Monthly Archives: February 2021

The U.N. says Yemens warring sides did not achieve progress in their latest round of negotiations over a prisoner swap

By BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

February 21, 2021, 8:37 PM

2 min read

CAIRO -- Yemens warring sides did not achieve progress in their latest round of negotiations over a prisoner swap, the United Nations said on Sunday.

The talks started late last month in the Jordanian capital Amman between representatives of the internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels. The prisoner exchange is part of a peace deal struck in 2018 in Sweden.

U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said the two sides did not agree to release prisoners during this round of talks concluded Sunday in Amman.

I am disappointed that this round of talks did not amount to what we saw in Switzerland last September which resulted in the historic release of 1056 detainees, he said.

In October, the warring sides achieved the largest-ever prisoner swap of the war, releasing more than 1,000 detainees. That followed occasional releases of dozens of prisoners over the past two years, which also served as gestures of good faith, stoking hopes the factions would implement the 2018 agreement.

The prisoner swap talks were facilitated by the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Griffiths urged the warring sides to work on the implementation of what they agreed to and expand the arrangements to release more detainees soon.

He repeated his calls for the unconditional release of all sick, wounded, elderly and children detainees as well as detained civilians, including women and journalists.

The two sides traded the blame for the failure of the talks.

Yemens devastating conflict erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the countrys north. That prompted a U.S.-backed Arab military coalition to intervene months later in a bid to restore the government of Yemeni President Abed Rabu Mansour Hadi to power.

The conflict has killed some 130,000 people and spawned the worlds worst humanitarian disaster.

The failure in the prisoner swap talks has come amid an intensive attack by the Houthis on the government-held Marib province.

The Houthi attacks forced several thousand of internally displaced people, or IDPs, to flee from Maribs district of Swarih eastward to the provinces capital, after the heavy fighting left them without water, electricity, health and educational needs.

Marib province has served as a sort of haven for around 1 million Yemenis who have fled Houthi offensives since the start of the war.

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UN says no progress in Yemen talks over prisoner swap - ABC News

A new drone flyover shows that Tesla is making progress toward completion at its Moss Landing Megapack project that should become the worlds largest battery system.

We first learned of the project at PG&Es Moss Landing substation when theysubmittedit to CPUC andthe company was in talks with Tesla in 2017.

It involves four separateenergy storage projects, and two of them should become the worlds largest battery systems.

Dynegy is going to deploy a300MW/1,200MWhproject on PG&Es grid while the Tesla project will be 182.5MW/730MWh, which could eventually go up to 1.1GWh.

In 2018, we obtainedTeslas proposal for the project,and it shows that the company plans to use Megapack instead of its usual Powerpack for large utility-scale projects.

Early last year,the project was officially approved,and theystarted construction on the first phaseof the project in July.

We reported back in October when the first Megapacks Teslas new container-size battery system for large energy storage projects started to be installed at the location.

Tesla has kept delivering more Megapacks to PG&E since, and a new drone flyover shows that the projects first phase is nearing completion:

However, theres still a lot of work to do before they can turn the project online and start helping the grid.

The new energy storage capacity at Moss Landing is going to be used to replace peaker plants, and it is expected to save the electric utility over $100 million:

PG&E forecasts the Moss Landing BESS will save more than $100 million over the 20-year life of the project, when compared to the forecasted local capacity requirements and associated procurement costs that would have been necessary in absence of the BESS.

PG&Es Moss Landing project is not expected to be completed until the second half of the year.

The new capacity will boost Teslas energy storage deployment, which has been hitting new record highs every quarter.

Recently, Tesla confirmed that it has deployed a record 1,584 MWh of energy storage in Q4 almost 200% increase year-over-year and 100% increase quarter-over-quarter.

