RTI Newsletters


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 199	E - Alert	Issue Date: 28-02-2020

Pakistan Only 12 RTI applications filed in merged districts in one and half years MENAFN Like other laws of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Right to Information (RTI) Law was also extended to merged tribal districts after Fata-KP merger under the 25th constitutional amendment... India Transparency of information is vital to a country’s progress Live Mint The widespread availability of the internet at the turn of the century followed by ubiquitous access to social media and the advent of a mobile internet... Australia State of Freedom of Information in Vic report published The Mandarin The report provides an overview of the administration of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (FOI Act) by Victorian government agencies over the past five years... Mozambique Nampula authorities promise access to information All Africa The authorities in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula have guaranteed that local sources of information are open and willing to cooperate with the press... UNESCO UNESCO launches 2020 survey on public access to information UNESCO Using SDG Indicator 16.10.2, the survey will track progress on the adoption and implementation of constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information around the world... Ghana EC declines MP’s request for information sharing Ghana Web The Electoral Commission has declined a request by Ashaiman MP Ernest Norgbe to share information on how it selected its consultants... Bosnia-Herzegovina Experts on legal analysis on freedom of expression laws gathered in Bosnia-Herzegovina Sarajevo Times Expert legal analysis on freedom of expression laws in BiH and their compatibility with European standards of protection of human rights... Canada New vexatious rules worry freedom of information advocates that feds can abuse the system National Post Any loophole put in the law is there for the government to hide something that people have the right to know... England Freedom of Information legislation, Fit for purpose? EurekAlert New research has identified a clear accountability gap in the current Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation when it comes to outsourced public services... USA FBI and Department of Justice reject Freedom of Information Act document request World Socialist Web Site The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has rejected a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by David North, national chairman of the Socialist Equality Party (US... Pakistan Can information commissions make a difference? The Express Tribune Governments in Pakistan have traditionally been reluctant to the point of resentment when it comes to sharing information...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 198


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 198	E - Alert	Issue Date: 13-02-2020

Ireland Regulatory trends: what is new in freedom of information? MONDAQ The Report noted that since 2015 and the extension of FOI to a number of new public bodies, there has been a 32% increase in the total requests made to public bodies... Pakistan Pakistan’s faux democracy unable to respect the right to information Global Village Space In Pakistan, the RTI has been bestowed a constitutional status of a fundamental right in the 18th constitutional amendment... Nepal Access to information enables open local government Nepal24Hours An informed citizenry can only provide civic oversight on the decisions and functions of the government and public authorities... Canada Access to information and privilege: the saga continues JDSUPRA The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench has provided some much needed guidance on solicitor-client privilege... Afghanistan Implement access to information law Amnesty International In Afghanistan, 30 different media organizations have called on the government to effectively implement the Afghan Access to Information Law, including providing information on key human rights issues... Panama Panama takes a turn towards transparency, but will it go far enough? Transparency International The country that became almost synonymous with the creation of offshore companies for disguising corrupt and illicit activity... India Now, you need to prove you're an Indian before you seek information via RTI Business Insider India It is shocking how the university has twisted the RTI law as per its whims and fancy. It does not have any authority to do so... India SC notice to government on Jairam Ramesh's plea against chan Times of India A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and KM Joseph issued notice to the Centre and asked it to file response within four weeks on the petition filed... Ghana Are Ghanaians ready to take advantage of the new right to information law? All Africa After more than 20 years of considerable legislative maneuvering and exhaustive political scrutiny, Ghana's right to information (RTI) law has come into effect... Nigeria What to know about Freedom of Information Act Osun Defender There is no gainsaying that information contributes largely to the success of any active society... Pakistan Strategy to implement RTI law discussed The News International Punjab Information Commission held a two-day National Forum of Information Commissioners of Pakistan here...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 197


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 197	E - Alert	Issue Date: 28-01-2020

Pakistan PIC warns of contempt as Senate declines info about its staff The News Going by Right of Access to Information Act 2017, the Senate Secretariat is legally obliged to proactively share this information relating staff through its website... USA Does the public have a right to see how courts are run? A battle over secret records is brewing in Richmond Daily Press Legislators from both parties, upset by the Virginia Supreme Court’s declaration last year that the state Freedom of Information Act doesn’t apply... Ireland Supreme Court FOI ruling will alter public's relationship with State The Journal Nine months after the demise of Irish transparency was first heralded, we are still waiting for the lights to go out... Afghanistan Samangan provincial authorities and media forge ties to improve access to information Relief Web More than 30 journalists and government officials, including the provincial deputy governor, participated in a one-day workshop organized... Canada Summerside working on access to information bylaw Journal Pioneer The regulations are very broad. Access to information can include records, any information electronic, handwritten and can be subject to an access to information request... Scotland Freedom of information law not fit for purpose Holyrood Scotland’s freedom of information law is not fit for purpose and MSPs must back "radical reforms" to create a strong culture of transparency and accountability... Ghana Media practitioners sensitised on the RTI Law Ghana Web Exempt information is one that bothers on national security, international relations, law enforcement and public safety, parliamentary privilege, fair trial and contempt of court amongst other... India No record available: PMO on RTI seeking details of PM Modi's media interaction India Today The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has no record of the press conferences and media interviews given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his more than five-year long tenure... Nigeria The Nigerian Voice The Nigerian Voice The suit was filed on behalf of Ms Ovuorie by Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Agu David Nwaze, a member of the Freedom of Information Legal Response Network... Australia RTI for post codes of northern prison sites denied The Examiner The location of other potential sites for the proposed northern prison has still not been revealed, despite right to information requests... United Kingdom Freedom of Information is broken Open Democracy The government routinely ignores and undermines the law governing our access to information...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 196


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 196	E - Alert	Issue Date: 15-01-2019

Scotland RTI Behind Changing Behavior of Democracy in India Public Technology.net Daren Fitzhenry has been Scotland’s Information Commissioner for a little over two years, a time during which freedom of information (FoI) has been an unusually hot topic... Pakistan RTI commission's annual budget held up at Finance Ministry for the last six months Business Recorder Zahid Abdullah is no stranger to Right to Information. As a civil society activist, he is a renowned RTI advocate and a champion of human rights... India Locus And RTI: to be, or not to be? Live Law Recently Chief Justice S. A. Bobde had criticised how the concept of locus standi being conspicuous only by its absence in the RTI law and how the Act... Philippines Freedom of Information champion Manila Standard With at least 99-percent outstanding performance rating in compliance and response in the electronic freedom of information portal... USA Why policymakers must act to preserve information freedom at home and abroad Washington Post Topping the very short list of issues that many Democrats and Republicans can agree upon... Tunisia Access to Information: A story of resistance from Tunisia Transparency International After the Tunisian Revolution in 2010, the government became much more amenable to the ideas of openness and transparency... India Voluntary disclosure will reduce RTI pleas Times of India A special workshop for disseminating information about the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 was organised... Ghana Ghana: Implementation of RTI must take off smoothly All Africa Ghana has become one of the world's 125th countries across the world with Right to Information (RTI) law... Pakistan Speakers stress importance of RTI law The Express Tribune Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Law, Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Barrister Murtaza Wahab... United Kingdom Metropolitan Police reject freedom of information request over racism reports from football fans Football.London Metropolitan Police have rejected a freedom of information request relating to how many incidents of racist abuse in the capital’s football stadiums...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 195


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 195	E - Alert	Issue Date: 27-12-2019

Cambodia Access to Information bill falls short Cambodia Daily While the Cambodian government’s efforts to facilitate access to information held by public authorities are positive, the Draft Law has numerous shortcomings... Pakistan Body set up to address media problems Dawn Speaking to the media outside the Parliament House, the special assistant said an information commission had already been established and the government... Bangladesh Law needs RTI-defenders The Daily Star Unless citizens appreciate the dangers confronting their RTI regimes seriously, the law is likely to end up as a paper tiger... Jammu and Kashmir RTI ‘designates’ (PIOs) in J&K UT clueless about road-ahead State Times This became evident when the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Jammu found himself in quandary whether to entertain applications under the Act or not... Pakistan Govt believes in free flow of information Radio Pakistan Government is providing financial assistance to the deceased journalists’ families in education and healthcare... Philippines Palace urges Congress to pass FOI bill Asian Journal Freedom of Information must be implemented across the bureaucracy: the executive, legislature, judiciary, including the local government units... India Abuse of RTI has led to paralysis and fear among officials The Hindu Time has come to lay down guidelines on the use of the RTI. Guidelines should be put in place to check the locus of the RTI applicant... USA Access to information fuels democracy SC Times If there is no difference between fact and fiction there can be no democracy. But 2+2 does equal 4 and we know it, so why behave like monkeys on a rope... Jamaica Information in the public interest Jamaica Observer The fact is that the squabbles over getting information released under the ATI Act are often related to juicy or potentially controversial information...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 194


