Tag Archives: South Asian

UN efforts to help vulnerable Pakistanis receives $100 million boost from Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia has made a $100 million pledge to help the humanitarian efforts of the United Nations and its partners in Pakistan, where more than 1 million people have yet to return to their homes after being uprooted by violence between Government troops and militants in the South Asian nation’s north-west.

More than 1 million of the 2.7 million people displaced since the start of the conflict last August are still living with host families or in camps, with ongoing military operations triggering new displacements, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Saudi Arabia’s contribution, the single largest for the current emergency in Pakistan, “will enable the humanitarian community in Pakistan to reach hundreds of thousands of people in need and help restore their homes and livelihoods,” said Martin Mogwanja, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the country.

To date, just over half of the $680 million aid appeal for Pakistan has been funded by nearly two dozen nations, private individuals and organizations.

The humanitarian situation in Pakistan was among the topics discussed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Asif Ali Zardari earlier this week.

In a related development, Mr. Ban met today in New York with a number of world leaders for a meeting of the Group of Friends of Democratic Pakistan.

“He is to tell the Group of Friends that Pakistan bears the burden of one of the major challenges of our times, the spread of violent extremism, with regional implications,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters ahead of the meeting.

“He will stress that the decision of the Government of Pakistan and the Group of Friends to confront it together is undoubtedly the right course, however demanding the struggle ahead may be.”

Doubleday Canada to publish a new book from international comedy star Russell Peters

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/CNW/ – Doubleday Canada is proud to announce that it has acquired the rights to a new book from international comedy star Russell Peters. The yet-untitled book will be published in Fall, 2010.

Russell Peters is the biggest comedy talent in the world, says Brad Martin, President and CEO of Random House of Canada Limited. His fans around the globe are going to make this book a major publishing event.

There is no one performing today with as unique a perspective on contemporary society as Russell Peters, says Maya Mavjee, Executive Publisher, The Doubleday Canada Publishing Group. I had the great pleasure of seeing Russell perform to a sold out audience of 18,000 people during the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. His hilarious commentary on race and community brought the diverse audience together as they recognized themselves in his comedy. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Russells incredible humour and insights to readers everywhere.

Born in Toronto, Russell Peters is an international comedy sensation. Over the course of his twenty-year career, he has headlined comedy festivals at home in Canada and throughout North America. In recent years, he has gained a devoted following around the world, and has performed sold out arena tours of China, South Africa, Australia, the UK, Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and India.

Peters uses his wry and funny observations about race, class and culture to illuminate our human shortcomings with the sizzling accuracy of a well-aimed laser. His quick wit and gift for mimicking languages and accents allows Russell to create characters of all races and cultures to forge an immediate bond with his audience, regardless of their cultural background.

Russells career is full of milestones. During a recent tour of Dubai, he sold tickets at the rate of one ticket every two seconds – crashing all of the online ticket sales outlets as soon as tickets went on-sale. In August, 2005, Russell was the first South Asian to headline the Apollo Theater in New York City and in 2007 he became the first comedian to sell out Torontos Air Canada Centre – performing to over 30,000 fans over two nights. In addition to this first-time feat, Russell became one of only a handful of comedians to ever headline and sell out the world-famous Madison Square Garden.

Russell Peters 2006 concert DVD, Outsourced, has gone eleven times platinum in Canada, and his most recent DVD, Red, White and Brown, has been an international bestseller. His YouTube videos have been seen by 35 million individual viewers and his website, www.russellpeters.com, gets over 10,000 hits a day. Russells upcoming show at New York Citys Radio City Music Hall sold-out in less than 72 hours with additional shows added. In the summer of 2009, he was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the top 10 earning comedians in the entertainment industry.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

Nucleus Software Recognized By SAFA In Best Presented Accounts Award 2008

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South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) has adjudged Nucleus’ Annual Report as the recipient of the second runner’s up position for the Best Presented Accounts Award for the year 2008

November 11, 2009 /India PRwire/ — Nucleus Software Exports Limited (NSE: NUCLEUS, BSE: 531209), a leading provider of integrated software products for banks and financial institutions, today announced that South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) has adjudged Nucleus’ Annual Report as the recipient of the second runner’s up position for the Best Presented Accounts Award for the year 2008 under the Communication and Information Technology Sector Category.

The awards under different categories are conferred on the basis of evaluation administered by SAFA’s committee for improvement in transparency, accountability & governance, of the published annual reports of entries from South Asian Countries, which includes Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The award has been conferred upon Nucleus Software at a ceremony held at Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 5, 2009.

Vishnu R Dusad, CEO & Managing Director, Nucleus Software said, “This recognition by South Asian Federation of Accountants is a testimony to our commitment towards maintaining the highest levels of transparency in our accounting practices. We have always been a strong proponent of good corporate governance and constantly strive to reflect the same in all our processes which in turn translates into increased confidence towards the company from both existing and potential customers.”

The SAFA Awards reflect ‘accolades’ for transparent, high-quality financial reporting and presentation of meaningful disclosures and other pertinent information in published corporate reports, catering to the needs of diversified stakeholders groups. The award for Nucleus Software reflects and reinforces its commitment towards adhering to statutory, legal and regulatory requirements and compliance with the accounting and financial reporting standards, codes and practices.

Nucleus has previously won a Gold Shield for the ‘ICAI Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting’ for the Annual Report and Accounts of Nucleus Software for year ended March 31, 2008 under the category ‘Information Technology, Communication and Entertainment enterprises’.

Nucleus has also been ranked among the Top 25 companies adopting “Good Corporate Governance Practices” by ICSI, for three consecutive years, in 2008.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

About SAFA

South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) was formed in the year 1984 to serve the accountancy profession in the South Asian Region and uphold its eminence in the world of accountancy. SAFA is an Apex Body of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) and a Regional Grouping of International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). SAFA represents over 170,000 accountants having membership of the national chartered accountancy and cost and management accountancy institutions in the South Asian countries namely Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAFA came into existence at the initiative of the accounting professional bodies in the South Asian Region, which has a bond of culture and homogeneity of professional environment.

About Nucleus Software Exports Limited

Nucleus Software (NSE: NUCLEUS, BSE: 531209) is a leading software powerhouse providing innovative and pioneering software solutions for Banks and Financial organizations globally. Nucleus Software offers a host of competitive IT solutions and consultancy services designed to support the whole spectrum of business offerings spanning Retail and Corporate Banking, Cash Management, Credit Cards, Relationship Banking, Financial CRM, Credit Risk & Appraisal, EAI, Internet Banking, FX, Basel II, Data warehousing and Analytics. With customers across the globe, the company is consistently innovating with cutting edge and industry driven products in the domain. Nucleus Software is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India.

For more information, visit www.nucleussoftware.com

For more information, please contact:
Vani Parmar (Corporate Communications) (L) +91-120-4031400