Latest news with #ARISE
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Science
- New Straits Times
Hajiji: Sabah must reform education system to tackle future challenges
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs to transform the state's education system for students to better face the future challenges, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. He said the latest research data from 2024 revealed that only 65 per cent of students demonstrated good or excellent problem-solving skills, while just 72 per cent were confident in applying scientific knowledge in daily life. "These figures show that we cannot afford to be complacent. Many students are still struggling to understand basic science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts. "Therefore, educational transformation must become a top priority for all stakeholders," he said at the launch of the International Educational Research Conference "Astounding Research Innovation STEM Exploration" (ARISE) 2025 at the Sabah International Convention Centre here. Hajiji added that teaching approaches rooted in research and innovation must be strengthened and mainstreamed to ensure Sabah's education system remains relevant, inclusive and competitive. The chief minister also called on educators, educational institutions, researchers and policymakers to continuously explore and improve pedagogical methods to align with the digital era and current industry needs. He added that ARISE 2025, which brings together more than 600 participants from Malaysia and abroad, including from the United Kingdom, Spain, the Philippines, China and Ireland, serves as a crucial platform for pioneering global educational collaboration. He also said the state government has allocated RM41.75 million this year to the state Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, as well as Sabah Skills and Training and Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centres, to implement training and skills empowerment programmes. Among those programmes are Borneo Science Expedition, Sabah Science Carnival, Technology and Innovation Competitions, STEM Education Festival, Roboneo Programme and Sabah Screen Fest. Hajiji said all are crucial platforms to cultivate students' interest in technology and engineering.
Malaysian Reserve
08-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
LIPOGEMS ANNOUNCES LAST PATIENT LAST VISIT FOR ARISE 1 KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS TRIAL
ATLANTA, May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Lipogems is proud to announce the completion of the ARISE I U.S. FDA IDE Study with the last patient's last visit successfully completed. This milestone marks the conclusion of a key phase in the advancement of Lipogems for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in patients who are not yet ready for or do not qualify for knee replacement. The double-blinded, randomized controlled trial enrolled 173 subjects across 18 well-respected U.S. sites. The primary endpoints evaluate improvement in pain and function at 12 months post-injection. Efficacy and safety results from ARISE studies are expected to be announced in late 2025. 'We are thrilled to reach this significant milestone,' said Carl Llewellyn, Chief Executive Officer of Lipogems USA. 'This accomplishment brings us one step closer to making Lipogems a mainstream treatment option for patients with knee osteoarthritis that historically have had limited options. The successful conclusion of this trial represents the hard work and dedication of our team, clinical sites, and the patients that have placed their trust in us.' While the Lipogems device has been and remains FDA cleared for use broadly in orthopaedics and arthroscopic surgery for 10 years, these studies represent the largest clinical trials to date for the company. The ARISE I and II studies are designed to support Lipogems in obtaining a separate indication specifically for knee OA. The data will be analyzed in the coming months to assess the safety and efficacy of Lipogems, specifically how Lipogems improves pain and function for patients with mild to moderate knee OA. Lipogems remains committed to making this technology more available to patients by obtaining reimbursement for the growing demand of patients that need less invasive, more natural treatment options that promote healing and recovery. About Lipogems Lipogems International is a privately held medical device company that uses adipose tissue solutions to help maintain or restore patient lifestyles and to improve quality of life and recovery times. Lipogems' products are used in a variety of specialties, including orthopaedics. Lipogems is exploring applications and indications in several other applicable specialties. Lipogems is available in 29 countries with the vision of getting patients back to their lives through our global reach and scientific excellence. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE LIPOGEMS
Business Wire
06-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Aurora Payments Names Derek Dean Chief Executive Officer, Brian Goudie Transitions to Executive Chairman
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aurora Payments, a full-service payment technology provider, today announced that Derek Dean has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Dean succeeds Brian Goudie, who will transition to the role of Executive Chairman after nearly a decade leading the company's rapid expansion. Since joining Aurora as Chief Revenue Officer, Dean has expanded the company's direct sales organization, strengthened marketing, and advanced Aurora's ISV-focused go-to-market engine. As CEO, Dean will accelerate organic growth and position the company as the end-to-end financial-technology partner of choice across multiple verticals. 'Handing the CEO reins to Derek is the natural next step in a leadership transition we put into motion a year ago,' said Brian Goudie, Executive Chairman of Aurora Payments. 'Derek's energy, customer focus, and ability to scale high-performance teams have already advanced our mission and as CEO he will propel Aurora even faster while I concentrate on long-term strategy and strategic partnerships—including targeted M&A.' As Executive Chairman, Goudie will guide board governance and long-range strategy while cultivating key relationships with processing partners, sponsor banks, and ISOs. He will also lead Aurora's M&A agenda to complement Dean's organic-growth initiatives. 'Aurora combines a powerful technology platform with an unwavering commitment to merchant and partner success,' said Derek Dean, Chief Executive Officer of Aurora Payments. 