You are here: Home » 2022 » September » Archives for 14th

NewGlobe methods transforming African and Indian education as world leaders gather to address learning crisis at global summit.

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An innovative teaching methodology delivering "learning gains among the largest ever measured" is being taken–up by more and more African and Indian governments – ahead of the global education summit to tackle what's being called the greatest learning crisis for 100 years.

Rwanda's Government is the latest to launch a national education transformation program – RwandaEQUIP – with the aim of making the country's entire basic education system globally competitive.

Global leaders are gathering in New York for the UN Transforming Education Summit – convened in response to the crisis in global education. A "Solutions Day' will focus on the few replicable programs – like RwandaEQUIP – already delivering transformation at scale.

"Educational transformation is a core priority for the Government of Rwanda and bold investments have been made to this effect," said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Minister of State in Charge of Primary and Secondary Education.

RwandaEQUIP is supported by NewGlobe's innovative methodology, confirmed in a landmark study to deliver learning gains easily in the top 1% of those ever rigorously studied at scale in emerging markets.

The study, led by Professor Michael Kremer, 2019 Nobel Prize winner, suggests children living in underserved communities receive over 53% more learning in NewGlobe supported schools compared to students in other schools.

The results are an affirmation of NewGlobe's integrated learning system, used by the Government of Rwanda and others across Africa and India to support a million students today and growing year–on–year.

The study is based on a randomized control trial of more than 10,000 students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in Kenya.

  • After two years, primary students taught using NewGlobe's methods are nearly a whole additional year of learning ahead of students in other schools.
  • For pre–primary students, two years' teaching using NewGlobe's methods puts them a year–and–a–half of additional learning ahead of other students.


NewGlobe's Africa Director Clement Uwajenza said: "Despite enormous global investment, the 2030 SDG4 education targets will be missed, failing another generation of children. Now, is the time to identify and scale effective local solutions already being implemented by governments in the Global South. We all know the scale of the crisis, now we need practical action to solve it. The international community must unite and commit to implementing solutions already proven to work if we're to have any prospect of delivering on the promise of quality education for all. We must all hope that this Summit seizes the chance for change."

The groundbreaking education study also finds children taught using New Globe's methods are three times more likely to be able to read at age seven. The World Bank estimates 90% of 10 year olds in Africa can't read a single sentence.

World Bank Education Director Jaime Saavedra says the level of learning poverty in low and middle income countries is "the most serious education crisis of the last 100 years."

The latest UNESCO estimates suggest that SDG4 – the target to ensure quality education for all by 2030 – will be missed, with 300 million children still not reaching basic standards in literacy and numeracy.

More details: marek.pruszewicz@newglobe.education

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9d01433–18ba–4690–b2ae–cd561c3b4f10

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2210e4a1–6f26–4353–878a–a68ec7d2ed81


NewGlobe methods transforming African and Indian education as world leaders gather to address learning crisis at global summit.

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An innovative teaching methodology delivering "learning gains among the largest ever measured" is being taken–up by more and more African and Indian governments – ahead of the global education summit to tackle what's being called the greatest learning crisis for 100 years.

Rwanda's Government is the latest to launch a national education transformation program – RwandaEQUIP – with the aim of making the country's entire basic education system globally competitive.

Global leaders are gathering in New York for the UN Transforming Education Summit – convened in response to the crisis in global education. A "Solutions Day' will focus on the few replicable programs – like RwandaEQUIP – already delivering transformation at scale.

"Educational transformation is a core priority for the Government of Rwanda and bold investments have been made to this effect," said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Minister of State in Charge of Primary and Secondary Education.

RwandaEQUIP is supported by NewGlobe's innovative methodology, confirmed in a landmark study to deliver learning gains easily in the top 1% of those ever rigorously studied at scale in emerging markets.

The study, led by Professor Michael Kremer, 2019 Nobel Prize winner, suggests children living in underserved communities receive over 53% more learning in NewGlobe supported schools compared to students in other schools.

The results are an affirmation of NewGlobe's integrated learning system, used by the Government of Rwanda and others across Africa and India to support a million students today and growing year–on–year.

The study is based on a randomized control trial of more than 10,000 students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in Kenya.

  • After two years, primary students taught using NewGlobe's methods are nearly a whole additional year of learning ahead of students in other schools.
  • For pre–primary students, two years' teaching using NewGlobe's methods puts them a year–and–a–half of additional learning ahead of other students.