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Teslas new worlds-largest battery is showing progress in drone flyover - Electrek

As the term not-for-profit suggests, nonprofits typically lack independent income, instead relying on outside financiers to support their mission. Considering I spent far too long brainstorming it, hopefully the name of my column, Progress Without Profit also makes this clear. If we can agree that nonprofits depend on others for funding, we must consequently ask ourselves, who are their donors? More importantly, does the dangling carrot of promised funds incentivize nonprofits to work in certain ways?

Not all donors are created equal in the eyes of nonprofits. It takes less energy and effort for a nonprofit to receive $5 million from one wealthy donor, than to persuade 50,000 people of average income to each donate $100. In 2017, high net worth donors in the United States gave an average of $29,269 to charity, whereas general population households donated an average of $2,514. So, while people who attend fancy galas or participate in pricey silent auctions might contribute ten times more than the typical household, they are not the most representative of society.

This disproportionate representation forces nonprofits to toe the line between pleasing their uber-wealthy donors and advocating for change that hurts those same donors. It is the ultimate example of dont bite the hand that feeds you. Nonprofits, however, should not be afraid to call out the structures supporting their wealthy donors at the expense of the communities nonprofits want to help.

Nonprofits are reluctant to speak about political issues, for fear of losing their tax-exempt status, but maintaining tax-exempt status is not mutually exclusive to advocating and addressing root causes of inequalities. Nonprofits can advocate and lobby for important issues, provided they follow certain rules.

Nonprofits continually shy away from discussing the tax system specifically, bringing attention to how loopholes benefit the wealthy. People served by nonprofits dont usually have significant capital to invest, nor to leave to their children; their taxes typically will be on ordinary income (i.e., earned wages).

Thus, it makes sense for nonprofits to strongly oppose things like capital gains tax treatment on carried interest, as well as estate taxes and corporate tax shelters that often exploit low-income people of color for the benefit of the white and wealthy. I understand that in the short term, nonprofits opposition to tax loopholes may damage relationships with the big (mostly white) philanthropy that fuels them, but long-term, this opposition supports nonprofits stated missions.

Economic conditions allowing tax loopholes to benefit the wealthy also create stark income inequality. A full-time minimum wage worker cannot keep their family above the poverty line. Between 1978 and 2012, a CEOs compensation increased by 875%, while the average workers compensation increased by only 6%. In a more relevant example to college students, many college officials earn over $1 million a year (President Carol Folt included), while more than 20% of their workforce on campus earn poverty level wages for a family of four.

The same system that creates the poverty and economic issues nonprofits aim to remedy also allows mega philanthropists to exist in the first place. Nonprofits hesitate to confront and call out systemic issues because their prosperity relies on people who benefit from the current system. Complicity with the system reinforces the flawed logic that mega philanthropists negate the harm caused by the accumulation of their money by simply donating a small portion of it.

I once volunteered at a gala for a nonprofit, working with other women who were members of the community the nonprofit served. The gala attendees who streamed into the event were old, white and rich the opposite of the women who worked the event. The women put on smiles and politely chatted with the attendees to check them in. Once we heard attendees putting thousands of dollars down for auction items in the other room, the women finally put down the masks theyd worn all evening. They recounted racist and classist comments theyd heard in the last hour, but did not respond to in order to receive donations for the organization.

This disconnect between donors and clients is not an isolated event. Appeasing donors at the expense of clients is meant to benefit the population served in the long-term. But, does it really?

The argument against nonprofits speaking out against the wealthy is that regulating exorbitant wealth eliminates money that goes to philanthropy. But if nonprofits went after tax policies and spoke publicly about income inequality, they would be creating a more just, fair system that requires less philanthropy after-the-fact.

If nonprofits speak out against practices that benefit their wealthiest donors and lose support, they are not ruined. Smaller donations are the future of fundraising. Nearly 50% of all GoFundMe donors are millenials and Gen X, as social media becomes an increasingly valuable tool to build coalitions of small donors for a cause. In fact, 82% of millennials report theyve donated to a nonprofit in the last year.

I understand that nonprofits are in a tough spot. I truly do. Im sure many want to speak out but have to make the choice between advocating and funding. I dont blame them for prioritizing funding, when the alternative is the collapse of a life-saving program or the firing of an essential employee.

