Business and Economy

• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the decision to modernize the airports would not be suspended and asked the striking Airport Authority of India (AAI) employees to go back to work. However, he said that representatives of the AAI would be involved in future decision-making and to explore alternate proposals. After meeting with Government officials, the union members conceded and called off their strike. Piles of garbage, increased stench, and minor violence outside New Delhi and Mumbai airports greeted passengers as they arrived and left on trips. Private aviation companies and the Indian Air Force (IAF) pitched in to keep the flights and schedules operational. To meet its increasing business growth and passenger volume, India is on a major modernization drive even as it considers plans to construct new airports. The current plan is to hand over airport operations to private vendors but not to layoff any of the AAI employees for 3 years.

• The Information & Broadcasting Ministry is looking to raise Rs. 11.34 billion from the 2nd phase of FM radio frequency allocation. India has issued 229 FM frequencies across the country.

• The Institute of International Finance (IIF) has said that India's economic governance is better than those prevalent in most emerging countries. It pointed out that Indian framework was consistent with IIF guidelines on minority shareholder protection, accounting, and auditing. However, it pointed out that enforcement of rules and regulations needs improvement. After meeting with senior officials of several economic agencies include the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), and National Securities Exchange (NSE), the IIF recommended several changes for improvement. Specifically, they wanted a better compliance of listing requirements, a higher cost for non-compliance, stronger surveillance mechanisms, and pension reforms to encourage shareholder activism. They also wanted an increase in staff for official bodies so they can build stronger cases against errant entities.

Democracy, Politics and Judiciary

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that it is happy with the Karnataka's rehabilitation of tribal population displaced by the Kabini Reservoir and the Bandipur National Forest projects. About 154 tribal families were displaced from these projects.

• Responding to Public Interest Litigation, the Supreme Court referred back a plea for modifications in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that makes homosexuality a criminal offense back the Delhi High Court (DHC). The original plea was submitted to the DHC, which had rejected it saying that the society was not ready to accept legalized homosexuality. Appearing for the Government, Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian said that the issue needs reconsideration given the social changes in the India. The petitioner Naaz Foundation is a non-government organization (NGO) primarily involved in AIDS awareness. They say that men are reluctant to admit or disclose sexual behavior because they are afraid of criminal per section. This fear they say is affecting AIDS awareness campaigns, education, and control.

Environment, Health and Education

• A Versailles court rejected a French Government bid to block independent investigation on the quantity of asbestos present on the de-commissioned aircraft carrier Le Clemenceau. It directed the Government to provide non-government organizations Green peace and Ban Asbestos the same documents available with Techno pure. The European Commission also said that it was concerned that the French Government may have violated the 1989 Basel Convention when it approved the dismantling of the ship in India.

• A British team of scientists from Imperial College, London said that awareness, education, and changed sexual behavior caused huge declines in AIDS infections in East Zimbabwe. They said that 49% fewer women in 15 to 24 year band and 23% fewer men in 17 to 29 year band were noticed to have the virus. According to UN data, 40 millions world over are infected with the AIDS virus and over 5 million died in 2005. The poorest region in the world, sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected area. AIDS infection in India is not well recorded to get reliable estimates.

• Editorial: Regulate Ship Breaking Business

Terrorism, Defense, Security and Science & Technology

• About 200 Taliban terrorists attacked an Afghan police convoy killing three policemen in Southern Helmand province. Official sources said 16 terrorists were killed in this encounter. While US helicopter flew over the site, they were not part of the operation. A US spokesman said that he was not aware of this event.

• The National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said that Pakistan-based terrorists active in Kashmir pose a persist6ent threat to regional security and some are a "potential threat" to US interests worldwide. He characterized India as a "reliable ally" in the fight against global terrorism pointing out that it has been the target of Islamic terrorism. He said that a network of Islamic terrorists exists in Lodi, California raising funds, recruiting US citizens of Pakistani origin for training in radical Karachi-based Madrasas, and maintained connections with Pakistani terrorist groups for worldwide jihadi operations. Some of the leaders were recently deported to Pakistan. Although Pakistan is an important frontline state in the fight against terrorism, he regretted that while Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has promised a lot, he has "not done enough." He concluded that this was the reason why Pakistan continues to be a "major source of extremism."