NewGlobe's Africa Director Clement Uwajenza said: "Despite enormous global investment, the 2030 SDG4 education targets will be missed, failing another generation of children. Now, is the time to identify and scale effective local solutions already being implemented by governments in the Global South. We all know the scale of the crisis, now we need practical action to solve it. The international community must unite and commit to implementing solutions already proven to work if we're to have any prospect of delivering on the promise of quality education for all. We must all hope that this Summit seizes the chance for change."

The groundbreaking education study also finds children taught using New Globe's methods are three times more likely to be able to read at age seven. The World Bank estimates 90% of 10 year olds in Africa can't read a single sentence.

World Bank Education Director Jaime Saavedra says the level of learning poverty in low and middle income countries is "the most serious education crisis of the last 100 years."

The latest UNESCO estimates suggest that SDG4 – the target to ensure quality education for all by 2030 – will be missed, with 300 million children still not reaching basic standards in literacy and numeracy.

More details: marek.pruszewicz@newglobe.education

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9d01433–18ba–4690–b2ae–cd561c3b4f10

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2210e4a1–6f26–4353–878a–a68ec7d2ed81


Emirate Lithium Commences Reconnaissance Studies of its Iwajowa and Kaima Lithium Projects

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Emirate Lithium and Geominerals Limited ("Emirate Lithium" or "the Company"), focused on the exploration, mining, trading and exporting of solid minerals ores, including lithium spodumene, tin, columbite, zircon sand (brown), monazite and tantalite to Europe and Asia, signed contracts with AGVision Mining Limited ("AGVision") to carry out reconnaissance studies for the Company's Iwajowa and Kaima lithium projects located within the known pegmatite belt in south western and north central Nigeria. The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, the Federal Government of Nigeria agency charged with developing geo–science data, is currently carrying out several early–stage exploration programs within the Nigeria's pegmatite belt. This corrects the Company's press release dated September 9, 2022 to the effect that the Company has signed contracts with AGVision to carry out pre–feasibility studies on its Iwajowa and Kaima Lithium projects.

Under the terms of the contracts, AGVision is conducting studies involving the general geographic features and characteristics of the Company's Iwajowa and Kaima lithium projects, including geological mapping, outcrop sampling, wide–spaced geochemical sampling and preliminary geophysics. Emirate Lithium intends to simultaneously follow these studies with rock sampling, pitting and trenching of the projects.

AGVision was founded by a group of Nigerian engineering, procurement, and construction managers and a world leading Australian geological, geophysical and geospatial company "" International Geoscience Pty Limited. International Geoscience Pty Limited is led by Dr. Warwick Crowe, a globally regarded structural geologist and one of the world's foremost experts on Nigeria's economic geology. AGVision delivers the Australian Joint Ore Reserves Committee reporting standards in his various exploratory activities and reporting.

"This is an important milestone for Emirate Lithium, setting the stage for the next phase of our corporate evolution," said Lanre Afebuameh, Founder and CEO of Emirate. "While the reconnaissance studies are conducted over the next few months, our team will continue to focus on our current surface mining operations of spodumene ore, which have yielded average annual exports of US $5 million of approximately 6% Li content in the spodumene concentrate since launching in 2020."

While Emirate Lithium exports have primarily targeted Asian customers, the Company anticipates increased demand for its high–grade ore from European electric vehicle and battery manufacturers.

About Emirate Lithium

Emirate Lithium was incorporated in 2017 and commenced operations in 2018 as a mining, minerals, processing, and export company. The Company commenced open pit mining (surface mining) operations working with artisanal and small–scale operators in 2020 to establish lithium ore–grade quantities and build customer demand. Emirate Lithium currently has 27 minerals exploration licenses acquired from the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office ("MCO"). Six of the 27 licenses are for lithium, making the Company a major holder of lithium assets in Sub–Sahara Africa, with Emirate Lithium poised to become the largest holder of lithium assets in the continent.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward–Looking Statements

This news release includes certain “forward–looking statements” for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Forward–looking statements are based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward–looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward–looking statements. Emirate Lithium disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward–looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact

Dave Gentry, CEO
RedChip Companies, Inc.
1–800–Red–Chip (733–2441)
emirate@redchip.com


Business School Students in High Demand: Nearly 9 in 10 Landed Jobs Prior to Graduation

RESTON, Va., Sept. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Despite market fear of an imminent recession, 86 percent of 2022 business school graduates were employed at the time of graduation, up from 80 percent in 2021, according to a survey report released today by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Contributing to the favorable trends are the regional results of graduates who studied in the Asia–Pacific region and Europe. Among graduates of Asia–Pacific business schools, this year 91 percent report being employed at the time of graduation, compared with 78 percent in 2021. Similarly, among European graduates, 90 percent indicate they were employed this year compared with 75 percent last year.