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 194	E - Alert	Issue Date: 18-12-2019

India RTI Behind Changing Behavior of Democracy in India Nepal24hours.com Since a burgeoning number of RTI applications have been registered in India in a year to demand information of public interest, the ecosystem of access... Texas (USA) Government agencies increasingly limit public access to officials and information The Texas Monitor Texas Education Agency Deputy Commissioner A.J. Crabill says he is hamstrung by an agency policy that prohibits him from talking to the news media... Australia NSW info commissioner reminds councils their private pecuniary interests must be made public The Mandarin Disclosing such interests is key to upholding openness, transparency and accountability in local government, according to Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd... Jamaica You don't get your own truth, PM Jamaica Observer Jamaica has been blessed with a democratic system of governance of which we can be truly proud... Philippines FOI Initiative is back Business World Enshrined in the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines (Article III, Sec. 7) is the right of the people to access information on matters of public concern... India Chief of Defence Staff to come under RTI Act: MoS Defence ANI News Chief of Defence Staff would come in the ambit of ‘Right to Information Act’, in accordance with the provisions of RTI Act, 2005... Ghana RTI law not for only Journalists, every Ghanaian is a beneficiary News Ghana The Right to Information (RTI) law was not the preserve of only journalists, but meant for every Ghanaian to have the right to access information... European Union (EU) Still too hard to access environmental information in the EU EEB.org The new report – ‘For Your Information’ – shows that it remains difficult to obtain information on environmental matters, and details some notable examples... Pakistan Federal information commission set to launch website Dawn Federal Information Commission has decided to launch its official website next week to help the people get the desired information from government departments... Pakistan Pakistan- Waziristan is leading in use of RTI law in tribal districts MENAFN Speakers at a day-long seminar on Thursday said that in the tribal belt, people of Waziristan are leading in the use of Right to information law... USA From Ukraine to the U.S. Government, public integrity journalists fight for open records Center for Public Integrity Public Integrity national security editor Jeff Smith requested these documents under the Freedom of Information Act... United Kingdom (UK) Weaknesses in town council's handling of Freedom of Information request South Wales Argus The town council was incorrect to refuse an FOI request to see a report produced at a full council meeting in May, according to an ICO report...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 193


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 193	E - Alert	Issue Date: 29-11-2019

USA Your right to know, Informative forum on open government The Daily Gazette The forum, held Oct. 16, addressed a number of related topics, first focusing on the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)... Sri Lanka Strengthening RTI in Sri Lanka Daily FT In Sri Lanka, the right to seek and receive information is a constitutional right guaranteed under Article 14A of Sri Lanka’s Constitution... British Virgin Islands I'm not convinced Freedom of Information Act will make a difference BVI News Opposition member Julian Fraser has said he believes implementing a Freedom of Information Act will not make a difference in relation to having access to information... India Bringing CJI under RTI, a welcome move The Hindustan Business Line After a decade, the Supreme Court has accepted the Delhi High Court ruling that the office of the Chief Justice of India... Bangladesh RTI law: Bridging the gap between promise and practice The Daily Star The ostensive purpose of the law is to establish the right of citizens to access information about the functioning of their governments... Connecticut (USA) Freedom of Information Must Continue To Be Safeguarded Law.com A Freedom of Information Commission Public Information Officer explains transparency laws to private citizens and public officials alike... Gambia Cabinet Approves Freedom of Information Bill, Removes All Gender Discriminatory Laws The Voice Gambia The Minister of Justice, Honourable Abubakarr Tambadou, who presented the Bills before Cabinet colleagues, stated that the momentous decision... Pakistan Local action for global goals: Measuring progress on access to information in Pakistan Mirage News A delegation from Pakistan visited UNESCO on 14 November to share how the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province has generated evidence and data... UNESCO UNESCO launches three reports on journalists’ safety, access to information, and election coverage Inter Press Service Access to Information: A New Promise for Sustainable Development explores recent legislative developments and their effect in the field, as well as evolving international standards and practices... Algeria Algeria: there is no political reform without freedom of expression and media Open Democracy The wheels of the regime’s constitutional reform engine had been set into motion... Ghana MFWA Train Journalists on RTI Implementation Modern Ghana The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) Thursday organised has trained journalists in Accra with in-depth knowledge ahead of the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2020... Scotland Freedom of information reform Holyrood A Scottish Government consultation on the need to extend the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) to cover a wider range of bodies involved in providing services...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 192


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 192	E - Alert	Issue Date: 11-11-2019

India Modi govt sees RTI an obstacle to majotarian agenda: Sonia Gandhi The Asian Age Right to Information (RTI) as "an obstacle to enforcing their majoritarian agenda" and that the amendments to the Act enacted by it will ensure that... Canada Researcher threatened over access to information wins full costs Ottawa Citizen Ken Rubin has won the full amount of his legal costs after a company tried to sue him for filing a freedom of information request... Myanmar Our Right to Information Is Inseparable From Our Right to Expression The Irrawaddy Ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on Nov. 2, it’s important to recognize the essential link between the right to freedom of expression and the right to information... Transparency International Using the right to information for investigative journalism in Bangladesh Transparency International One of his sources had told him about a counterfeiting scheme which had been making fake stamps for validating legal documents... Zambia Access to Information Bill will punish those publishing false information Lusaka Times Chief Government Spokesperson Dora Siliya has said that the Access to Information Bill once enacted will stiffen punishment for people who publish false information... USA Washington State Supreme Court rules that access to public records is not a vested right Jurist The Evergreen Freedom Foundation submitted a request for access to the records of individuals providing childcare for low-income families in early November, 2016... UK Officers not to blame for FOI failure Times and Star UK But councillor David Moore stressed that the failure was not the fault of hard-working officers but had more to do with the volume of requests... Sierra Leone Access to information regulations validated in Sierra Leone Politico SL Addressing a meeting of representatives of ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organizations, media, academics and the private sector operatives... Australia Your right to know, The battle to access your own personal information The Age Journalists chasing stories, politicians trying to dig up dirt on their rivals or community groups fighting developments make up a tiny percentage of applicants... UK Oxford man uses Freedom of Information bid to challenge city council bus gate plan Oxford Mail UK Under the Freedom of Information Act, residents have a right to request any recorded information held by a public authority, such as a government department or local counci006Cx... Pakistan Paris Peace Forum, KP govt RTI delegation leaves for France The News International A delegation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is leaving for France today (Sunday) to present the first-ever Right to Information (RTI) Assessment Methodology Project... Austria, European Union GDPR versus PSD II - right of access to information versus charges for information Lexology In a recent decision,(1) the Federal Administrative Court confirmed that a credit institution had violated its obligations under Article 15 of the EU Data Protection Regulation...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 191


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 191	E - Alert	Issue Date: 17-10-2019

Pakistan LAW, THE RIGHT TO KNOW Dawn I often avail data from government departments about the minorities’ quota in the hiring of staff... Pakistan Call to enhance journalists ‘capacity for better use of RTI laws The News Waleed Iqbal said Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan ensured freedom of speech and expression with a very few restrictions... Bangladesh The growing maturity of RTI use in Bangladesh The Daily Star Unlike earlier years, the discussions and exchanges this year were more upbeat and hopeful about the future of the law in the country... Jamaica It's the citizens who must protect their right to know Jamaica Observer The reaction of the public was understandably swift and poignantly repulsive of what was clearly the Government's retreat to a lack of transparency in governance... India Supreme Court gives 4 weeks more to Centre, states to file replies on the plea Times of India The top court, while giving four more weeks for filing response, made it clear that no further adjournment would be given in the matter... Scotland Record number of Freedom of Information requests made BBC The Scottish Information Commissioner reported a rise of 8% in the year 2018-19 compared to the previous year... India Do RTI Commissioners have the Right to Information? The Wire Governments have shown their dislike towards the institution by posting the most hostile bureaucrats as commissioners... Lebanon Lebanese Transparency Association demands the government adopt rigorous anti-corruption reforms Transparency International No Corruption (LTA), calls upon the Lebanese government to seriously address the demands of the Lebanese people, expressed in the demonstrations... Australia Your Right To Know is a cornerstone of democracy The Australia The multiple veils of secrecy imposed by the federal government, and the states, have drawn media organisations together... USA Department of Justice Issues New Guidance on Exemption 4 to the Freedom of Information Act JD Supra The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) generally requires federal agencies to disclose information requested by the public unless... New York (USA) Does your local government honor FOIL requests? WBFO The Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government recently sent FOIL requests to 16 local governments in Erie and Niagara Counties... Sri Lanka RI Commission says public sector needs to be more committed to releasing information Daily FT While there is success stories that Sri Lanka has experienced during a short period of two years since the implementation of the RTI Act...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 190


