Month: July 2023

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WATKINS WELLNESS EXPANDS INTO SAUNA CATEGORY THROUGH THE ACQUISITION OF SAUNA360

Vista, California, July 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Watkins Wellness, a leader in hot tubs and aquatic fitness systems, today announced the expansion of its portfolio of personal well-being products and entry into the sauna category as a result of the pending acquisition of Sauna360 Group Oy (“Sauna360”) by Watkins Wellness’ parent company, Masco Corporation. Sauna360 is a leading global manufacturer of sauna solutions, and its portfolio of products includes traditional, infrared, and wood-burning saunas as well as steam showers, rooms and generators. These products are sold primarily in the United States, Europe and throughout the rest of the world under the Tylö, Helo, Kastor, Finnleo, and Amerec brands. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approval.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sauna360 to our organization and to expand our portfolio of industry-leading products aimed at promoting wellness and helping our customers feel good and live well!” said Vijaikrishna (VJ) Teenarsipur, President of Watkins Wellness. “Sauna360 brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise to our business. We look forward to leveraging the synergies between our businesses, which will allow us to better serve our dealer partners, consumers and, ultimately, the growing wellness market.”

“I am very pleased for Sauna360 to become part of Watkins Wellness. Sauna360’s business has grown in recent years, and becoming part of Watkins Wellness will further strengthen our capability and ambition to be a leading sauna player. The dealer distribution strategy, common focus on wellness and similar company cultures make this a true strategic fit,” said Pekka Lettijeff, President & CEO of Sauna360 Group.

Founded in 2008 as a merger between two leading sauna companies, Helo and Tylö, Sauna360 brings decades of industry knowledge and experience resulting from a strong history, with Helo’s origin dating back to 1919 and Tylö’s to 1949. The company is headquartered in Finland and has approximately 180 employees located in Finland, Sweden, the United States, and England.

About Watkins Wellness

Watkins Wellness, established in 1977 in Vista, California, is dedicated to promoting wellness to consumers to help them feel good and live well. The company’s growing portfolio of well-being products for at-home use provides multiple pathways to wellness. Our portfolio of brands includes Hot Spring® Spas, Caldera® Spas, Freeflow® Spas, Fantasy® Spas, and Endless Pools® Fitness Systems, sold predominantly through a specialty dealer network of more than 1,000 dealer partners located in 70+ countries. Watkins Wellness is a wholly owned subsidiary of Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS).

About Masco Corporation

Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, Masco Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. Our portfolio of industry-leading brands includes BEHR® paint; Delta® and Hansgrohe® faucets, bath and shower fixtures; and Hot Spring® Spas. We leverage our powerful brands across product categories, sales channels, and geographies to create value for our customers and shareholders. For more information about Masco Corporation, visit www.masco.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Watkins Wellness is a subsidiary of Masco Corporation. As such, this press release contains statements that reflect views about Masco Corporation’s future performance and constitute “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “outlook,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “appear,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “assume,” “seek,” “forecast,” and similar references to future periods. These views about future performance involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Masco Corporation’s actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in these forward-looking statements. We caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the expected closing of the Sauna360 transaction and the expected benefits and synergies of the acquisition, including the expected impact on future financial and operating results and post-acquisition plans and intentions. Masco Corporation’s future performance may also be affected by the levels of residential repair and remodel activity, and to a lesser extent, new home construction, the ability to maintain strong brands and to develop innovative products, the ability to maintain its public reputation, the ability to maintain its competitive position in its industries, reliance on key customers, the cost and availability of materials, dependence on suppliers and service providers, extreme weather events and changes in climate, risks associated with international operations and global strategies, the ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of its strategic initiatives, the ability to successfully execute its acquisition strategy and integrate businesses that it has acquired and may in the future acquire, the ability to attract, develop and retain a talented and diverse workforce, risks associated with cybersecurity vulnerabilities, threats and attacks, risks associated with reliance on information systems and technology and the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on its business and operations. These and other factors are discussed in detail in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in Masco Corporation’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as in Masco Corporation’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in other filings it makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statement in this press release speaks only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events that could cause Masco Corporation’s actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all of them. Unless required by law, Masco Corporation undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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  • Watkins Wellness, a leader in hot tubs and aquatic fitness systems.
Krista Hydar
Watkins Wellness
760-814-0630
Krista.Hydar@watkinsmfg.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8883225