The annual Enrolled Students Survey from GMAC, a global association of leading graduate business schools, aims to better understand current trends in student and recent graduates' evaluations and outcomes of their graduate management education (GME). Conducted in May–June 2022, this year's survey explores the views of 1,718 respondents from nearly 300 business schools in 57 countries around the word on their overall GME experience, job search, and compensation in the context of the COVID–19 pandemic.

Globally, the responding graduates of participating schools reported a median percentage increase in total compensation""including base salary and all other compensation""of 29 percent. Notably, among North American school graduates, those who attended full–time MBA programs reported a pre–GME total compensation median of US$80,000, and a post–GME total compensation median of US$120,000""an impressive 50 percent increase.

"With the volatile economic conditions and organizational challenges brought on by the pandemic, well–rounded and prepared business leaders and managers are especially in demand in the current job market," said Matt Hazenbush, director of research analysis and communications at GMAC and author of the report. "As the survey findings suggest, graduate management education provides students with a powerful leg up for their career."

Other Key Findings

Most students who set out to make a career change or gain a promotion encounter success

In step with the Great Resignation, students' top goals and motivations in 2022 were to enrich their lives and make a career change. Among 2022 respondents, a majority who set out to make a career change or get promoted report that they were successful in achieving that goal. Specifically, among those who say making a career change was one of their top three motivations to pursuing GME, 57 percent said they were successful. Success rates for graduates from schools in Latin America/Middle East/Africa (66%) and North America (61%) were slightly higher, though not significantly, than those in Asia Pacific (54%) or Europe (55%), but across world regions a majority successfully made the career change they set out to make. Similarly, 56 percent of graduates who had the goal to gain a promotion were successful.

Social media use in the job search jumps up from last year

Use of social media in the job search""including sites like LinkedIn""increased significantly year–on–year, from 27 to 37 percent, overtaking networking with classmates and alumni (28%) as well as friends and family (35%). The increase in social media use as a job search method was significant among professional MBA (24% in 2021 to 31% in 2022) and business master's students (23% in 2021 to 40% in 2022). By region, use of social media increased significantly among those who studied in Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America/Middle East/Africa, but not in North America.

Students from Asia–Pacific schools rate the overall value of their degree significantly higher in 2022 compared with 2021

Eighty–five percent of respondents rated the overall value of their degree as good to outstanding, up slightly from 82 percent in 2021. By region, students who studied in Asia–Pacific schools reported the largest year–on–year increase in favorable ratings for the overall value of their degree, rising from 75 percent to 86 percent between 2021 and 2022. While both full–time MBA and business master's students in Asia Pacific had year–on–year increases, the increase was significant among full–time MBA students, rising from 66 percent to 84 percent. Globally, students who attended ranked schools reported similar levels of favorability of the overall value of their degree compared with students who attended non–ranked schools (85%, respectively).

As pandemic restrictions eased, student satisfaction with career and student services improved

Eighty–four percent of 2022 respondents gave career services a favorable review, up from 74 percent in 2021. Also improving were opinions on student services, up to 85 percent favorable from 80 percent in 2021. The improvement in favorability in career and student services was consistent across students of full–time MBA, business master's, and professional MBA programs, as well as students who studied in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America/Middle East/Africa, and North America.

About GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission–driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. GMAC provides world–class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry, as well as resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.

More than 12 million prospective students a year trust GMAC's websites, including mba.com, to learn about MBA and business master's programs, connect with schools around the world, prepare and register for exams and get advice on successfully applying to MBA and business master's programs. BusinessBecause and The MBA Tour are subsidiaries of GMAC, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contact:

Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
202–390–4180 (mobile)
thsu@gmac.com


Legit Security Discovers and Helps Remediate Software Supply Chain Vulnerabilities in Google Firebase & Apache Open-Source Projects

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Legit Security, a cyber security company with an enterprise platform to secure an organization's software supply chain, today announced that it discovered software supply chain attack vulnerabilities in popular open–source projects from Google and Apache. The discovered vulnerability affects GitHub, an extremely popular Source Code Management (SCM) system at the heart of many organization's software supply chains and used by software developers globally. The Legit Security research team found a new type of CI/CD vulnerability called "GitHub Environment Injection" that allows attackers to take control of the vulnerable project's GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline. Any GitHub user could exploit this vulnerability to modify the project's source code, steal secrets, move laterally and attack inside the organization, and ultimately initiate a SolarWinds–like supply chain attack. The vulnerability was found in the Google Firebase project and in a very popular integration framework project from Apache. Both Google and Apache acknowledged and fixed the vulnerabilities after an initial disclosure by Legit Security. Legit Security has published a technical disclosure blog on their website including guidance for organizations to remediate this vulnerability.