'Brian built an exceptional foundation. My focus now is to unlock the next wave of growth by deepening our fintech capabilities and delivering even more value to our partners and customers.' Dean brings more than 25 years of go-to-market leadership in enterprise software, data management, and service-commerce platforms. He joined Aurora from Syndigo, an enterprise SaaS data-management company, where he served as President and Chief Revenue Officer. Before that, he was Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Success at EverCommerce, a service-commerce platform that provides vertically tailored SaaS solutions. 'Aurora's leadership transition underscores both the strength of its bench and its commitment to long-term value,' added Jeremy Schein, Aurora Payments board member and Partner at Corsair. 'We are excited to continue supporting Derek, Brian, and the entire team as they accelerate the company's fintech journey.' Dean's appointment as CEO continues a series of strategic moves Aurora Payments has recently made to position the company for further growth, including the launch of its flagship cloud-based payment solution, ARISE, which empowers small to midsize businesses to manage their payments through one seamless customized tech solution. About Aurora Payments Aurora Payments is a united network of processing, technology, and payments solutions, supporting over 27,000 merchants and $12 billion in annual processing volume. Founded in 2005, Aurora has carved out leadership in several industries through its innovative products, exceptional service, and deep vertical expertise. The company's proprietary platforms —ARISE, RISE CRM, Calendarise, and NailSoft—are cloud-based solutions designed to simplify payments and operations for small and midsize businesses. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Aurora Payments is backed by Corsair, a leading private equity firm focused on payments, software, and financial service investments. Follow Aurora Payments on LinkedIn or X, or learn more at About Corsair Corsair is a specialist investment firm offering opportunities for investors and solutions for companies across its private markets Buyouts and Infrastructure businesses. The firm's buyouts business is a financial services investor focused on making control investments in three verticals: payments, software, and business services. The infrastructure business operates as a strategic partnership with Investcorp as of December 2023. Investcorp Corsair focuses primarily on value-add opportunities in transportation, logistics, and associated infrastructure subsectors, blending operating platforms and deep sectoral expertise with equity sponsorship. Corsair has invested $13.6 billion in capital across buyouts and infrastructure since inception. For more information, please visit and follow us on LinkedIn.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aurora Payments Appoints Embedded Commerce Leader John Badovinac
Badovinac joins Aurora to lead the expansion of embedded payments across software platforms, ISVs, and ecommerce channels John Badovinac - Senior Vice President of Embedded Commerce LAS VEGAS, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aurora Payments, a full-service payment technology provider, today announced the appointment of John Badovinac as Senior Vice President of Embedded Commerce. A proven leader in the payments space, Badovinac will oversee Aurora's embedded and integrated payments strategy, with a focus on accelerating growth through ISV, SaaS, and ecommerce partner ecosystems Badovinac brings over 25 years of go-to-market experience across the full spectrum of payments services, including integrated ISV payments, merchant acquiring, value-added resellers, EMV certification, and point-of-sale systems. 'John is a respected leader in the integrated payments space with deep relationships and a unique understanding of how to bring value to software platforms and partners,' said Derek Dean, CRO at Aurora Payments. 'His ability to drive strategy while building trusted, long-term partnerships will be instrumental as we expand our embedded commerce capabilities.' Prior to joining Aurora, Badovinac led the B2B Channel at Fortis, where he was responsible for business strategy, revenue growth, and partner success across the company's ISV and VAR segments. He also held senior roles at International Bancard, TSYS, and Discover Financial Services, where he played a foundational role in developing integrated payments solutions and establishing go-to-market motions with ISVs and payment facilitators. Badovinac joins Aurora at a pivotal moment as the company continues to scale its ARISE platform, expand its partner ecosystem, and bring seamless, intelligent payments infrastructure to ISVs, vertical SaaS providers and traditional businesses alike. 'What drew me to Aurora is the team's bold vision, the strength of the platform, and the opportunity to truly enable software platforms to grow revenue,' said Badovinac. 'I'm thrilled to join an organization of proven and decisive leaders that are committed to innovation and to building meaningful relationships with its partners.' This appointment marks the latest investment in Aurora's leadership team, following the recent addition of Avin Arumugam as Chief Product Officer and Derek Dean as Chief Revenue Officer. About Aurora Payments Aurora Payments is a united network of processing, technology, and payments solutions, supporting over 27,000 merchants and $12 billion in annual processing volume. Founded in 2005, Aurora has carved out leadership in several industries through its innovative products, exceptional service, and deep vertical expertise. The company's proprietary platforms —ARISE, RISE CRM, Calendarise, and NailSoft—are cloud-based solutions designed to simplify payments and operations for small and midsize businesses. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Aurora Payments is backed by Corsair, a leading private equity firm focused on payments, software, and financial service investments. Follow Aurora Payments on LinkedIn or X, or learn more at ContactsMedia Contacts:Dominic LittenSVP, Marketing and Partnerships+1 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in to access your portfolio
RTÉ News
01-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Breaking the silence on gender-based violence in Zambia
