First-ever regional award to honour harmony leaders advancing social cohesion in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Harmony in Diversity Award, a new initiative which recognises individuals who have demonstrated outstanding efforts to foster social cohesion and harmony between people of different cultures in Southeast Asia, was officially launched today.

Presented by Temasek Foundation in collaboration with the 5P Global Movement as the supporting secretariat, the Award promotes aspirations for social harmony, and aims to amplify the impact of fostering social cohesion in the region.

According to the 2025 Southeast Asian Social Cohesion Radar^[1], a regional study conducted by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, the region’s social cohesion index averaged 72.4%, indicating the potential for greater awareness of harmony and diversity, as well as continued shared appreciation across Southeast Asia.

The Harmony in Diversity Award aims to:

i.        Increase understanding and awareness of social cohesion and harmony initiatives in Southeast Asia;
ii.        Establish a network of Harmony in Diversity champions to promote social cohesion and harmony in Southeast Asia; and
iii.        Increase cross-cultural collaborations to amplify the impact of fostering harmony in the communities in Southeast Asia.

The launch was graced by Madam Halimah Yacob, Chancellor of the Singapore University of Social Sciences, Patron of the Harmony in Diversity Award and former President of the Republic of Singapore.

“Social harmony does not happen by chance – it is built, nurtured, and protected. It must not be taken for granted. In times of uncertainty, we should not be daunted. We should continue to build bridges across divides and walk alongside one another. The Harmony in Diversity Award is a recognition to those who have chosen to bridge divides and foster social cohesion and harmony in Southeast Asia and to inspire more initiatives. Thank you to Temasek Foundation and the 5P Global Movement for championing this meaningful journey,” said Madam Halimah Yacob.

Mr Ng Boon Heong, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Foundation, said, “The Harmony in Diversity Award is more than a recognition – it’s a call to action. It’s a platform to build a regional community of champions who are advancing harmony in meaningful ways, creating shared spaces of trust, respect and understanding. By spotlighting their stories, Temasek Foundation hopes to inspire greater awareness, strengthen connections, and spark collective action to deepen social cohesion across Southeast Asia.”

Mr M. Arsjad Rasjid P.M., Founder of 5P Global Movement, the supporting secretariat of the Award, added: “This Award reflects what we believe at 5P — that peace and prosperity come from honouring people, protecting the planet, and building partnerships rooted in trust. True harmony takes all of us, from individuals to institutions, working together. By recognising those who bridge divides and lift others up, we hope to inspire greater collaboration across sectors, borders, and generations.”

Harmony in Diversity Award: Call for Nominations

The award is open to citizens of Southeast Asia who have driven impactful and innovative initiatives to advance social harmony in their communities.

Nominations must be submitted by organisations, such as non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, businesses, or governments. Eligible nominees must show a commitment to fostering social cohesion through initiatives that are relevant, innovative and impactful.

Individuals will be evaluated based on the R.A.I.S.E. framework, which considers:

• Relevance to the challenges in fostering harmony
• Alignment with values of peace, prosperity, people, planet and partnership
• Innovation in approach or concept
• Significance of demonstrated community impact
• Elevate and improve lives and foster belonging

The selected awardee will receive:

• USD 20,000
• A trophy symbolising harmony in diversity
• A platform to showcase their work at a regional event attended by peacebuilders, thought leaders, and multi-sector representatives.

Nominations are now open and will close in December 2025. For more information and submission details, please email secretariat@5pglobal.org.

Judging Panel

Nominations will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of regional leaders:

• Her Royal Highness Tunku Tun Aminah, Non-Independent Non-Executive Chairman, Berjaya Corporation Berhad
• Ms Retno L.P. Marsudi, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia
• Mayor Joy Belmonte, Mayor of Quezon City, Philippines
• Mr Panote Sirivadhanabhakdi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Property Limited
• Mr Ng Boon Heong, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Foundation

About Temasek Foundation

Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Asia, including Singapore. Made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, an investment company headquartered in Singapore, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and regional capabilities, advance science, and protect the planet. For more information, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg

About 5P Global Movement

The 5P Global Movement is a non-profit organisation which promotes harmony in diversity through incorporating the 5P (peace, prosperity, people, planet, partnership) values in all its programmes.

