KASHMIRI

US

A SPACE technology whiz who works in the US Treasury has been appointed to run one of the world's largest investment funds. Neel Kashkari, 35, who developed technology for Nasa missions, has been chosen to oversee the $700 billion fund that the US Treasury has set up to buy bad mortgages from financial institutions. 
Kashkari's appointment, which is likely to expire when a new government takes office in January, comes less than 18 months after Henry Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary, poached him from Goldman Sachs. There he headed the IT Security investment banking practice in San Francisco, advising companies on mergers, flotations and other financial transactions. 
Kashkari joined the Treasury last year as an adviser. He quickly became involved in the unfurling credit crisis and was promoted to the position of Treasury assistant secretary for international affairs. 
Kashkari joined the Treasury last year as an adviser. He quickly became involved in the unfurling credit crisis and was promoted to the position of Treasury assistant secretary for international affairs. 
Originally from Stow, Ohio, Kashkari got bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also has an MBA in finance. Before joining Goldman Sachs, Kashkari was a scientist. He once had a job at TRW, the aerospace company, where his projects included developing technology for the James Webb space telescope.
In his new role, Kashkari will oversee some key decisions on how the mortgage buyback programme will work. He will also be key to the appointment of two dozen staff to manage the programme and between five and 10 asset management firms.

HIMACHALI

UK

AROUND 60,000 people have visited Leicester for the switch-on of the Belgrave Road Diwali lights, one of the biggest celebrations outside India. The lights were turned on by the Lord Mayor, Manjula Sood, who is also the councillor for the area. 
At the event, the crowds were entertained by Indian dance, followed by a fireworks and laser display. "Every year, we seem to be getting more and more people coming to the Diwali festival of light celebration in Leicester. "It is the largest celebration of its kind in Europe,” said the chair of the Diwali working party, councillor Vijay Patel. 
More than 6,500 lamps are being used and 3,000 ft of lights adorn Belgrave Road.

SINDHI

UK

AJIT LALVANI, a leading tuberculosis specialist, whose research has resulted in development of new tools for treatment and control of the disease, has been honoured with the coveted Royal College of Physician's Weber-Parkes Trust Medal. It was presented to professor Lalvani at the annual Harveian Oration at London’s Royal College of Physicians. 
Lalvani, son of the founder-chairman of Britain's largest vitamin producing company Vitabiotics, is the chair of Infectious Diseases and Wellcome Senior Clinical Research Fellow at Imperial College London. 
Lalvani's recruitment to the new chair has enabled integration of his research programme with Britain’s largest clinical TB service, where he has developed “a promising pipeline of new innovations to further improve global TB control”, the citation said. 
Lalvani's chair is the first new professorship of TB in the UK in 50 years. He invented and validated the 100-year upgrade for diagnosis of TB infection, known as ELISpot. The new test is the first significant advance on the century-old skin-prick test and is significantly faster and more accurate.
The doctor has received numerous awards in recognition of his contribution to global public health, including the Scientific Prize of the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease.

MARWARI

US

FED UP with the singles scene in the US, Indian-American journalist Anita Jain, who ventured out on a mate-hunting trip to India, has come up with a literary venture chronicling the post-globalisation social climate of the Indian capital, set against the quest for finding the right match. 
"It was my idea to take the book to India, of using the quest to marry to tell a story, I was sure those two things would work together," says the author. 
The recently released book 'Marrying Anita' published by Bloomsbury and Penguin, according to the writer is an honest memoir a branch of literary work which is yet to become common in India.

UK

STEEL TSAR Lakshmi Niwas Mittal has been elected chairman of the World Steel Association, representing some 180 steel producers from across the world. The association's board met in Washington to elect new office bearers for the new year ending October 2009. Mittal is also elected member of Worldsteel the World Steel Association that has changed its name from the International Iron and Steel Institute. Naveen Jindal of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd joined the association as Associate Member in the category of steel companies producing less than 2 MT per year. The World Steel Association represents 18 of the world's 20 largest steel companies including six leading producers in China.