In a perfect world, however, nonprofits wouldnt rely on wealth gained from the exploitation of others to operate. Actually, in a perfect world, nonprofit services wouldnt be necessary to begin with. Until then, nonprofits should not be afraid to ruffle the feathers of big philanthropy in order to carry out their missions effectively, honestly and purposefully.

Sophie Roppe is a junior writing about nonprofit organizations and social justice. Her column, Progress Without Profit, runs every other Monday.

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Progress Without Profit: Nonprofits may have to bite the hands that feed them - Daily Trojan Online

DuringBlack History Month, wereflect onthe historical struggles and present-day issues faced byBlackAmericans andotherpeople of color in our nation. We alsocelebratethose whofoughtforsocial and racial justice, as well asthe many Black men and women who made lasting contributions to the field of mental healthcare.Theirdeeds and dreams live on.

Theseadmirablehealth-care pioneersincludeDr. Solomon Carter Fuller, one of thefirst Black psychiatrists, who studied for a time with Dr. Alois Alzheimer and continued his work on Alzheimersduring his career at theWestborough State Mental Hospital inMassachusetts; Dr. James P. Comer,Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicineanda co-founder and past president of theBlack Psychiatrists of America; and Dr. Freda C. Lewis-Hall,a trained psychiatrist, who has held leadership roles inthe academic world, medical researchand private industry.

At the same time, wededicate ourselves anewtoremedy thesocialinjustices,violence,poverty, drugsand homelessnessthat still existin our societyand work to better understand theexperiences ofBlack Americansandotherpeople of colorinnavigating our health-care systemand their full range of needs.

Weknowthatall health issues, includingmental illness,must beaddressedbyfirst looking atones personal,family and socialhistory.ForBlackAmericans, both historicalexperiences and present-day realitiesinfluencemental-health issues, as well as stigma attached to asking for help,access to careand theiracceptance andconfidence intreatment.

Overall,Black Americanadults are 20 percentmore likely to experience mental-health issues than the rest of the population. Serious mental illnessroseamong all ages ofBlackAmericans between 2008 and 2018.In particular, suicidal thoughtsand attempts arerising among young BlackAmerican adults.

However, only25 percentofBlackAmericans seek treatment for mental health issues, compared to40 percent of White individuals. And, understandably,BlackAmericans living below the poverty level are twice as likely to report serious psychological distress than those living over twice the poverty level.

In a recent article forVerywellMind,ShanonLee, anationally recognizedwriterandcontributoron health, wellness and race issues,concludedthat manyBlack Americans do not seek mental health services due to cultural stigma about mental illness. Further, sheindicates that wealthand income inequality affects whois able toaccess quality mental health services and the best treatment options.

And while these challenges must be addressed to ensure equity inmental healthcare, we also mustmake improvements to theracial and ethnic disparitiesamong mental health workers,including psychiatrists, psychologists,psychiatric nurses and social workers.

What do we make of these realities?The solution lies in greater understanding ofpeople and communities in our society,comprehensive programs of mental health education and prevention,and removing barriers to mental health care. This alsomeansofferingmore coverage for mental health services in private and public health programs. We also encourage moreBlackAmericans to pursue careers in mental health at all care levels.

In addition to having improved racial and ethnic disparities among mental health workers, we need professional mentors. Mentorship is vital for professionaladvancement. Having a mentor whohasnavigated the unique challenges that often face young Black professionals can be essential to their success.It also is important to givean individual guidance and support as they make choices for advancement.

As Victor Armstrong, MSW,of the National Council of Behavioral Health expressed:

Black History Month is a time to be more inclusive; to seek to understand what is not recorded in history that highlights the greatness of our country and richness of our collective heritage. It is also a time to ask, What if? What if we didnt have to review and define black history through the prisms of stigma and historical adversity, which includes race-based exclusion from health, educational,social and economic resources?What if history were inclusive of the contributions of all people every month?