Legit Security's Research Team discovered that a specially crafted payload written to a GitHub environment variable called "GITHUB_ENV" could allow an attacker to execute code on the target pipeline and thereby modify the source code or compromise the repository itself. This attack can be initiated by any GitHub user and is very easy to implement just by creating a "pull request" or a proposed change to the source code. The mere act of submitting the pull request will trigger the vulnerable build action and carry out a successful compromise and the attacker does not need to be subjected a code review approval from the source code maintainer for it to take effect.

The Legit Security team disclosed these issues to Google and Apache project maintainers, along with remediation guidelines, and verified that these vulnerabilities weren't exploited by a malicious actor. Both projects have been fixed and are now safe. However, these are not the only projects susceptible to this kind of attack. Since using the GITHUB_ENV file is currently considered the "safe" way to change environment variables in GitHub Actions, many repositories are using workflows that write untrusted data into this file, leaving them exposed to supply chain attacks.

"This type of vulnerability joins many other software supply chain vulnerabilities and attacks targeting popular open–source projects, including GitHub, which is the largest and the de facto host of most open–source projects," said Liav Caspi, CTO and co–founder of Legit Security. "We, as a security community, must build the tools and processes to address these threats and allow organizations to trust software and use it safely. Here at Legit Security our mission is to secure every organization's software supply chain and we are active conducting security research and collaborating on initiatives to achieve this goal.”

According to Gartner , nearly half of organizations worldwide will experience an attack on their software supply chains by 2025, a three–fold increase from 2021. There has been a huge rise in attempts to compromise open–source projects and CI/CD build services, including GitHub Actions, to enable wide ranging attacks through software supply chains.

For in–depth analysis of the GitHub Environment Injection vulnerability, along with broader information and guidance on how to protect your organization from software supply chain attacks, please visit the Legit Security website and blog.

About Legit Security
Legit Security protects software supply chains from attack by automatically discovering and securing the pipelines, infrastructure, code and people so that businesses can stay safe while releasing software fast. Legit provides an easy to implement SaaS platform that supports both cloud and on–premises resources and combines automated discovery and analysis capabilities with hundreds of security policies developed by industry experts with real–world SDLC security experience. This integrated platform keeps your software factory secure and provides continuous assurance that your applications are released without vulnerabilities.


Dave and Buster’s to Open 11 Units Across KSA, UAE, and Egypt

DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Just a few months after announcing its international expansion plans Dave & Buster's inks its first multi–country, multi–unit deal.

"We couldn't be more pleased and excited to announce our Partnership with Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group to develop the Dave & Buster's Brand across key West Asian Markets," said Antonio Bautista, Chief International Development Officer of Dave & Buster's.

The Brand will begin its expansion with sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

"Dave & Buster's is a preeminent entertainment brand, and this franchise partnership marks a strategic milestone for our organization as we continue expanding our entertainment and hospitality portfolio across the region," said Mishal Alhokair, Deputy CEO of Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group.

To drive international expansion, Dave & Buster's has developed key strategic initiatives that uniquely support global market penetration:

  • Customizable footprint to drive box economics in each market as required
  • Menu localization with high regional resonance
  • Proprietary, dynamic pricing model
  • Global marketing programs that are demographically agnostic and locally executable
  • Differentiated and unique amusement strategy and packages
  • Localized entertainment and 3rd day part programming

"With four decades of market leading experience, a seasoned leadership team, and a best–in–class support center infrastructure, Dave & Buster's is ready to RUN THE FUN for our global partners and guests," added Antonio Bautista.

For more information on franchising opportunities visit www.daveandbusters.com/franchising or email InternationalDevelopment@daveandbusters.com

About Dave & Buster's
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Coppell, Texas, Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc., is the owner and operator of 200 venues in North America that offer premier entertainment and dining experiences to guests through two distinct brands: Dave & Buster's and Main Event. Dave & Buster's has 148 stores in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada and offers guests the opportunity to "Eat Drink Play and Watch," all in one location. Each store offers a full menu of entres and appetizers, a complete selection of alcoholic and non–alcoholic beverages, and an extensive assortment of entertainment attractions centered around playing games and watching live sports and other televised events. Main Event operates 52 centers in 17 states across the country, and offers state–of–the–art bowling, laser tag, hundreds of arcade games, and virtual reality, making it the perfect place for families to connect and make memories. For more information about each brand, visit www.daveandbusters.com www.mainevent.com

About Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group "Believe in what you do & you shall become the master of your craft"
This phrase inspired Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair to start his first theme park in Riyadh, which was "an unprecedented leap" in the tourism and entertainment sector, a sector that ran on mere "coincidence." Here in Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Holding Group, we turned "the dream" into an organized industry that aspires to be the best locally, regionally, and internationally. Sheikh Abdul Mohsen's vision began with the need for tourism and entertainment in the Gulf region, which led to the opening of parks, and recreational centers in 1978, making him the Sheikh of Tourism in the Gulf Region. The roots of our companies were based on research and planning and deep consideration for all aspects of success.

Now, many people look to us with deep appreciation and respect. Each of our companies has its own story of success, and together they crowned us as a holding company, an umbrella for all companies and businesses. Holding is the mother and protector of our businesses, which began from the first day of networking that Sheikh Abdul Mohsen started to a glorious road that we hope to continue.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Antonio Bautista
antonio.bautista@daveandbusters.com


Radware Launches New Cloud Security Center in the United Arab Emirates

MAHWAH, N.J., Sept. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR), a leading provider of cyber security and application delivery solutions, announced the launch of a new cloud security center in the United Arab Emirates. Located in Dubai, the facility will reduce latency for in–region traffic and offer customers faster mitigation response times against denial–of–service attacks, web application attacks, malicious bot traffic, and attacks on APIs. It will also mitigate compliance processes involved in offshore routing.

The Dubai addition complements Radware's existing cloud security network. Today, the network includes over 10Tbps of mitigation capacity across more than 50 security centers located around the globe.

"As part of our strategic cloud services initiative, we continue to accelerate cloud innovation to provide our customers with the highest level of cyber security services," said Haim Zelikovsky, vice president of cloud security services for Radware. "This includes increasing the fighting capacity of our cloud infrastructure to help our customers manage the increasing complexity and sheer volume of cyberattacks with as little disruption as possible."

According to Radware's First Half 2022 Global Threat Analysis Report, the first six months of 2022 saw a dramatic increase in cyberattacks across the globe. The number of DDoS attacks climbed 203% and malicious web application transactions grew by 38% compared to the same period last year.

"The new site in Dubai fills a growing demand for a local security presence that can deliver rapid response times with accuracy for organizations in the public and private sector," said Nikhil Karan Taneja, Radware's vice president and managing director for India, the Middle East, and South Asia. "The launch of the center underscores our ongoing commitment to delivering state–of–the–art cyber protection and scaling our capacity in a way that will benefit the whole region."

About Radware
Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR) is a global leader of cyber security and application delivery solutions for physical, cloud, and software defined data centers. Its award–winning solutions portfolio secures the digital experience by providing infrastructure, application, and corporate IT protection, and availability services to enterprises globally. Radware's solutions empower enterprise and carrier customers worldwide to adapt to market challenges quickly, maintain business continuity, and achieve maximum productivity while keeping costs down. For more information, please visit the Radware website.

Radware encourages you to join our community and follow us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Radware Blog, Twitter, YouTube, and Radware Mobile for iOS and Android.

2022 Radware Ltd. All rights reserved. Any Radware products and solutions mentioned in this press release are protected by trademarks, patents, and pending patent applications of Radware in the U.S. and other countries. For more details, please see: https://www.radware.com/LegalNotice/. All other trademarks and names are property of their respective owners.

Radware believes the information in this document is accurate in all material respects as of its publication date. However, the information is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties and is subject to change without notice.