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International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID Facilitates Dialogue Encounters at World Youth Day Lisbon 2023

Lisbon, Portugal., July 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID is delighted to announce its participation in World Youth Day Lisbon 2023, a significant international gathering of young people aimed at fostering unity, faith, and cultural exchange. From 1st to 6th August 2023, the enchanting city of Lisbon will play host to this momentous event, and KAICIID will be at the forefront, organizing Dialogue Encounters that promote understanding and cooperation among followers of different religious traditions, religious leaders, and policymakers.

As a unique intergovernmental organization with a dual governance structure consisting of a Council of Parties comprising States and a Board of Directors made up of religious leaders, KAICIID is committed to bridging the gaps between diverse faiths, nationalities, and generations. The Dialogue Encounters, part of the Youth Festival strand, will encompass a series of activities designed to facilitate meaningful dialogues and genuine acceptance, in line with the message of His Holiness Pope Francis, who calls for “concrete encounters” and understanding of those different from ourselves.

At the heart of KAICIID’s involvement in World Youth Day are three key activities: a panel debate with representatives from five different religions, the launch of the innovative Dialogo board game, and a screening of the poignant documentary, “Justine: A KAICIID Fellow’s Journey.”

Dr. Zuhair Alharthi, Secretary General of the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), expressed his enthusiasm for the forthcoming Dialogue Encounters, stating, “At KAICIID, we believe that dialogue is the key to fostering peace and harmony in our interconnected world. World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 presents an unparalleled opportunity for us to engage with young people from diverse backgrounds, nurturing a culture of dialogue and acceptance. We are excited to be hosting several activities, including a panel discussion with leaders from five different religions, the launch of the Dialogo board game in Portugal, and the screening of our latest documentary, all culminating in an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis.”

The KAICIID Dialogo! board game, designed to encourage dialogue, teamwork, and social emotional learning, will be a highlight of the Dialogue Encounters. This game has already made a significant impact worldwide, being embraced by schools, teams, and learning environments as a tool to promote skills in dialogue and peacebuilding. Dr. Alharthi emphasized, “Dialogo! is for youth and adults alike, for all those who seek to develop their skills in dialogue and inspire others to join the conversation.”

Dr. Alharthi further added, “The Dialogue Encounters we have prepared for World Youth Day will empower young people with the necessary tools to facilitate meaningful conversations and embrace diversity. We believe that by promoting dialogue and empathy, we can build bridges that connect cultures and foster global harmony.”

In a moment of exceptional significance, eight KAICIID Fellows will have the privilege of participating in an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis. During this intimate gathering, the Fellows will share their reflections on how interreligious dialogue can serve as a powerful means to create links between cultures and religions, providing a unique and enriching personal experience for all involved.

As an intergovernmental organization based in Lisbon, KAICIID is uniquely positioned to facilitate meaningful encounters between people of different faiths and cultures. By strengthening capacity at the local, national, and regional level through education on dialogue practices, increasing understanding of religious and cultural diversity through leadership for dialogue training, and promoting dialogue and social cohesion through conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and development policies, KAICIID continues to play a vital role in fostering a more inclusive and peaceful world.

To learn more about the International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID and their efforts to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, please visit www.kaiciid.org.

About International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID:

The International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting peace and understanding through interreligious and intercultural dialogue. By strengthening capacity at the local, national, and regional level through education on dialogue practices, leadership for dialogue training, and promoting dialogue and social cohesion through conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and development policies, KAICIID aims to create a more harmonious and cooperative global community.

For media inquiries, please contact: press@kaiciid.org

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Sandra Coyle
International Dialogue Centre - KAICIID
+351 211 453 501
sandra.coyle@kaiciid.org

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8883716

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Pakistan explosion: Eyewitness describes doomsday scenes

"Doomsday scenes" unfolded in Pakistan after a suicide bomber targeted a political rally, killing at least 45 people, an eyewitness has told the BBC.