Zambia in southern Africa has some of the highest rates of reported gender-based violence in the world. Karen Creed and cameraman Brian Walsh travelled there, supported by the Simon Cumbers Media Fund, to look at the impact of this violence on women and girls and what efforts are being made to prevent it. It was only 17 months ago that a ban against child marriage was introduced in Zambia. Up until then, it meant that once a girl reached puberty she could be married. As well as robbing them of their childhoods, it is unimaginable the harm this has caused. It now being illegal is a significant step forward, but domestic and sexual violence remain a big problem in the country. With a population of more than 19 million people, it is estimated that more than a third of all Zambian women and girls have experienced physical violence. Women are being abused in the home, their daughters are being physically and sexually assaulted, and in many cases the perpetrator is known to the victim. "Some mothers will be aware of the abuse happening in the home but say I can't report this because your father is providing for us at home." Anastasia Munyati is a campaigner and founder of ARISE, an organisation that focuses on social and gender justice. She dedicates her work to helping girls and women who are impacted by gender-based violence (GBV) as she can relate to their trauma. "I experienced abuse when I was a child," she explains. "It is something I have had to deal with for a very long time. "Coming from a place of having the experience of it myself, I understand what they are going through." Anastasia becomes emotional as she describes some of the "worst cases", where fathers are abusing their own daughters. "Some mothers will be aware of the abuse happening in the home but say 'I can't report this because your father is providing for us at home'," she says. "So, if he is in prison what will we eat and if he is in prison it is going to bring shame to the family." Zambia is steeped in patriarchy, where men hold the most authority, which can often result in violence. It is still prevalent in many countries where the beliefs that have surrounded masculinity have created a view that violence is a legitimate means of asserting power. "The biggest issue is the fact that most are embedded in our social and cultural norms," says Anastasia. "If there was a way that we could work around dismantling some of these harmful cultural norms that we have." Action against gender-based violence There are noticeable efforts to make a stand against these practices. In the capital Lusaka, protests against gender-based violence are happening regularly. "We are looking at negative cultural practices, we are stopping them." One of the most recent protests, that took place earlier last month, was after a surge in reports of men raping young girls. One of the main challenges, however, is spreading the awareness of harmful cultural practices to rural communities and their male leaders. The leader of one region, Chief Chamuka, has declared his community a gender-based violence free zone and we visited him to discuss what is being done to achieve this. "We are looking at negative cultural practices, we are stopping them," he says. "For example, a practice which says when a girl just reaches puberty, this girl should get married, we have just banned that. "And the community has accepted that very well." He is confident that people in his community are no longer afraid to report any form of abuse because he has assured them that they will be protected. This chief is one of more than 200 traditional leaders across the country. He is hopeful that training will encourage other chiefs to take a similar approach and understand that "empowering women and girls" makes for a better society, overall. Will for change evident on a national scale However it is evident from visiting remote areas that it will take time for this shift in attitude. On a national level it is evident there is a will for change. The government has run joint programmes with the United Nations on the prevention of and response to gender-based violence cases. Tough prison sentences for perpetrators have been implemented and there are awareness campaigns around what constitutes gender-based violence. Shupe Makashinyi, who works with Zambia's UN Development Programme, says there is evidence that it is having an effect. "There are platforms where girls in the villages can talk about gender equality, about GBV marriage, about domestic violence being a crime." She says the mindsets of women and girls have changed considerably. "In those years long ago, you wouldn't have such platforms because you would ask some women 'is it ok for your husband to beat you?' "Some will say 'yes, that is a sign of love'. But now they have been awakened; they know that there is a law against GBV," she says. As a result, more cases of gender-based violence are being reported. The growth of one-stop centres to support women and children is a central part of the strategy. Shupe highlights the importance of their expansion to rural areas as it brings the services to victims and allows them to find support locally. Ireland supports gender equality in Zambia Zambia's ambition to tackle gender-based violence stretches back more than two decades. Ireland is among the countries that has been supporting gender equality with a long-standing development programme. In recent years it is also using its own experience to show Zambia the opportunities to increase access to justice. Chali Mbewe Hambayi oversees the country's gender-based crimes department and outlines how progress is being made in several areas. "With the support of the Government of Ireland, we have been able to set up our GBV fast-track courts," she explained. "We have trained magistrates, prosecutors, investigators in how to respond appropriately to cases of gender-based violence." She also describes how the prosecution holding the perpetrators accountable gives confidence to victims who may be reluctant to come forward that "the law will be there to help me." However, there are strides to be made to move away from the narrative of victim blaming as it is still hindering some women and girls from reporting these crimes. Chali is an example of a Zambian woman who is at the forefront of social and legal change. She, like Anastasia, Shupe and many others we met during our visit are tireless in their efforts to confront cultural norms. Their education has given them empowerment to help improve their society. They are also extremely keen to let us know that Zambia is a beautiful country despite its social and economic issues. They are pleased we have been able to witness that along with the warmth of the people. The day before we depart Lusaka, I ask some locals about an unusual bottle-shaped tree that I have seen in many areas we have travelled to. "It is the baobab tree," they tell me with a smile. I have since found out that it is regarded as a symbol of resilience across Zambia.