The 5P Global Movement was first introduced during the G20 Religious Forum in 2022 in Bali and was officially launched in Jakarta in September 2023. It has currently active chapters in Indonesia and Poland, and continues to expand globally. The 5P Global Movement is the supporting secretariat of the Award.

Saudi Tourism Authority’s Roadshow brings a vibrant showcase of culture and heritage to Hong Kong, 
followed by the historic debut of the Saudi Super Cup highlighting Saudi’s growing global influence in events and elite sport.

Download high-res images here

HONG KONG, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA)’s national tourism brand, ‘Saudi, Welcome to Arabia‘ is set to transform Hong Kong this summer with a spectacular series of events showcasing Saudi’s unique blend of world-class sport, rich heritage, and warm hospitality.

STA will host an exclusive roadshow at the JW Marriott Hong Kong on 6 August, where this event will bring together 11 of STA’s key destination marketing partners, along with Qiddiya Investment Company, one of Saudi’s prominent destination development entities. During this roadshow, Saudi will spotlight its rich heritage, luxury experiences, and vibrant culture, reinforcing its appeal as one of the world’s most dynamic and inspiring new destinations for Hong Kong travelers.

Welcoming Hong Kong travelers to Saudi

With Saudi’s eVisa program now available to 66 countries and regions, and with direct Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Riyadh, it’s easier than before to experience Saudi’s warm hospitality and iconic welcome.

From indulgent shopping and fine dining in cosmopolitan hubs like Jeddah and Riyadh to serene retreats and curated cultural journeys, Saudi offers experiences tailored to every traveler’s desires. This summer, highlights include Jeddah Season 2025, the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, and AlUla Summer Nights, blending entertainment, heritage, and natural beauty. Visitors can explore the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Hegra Archaeological Site in AlUla, the Historic Jeddah old town, and the At-Turaif District in Diriyah—the birthplace of the Kingdom. Along the pristine Saudi Red Sea coast, a new chapter in luxury travel unfolds with world-class resorts and marine adventures set against breathtaking natural beauty. Whether visitors are seeking culture, adventure, relaxation or entertainment, Saudi promises a journey that is enriching, authentic, and unforgettable.

Saudi Super Cup in Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong

From 19 to 23 August, Saudi’s premier football competition heads to Hong Kong for the first time as the Saudi Super Cup takes over the Kai Tak Stadium. Leading clubs including Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Qadsiah, and Al-Ahli Saudi FC will battle for glory, with star players. More than just a sporting spectacle, this landmark occasion highlights Saudi’s growing influence on the world stage and its commitment to fostering cultural exchange, regional engagement, and world-class entertainment experiences. Hosting the tournament in Hong Kong reflects Saudi’s ambition to deepen ties with the city while offering fans across Asia a front-row seat to the energy and excitement of Saudi football at its finest.

Football fans can secure tickets for the Saudi Super Cup at Hong Kong Stadium from 19 to 23 August, priced between HK$499 and HK$2,990. You may find the information of Saudi Super Cup ticket from this link: https://www.klook.com/zh-HK/tetris/promo/saudisupercup/ 

To learn more about the very best attractions and experiences that Saudi has to offer, visit www.VisitSaudi.com

About “Saudi, Welcome to Arabia“

“Saudi, Welcome to Arabia” is a vibrant consumer brand dedicated to sharing Saudi Arabia with the world and welcoming travelers to explore all the country has to offer. The brand’s role is to drive forward the country’s tourism industry through awareness-raising campaigns and to provide a comprehensive array of information and resources for travelers to plan and enjoy unforgettable journeys. As the world’s fastest-growing destination, Saudi, the heart of Arabia, is the most exciting new year-round destination.

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On July 30, 2025, Atombeat Inc., a leading force in AI for drug discovery, and BioDuro, a globally trusted Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO), announced a strategic collaboration to an AI powered platform for accelerated peptide drug discovery.