The contents of any website or hyperlinks mentioned in this press release are for informational purposes and the contents thereof are not part of this press release.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes "forward–looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about Radware's plans, outlook, beliefs, or opinions, are forward–looking statements. Generally, forward–looking statements may be identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "plans," and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "should," "would," "may," and "could." For example, when we say that we have an ongoing commitment to scale our capacity, we are using a forward–looking statement. Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, expressed or implied by such forward–looking statements, could differ materially from Radware's current forecasts and estimates. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of global economic conditions and volatility of the market for our products; natural disasters and public health crises, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; a shortage of components or manufacturing capacity could cause a delay in our ability to fulfill orders or increase our manufacturing costs; our business may be affected by sanctions, export controls, and similar measures, targeting Russia and other countries and territories, as well as other responses to Russia's military conflict in Ukraine, including indefinite suspension of operations in Russia and dealings with Russian entities by many multi–national businesses across a variety of industries; our ability to successfully implement our strategic initiative to accelerate our cloud business; our ability to expand our operations effectively; timely availability and customer acceptance of our new and existing solutions; risks and uncertainties relating to acquisitions or other investments; the impact of economic and political uncertainties and weaknesses in various regions of the world, including the commencement or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism; intense competition in the market for cyber security and application delivery solutions and in our industry in general, and changes in the competitive landscape; changes in government regulation; outages, interruptions, or delays in hosting services or our internal network system; compliance with open source and third–party licenses; the risk that our intangible assets or goodwill may become impaired; our dependence on independent distributors to sell our products; long sales cycles for our solutions; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; undetected defects or errors in our products or a failure of our products to protect against malicious attacks; the availability of components and manufacturing capacity; the ability of vendors to provide our hardware platforms and components for our main accessories; our ability to protect our proprietary technology; intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties; changes in tax laws; our ability to realize our investment objectives for our cash and liquid investments; our ability to attract, train, and retain highly qualified personnel; and other factors and risks over which we may have little or no control. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Radware, refer to Radware's Annual Report on Form 20–F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other risk factors discussed from time to time by Radware in reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Forward–looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except as required by applicable law, Radware undertakes no commitment to revise or update any forward–looking statement in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made. Radware's public filings are available from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or may be obtained on Radware's website at www.radware.com.

Media Contact:
Gerri Dyrek
Radware
Gerri.Dyrek@radware.com


Sabin Receives Additional $21.8 Million From BARDA to Advance Marburg Vaccine

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Sabin Vaccine Institute today announced it is receiving an additional $21.8 million under an existing contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These funds advance development of a vaccine against Marburg virus disease, a virus that is related to Ebola Zaire which killed 2200 people during the last major outbreak that ended in 2020.

The Sabin Marburg vaccine is the only candidate currently slated for a Phase 2 clinical trial. Marburg is among the world's deadliest viruses, resulting in the death of approximately half the people the virus infects. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the disease. As recently as July this year, two people in Ghana died after being infected with Marburg virus, reinforcing the urgent need for medical therapies.

The latest tranche of funds enables Sabin to conduct a randomized, blinded, placebo–controlled clinical trial among adults in the U.S. to further evaluate the safety and the efficacy of the Marburg vaccine candidate and advance non–clinical vaccine dosing studies. The Phase 2 clinical trial in the U.S. will begin after Sabin has initiated a same–stage trial in Africa, currently scheduled for 2023. Sabin will also undertake a non–clinical study on the vaccine candidate during this phase.

"Beginning Phase 2 clinical trials for the Marburg vaccine is a pivotal milestone for us and we appreciate BARDA's continued confidence in our work and support for this critical next step," says Sabin Chief Executive Officer Amy Finan. "Vaccines remain our best bet against death and disability from deadly viruses. I am hopeful that in the years ahead, we can offer this life–saving vaccine to every person who needs it."

In 2019, BARDA awarded Sabin a multi–year contract valued at $128 million to further the development of vaccines against two lethal viruses: Marburg and Ebola Sudan. With BARDA now exercising the latest option of that contract, Sabin's Ebola and Marburg Research & Development program, to date, has been awarded $98.6 million.

BARDA is part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under contract number 75A50119C000555.

Learn more about Sabin's Marburg and Ebola Sudan Program.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non–profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on Twitter, @SabinVaccine.

About Ebola Sudan and Marburg

Ebola Sudan and Marburg are members of the filovirus family. Both can cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. No therapeutic treatment of the hemorrhagic fevers caused by filoviruses has been licensed to date. Marburg and Ebola viruses are transmitted to humans by infected animals, particularly fruit bats. Once a human is infected, the virus can spread to others through close personal contact or contact with bodily fluids. Isolation of infected people is currently the centerpiece of filovirus control.

Marburg was the first filovirus to be recognized in 1967 when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever were reported in a few Europe–based laboratories including in the town of Marburg, Germany. Ebola was identified in 1976 when two simultaneous outbreaks occurred in northern Zaire (now the DRC) in a village near the Ebola River and southern Sudan. The outbreaks involved what eventually proved to be two different species of Ebola virus; both were named after the nations in which they were discovered.