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 190	E - Alert	Issue Date: 01-10-2019

Pakistan PTI fails to comply with Right to Information Act Geo News None of the 33 federal ministries have uploaded even 50 per cent of information required to put on the website... Ghana Government to appoint Information Commissioner My Joy Online In line with the requirements of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, government shall soon appoint a Commissioner of Information... Australia Australian and NZ info commissioners highlight importance of public information The Mandarin The public’s right to know would set the expectation for government accountability, prompt better decision-making and strengthen citizen engagement... UNESCO Open Talks showcase access to information as driver for sustainable development Mirage News UNESCO showcased forward-looking initiatives that are improving people’s access to information globally and leaving no one behind during a series of Open Talks... Australia Don’t underestimates value of right to know Government News Citizens highly value the right to find out government information, and government departments and agencies should make better use of technology... New Zealand Community Attitudes towards freedom of information survey Scoop New Zealand is rated by Transparency International as one of the most transparent countries in the world... Russia Russian internet regulator blocks independent Fergana news website Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP) Russia’s state internet regulator Roskomnadzor ordered internet service providers to block the site without warning... United Kingdom UK to Release ’Pay to Slay’ Audits After Freedom of Information Request The Algemeiner The branch of the British government responsible for administering overseas aid will disclose audit reports regarding aid money... Jamaica Resolution to amend ATI Act pulled from Senate The Gleaner The Government fulfilled its promise today to withdraw the resolution that would increase from 20 to 70 years... Oklahoma (USA) Freedom of information in Oklahoma like cardboard in our pizza The Edmond Sun Thanks to the federal Freedom of Information Act, which has made it possible for anyone to peek behind the curtain and expose governmental misdeeds... United Kingdom UK rights group reveals secret government Prevent database ALJazeera The database, which belongs to Prevent, part of the United Kingdom's counter-extremism strategy, was uncovered by rights group Liberty through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests... India No content regulation on online streaming platforms, RTI reveals India Today India Today TV filed an RTI (Right to Information) application with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) because the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 189


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 189	E - Alert	Issue Date: 16-09-2019

Bangladesh RTI, How do we compare with the rest of the world? The Daily Star With some 130 countries around the world having adopted Right to Information (RTI) laws, we now know a great deal about how citizens use this law... India Rajasthan reboots RTI Act: Jan Soochna Portal to provide govt information at the click of a button Indian Express Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot launched a “Jan Soochna Portal” aimed at easing the access to information for the beneficiaries of welfare schemes... Namibia Access to Information Bill signed off New Era Nawatiseb made the remarks when the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information Commissioner... South Carolina (US) Richland County School District One violated FOIA law at board meeting WIS News A lawsuit filed earlier this month in Richland County alleges Richland County School District One violated the Freedom of Information Act ... India Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019, All you need to know India Today The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, on July 19, 2019... Pakistan Politicians, rights groups reject idea of ‘media courts’ Dawn Politicians, media bodies and rights groups rejected the federal government’s announcement of setting up of special tribunals... Gambia Stakeholders Review Draft Freedom of Information Bill All Africa The event gathered about two dozen experts from government, civil society, media and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Right... UNESCO The right to access information highlighted by IFAP at its meeting in Malaysia UNESCO.org Hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia, with the support of UNESCO, the meeting was opened by the IFAP Chair... Pakistan P&D Board Launches New Website Urdupoint The Planning and Development Board has launched its new website in order to keep the citizens updated with the latest news and information... Pakistan First-ever NFIC set up in Pakistan The Nation The forum consists of all in-service information commissioners from federal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh... South Australia SA ombudsman wants bureaucrats to let FOI officers do their job The Mandarin The involvement of department chief executives and ministers in the Freedom of Information process, and has called for an Information Commissioner to be installed... Lebanon Access to Information Law Stalled Human Rights Watch Lebanese authorities have largely failed to comply with the country’s Right to Access to Information Law, and the government has not established the body...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 187


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 187	E - Alert	Issue Date: 19-08-2019

India Country facing grave challenges as key institutions no longer free National Herald India It has never faced such challenges since independence. We paid a heavy price to get independence from the British Raj... USA We found out how many times the Mueller report has been downloaded Politico According to data obtained by POLITICO under the Freedom of Information Act, the special counsel’s final report was downloaded nearly 800 million times... Australia Press freedom in Australia needs much more than piecemeal protection The Interpreter Alone among the Five Eyes, Australia has no explicit protection of journalists in the exercise of search warrants ... Latin America Group of renowned Latin American journalists launch center for transnational investigative journalism Knight Center We are going to lead collaborative transnational projects of investigative journalism, and we want to find the most qualified people to work on these things... England Special educational needs crisis deepens as councils bust their budgets The Guardian Figures sourced under the Freedom of Information Act from 118 of the 151 local authorities in England show that councils are expecting to overspend... Pakistan Effective measures taken to revamp Information Ministry departments Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) The government achieved establishment of Commission on Right of Access to Information, rationalization of advertisement rates of electronic media... United Kingdom UK government under fire over £10m Brexit campaign The Drum Critics have lashed out at the scale of government spending on a public information campaign designed to help people... Sri Lanka SL has not made greater progress towards good governance & transparency Adaderana.ik The country has made progress in the areas of peace and reconciliation, he said citing the constitutional changes that were made to establish the Right to Information a fundamental right of the citizens as an example in this regard... India Nagaland recorded highest numbers of RTI applications The Morung Express Among the small states category, Nagaland recorded the highest number of RTI applications received from 2006-07 to 2016-17 at 24, 896... Pakistan Bureaucrats trying to fail RTI law The News International These colonial mindset bureaucrats are creating hurdles in free access to information and are still unwilling to share information in the best interest of the department... Nigeria MRA Commends NIPC for ‘Initial Steps’ to Comply with FOI Proactive Disclosure Obligation The Nigerian Voice Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today commended the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) for its initial efforts at complying with its proactive disclosure obligations under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act... India No RTI lessons for financial regulators Money Control It is highly unfortunate that those sections of the RTI Act have been amended which ideally should have been applied to other...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 188


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 188	E - Alert	Issue Date: 02-09-2019

India Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, states over online Right to Information portal The Hans India Describing the RTI Act as a powerful tool, advocate Abraham said the true objective of the legislation can be achieved only by timely response to citizens' request... Malta Freedom of Information request for contract rejected The Independent A Freedom of Information request asking for the full copy of the contract between the Ryan Air group and the Maltese government... Sri Lanka Sri Lankan RTI achieves mid-range score, proactive disclosure still lagging Daily FT The Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) is calling for renewed commitment from the State and citizenry to ensure the transformative impact of the Right to Information (RTI) Act... Sudan IPPro Magazine Global Voices The Sudanese Access to Information Act is the first of its kind in Sudan, although Article 39 (1) of the 2005 Sudan Interim Constitution... Pakistan Costs notified to access govt information under RTI law Dawn According to the notification, federal public bodies are to provide free of cost the first 10 pages of information requested under the Act... Nigeria MRA Inducts Customs into ‘Enhanced FOI Hall of Shame accuses it of Confirming Reports of Pervasive Corruption in the Agency The Nigerian Voice It is the second public institution to be inducted into the revamped FOI Hall of Shame after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)... Pakistan Does RTI law applies on courts? The News International A citizen wrote to the Supreme Court of Pakistan demanding information under Right of Access to Information Act 2017 commonly referred as Right to Information (RTI) law... USA Michigan ranks dead last for transparency Detroit Free Press The Michigan Legislature has tried for years to extend transparency to the state House of Representatives... Philippines The Michigan Legislature has tried for years to extend transparency to the state House of Representatives Rappler Transparency and Freedom of Information (FOI) have figured largely among Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto’s policies early on... USA House requests investigation of Interior political appointees' review of public records The Hill The internal policy, unearthed in a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release, allows Interior deputy solicitor Daniel Jorjani... Nigeria INEC pledges Commitment to FOI Law, unveils revised Communication Policy Vanguard The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled its revised Communication Policy... New York Group Sues NY Campaign Finance Commission Over Freedom of Information Law Compliance Law.com A lawsuit filed Monday against a special commission created by the state Legislature in New York to develop a comprehensive public campaign finance system claimed...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 186


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 186	E - Alert	Issue Date: 01-08-2019