This collaboration brings together Atombeat’s in silico modeling expertise, AI-accelerated & data-driven design platform with BioDuro’s expertise in discovery chemistry, biology and DMPK to accelerate the development of next-generation peptides. By enabling a seamless end-to-end workflow — from molecular design to preclinical candidate — this platform aims to deliver high quality cyclic peptides with faster timelines and better economy across a broad range of therapeutic areas.

Atombeat accelerates AI-driven drug discovery through its proprietary Hermite® software and RiDYMO® platform, enhanced by technologies such as Reinforced Dynamics, Uni-Dock, Uni-FEP, and Uni-QSAR. These technologies combine advanced computer modeling, artificial intelligence, and specialized data to explore an enormous digital library of over one trillion potential peptide compounds — built from more than 1000 natural and non-natural amino acids. This exploration happens entirely in silico, before any lab testing begins. The platform rapidly filters and prioritizes these compounds based on key developability traits such as membrane permeability. This speeds up the early stages of drug discovery, helping scientists focus only on the most promising candidates while saving time, cost, and effort.

Once the design phase is complete, BioDuro leverages its high-throughput synthesis capability to produce hundreds of peptide compounds in parallel. In one week, the team could deliver high-purity peptides — ready for biological testing — without purification steps needed. Coupled with readily available biology assays, this seamless integration of in silico design and wet-lab validation significantly accelerates R&D timelines while reducing costs and risks.

“We are excited to advance peptide innovation through our strategic partnership with Atombeat. Atombeat brings extensive experience in AI-assisted drug design and optimization,” said Dr. Armin Spura, CEO of BioDuro. “Together, we aim to provide the industry with leading services in peptide drug development, accelerating smarter and more efficient peptide research, and delivering faster and comprehensive solutions to our global clients.”

“BioDuro’s deep expertise in peptide synthesis and testing complements our strengths in AI-driven drug design exceptionally well,” said Dr. Dongdong Wang, co-founder of Atombeat. “By integrating AI with experimental processes, we are committed to building an intelligent, integrated platform for peptide drug discovery and evaluation. Our shared commitment is to drive innovation in pharmaceutical development and help meet unmet clinical needs worldwide.”

About BioDuro

BioDuro, an Advent International portfolio company, is a CRDMO with a 29-year proven track record. Headquartered in Irvine, California, USA, our global presence spans 7 sites across the United States and China, and over 2,000 employees. Specializing in both small and large molecule discovery, development, scale-up, and manufacturing, we offer fully integrated services from early drug discovery to commercial manufacturing across chemistry, biology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), drug substance, and drug product.

About Atombeat

Atombeat Inc. is a dynamic, innovative company founded by a team of elite computational and medicinal chemists, with a mission to make advanced computational drug discovery accessible to all. Headquartered in New Jersey, USA, Atombeat has teams across United States and China. Combining deep expertise in modeling development, cloud infrastructure optimization and drug R&D, Atombeat offers a suite of powerful computational drug design software and early discovery services to tackle complex targets and explore emerging therapeutic modalities.

• Transaction accelerates the company’s transformation as a pure-play provider of innovative building solutions

CORK, Ireland, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), a global leader for smart, safe, healthy and sustainable buildings, today announced it has completed the sale of its Residential and Light Commercial (R&LC) HVAC business in an all-cash transaction to the Bosch Group.

“The completion of this transaction is an important milestone for Johnson Controls and positions our company as a leading pure-play provider of innovative building solutions,” said CEO Joakim Weidemanis. “Johnson Controls is embarking on its next era, and I’m confident in our ability to reach our full potential as a faster-growing, more profitable, technology-based and service-enabled company. I look forward to the journey ahead as we transform our industry for years to come and work together to deliver even greater value for our customers, team members and shareholders.”

Weidemanis continued, “I want to thank the Residential and Light Commercial HVAC team for their service and dedication and wish them the best of success as they join the Bosch Group.”