Let us work together to make that vision a reality.

Shawn Bryson is Clinical Director at Rose Hill Center,a Holly, Mich.-based residential psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation facility offering a comprehensive range of services for adults with serious mental illness. For more info, visitrosehillcenter.org.

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It's time for progress on mental illness in the Black Community - The Oakland Press

Insurance and reinsurance marketplace Lloyds of London says that it has made notable progress towards building a more inclusive working environment over 2020.

In particular, the results of its 2020 annual culture survey highlight improvements in the experience of women working in the Lloyds market over the past 18 months.

However, the survey also pointed to areas for ongoing and concentrated focus, including continued focus on wellbeing across the market and improving the experience of Black and Minority Ethnic talent as a top priority.

Lloyds push for more inclusivity in its marketplace was triggered by reports of sexual harassment back in 2019. The culture survey shows that 8% of people witnessed sexual harassment in the Lloyds market in 2019, but that number fell to 4% in 2020.

Overall, womens perceptions were found to have improved by 7 points on average across all characteristics, with mens scores up 3 points.

While womens perceptions still lag mens in several areas, Lloyds say the gap has closed substantially in nearly all of the criteria measured.

Lloyds also reported a 5 point improvement in the percentage of respondents who would feel comfortable raising concerns about behaviour in the Lloyds market, at 50% in 2020, versus 45% previously.

In addition, fewer respondents said that working in their organisation had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing, down from 23% to 15%, but there was no change in respondents who felt under excessive pressure to perform at work, at 40%.

The number of respondents who do not believe senior leaders in their organisation take responsibility, especially when things go wrong notably decreased from 22% to 15%, and the proportion who said that people in their organisation turned a blind eye to inappropriate behaviour fell to 15%.

But Lloyds also found that Black and Minority Ethnic respondents were less likely to raise concerns relating to discrimination, had a higher level of disagreement about whether their colleagues act in an honest and ethical way, and a higher level of distrust in senior leaders.

The results of our second annual culture survey show good progress in our efforts to sponsor gender parity and to our commitment as leaders to make needed and valued change, said Lloyds CEO John Neal.

Though we are encouraged by the results of the survey, the feedback from our Black and Minority Ethnic colleagues has reinforced our commitment to address the inequalities and lived experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic colleagues across the market, Neal added.

We can feel confident in our ability to make change quickly and are more determined than ever to create an inclusive and inspiring culture for all.

Looking ahead, Lloyds is planning additional measures for 2021 to help change its working culture, which include tracking progess against the gender target and the setting a market target for ethnicity in Q2, supported by the launch of a long-term ethnicity action plan.

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Lloyd's reports on inclusivity progress - Reinsurance News

PERTH, Australia and NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --PYC Therapeutics (ASX: PYC), a biotechnology company developing a new generation of precision RNA therapeutics to change the lives of patients with inherited diseases, today announced updates to its programs and outlined its 2021-2022 corporate objectives. PYC is initially targeting inherited ocular diseases, for which it has three preclinical candidates in development.

"This year we are focused on transforming PYC Therapeutics into a U.S.-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company, including making significant advances in moving our three preclinical inherited ocular disease programs toward the clinic and leveraging our RNA platform to create new development candidates in both ocular and neurodegenerative diseases," said Sahm Nasseri, U.S. Chief Executive Officer of PYC Therapeutics. "We have previously highlighted the importance of building out PYC in the U.S. and I am pleased with our progress and external engagements we have been able to have over the last few months. These engagements with banks, potential future investors as well as potential partners have validated the importance and relevance of PYC's technology as well as our choice in initial drug development programs. RNA therapeutics and ophthalmology remain top areas of interest in the very active US biotech capital markets. On this foundation, I believe we are very well positioned to deliver on the promise of our science to advance RNA medicines that have the potential to change the lives of patients with inherited diseases."