India Five Times Right To Information Act Helped Unearth Major Scams The Logical Indian The Rajya Sabha on July 25 passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019. This bill seeks... Pakistan Community social audit report: 43 water supply schemes dysfunctional in Karak The News International The social audit reports on two southern districts Lakki Marwat and Karak were unveiled in a seminar organized by... USA My freedom of information law saga continues Post Star The new owners of a large portion of the former General Electric Co. dewatering site in Fort Edward held their first public meeting ... Luxembourg City Freedoms of information and the press could outweigh infringement IPPro Magazine The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has ruled freedom of information and the press cannot justify the infringement... Ghana Coalition on the RTI, Ghana, honours stakeholders Business Ghana The Coalition on the Right to Information, Ghana (RTI Coalition), has presented citations of honour to former Steering Committee members... Scotland Scottish Government departments failing on freedom of information The Ferret The efforts of departments in the Scottish Government to improve their freedom of information performance... Bangladesh Govt officials’ restrictive mindset hindering people’s right to information: experts The Daily Star While the Right to Information (RTI) Act is a powerful tool for people’s empowerment, some inherent flaws and restrictive mindset of a section of public servants stand as barriers... Russia Russian journalist Mikhail Romanov found guilty of ‘abuse of freedom of information’ and ‘false’ news Committee to Protect Journalists It was the first time the authorities have charged a journalist under the provision in the administrative code that pertains to “false” information... Malta Neville Gafa contract disclosure through Freedom of Information Act request refused Independent.mt The request was originally made on 2 July, following over seven months of unanswered questions and stonewalling by the government... Pakistan FBR directed to provide information under Right of Access to Information Act 2017 The News International The FBR was requested to provide certified information under Right of Access to Information Act 2017 about total vacancies in the revenue board... India Madhya Pradesh: Officials face Rs 2.5 lakh fine for not giving information under RTI India Today Narendra Kumar Pandey, Public Information Officer of the civic body, did not give information in the stipulated 30 days or took any other decision on the applications...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 185


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 185	E - Alert	Issue Date: 23-07-2019

Ghana I'm against Right to Information Law - Kennedy Agyapong Ghana Web Anti-corruption campaigner and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin... Ireland Up to 37000 freedom of information requests made in 2018 Irish Times Nearly 37,000 freedom of information requests were made to public bodies last year, an 8.5 per cent increase on the previous year... Pakistan RIC commissioner appointed Dawn The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on appointed journalist Riaz Khan Daudzai as commissioner of Right to ... Australia Access to Information Australian Office of Financial Management We make a range of information available for public access on our website. You can formally request access to information... Scotland Hunterston dredging plan uncovered by freedom of information request Largs and Millport PLANS to dredge a huge area of the seabed at Hunterston as part of an oil rig decommissioning yard project has been ... Bangladesh A healthy right-to-information regime is in everyone's best interest Daily Star School supplies siphoned off by a contractor. Ghost workers created to claim benefits... India Defence Ministry spent ₹7.85 crore on legal fee The Hindu While the debate continues over taxing disability pension for military personnel and assurances by Defence Minister... Kenya Enlighten Kenyans on their right to access information Business Daily Article 35 of the Kenyan Constitution reaffirms the right of the public to access information from government and private entities... South Africa EPA's Rule Changes Would Undermine Freedom of Information Act The Media Institute Participated in a letter (with the Reporters Committee and other news media organizations) sent to the Environmental Protection Agency...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 184


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 184	E - Alert	Issue Date: 01-07-2019

Sri Lanka The government is attempting to limit access to information The Kathmandu Post At a time when the government is facing widespread criticisms for attempting to curtail freedom of expression and the free press, and generally attempting to push through regulations and... Ghana CCB Denies Freedom of Information On Asset Declarations By Presidents, Others On Ground Of Modern Ghana (press release) (blog) The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has denied a Freedom of Information request demanding specific details of asset declarations submitted to it by successive presidents and state... Pakistan Paris Peace Forum chooses KP to asses RTI implementation The News International The Paris Peace Forum has chosen Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s project, from among the provinces and the country, to assess the implementation and evolution of the Right to Information Act ... Philippine CHR says access to information a basic right; reminds congress of role in approval of franchise Manila Bulletin The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has asserted that public’s access to timely and relevant information is a basic right that empowers the people to make sound decisions... Gambia CSO Coalition on Freedom of Information meets Justice Minister Freedom Newspaper The Gambian Civil Society Coalition on Freedom of Information on Monday June 24, handed over a draft Freedom of Information Bill 2019 to the Honourable Attorney General ... UK Tip: Freedom of Information requests 101 Journalism.co.uk Everybody has access to this public data, but knowing how to ask is a different story - here is how to find the statistics you need for your next article... India RTI reply on Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa's dissent note could endanger life: ECI India Today The RTI filed by India Today Group was on Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa's dissent over the ECI clean chits to four speeches of PM Modi and one of Amit Shah... Myanamar Ministry cuts off internet access in Rakhine, Chin Eleven Myanmar Due to a threat to the peace, stability, security and rule of law, the ministry has cut off internet access in Rakhine and Chin States, said Soe Thein, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications on June 22...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 183


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 183	E - Alert	Issue Date: 18-06-2019

Pakistan KP academics being ignored The Express Tribune The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information (KP RTI) Act of 2013 was passed with the objective to ensure the citizens had access... Scotland Lib Dems challenge Scottish Goverment over FOI legislation The Scotsman A submission has been made to the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee which is currently examining the Freedom of Information... Ireland Department told to release details of jet use by Higgins, McAleese Irish Times Information about the use of the government jet by President Michael D. Higgins and his predecessor Mary McAleese should be released... Jammu & Kashmir Implement RTI Act in letter and spirit: RTI Movement to interim J&K Bank chairman Kashmir Reader The Jammu & Kashmir Right to Information Movement (RTIM) appealed to interim chairman of J&K Bank, R K Chibber to implement Right to Information... India Agenda for next government: Protecting right to information India Today The significance of access to information about the government's functioning can't be over-emphasized... Bangladesh Our right to easy access to information The Daily Star Information is prerequisite for humans to perform several activities. It is recognised that knowing and circulating information is very vital for ensuring transparency... Sierra Leone RAIC boss shares Sierra Leone's PDI experience at OGP global summit The Patriotic Vanguard The Chairman and Information Commissioner of the Right to Access Information Commission, Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw has said that one of the biggest challenges... Philippines Freedom of Information: Our Battle for Democracy Manila Bulletin There was an old saying, information is power. Anyone who has it rules over everyone. One becomes invincible if he/she...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 182


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 182	E - Alert	Issue Date: 16-05-2019

Namibia Namibian media not free enough – editors Namibian Editors and experts in the media sector yesterday said despite Namibia's good rankings on media freedom, more needs to be done... Bangladesh Two workshops on RTI held The Daily Star Two workshops on right to information (RTI) were held at deputy commissioner’s office in Sylhet yesterday... Jammu & Kashmir Data shows departments miserly in revealing info under RTI Act Greater Kashmir With 224 appeals and 29 complaints a year, the Right to Information Act in Kashmir is not getting the priority it merits in the government departments... Pakistan As RTI commission is dysfunctional, complainants move court The News International In February this year, Aftab Alam, dispatched Right to Information requests to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and three of its subordinate departments... Scotland FOI brings transparency and honesty Law Society of Scotland The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 has led to a major improvement in government transparency and has set strong standards... Australia RTI application fees and charges Department of Justice and Attorney-General You will need to pay an application fee of $49.70 when you apply for information under the Right to Information Act 2009... Sri Lanka RTI activism in Sri Lanka and India: Can India continue to be an example in future? The Daily Mirror The decomposed body of a 32-year old RTI activist who went missing in January was found in Pune, a city in the Indian State of Maharashtra early February...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 181


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 181	E - Alert	Issue Date: 02-05-2019

California California is fighting over the future of freedom of information laws Fast Company Many people argue that public records laws are essential to democracy. Others say they’re being used by corporate interests to stifle important research... Namibia Is Government Committed to Transparency? Namibian President Hage Geingob really wants a government as transparent as a glass that is not tinted. On a personal level, Geingob loves a debate... Jamaica Ja ranked highest in the C'bean on respect for freedom of information Jamaica Observer The Paris-based Reporters without Borders (RFS) named Jamaica as the highest Caribbean country that most respect freedom of information... Canada How the freedom of information system often results in secrecy instead of transparency Toronto Star The freedom of information (FOI) system is meant to benefit all of us, the public. It’s supposed to be there so we can know what data our government... United Arab Emirates AI journalism promises a revolution in freedom of information, and a free flow of information Gulf Today How does Artificial Intelligence Journalism assure freedom of information? One of the key pillars on... India Provision in RTI Act allowing transfer of application to 'appropriate' department gives authorities First Stop One of the foundations of accountability for our democracy is the Right to Information Act (RTI) of 2005. It can be hailed as a revolutionary... Germany Germany: Personal Data: Comprehensive Right To Information Of The Employee Mondaq News Alerts The Regional Labor Court (LAG) of Baden-Württemberg, in its ruling of December 20, 2018 granted an employee...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 180