Media contact:

Rajee Suri
press@sabin.org


Killings, Abductions Fuel Fear of Taliban Return in North-West Pakistan

Residents of Swat held a protest demonstration on August 12 against the presence of Taliban militants. Credit: Ashfaq Yusufzai/IPS

Residents of Swat held a protest demonstration on August 12 against the presence of Taliban militants. Credit: Ashfaq Yusufzai/IPS

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR, Sep 14 2022 – The killing of eight people by the outlawed Tehreek Taliban Pakistan on September 13 has given credence to the fear of a new wave of terrorism in the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

TTP claimed responsibility for the latest improvised explosive device (IED) attack on a vehicle. A former member of the peace committee, Idrees Khan, and two policemen were among the victims of the attack.

On the same day, seven international cellular company staffers were allegedly abducted from Swat by militants demanding Rs10 million (about 42,303 US dollars) ransom.

Murad Saeed, a former federal minister and lawmaker from Swat, told IPS that he has led a campaign to get the government to put brakes on militants before they establish themselves and there was a repeat of the 2007 situation when the group killed soldiers, singers, and opponents. However, all his requests have fallen on deaf ears.

“The militants are coming from neighboring Afghanistan … The Taliban are sending threatening letters to people for extortion. They are kidnapping people for ransom,” he said.

He said the residents would march to Islamabad’s capital unless the situation changes. “We need peace and prosperity and want the security agencies to stop the militants.”

Saeed’s mother sustained serious injuries when the Taliban fired a rocket at his home in 2008. He said the residents wanted military action to clear the area of terrorists and warned of public reaction in case these acts of militancy didn’t stop.

“People want peace at cost. We are united against militancy. Nobody will be allowed to disrupt peace in the area,” he said.

Swat was ruled unlawfully by Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from 2007 to 2010, when its militants were evicted through a military operation. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one of Pakistan’s four provinces, shares a long border with violence-stricken Afghanistan.

Following the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan last year, militants started appearing again in Swat and other border areas.

On August 10, the Taliban captured two officers, including one army and a police officer, in the nearby mountains of Swat and released their videos. Later, both were freed after a committee of local elders met the militants.

The incident sent a wave of fear among residents, who had witnessed the worst form of terrorism in the past.

“We have bitter experience of militancy when security personnel, singers, political leaders, and civil society members were executed in the main Bazaar of Swat. Taliban militants banned women doctors, nurses, and female teachers from work,” Shafiq Khan, a resident, told IPS.

On August 12, scores of people staged street protests in different areas against the recent resurgence of militants.

“We will not allow anyone to sabotage the hard-earned peace in the region,” Shafiq, a university student, said.

The same day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police conceded the emergence of miscreants in a few hilly areas of Swat but said they were ready to deal with the situation.

“Some residents of the Taliban, who were in Afghanistan, have arrived at Swat, but the situation was under the control,” a police statement said.

Imran Khan, former prime minister, whose Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) party rules Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, expressed concern over the appearance of the Taliban. In a televised speech, he said that the militants were issuing threats to lawmakers of his party.

“It’s a conspiracy against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Previously, the Taliban targeted the security forces and politicians as they considered them pro-US, but this government has long been opposing Pakistan’s siding with the US against terrorism; then why is the Taliban targeting this provincial government?”

Salimullah Shah, a former education officer in Swat, recalls how militants banned women doctors, nurses, and teachers from working from 2007 to 2010.

Maulvi Fazlullah led militants in Swat in 2007. He was later killed in a drone attack in Afghanistan in June 2018. He had also banned polio vaccination, due to which dozens of children were paralyzed. Pregnant women and girls’ education suffered for want of medics and teachers during the TTP’s illegitimate rule.

Khan said that the Taliban had also banned barbers from shaving beards and women from leaving home without being accompanied by a close male family member.

“Keeping in mind the past activities of the Taliban, people have decided to block their entry. Soon, the militants will flee the area due to tremendous public pressure, especially through social media platforms,” he said.

Muhammad Abdullah, a political science teacher at the University of Peshawar, said that the government was silent over the matter. Still, social media pressure has become a vital force behind the protests.

“The video clips circulating on social media showing the heavy presence of militants in Swat shows that militancy is likely to return if action isn’t initiated. Militants want to enforce their own brand of Islamic law, which the people will not permit,” he said.

“The people still remember the ruthlessness of the Taliban in the past; that was the main reason due to the heavy protests,” he said.

Peace came after heavy sacrifices with residents disgraced, displaced, and killed.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif said every effort would be made to ensure peace and prevent terrorism.

“The government is taking measures in collaboration with security outfits to apply brakes on miscreants and safeguard the residents,” he said.

However, inter-Services Public Relations of the Pakistan Army rejected the assertion that the arrival of militants in Swat was destabilizing the area. It said the presence of a “small number of armed men on few mountain-tops between Swat and Dir districts has been observed,” located far away from the population.