2021 Objectives and Program Updates

Corporate Initiatives: In late 2020, PYC began its transformation from an Australia-based, discovery-focused organization into a U.S.-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company that is well positioned to deliver on several key milestones during 2021.

Inherited Ocular Diseases:These programs aim to employ PYC's proprietary cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) to deliver rationally designed RNA therapeutics into retinal cells to treat diseases caused by a specific gene mutation or a missing or defective protein.

Central Nervous System (CNS) Diseases:These programs aim to employ PYC's proprietary CPPs to deliver rationally designed RNA therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Mr. Nasseri continued: "This is a truly exciting and transformational time for PYC, as we build upon the extensive foundation laid in 2020. Our pioneering research team led by Prof. Fletcher is rapidly validating our unique approach to correcting inherited retinal diseases, while also exploring the area of neurodegenerative diseases. With the capital to support our pipeline goals and recruit top talent in the U.S., along with the strong U.S. market potential of our candidate therapies, we believe we are well positioned to enable significant value inflections in 2021 and 2022."

About PYC TherapeuticsPYC Therapeutics (ASX: PYC) is a development-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new generation of RNA therapeutics that utilize Cell Penetrating Peptides (CPPs), a revolutionary delivery technology designed to overcome the major challenges of current gene-based therapies. PYC believes its CPP technology provides safer, more effective access for a wide range of potent and precise drug cargoes to the highest value drug targets that exist inside cells. The Company is leveraging its leading-edge science to develop a pipeline of novel therapies with an initial focus on inherited eye diseases for which it has unveiled three preclinical stage assets. PYC's discovery and laboratory operations are located in Australia and the Company recently launched and expansion into the U.S. for its preclinical, clinical, regulatory and business development operations. For more information, visit pyctx.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward looking statementsAny forward-looking statements in this ASX announcement have been prepared on the basis of a number of assumptions which may prove incorrect and the current intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs about future events are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the Company's control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from assumptions or expectations expressed or implied in this ASX announcement include known and unknown risks. Because actual results could differ materially to assumptions made and the Company's current intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs about the future, you are urged to view all forward-looking statements contained in this ASX announcement with caution. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This ASX announcement should not be relied on as a recommendation or forecast by the Company. Nothing in this ASX announcement should be construed as either an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell shares in any jurisdiction.

1Zheng Y, He M, Congdon N. The worldwide epidemic of diabetic retinopathy. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2012;60(5):428-431.

CONTACTS:INVESTORSDeborah Elson/Matthew DeYoungArgot Partnersdeborah@argotpartners.com matthew@argotpartners.com

MEDIALeo VartorellaArgot Partnersleo@argotpartners.com

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PYC Therapeutics Highlights Progress in Its Transformation to a US Clinical-Stage Company and 2021 Corporate Objectives - BioSpace

Cody Simpson Makes Noise in 100 Butterfly as Progress Continues

The impressive and continued progress of Australias Cody Simpson was on display this weekend, when the former age-group standout, during a time trial, posted a time of 53.85 for the 100-meter butterfly. The effort by Simpson, a pop star in the music world, marks a one-second improvement in a span of only two months. Simpson took to Instagram to announce the successful time trial, and savor the improvements he has made while working with coach Brett Hawke.

Before embarking a highly successful career as a pop star, one which took him to international stardom and points all around the world, Simpson shined in Australia in the age-group ranks. The urge to return to the water called Simpson, and he opted to go to work with Hawke, a two-time Olympian for Australia and sprint guru. Clearly, the work Simpson has logged is paying off. Simpson is targeting the Australian Olympic Trials in June, and in addition to qualifying for Trials in the 100 fly, Simpson has added a qualifying mark in the 100 freestyle.

While considerable work remains for Simpson to become a challenger at the Australian Trials, he is obviously on the right track and showing significant progress in short periods of time. Simpson is currently doing his training in Florida, where Hawke relocated his group in order to get better access to pools than what was available in Southern California.

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Cody Simpson Makes Noise in 100 Butterfly as Progress Continues - Swimming World Magazine