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 180	E - Alert	Issue Date: 16-04-2019

South Carolina After suit accused USC of violating open records law, the university agrees to change Greenville News The University of South Carolina has agreed to fix how it responds to public records requests, court documents show... Pakistan Extension of right to information law to Malakand sought Dawn News The members of civil society and local journalists demanded the provincial government to direct the administration of Malakand division to provide information... Namibia 'ECN only scratching surface on voter education' Namibian Media ombudsman John Nakuta criticized the Electoral Commission of Namibia for only doing the “bare minimum” when it comes to voter education... India Delhi HC seeks reply from Centre, COAS over plea seeking de-classfying Sambha spy scandal documents Business Standard The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Centre and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) over a petition seeking to de-classify all official documents relating... Sri Lanka Sri Lanka’s Northern Province journalists win awards for using RTI for reporting Daily FT The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Centre and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) over a petition seeking to de-classify all official documents relating... Bangladesh Use of RTI in Bangladesh The Daily Star International observers who follow global trends on the progress of transparency and accountability instruments, such as Right to Information (RTI) or Freedom of Information (FOI), which have... Canada 'Seduction of secrecy': Will anyone fix Alberta's freedom of information system? Edmonton Journal David Khan, leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, had heard the stories about the issue — how paramedics in some cases were waiting more than an hour to hand a patient...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 179


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 179	E - Alert	Issue Date: 01-04-2019

Ireland Make Freedom of Information Act a priority, think tank tells govt Free Malaysia Today The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) today presented several suggestions on combatting corruption, one of which is FOI... South Africa City to educate public on Promotion of Access to Information Act Independent Online The City of Cape Town will be hosting an information sharing event to raise awareness of the Promotion of Access to Information Act... Morocco El Othmani: Morocco’s New Law on Access to Information Will Succeed Morocco World News The Moroccan Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani has promised to ensure equal access to information... Ghana Reconsider the decision to mine in Atiwa Forest – CSOs to government Ghana Business News According to the CSOs it poses a threat to the Atiwa Forest and, therefore, is not in the national interest... Nigeria Delta Assembly passes Freedom of Information Bill Daily Sun FOI Act will soon be domesticated in Delta State, following the passage of the state Freedom of Information Bill during plenary... Philippine Secret loan terms fan 'debt trap' fears Philippine Star President Duterte should order full disclosure to allay fears that the huge Chinese loans he had contracted to finance... USA State budget measure would limit access to mugshots, but not arrest reports Buffalo News State lawmakers have revised plans to limit public disclosure of arrest booking information, following an outcry from freedom of information advocates... Pakistan CPDI stressed effective legislation on RTI law in Balochistan The Balochistan Point CPDI has urged the Balochistan government to make amendments in RTI act, 2005 in the light of international best practices... India Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde claims credit for EMRs at station, RTI says otherwise DNA India A 10-year-old HC order to set up EMRs across railway stations has started a war of credit in Thane region...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 178


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 178	E - Alert	Issue Date: 18-03-2019

Ireland Families of murder victims have a legal right to information about the case The Journal The Victims of Crime Bill 2015 legally obliges and the Director of Public Prosecutions to keep victims informed... Israel ‘DON’T VOTE FOR PARTIES THAT DO NOT OPERATE TRANSPARENTLY’ The Jerusalem Post Election season is upon us. This is a time when the public focuses on the candidates, the campaigns and the new... Pakistan Access to information body unable to appoint staff, carry out functions Dawn The Commission on Access to Information remains non-functional four months after it was notified in the absence of funding... Scotland Holyrood asks how well freedom of information law is working Scottish Legal News A Holyrood committee is seeking views on the operation of Scotland’s freedom of information legislation... USA Sunshine Week spotlights freedom of information The Times Telegram March 10 through March 16 is Sunshine Week, an annual initiative organized by the American Society of News Editors to promote dialogue about... France Government transparency vital for Lamar County residents Paris News Of all the things we think of as our fundamental American rights — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — as well as things like freedom of speech... Sri Lanka RTI Unearths 230 Complaints against Quack ‘Islamic’ Judges Colombo Telegraph The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has released data under the Right to Information Act indicating that an enormous number of 230 complaints have been filed... India How the RBI Dodged RTI Appeals for Minutes of Meeting on Demonetisation The Wire After two years of stubborn refusal to part with any details regarding the minutes of its board meeting on demonetisation, the RBI has demonstrated its sheer disdain for the RTI Act...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 177


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 177	E - Alert	Issue Date: 28-02-2019

Pakistan Sindh Information Commission starts working next month The News International The Sindh Information Commission will finally start functioning under the Sindh Transparency and... Morocco UNESCO Agree to Cooperate on Right to Access to Information Morocco World News Director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization... Colombia More than half of Colombia's media reliant on state propaganda funds Colombia Reports Colombia’s media is overly reliant on shady contracts to publish or create government propaganda... Ghana Latest amendment to RTI Bill problematic – Coalition Charleston Post Courier The Coalition on the Right to Information (RTI) Ghana, the Media Coalition on RTI and Occupy Ghana; collectively known... Sri Lanka Right to Information Groundviews In 2017, Groundviews filed a series of RTI requests to ascertain more about Sri Lanka’s early warning system... Kenya Access to public information an uphill struggle in Kenya despite law Business Daily A recent legal tussle between lawyer Apollo Mboya and utility firm, Kenya Power over inaccurate customer billing perhaps underlined the deep... India Apex court opposes amendment to RTI The Hans India RTI Act is the best enactment, but it is not giving best results in securing the access to public records...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 176


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 176	E - Alert	Issue Date: 04-02-2019

Pakistan Dir officers asked to resolve people's issues Dawn The Lower Dir deputy commissioner on Tuesday directed all officers in the district to resolve public grievances... Brazil Brazil changes freedom of information act ZDNe Brazil's freedom of information law has seen significant changes with a new decree signed by interim president... India Why no experts on RTI panels, asks Supreme Court The Hindu The Supreme Court asked why Right to Information bodies, especially the apex forum of Central Information Commission... Pakistan RTI’s complaints commission itself in complainant mode The News It has neither been allocated the staff required to start work nor given the proper office whereas the information commissioners... UK Devon and Cornwall Police under investigation over Freedom of Information requests Devon Live Devon and Cornwall Police is under investigation after failing to deal with more than 100 FOI requests... Pakistan Info Commission in vain as govt delays service rules Pakistan Today PIC to suffer from shortage of staff till govt approves proposed service rules... Ghana RTI And Two Other Bills To Be Prioritized As Parliament Resumes Sitting Modern Ghana Before going for that festive break, the speaker of Parliament Professor assured that the RTI bill will...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 175


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 175	E - Alert	Issue Date: 21-01-2019

Afghanistan Access to information to help curb corruption: Danish Pajhwok Afghan News Vice-president Sarwar Danish on Sunday introduced new members to the Oversight Commission on Access to Information... USA New Interior FOIA rule could make it harder to get public documents The Hill Interior Department rule could make it harder for news organizations and nonprofits to get public information from the government... Pakistan WSSP launches website to bolster digital presence The News International The Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) has launched own website to bolster digital presence... Scotland MSPs to review Scotland's Freedom of Information laws Holyrood The Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee has agreed to examine the FOI Act 2002... Australia Complaints about under resourced FOI system spike by 72% in a single year The Guardian Complaints about Australia’s FOI system spiked by 72% in a single year, heaping further pressure on regulator... France Texans deserve access to info Paris News Police Department officer’s pursuit of a driver who sped off after the officer signaled him to stop ended when the driver crashed into some trees... Canada With election ahead, we need to make public records truly public The Conversation Citizens require access to public records in order to become properly informed about the activities of their government... India PM Modi fails to use MPLAD funds on villages adopted by him National Herald Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced early last year with much fanfare that he had adopted a fourth village in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency for... UK EU adviser sides with Google on 'right to be forgotten' dispute The Telegraph An advisor to the European Court of Justice has sided with Google in a dispute over the “right to be forgotten” rule.... Bangladesh Use of RTI in Bangladesh The Dailystar One way of observing the progress of the law in any country is to assess existing trends and the nature of its use...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter - 173


