal Health in 2015.

Professor Jonathan Turley, a criminal attorney and professor at George Washington University, speculated that the WHO “is again avoiding any discomfort for the Chinese government” in skipping the “Xi” letter and naming it Omicron.

“The new variant was expected to be Nu but any additional variant would then be Xi, which happens to be the name of the Chinese leader,” he wrote on Twitter.

“It is not clear if there is another reason for the decision to skip over Nu and Xi, but W.H.O.’s history with the investigation into the origins of the pandemic has fueled speculation as to a political motive. It is a demonstration of the continuing credibility problems for the organization after its original inquiry. Even the new panel has been criticized for its imbalance and the background of its members.”
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The WHO earlier this year adopted letters of the Greek alphabet to have “easy-to-pronounce and non-stigmatising labels” for variants of the virus.

Inflation Lifting Corporate Profits, Eating Away Wage Gains

With the U.S. annual inflation rate at a 30-year high, economists and market analysts are spotlighting the expanding financial divide between corporations and their employees.
In today’s inflationary environment, large companies are reporting greater profits and revenues. At the same time, Americans have witnessed all their wage gains from over the last 12 to 15 months eliminated. For many workers, real wages are down in multiple sectors of the United States economy.
As the Omicron variant climbs to the top of the list of concerns for consumers, investors, and policymakers, the country has ostensibly given up on inflation being a transitory event.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell retired the word “transitory” during an appearance in Congress on Tuesday. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment fell in November, while inflation expectations for the next one and five years remained high. In addition, the number of S&P 500 companies citing “inflation” on third-quarter earnings calls is the highest it has been in more than a decade.
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According to data compiled by financial data firm FactSet, S&P 500 companies reported year-over-year revenue growth of 17.3 percent in the third quarter of 2021. This is above the 12.6 percent estimate on June 30 and the 14.9 percent forecast on September 30.
The performance topped the five-year average growth rate of 5.8 percent and the ten-year average growth rate of 3.5 percent. The 17.3 percent figure is the second-best reading since FactSet started tracking this metric in 2008.
Every sector posted growth in the July-to-September period, led by energy (74.5 percent), materials (32 percent), communication services (20.6 percent), and information technology (19.1 percent).

China ‘Single Greatest Priority’ for UK’s MI6 Intelligence Agency

Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, MI6 chief Richard Moore listed China, Russia, Iran, and international terrorism as the “Big Four” priorities for Western intelligence communities, but stressed that “adapting to a world affected by the rise of China is the single greatest priority for MI6.”
Moore also said “there is no doubt” that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has not just boosted the morale of terrorists globally, but has also emboldened regimes such as China, Russia, and Iran.
Moore warned that Chinese spy agencies are “highly capable” and are mounting “large-scale” spying operations against the UK and its allies. “This includes the targeting of those working in government, industries, or on research of particular interest to the Chinese state. They also monitor and attempt to exercise undue influence over the Chinese diaspora.”
Moore said Chinese intelligence officers seek to exploit the “open nature” of Western societies and the Chinese regime has been attempting to “distort public discourse and political decision making across the globe.”