People screamed for help as rescuers rushed to the scene in the north-west Bajaur district on Sunday, rally organiser Imran Mahir said.

The attack targeted the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), a party that is part of the government coalition.

"A person standing next to me died. Another was injured," Mr Mahir said.

"It was a big sound. I initially thought there was a problem with the generator or the sound system. My ears have been ringing and hurting. My head is still hurting."

The local branch of the Islamic State (IS) group in Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The group, who go by the name Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP), said the attack was part of an "ongoing war against democracy".

ISKP has targeted officials of the political party at least four times since 2017, as it opposes JUI-F's support for democracy in Pakistan.

ISKP has also claimed responsibility for several other attacks this year in Bajaur targeting JUI-F. In June, it said they were behind the assassination of a party official in the village of Inayat Killi.

Hundreds had turned up for the rally, which was an opportunity for the Islamist JUI-F to rally its support ahead of an election expected to take place later this year.

Mr Mahir, who was seated on the stage when the bomb was detonated, described how the explosion unleashed flames and pellets on the crowd that gathered in the town of Khar, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

"I saw the injured and dead around me. It was very bad situation - it was like doomsday. Soon after the blast there was a panic, it was chaos, people running everywhere," he said.

"I don't know why I wasn't injured, it was my luck, my time wasn't over yet. There was a man in his 80s far away from the explosion but he passed," he said.

Officials have warned the death toll may rise further, as 15 people are in critical condition.

A regional leader of the JUI-F, Maulana Ziaullah, was among the fatalities, local officials told the BBC.

"We never thought it would happen to political workers or students and they would do such a big explosion. It was not in our mind, we weren't even thinking of it," Mr Mahir said.

He said he had been to seven burials overnight.

Mr Mahir said however, that morale within the JUI-F ranks remains "strong and high", adding, "We are not going to stop contesting seats, we will carry on. We will face the future".

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned those responsible as being terrorists who have "targeted those who speak for Islam, the Quran and Pakistan" and said they would face "real punishment".

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) has condemned the attack and denied any involvement.

In recent years attacks the TTP and other militant groups have been on the rise again in north-west Pakistan after the Afghan Taliban gained power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021. The TTP resumed attacks after ending a ceasefire last November.

Source: BBC

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WHO: Afghanistan, Pakistan Close to Eradicating Polio

Afghanistan and Pakistan have reported a very small number of polio infections in their region this year, fueling expectations the neighboring countries could be just months away from interrupting the endemic transmission of the crippling virus.

Pakistani authorities have reported a three-year-old child with paralytic polio, the only case in the country in the first seven months of 2023 compared to 20 cases last year.

Afghan health officials have confirmed five cases of polio paralysis in children, which is an increase from two reported infections in 2022.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan have never been this close to reaching the goal of eradicating wild poliovirus (WPV1) concurrently,” said Dr. Hamid Jafari, the World Health Organization’s director of polio eradication for the eastern Mediterranean region.

“And both countries need to reach this goal together - with the full support of the political, administrative, and security apparatus — if we are to finally eradicate wild poliovirus from the world,” Jafari told VOA in written comments.

Out of the 34 Afghan provinces, poliovirus transmission is limited to two eastern provinces, Nangarhar and Kunar, bordering Pakistan. According to official data, all five WPV1 cases detected this year are in Nangarhar.

“Immunity gaps, resulting from significant disruption of immunization campaigns during 2021 and 2022, have left children in the region at risk of polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” Jafari said.

Before the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Islamist militants routinely attacked health volunteers who fanned out across the country to administer vaccines. In October 2021, the Taliban backed a WHO vaccination campaign in Afghanistan, enabling the polio program to resume nationwide immunizations later that year.

It has since reached millions of children in the south and other regions of the country who had not received immunizations for at least four years, Jafari noted. He added that the Afghan vaccination program has also increased the number of site testing for poliovirus in wastewater, allowing timely detection and response, Jafari said.

