Division VIII gathers astronomers engaged in the study of the visible and invisible matter in the Universe at large, from Local Group galaxies via distant galaxies and galaxy clusters to the large-scale structure of the Universe and the cosmic background radiation.

As far as coordination and planning of observational activities are concerned, the main need for WG-SN activities seem to lie in the field of suitable follow-ups to the many on-going and planned search programs (in particular for SNe Ia's; LOTOSS, NGSS, SNfactory, SNLS, ESSENCE, GOODS, PanStarrs, . . .). With the new robotic 2m-class telescopes (e.g., the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network and other robotic telescopes) photometric follow-ups do not seem a major problem, but for most of the searches spectroscopic follow-up requires 4m-class telescopes at least which will become rare in the future. Possible ways out were discussed.

The members of Commission 28 on Galaxies were very busy during this General Assembly, with the Commission involved in two Symposia (IAU Symposium No. 235 Galaxy Evolution across the Hubble Time, IAU Symposium No. 238 Black Holes: from Stars to Galaxies), and two Joint Discussions (JD07 The Universe at z > 6, JD15 New Cosmology Results from the Spitzer Space Telescope). Therefore, the Business Meeting was combined with the Division VIII Business Meeting, which included a short information session on the new Commission 28 Organizing Committee. The triennial report of the Commission for 2003-2005 was also distributed, and is available on the Commission 28 web site.

Division IX provides a forum for astronomers engaged in the innovation, development and calibration of optical instrumentation and observational procedures including data processing.

The business session of the Working Group followed the completion of Special Session 7, Astronomy in Antarctica. The proceedings of this meeting are published in Highlights in Astronomy, Volume 14 (Ed. K. A. van der Hucht, 2007, CUP). The session involved 18 papers spread over 5 sessions, together with a further 18 poster papers. A dinner was also held in Prague following the first day of the Special Session.

The same general claims hold true as in the last report and the field is as busy as ever. Community focus is on the deployment of large mosaics (up to 108 pixels) to telescopes, the pursuit of programs to build next generation mosaics (of order 109 pixels), and the investigation of novel variations in CCD design.

Commission 25 is one of three Commissions under the umbrella of Division IX on Optical and Infrared Techniques. It is a technique oriented Commission.

The WG-IR was created following a Joint Commission Meeting at the IAU General Assembly in Baltimore in 1988, a meeting that provided both diagnosis and prescription for the perceived ailments of infrared photometry at the time. The results were summarized in Milone (1989). The challenges involve how to explain the failure to systematically achieve the milli-magnitude precision expected of infrared photometry and an apparent 3% limit on system transformability. The proposed solution was to redefine the broadband Johnson system, the passbands of which had proven so unsatisfactory that over time effectively different systems proliferated although bearing the same JHKLMNQ designations; the new system needed to be better positioned and centered in the atmospheric windows of the Earth's atmosphere, and the variable water vapour content of the atmosphere needed to be measured in real time to better correct for atmospheric extinction.

The president welcomed all the participants of the Business Meeting and remarked that several of the major ongoing and planned Radial Velocity projects were well represented.

The current content of the database was presented, emphasising the substantial progress accomplished since the IAU XXIV General Assembly in Manchester, 2000. More than 1 200 stellar systems have been added to the 8th Catalogue over the past six years, for a total of 540 papers compiled. A first paper was published to make the community aware of this facility (Pourbaix et al. 2004).

Division X provides a common theme for astronomers using radio techniques to study a vast range of phenomena in the Universe, from exploring the Earth's ionosphere or making radar measurements in the Solar System, via mapping the distribution of gas and molecules in our own Galaxy and in other galaxies, to study the vast explosive processes in radio galaxies and QSOs and the faint afterglow of the Big Bang itself.

Division XI connects astronomers using space techniques or particle detectors for an extremely large range of investigations, from in-situ studies of bodies in the solar system to orbiting observatories studying the Universe in wavelenghts ranging from radio waves to γ-rays, to underground detectors for cosmic neutrino radiation.

The business meeting of the Division XI Working Group on Particle Astrophysics took place in the morning of 25 August 2006, and was attended by 14 participants.

The Business Meeting opened with a recall of the memory of a member of the Organizing Committee, Willem Wamsteker. N. Kaifu, past president of the Working Group, was thanked for his outstanding service.

Division XII consists of Commissions that formerly were organized under the Executive Committee, that concern astronomers across a wide range of scientific sub-disciplines and provide interactions with scientists in a wider community, including governmental organizations, outside the IAU.

Commission 5 has been very active during the IAU XXVI General Assembly in Prague: the Commission, its Working Groups and its Task Force held business meetings. In addition, Commission 5 sponsored two Special Sessions: Special Session 3 on The Virtual Observatory in Action: New Science, New Technology, and Next Generation Facilities which was held for three days 17–22 August, and Special Session 6 on Astronomical Data Management, which was held on 22 August. Commission 5 also participated in the organisation of Joint Discussion 16 on Nomenclature, Precession and New Models in Fundamental Astronomy, which was held 22-23 August. The General Assembly and Commission 5 web sites provides links to detailed information about all these meetings.

At the 2003 Sydney IAU meeting, Marion Schmitz (Caltech, USA) took over the chair of the Commission 5 Working Group Designations, succeeding Helene Dickel. The Working Group Designations of IAU Commission 5 clarifies existing astronomical nomenclature and helps astronomers avoid potential problems when designating their sources. The most important function of WG Designations during the period 2003-2005 was overseeing the IAU REGISTRY FOR ACRONYMS (for newly discovered astronomical sources of radiation: see the website <http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/DicForm>) which is sponsored by the WG and operated by the Centre de Données de Strasbourg (CDS). The Clearing House, a subgroup of the WG, screens the submissions for accuracy and conformity to the IAU Recommendations for Nomenclature (<http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/iau-spec.html>). From its beginning in 1997 through August 2006, there have been 132 submissions and 111 acceptances. Attempts to register asterisms, common star names, and suspected variable stars were rejected. The past three years saw 61 acronyms submitted with 50 of them being accepted. (GIRL - yes; WOMEN - no).

The business meeting began with a brief review of the current rules and procedures of the WG, which are documented on the WG web page. Four regional FITS committees have been established by the WG, covering North American, Europe, Japan, and Australian/New Zealand, to provide advice to the WG on pending proposals. While it is recognized that this committee structure might need to be revised to provide representation to other regions, the current system is working well, and there were no motions to make any changes at this time.

During the GA the Task Force for the Preservation and Digitization of Photographic Plates (PDPP) held an open two-session meeting, during which a formal merger between the WG-AC/CdC (Commission 8) and the TF-PDPP was confirmed. A dominant fraction of the members already belonged to both groups, and the nature of the merger is such that the activities of the WG-AC/CdC are now performed by the TF-PDPP.

The president proposed the following for the coming triennium: Alan C. Gilmore president, and Nikolai N. Samus vice-president. Members: Brian G. Marsden, Daniel W. E. Green, Syuichi Nakano, Elizabeth Roemer, Jana Tichá, Hitoshi Yamaoka, Kaare Aksnes. Supernova group representative: Hitoshi Yamaoka was invited on to the OC to provide a link with supernova observers.