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 173	E - Alert	Issue Date: 17-12-2019

Pakistan Plea for PSL expenditure disposed of The News International The Lahore High Court on Friday disposed of a petition seeking details of expenditures incurred on Pakistan Super League (PSL)… US HRC Sends Expanded FOIA Request to ICE & CBP for Records of Treatment of Trans Detainees Human Rights Campaign (blog) HRC sent expanded Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)… Sri Lanka RTI Commission orders release of Ranil Wickremesinghe's asset declaration, law does not include President's Colombo Page Right to Information Commission has directed the Presidential Secretariat to disclose the declaration of assets and liabilities of Ranil Wickremesinghe… India Right to know: Now just drop into a govt. office to access information The Hindu Citizens seeking data from the government under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, can now simply land up at the concerned… Ghana I will suspend my suspension of demo - Baako readies for RTI fight Ghana Web The law-making body of Ghana is yet to see what pressure is, if they fail to pass the Right to Information bill before they rise as promised… Pakistan Federal ministries yet to proactively disclose information The News International A study recently released by a civil society organization revealed that majority of the federal ministries and institutions have failed to proactively disclose information… Germany Heiko Maas: 'Freedom of expression is essential to democracy' D.W The right to freedom of expression and information is essential for a free and democratic state…. Pakistan KP CM announces to increase job quota for special persons to 4 per cent The News International Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan Monday announced to increase job quota for special persons from 2 per cent to 4 per cent besides … Ghana FLASHBACK: RTI bill will be passed in 100 days - Bawumia Pulse.com.gh It's 600 days of the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Right to Information Bill (RTI) has not been passed…
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter - 174


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 174	E - Alert	Issue Date: 02-01-2019

Ghana ADI Demands Halt And Reflection Over RTI Bill Ghana Web The plans by parliament to pass the Right To Information (RTI) bill is likely to... India Lokpal Selection Committee Did Not Meet Even Once In Nearly 4 Years NewsClic The BJP government is blatantly attacking the institutions of accountability and transparency... Jamaica Measures Being Undertaken To Improve Access To Information Jamaica Observer The Access to Information (ATI) Unit will be undertaking some critical initiatives aimed at improving service delivery... Pakistan Pakistan Improves Position In Global RTI Rating The Nation Pakistan improves its position in international Right To Information rating from 91 to 33... Australia Secret Documents Reveal Toxic Threat beneath Sydney Airport The Sydney Morning Herald A pool of poisonous water underneath Sydney Airport contains some of the highest levels of toxic firefighting chemicals... Nigeria Imo to Adopt Freedom Of Information Act- Irona The Nigerian Voice Former member of the House of Representatives and Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party... Vietnam Law Ensures Citizens' Right to Information Access Veitnam + The Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) co-held a seminar in Hanoi on December 2... Bangladesh Progress and Regress of RTI in Bangladesh The Daily Star As the Right to Information (RTI) regime nears completion of its first decade of existence, we asked a few scholars, advocates and users of...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter - 172


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 172	E - Alert	Issue Date: 04-12-2018

Ghana RTI coalition member released after arrest in Parliament Ghana Web A leading member of the Right to Information coalition, Elvis Darko has been released after over an hour of being held by police for displaying a placard close to Parliament during the reading of the 2019 budget... USA Trump Jr's Business Trip to India Cost US Taxpayers Nearly $100000: Report News18 Washington: A business trip by Donald J Trump Jr, the son of the US president... Pakistan Story behind the story The News As I watched on TV the duel between the US President Donald Trump and CNN journalist... India Most Central Government Department Websites Lack Self Disclosure: Audit NDTV Most of the central government department websites lack in self disclosure of public information under a mandatory provision of the Right to Information (RTI) Act... Jamoo & Kashmir SAC approves J&K Right to Information (Amendment) Bill-2018 The Kashmir Images Newspaper The State Administrative Council (SAC) which met here today approved enactment of the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2018... Pakistan Punjab cabinet approves various drafts, laws ahead of govt's 100 days Dawn The Punjab cabinet on Friday took up a heavy agenda approving various legislative businesses on the recommendations of the cabinet’s standing committee on legislation... Pakistan PPP, PML- N govts covered up funds misuse: Fawad Chaudhry Express Tribune Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Monday there was corruption of billions of rupees... Pakistan Call to ensure right to information Dawn Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Chaudhry said that if departments failed to provide information sought from them under the law, citizens can approach the commission... Pakistan Role of media, civil society highlighted for good governance Dawn Good governance, transparency and pro-public administration in the government departments can be achieved only through the proactive role of media and civil society... Russia Russia to raise issue of journalists' access to info at OSCE ministerial meeting — Lavrov TASS At the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Russia will suggest confirming the right... India RTI is used maximum by government employees as they know governance better than the common man MoneyLife Earlier this month, Prof Dr M Sridhar Acharayalu retired as Central Information Commissioner. Prof Acharayalu made waves by issuing a show-cause notice... Sri Lanka People still unaware of right to info The Himalayan Times Information Commissioner and Spokesperson for National Information Commission Yesodha Devi Timsina today said many people in the country were still not aware of their right to information....
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter - 171


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 171	E - Alert	Issue Date: 30-11-2018

Armenia Armenia drops one notch in Press Freedom Index 2018 Arka News Agency Armenia has dropped one position in the Press Freedom Index 2018 compiled annually by the reporters... Ghana Ghanaian Parliament and Right To Information Bill Modern Ghana All persons shall have the right to information, subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic... Jammu & Kashmir Information Commission itself flouting provisions of RTI Act Daily Excelsior State Information Commission, a transparency watchdog, has failed to provide requisite information... France International Declaration on Information and Democracy Rappler Seventy years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in Paris, the "International Declaration on Information and Democracy,”... India Rs 5L reward for info on RTI man's murder Mumbai Mirror Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information about the February 24, 2012 murder of a Right to Information (RTI)... India RBI refuses to state how much destruction of banned notes cost: RTI Moneycontrol.com The RBI has declined to reveal the cost incurred on shredding banned currency notes worth Rs 15,31,073 crore... Pakistan Federal Information Commission notified Daily Times Federal government has finally notified the Federal Information Commission to ensure access to information by the public at large... Paris Call to ensure right to information Rappler In a historic step in the context of the Paris Peace Forum today, 12 countries launched a political process... Ghana RTI Bill will be passed before close of 2018 Ghana Web Speaker of Parliament Professor Aaron Mike has given the strongest indication yet that parliament will pass the RTI Bill by close of 2018... Palestine In Cooperation with the European Union, MADA launches the “Right of Access to Information Palestine News Network The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” has launched a media campaign...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-170


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 170	E - Alert	Issue Date: 01-11-2018

Pakistan PIC fails to update list of govt depts.' information officers Pakistan Today By the end of this calendar year, we can expect to see members of the Queensland Parliament debating the introduction of the Mineral and Energy Resources... Maldives Finance ministry admits breach of right to information law Maldives Independent (press release) The finance ministry has admitted to breaking the law over a right to information request filed by the Maldives Independent about a US$40 million loan…… India Himachal RTI Activist's Murder – a Landmark Case in the Fight for Social Equality? The Wire It has been a little more than a month since the small hill state of Himachal Pradesh was stunned by the brutal murder of Right to Information activist… Pakistan Sindh govt. fails to implement Right to Information law Pakistan Today There has been no progress in the implementation of “The Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2017” even though a year has passed… USA "Right to Know" act goes in to effect in NYC PIX 11 New York Under the “Right to Know” act, officers will hand out business cards with information including their name, rank, command and shield number…. Pakistan Petition seeks details of litigation expense in Dr Aafia case Dawn The petition maintained that the preamble of the Right of Access to Information Act clearly stated that the ”government believes in transparency and the… India Mumbai: Over 18400 people died between 2013 -18 in train mishaps Times Now Mumbai: A Right to Information plea has found that 18,423 people died and 18,847 people were injured in suburban train-related mishaps between… Pakistan Call to ensure right to information The Nation LAHORE - Speakers at the Hameed Nizami Press Institute of Pakistan (HNPIP) seminar on ‘Access to Information for Responsible Governance….
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-169


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 169	E - Alert	Issue Date: 15-10-2018

