India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has allowed Singapore Airlines (SIA) to establish a full-service airline in the country in partnership with the Tata Group, but the joint venture airline will need several other regulatory approvals before it can start operations. “The Tata-SIA proposal has been cleared,” said Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram after a meeting of the FIPB, a panel of bureaucrats who examine various aspects of foreign investments. The government has not set any preconditions for the joint venture, Mayaram added.

NEW DELHI — The launch of India’s first Mars orbiter, which was postponed due to inclement weather in the Pacific, has been rescheduled for Nov. 5. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will be boosted by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which was also used for the Chandrayaan-1 Moon mission, on Nov. 5 at 2:36 p.m. local time from the Sriharikota spaceport in south India, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan says.

NEW DELHI — India has issued a final notice to AgustaWestland as it moves to cancel the planned purchase of AW101 helicopters for VIP transport that has been tainted by a bribery scandal. “We have issued a final show cause notice to AgustaWestland on Oct. 21 asking why all or any action, including cancellation of the contract, should not be taken against them for violating the terms of the pre-integrity pact and the contract for the procurement of 12 AW101 helicopters,” a defense ministry official says.