“Apparently, these individuals sneaked in from Afghanistan to resettle in their native areas. A close watch is being maintained on their limited presence and movement in mountains,” it said in a statement issued on August 13.

According to the ISPR statement, “required measures are in place by all law enforcement agencies for the safety and security of people of adjoining areas. The presence of militants anywhere will not be tolerated, and they will be dealt with full use of force if required”.

The Swat Qaumi Jirga held a meeting on August 17 to address recent developments in the area.

Analyst Abdur Rehman at the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan told IPS that following the assumption of power by the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan last August, native militants of Swat wanted to reassert their illegitimate rule back home. However, the public’s outrage wouldn’t allow them to fulfill their ambitions, he said.

He said people hadn’t forgotten the days when the Taliban openly slaughtered their opponents in the marketplaces. With its many musicians and dancers, Swat saw the execution of dancers and singers, forcing those surviving the onslaught to flee the area, he said.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 


!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?’http’:’https’;if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+’://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js’;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, ‘script’, ‘twitter-wjs’);  

Visited launches a spotlight on UAE’s Travel Popularity

TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to the Visited travel app, UAE is currently ranked as the 27th most popular country to visit among global international travelers. The Visited travel app has over 1 million users across the globe and offers a unique glance into who visits the Emirates and what they do when they are there. The data is based on the user's self–reported information on where they have been, wish to travel to and what places/experiences they had while there.

Visited, a travel app released by Arriving In High Heels, allows users to map travels, check off places off the bucket list, and stay on top of travel trends. The popular travel app has been translated into 30 languages and is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.

The large percentage of travelers to the UAE are coming from Australia and Europe. With 29 percent of all Australians having visited the Emirates. 28 Percent of Swiss travelers and 27 percent of all UK travelers have been to UAE. On a global scale 17 percent of all international travellers have been to the UAE, with 7 percent having it on their bucket list.

Despite the popularity of visiting the UAE, Abu Dhabi is the 30th most visited capital in the world, indicating that Dubai is currently more frequently visited.

The Top Sights in the emirates according to over 60 travel lists split by categories include:

  • Yas Marina is 4th most visited Formula One Circuit.
  • Sheikh Zayed Mosque is ranked 4th of all Mosques visited around the world, only 2nd spot to Mosques found in Istanbul.
  • Louvre Abu Dhabi is the 44th most visited Art Museum in the world.
  • Dubai Cruise Port, while being the largest cruise terminal in the world is currently in 21st spot for most visited cruise ports in the world.
  • Motiongate Dubai and Legoland Dubai are found in the top 100 list for kids attractions.

Some of the experiences that people tend to have in UAE includes:

  • Shopping: Dubai Mall is ranked 14th in the world, coming only a few spots behind fashion capitals of NYC, Milan and Paris.
  • Beach: 57 percent of all visitors to the Emirates travel with the beach in mind.
  • Snorkelling and Diving is another popular activity for those seeking a more adventurous vacation.
  • The Arabian Desert is currently ranked in 2nd most visited desert in the world. Not surprising as it is almost impossible to come to the Emirates without venturing to the desert.

To access the full report with other insights into a typical visitor to the UAE, visit: visitedapp.com

Visited has also rolled out a new set of travel lists. The list feature allows users to not only select the sites that they have visited but also see how they rank against other travellers. Users will find travel lists that match their interests, such as food and drink, nature, history, culture, architecture, religious sites, sporting events, and more. Popular lists include: world capitals, ancient sites, lists of cruise ports, top beaches, best snorkelling locations, mountain ranges and art museums. The travel lists are sorted based on popularity by over 1.45 million international travellers who have installed the Visited app.

There are endless places to visit and having data from other world travelers will help users create their own bucket lists and personalized plans.

With the ability for users to create their very own digital scratch map with past and future travels by country, region/state and city, users are able to easily track their personal travel goals and gain personalized insights to key stats such as travel ranking, percentage of the world seen, and total countries visited.

Users can also leverage the Inspiration feature to discover new destinations with an intuitive swiping experience. By scanning popular and less viewed travel places, users can visualize and plan their next adventure on the Visited App with ease.

To learn more about the Visited app and its latest feature update, please visit https://visitedapp.com.

About Arriving In High Heels Corporation
Arriving In High Heels Corporation is a mobile app company; Visited is its most popular app. For inspiration on travel destinations, travel stats and the latest travel news, follow Visited's Travel Blog.

Contact Information
Anna Kayfitz
anna@arrivinginhighheels.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b0151dd5–8ed8–43ed–9365–fbbb79cdee25