Jordan People's right to know motivates Gov't to improve legislation on access to information AMMONNEWS Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson, Jumana Ghneimat, said... India Explore use of advanced technology in giving info under RTI: SC Times of India The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to explore the use of advanced technology for providing information…… UK Right to Information a Mixed Success in the Asia-Pacific Region IDN In Depth News Freedom of information is not only a human right, but also an essential tool to engage and empower citizens… Pakistan If PTI believes in democracy, asset declaration of public servants should be public knowledge The Express Tribune (blog) If PTI believes in democracy, asset declaration of public servants should be public knowledge… Gambia International Right to Information Day September 28, 2018 The Point The collection of key government facts and data from which conclusion may be drawn is a powerful tool…. New Zealand NZ customs officers now have the power to demand passwords to digital devices The Star Online When you think of countries with aggressive border security, the bucolic land which provided the… USA EPA excluded its own top science officials when it rewrote rules on using scientific studies Washington Post When former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt launched an effort to limit what kinds of scientific studies could be used to protect public health……. India SC makes it mandatory for builders to display sanction plan at project site The Tribune Noting that homebuyers have a right to know about details of the project they are investing it…. Bangladesh President approves Digital Security Act The Daily Star President Abdul Hamid yesterday signed the Digital Security Bill into law amid widespread criticism………….. Nigeria Media Rights Agenda Inducts Office of National Security Adviser Into 'FOI Hall of Shame' The Nigerian Voice Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today named the Office of the National Security Adviser….. India 'Save RTI, Save Democracy': Hundreds Protest Attempts to Dilute the Law The Wire New Delhi: On the eve of the 13th anniversary of the passage of the Right to Information Act 2005, a protest and public meeting……… Pakistan Right to Information Act will be introduced for general public: Information Minister Radio Pakistan Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said that the country is moving towards right direction……
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-168


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 168	E - Alert	Issue Date: 02-10-2018

Pakistan Right to Information Day: Experts demand more transparency. The News Right to Information Day (RTID) is marked annually across the world on September 28. This year’s theme is ‘Trust and Transparency’ that indicates a shift.. India LIT makes a mockery of RTI Act, no annual report for past four years The Tribune Indifferent attitude of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) towards implementation and monitoring of the Right to Information Act 2005.. Jordan People's right to know motivates Gov't to improve legislation on access to information Ammon Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson, Jumana Ghneimat, said the government believes in the people's right to know.. Ghana Right To Information Comes With Responsibilities BBC Media experts, at a panel discussion in Accra, have called on the Government to be proactive and finalise debates and reviews for the passage Pakistan Operationalisation of RTI laws still a far cry The News The Coalition on Right to Information conferred RTI Champions Awards 2018 on Riaz Khan Daudzai and Zohaib Hassan in the Journalist and Citizen and Best Performing PIO… Canada Canada slips to 55th place in global freedom-of-information law rankings CTV News Canada has slipped six places to 55th spot on an annual list of global freedom-of-information rankings, and is now tied with Bulgaria and Uruguay. Pakistan Govt fails to provide people's access to information: study Express Tribune The government has failed in dispensing citizens with their right to access of information which is leading.. Australia Right to Know Day: information commissioner addresses federal FOI officers The Mandarin Access to information through the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) supports transparent and accountable government…
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-167


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 167	E - Alert	Issue Date: 19-09-2018

India A 65 LS member, 29 RS members yet to declare assets, reveals RTI India TV Out of the MPs belonging to the lower house, 61 have not furnished their details since 2014, while four recently came to the house through by-elections.. Pakistan Over Rs1 billion spent on KP Ehtesab commission in four years DAWN Details obtained under the KP Right to Information Act, 2013 show that provincial finance department released Rs1.056 billion to KPEC till May 2018.. England Home Office takes years to answer information requests BBC There have been 192 freedom of information cases which the Home Office has taken longer than a year to answer in the past three years Bangladesh Of political parties, general elections and RTI in Bangladesh Daily Star RTI law allows citizens to seek information from government and public bodies on matters relating to their functions… US US rejects request for information on Idaho wolf attacks IDAHO STATE JOURNAL Investigations into livestock deaths in Idaho blamed on wolves don't have to be made public, the U.S. government says.. India An RTI salute to Kuldip Nayar National Herald His contribution to the RTI movement is perhaps the lesser known of his many contributions as a journalist.... Pakistan Government to appoint an information commission soon: Barrister Wahab Murtaza Daily Times Government of Sindh was soon going to form an Information Commission in order to ensure that every citizen had the right to information. Srilanka RTI law allows citizens to seek information from government and public bodies on matters relating to their functions. Daily Mirror This is not what we assumed. These private institutions had not even appointed an RTI officer…
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-166


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 166	E - Alert	Issue Date: 28-08-2018

Nepal RTI Footprints in South Asia: Tapping its potential for public causes Newspaper Majority of around 115 countries worldwide which have adopted the law so far have done so in little.. Pakistan Parliament pledges promises to Pakistan The News The oath-taking ceremony administered by the outgoing Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also marked the start of the parliamentary process.. Malaysia Govt to formulate Freedom of Information Act: Liew The Sun Daily The government will formulate the Freedom of Information Act so as to be in line with the promise made.. Jamaica Access To Information Vs Official Secrets The Cleaner The public's right to access information concerning the activities of the government and its agents is an indelible feature of a vibrant democracy….. India CIC divided over bringing political parties under RTI The Economic Times The issue of bringing political parties under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act is threatening to spiral.. USA Freedom of Information Commission New Cannanite The town of New Canaan violated state sunshine laws by failing to notice or open to the public.. India Varsity’s RTI cell seeks attestation of docus for query, student cries foul The Times of India The issue came into focus when a student applied to the university under Right to Information Act 2005 with self attested documents, but was told….
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-165


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 165	E - Alert	Issue Date: 16-08-2018

Pakistan Quick, transparent reforms for tribal districts Express Tribune K-P Chief Information Commissioner Hanif Orakzai shared his plan to extend the provincial right to information (RTI) law to the Malakand division Bermuda 47% Of 136 PATI Requests Granted Last Year Bernews This is according to the Information Commissioner’s Office Annual Report 2017 on the operation of the Public Access to Information [PATI], which has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament and is now available to the public.. Ghana THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION BILL: HISTORY MUST NOT REPEAT ITSELF- Coalition on RTI GBC The Coalition on the Right to Information, Ghana wishes to express their disappointment at the slow pace at which Parliament has handled the consideration stage of the Bill so far and hopes.. India " 65% of Delhi government schools are headless The Times of India Asked about the huge number of vacant principal posts AAP leader said that the recruitment was a matter of services….. Pakistan Govt depts disregard eRTI system DAWN The electronic application system introduced by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Commission in Peshawar has failed to deliver the goods due to the lack of interest.. India Changes in RTI Act's privacy clause will allow corrupt babus to escape public scrutiny: IC Business Standards We need to emphasize that any proposal to amend provisions of the RTI Act shall not be taken up without wide ranging consultation.. Nepal Law ministry sends back draft bills to ministries The Himalayan Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has sent back draft bills related to Fundamental Right and Duties of the constitution to the ministries concerned.. India India Takes First Step Towards Data Protection Light Reading Broadly, the bill incorporates many accepted principles to guarantee privacy for citizens. It indicates that a notification must be sent to individuals before data can be..
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-164


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 164	E - Alert	Issue Date: 18-07-2018

India RTI activist, friend shot dead in Bihar Indileak A Right to Information (RTI) activist and his friend were shot dead on Sunday by unidentified assailants in Bihar’s Jamu district, police said. Pakistan CPJ calls on Pakistan's PM to protect press freedom ahead of elections CJP Journalist Gul Bukhari was abducted, Asad Kharal was attacked, a break-in robbery took place at.. Nevis Freedom of Information Bill Passes In Nevis Winfm The Nevis Freedom of Information Bill, 2018, which was presented by Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Information and Information Services, was passed unanimously.. UK How Well Do Local Officials Respond To FOI Requests? The Economic Times Overall, local agencies did a good job at providing public records. But there is some bad news. Ghana Yendi: Forum On The Right To Information Bill Held Modern Ghana The effort was to create the needed awareness to ensure that effort being made to pass the bill was expedited. Pakistan Mechanism devised to assess RTI execution in Pakistan The News The first ever methodology has been developed to assess and evaluate the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) law in the country.. India RTI applicant declared ‘ineligible’, threatened with criminal action DNA The letter dated June 4, 2018, which came to light recently informs Irfan Janwekar, the RTI applicant, that he has been declared apatra Georgia Three priorities at the open government partnership summit Transparency International Politicians understand the meaning of corruption, but do they understand the meaning of commitment? We have to work together to go beyond words.. Bangladesh Gov't wants to restrict right to information beyond EU rules The Daily Star Nine years ago this month, the RTI Act 2009 of Bangladesh was born. It came at a time when the entire nation
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-163


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 163	E - Alert	Issue Date: 29-06-2018