“The quality of vaccination campaigns has improved remarkably since late 2022 in the east region of Afghanistan, and if such quality campaigns are sustained, endemic transmission in the region will be interrupted in the coming months,” said the senior WHO official.

“Cross-border coordination with Pakistan will continue to be essential throughout 2023 given the circulation of WPV1 on both sides of the border and the large population movement between the two countries,” Jafari stated.

He said that the “last mile” had always proven to be the most challenging phase of any national effort to interrupt polio transmission.

Pakistan

Since January 2021, all reported cases in Pakistan, a country of about 230 million people, have been from seven polio-endemic districts in the southern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province out of 171 districts nationwide.

FILE - A police officer stands guard as a health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, June 19, 2023.

Despite detections of poliovirus in wastewater samples in other Pakistani districts, circulation has yet to be established outside the seven endemic districts.

“This is the result of very effective outbreak responses in each affected district outside the seven endemic districts,” Jafari said. He added that the polio program in Pakistan was "capitalizing on the momentum of recent success and continues to strive for zero polio.”

On Tuesday, Pakistan will launch its latest vaccination campaign to eliminate the highly contagious virus in a country where the disease paralyzed approximately 20,000 children in the early 1990s.

A polio program spokesperson told VOA the campaign aims to immunize nearly 8 million children under five across 61 districts in two phases. He said the government had deployed around 65,000 “front-line workers” to administer polio drops to the targeted population.

Pakistan has repeatedly come close to eradicating polio, but long-running propaganda in conservative rural areas that the vaccines cause sterility in children, coupled with deadly militant attacks on vaccinators, have set back the mission. Anti-state militants allege polio vaccinators gather intelligence on their hideouts.

The global polio eradication program identifies Pakistan, Afghanistan, parts of Somalia, and Yemen as areas where outbreaks are difficult to control.

Source: Voice of America

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Ishaq Dar Thanks Chinese Banks for Support, Says Pakistan Out of ‘Turbulent Phase’

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday praised China’s banking industry and institutions for helping out Pakistan.

Dar said during the opening ceremony of Bank of China’s second branch in Islamabad that Chinese banks have been great financial partners of Pakistan as they have massively supported the country in its tough moments.

He reiterated that the country is “fairly out of that turbulent phase” and “now moving from stability to growth again”.

More on recovery, Dar said Pakistan has benefited from the RMB 30 billion currency swap agreement with China. He recalled a recent request to China for enhancing the limit of the soft facility to RMB 40 billion, something that Beijing responded to positively.

Dar expressed hope that the RMB (the official currency of China) will go international soon.

“The five countries representing BRICS have started already formalizing it and dozens of countries are in the pipeline to join. I see RMB would one day be a parallel internationally accepted currency in the financial world,” he added.

Source: Pro Pakistani

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Pakistani Horse Rider Usman Khan Secures Berth in Paris Olympics

Usman Khan, a talented equestrian, has secured his spot in the Paris Olympics 2024 by meeting the minimum eligibility requirements at the FEI 4-star event.

His achievement marks the second consecutive Olympics qualification, despite an accident during his journey to the Tokyo Olympics resulting in the loss of his horse.

The phenomenal journey of the Lahore-born horse rider to the Paris Olympics has been nothing short of a determined and relentless pursuit of excellence and talent.

After traveling from France to Ireland, he showcased his skills in several equestrian events across Europe, including Switzerland, France, Poland, Germany, and Belgium.

Competing in eventing, a demanding combination of cross-country, showjumping, and dressage, Usman will undergo a test of horsemanship at the Paris Olympics.

“By the grace of Almighty Allah, Pakistan has qualified for Paris Olympics 2024 in Ireland during FEI 4-star Kilguilkey International Horse Trials at Mallow,” Usman said.

Elated by the achievement, Usman Khan acknowledged the importance of maintaining the minimum eligibility requirements in the coming months.

He also emphasized the need for financial support and a reserve horse to ensure a smooth sailing journey to the Paris Olympics, which will take place in July-August 2024.

It is pertinent to mention here that Usman had earlier qualified for the Asian Games as well, but complications with the confirmation of the EFP process posed a challenge.

Source: Pro Pakistani

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