As previously announced, the total transaction is valued at $8.1 billion and the company’s portion of the consideration is approximately $6.7 billion. Net cash proceeds to Johnson Controls were approximately $5.0 billion after tax and transaction-related expenses.

The transaction includes the North America ducted business as well as the global residential joint venture with Hitachi, Ltd. As part of the transaction, Hitachi has retained certain ductless HVAC assets located in Shimizu, Japan.

Consistent with its capital allocation policy, Johnson Controls expects to return a portion of the net proceeds of the transaction to shareholders through the implementation of a $5.0 billion accelerated share repurchase program expected to commence in the coming weeks pursuant to its previously announced share repurchase authorization (with current overall availability of $9.8 billion).

Advisors

Centerview Partners and Citi served as financial advisors to Johnson Controls, Simpson Thacher served as legal advisor, and Joele Frank served as investor relations advisor.

JOHNSON CONTROLS INTERNATIONAL PLC CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Johnson Controls International plc (“Johnson Controls”) has made statements in this communication that are forward-looking and therefore are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements in this communication other than statements of historical fact are, or could be, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this communication, statements regarding Johnson Controls’ sale of the R&LC business and future share repurchase activity are forward-looking statements. Words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “forecast,” “project” or “plan” and terms of similar meaning are also generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Johnson Controls cautions that these statements are subject to numerous important risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond its control, that could cause its actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to: Johnson Controls’ ability to manage macroeconomic and geopolitical volatility, including changes to laws or policies governing foreign trade, including tariffs, economic sanctions, foreign exchange and capital controls, import/export controls or other trade restrictions as well as any associated supply chain disruptions; the ability of Johnson Controls to manage general economic, business and capital market conditions, including the impacts of trade restrictions, recessions, economic downturns and global price inflation; Johnson Controls’ ability to develop or acquire new products and technologies that achieve market acceptance and meet applicable quality and regulatory requirements; the ability of Johnson Controls to execute on its operating model and drive organizational improvement; Johnson Controls’ ability to successfully execute and complete portfolio simplification, as well as the possibility that the expected benefits of such actions will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time frame; the ability to innovate and adapt to emerging technologies, ideas and trends in the marketplace, including the incorporation of technologies such as artificial intelligence; fluctuations in the cost and availability of public and private financing for Johnson Controls’ customers; the ability to manage disruptions caused by international conflicts, including Russia and Ukraine and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East; managing the risks and impacts of potential and actual security breaches, cyberattacks, privacy breaches or data breaches, maintaining and improving the capacity, reliability and security of Johnson Controls’ enterprise information technology infrastructure; the ability to manage the lifecycle cybersecurity risk in the development, deployment and operation of Johnson Controls’ digital platforms and services; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; the ability to hire and retain senior management and other key personnel; changes or uncertainty in laws, regulations, rates, policies, or interpretations that impact Johnson Controls’ business operations or tax status; the ability to adapt to global climate change, climate change regulation and successfully meet Johnson Controls’ public sustainability commitments; the outcome of litigation and governmental proceedings; the risk of infringement or expiration of intellectual property rights; Johnson Controls’ ability to manage disruptions caused by catastrophic or geopolitical events, such as natural disasters, armed conflict, political change, climate change, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments; any delay or inability of Johnson Controls to realize the expected benefits and synergies of recent portfolio transactions; the tax treatment of recent portfolio transactions; significant transaction costs and/or unknown liabilities associated with such transactions; labor shortages, work stoppages, union negotiations, labor disputes and other matters associated with the labor force; and the cancellation of or changes to commercial arrangements. A detailed discussion of risks related to Johnson Controls’ business is included in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Johnson Controls’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 filed with the SEC on November 19, 2024, which is available at www.sec.gov and www.johnsoncontrols.com under the “Investors” tab. The description of certain of these risks is supplemented in Item 1A of Part II of Johnson Controls’ subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Shareholders, potential investors and others should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements and should not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date of this communication, unless otherwise specified, and, except as required by law, Johnson Controls assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update such statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this communication.

About Johnson Controls: 

At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

Building on a proud history of 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering.

Today, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry.

Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social platforms.