Kenya Right to information from the State key in the war on graft Daily Nation The order makes it possible for citizens to access information on tenders, who was awarded the tenders, identity.. Scotland Scottish Government takes longer to reply to Freedom of Information requests from journalists Press Gazette The Commissioner found: “It is an important principle of FOI law that, in most cases, it should not matter who asks for information.. Namibia Free press key to democracy New Era Freedom of expression is important for democracy, because it enables the public to participate in making decisions based on the free flow of information Malawi Malawi: MHRC Gives Govt Up to July to Operationalise Access to Information Law Nayasa Times The ATI law compliments a right that is guaranteed to Malawians under the constitution so it is a very critical piece of legislation.. India DoPT Refuses To Disclose Details on RTI Amendments... Live Law In response to an RTI application, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has confirmed that amendments to the Right to Information Act, 2005... Ghana We need to have the RTI Bill Passed – CHRAJ Director Politics The passage of the bill into law he said will be a means to strengthen the country’s fight against corruption.. Pakistan Civil justice: Pakistan listed at 107 among 113 countries The News International The factor measuring civil justice assesses whether ordinary people can resolve their grievances peacefully and effectively.. Malaysia Malaysia remains committed to fair trade: Guan Eng The Strait News Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said it was only through the aforementioned values that the government can ensure a stable environment for trade and e-commerce to thrive.. Pakistan Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Develops Over 180 Official Websites Urdu Point Total number of hits on School department is 400,151,495, Punjab Portal has 385,526,577, Punjab Examination Commission has 377,935,674…
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-162


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 162	E - Alert	Issue Date: 14-06-2018

Pakistan Malik Azam to be first Chief Information Commissioner The Nation Office of the Commission will be established in Islamabad and it will start working after issuing of formal notification. Through Right to Information Commission.. India India's government has decided against amending the Right To Information Act Business Insider India The central government has reportedly suspended plans to amend the act, after its proposed changes were met with a heavy backlash Ireland SAM: THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T TAKE THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT SERIOUSLY Dublin Inquirer The department’s responses to that request over the months that followed led me to suspect that the government does not take that law seriously.. India “RTI is a non-violent way of change” Daily Mirror Without information we humans, the most advanced species on Earth, would be handicapped. Information is everywhere… Pakistan Right of access to information is prerogative of everybody: Ali Zafar Business Recorder Right of access to information was the prerogative of every citizen and the government was bound to provide information in all matters of public importance… India Deliberately wrong RTI replies attract penalty, disciplinary action: Former CIC Indian Express Any Information Officer who willfully provides wrong or misleading information under the Right to Information (RTI).. Pakistan Ineffective RTI Law of Balochistan Balochistan Voices As per a Centre for Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI) survey the most robust RTI regime existed in Punjab, followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.. Ghana RTI Action Campaign kicks against portions of Bill Ghana News Agency “That is why any good RTI law emphasises the principle of maximum and proactive disclosure. However, it is recognised that in certain circumstances.. Pakistan Call for effective implementation of law on right to information Dawn The civil society activists on Thursday called for the effective implementation of the law on right to information to achieve..
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-161


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 161	E - Alert	Issue Date: 31-05-2018

Pakistan Marriyum urges media outlets for self-accountability The News Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has urged media outlets to do self-introspection and accountability.. India Whistleblowers act needed to protect RTI users: Activist Aruna Roy Indian Express RTI has brought in an architecture where "we are enabled to change from a culture of secrecy to one of transparency".. U.S.A Texans' right to information is being infringed; be outraged at government, demand change Caller Times This isn't just a right of news media to information for news stories. It's is a right of any Texan to find out how tax money is being spent.. Ghana Bills, Bills, Bills! Ghana Web The Right to Information Bill has had a journey of stops and starts and in-betweens. Right now? The Bill is on a tour of some regional capitals.. Nigeria Ngeria : Kano, Adamawa To Adopt Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011. Africa Prime News Kano state government is in the process of adopting the Freedom of Information Act, with a view to empowering the citizens to participate actively in governance India Rti enquiry filed over construction of Indira Awas Yojna The Pioneer World Press Freedom Day is being observed in Bangladesh and elsewhere today amid a growing animosity towards journalists across the globe. Pakistan Right To Information Activists Urge CM To Strengthen Punjab Information Commission Urdu Point RTI activists welcome the CM Punjab's action to appoint Saeed Akhtar Ansari and Mehboob Qadir Shah as information commissioners at Punjab India Place Proposed Amendments To RTI Act In Public Domain For Scrutiny: National Campaign For Peoples’ Right To Information To PM Modi... Live Law “Undermines people’s democratic right to know and participate in the legislative process and prevents public scrutiny of the provisions of a proposed bill”.... Pakistan Federal Information Commission likely to be notified today The News Government has missed a six-month deadline to set up the commission, still the appointment is termed a landmark development.. Nigeria Buhari administration, like Jonathan’s, condoning impunity in implementation of FOI Act Premium Times The scale of non-compliance with the provisions of the FOI Act by public institutions under the authority and direct control of the federal government is mind-boggling”..
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-160


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 160	E - Alert	Issue Date: 15-05-2018

Pakistan PIC conducts awareness session for journalists regarding RTI Daily Times unjab Information Commission (PIC) held an awareness session with journalists in collaboration with the district information office.. India On Right To Information Act, A Word Of Caution From Aruna Roy NDTV Ms Roy asserted that the RTI Act should not be politically associated to a party. It is a law that "should not be tagged".. U.S.A At 51, FOIA may be more relevant than ever The Baltimore Sun The use of FOIA has dramatically increased in the first year of the Trump administration. Requests for government records, including letters, speeches, notes about meetings, appointment calendars, memoranda and emails rose to a record-setting 823,000 in Fiscal Year 2017.. India Over 200 RTI applications to be filed for transparency, democracy The Economic Times To improve democracy and raise the transparency level, over 200 hundred applicants will be filing at least one RTI applications.. Pakistan RTI Act Bringing Transparency To Projects Daily Times In case, any department was not cooperating, people could contact the Punjab Information Commission, said Executive Director Ahmed Naeem Malik.. Bangladesh Press Freedom Day: Attacks against journos made with impunity M&P World Press Freedom Day is being observed in Bangladesh and elsewhere today amid a growing animosity towards journalists across the globe. Brazil Access to information performing well: N.L. justice minister The Western Star There was turnover in staff in the main Access to Information and Privacy Protection (ATIPP) office last year and turnover in some access.. Pakistan Successes and failures of PTI in governing KP The News Its obligatory for the provinces to approve laws and set up organisations to ensure a) Right to Public Services, b) Right to Information Nepal Right to Information Audit: A new practice in Nepal The Himalayan Right to Information is fundamental right granted to the citizens by law and constitution. Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada has.. Pakistan Civil society calls for meeting fourth deadline on open government The Western Star Civil society organisations have jointly urged government to hasten the process of formulating National Action Plan (NAP) for Open Government Partnership (OGP).. Prague Gov't wants to restrict right to information beyond EU rules Prague Daily Monitor The Czech government has proposed a significant restriction on the free access to information under the pretext of the General Data Protection Pakistan State of right to information in Pakistan Express Tribune Right to access information held by public bodies is a key to building a strong state-citizen bond. When violated, it implies there is something which the public bodies
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-159


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 159	E - Alert	Issue Date: 30-04-2018

India Commonwealth: Where being a journalist can kill you The Statesman Commonwealth countries like India have pioneered some of the world’s most liberal Right to Information laws, and all member states are publicly committed to democratic… U.S.A Strengthening freedom of information laws is good idea The Post Star One of the best ways to prevent corruption in government operations is to increase transparency, and two bills now before the state Legislature.. Malaysia Allow public access to info on China investments, Nurul Izzah urges govt The Sun Daily This would enable the people to have knowledge and understand the payment methods and return on investments (ROI) which the nation is undertaking and benefiting.. India Only 4% of the govt departments proactively disclosing information under RTI: Survey The Economic Times An audit was undertaken on the basis of a proforma prepared by former information commissioners M M Ansari and A N Tiwari. Pakistan Protecting the right to information Daily Times The purpose of the introduction of the right to information laws in Pakistan is to make the general public aware of public spending.. Australia Palaszczuk denies vegetation right to information applications Queensland Country Life Queenslanders have a right to know what advice ministers received, who they were meeting with and why they failed.. Pakistan Seminar speakers call for reforms in judicial system The News About 16.6 that stressed the need for effective, accountable and transparent institution, the speakers said the KP Assembly.. Russia "Violating the right to information of millions of people Crime Russia All the affected users and entrepreneurs have the right to stand for their rights and make such claims. It is their constitutional right..
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-158


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 158	E - Alert	Issue Date: 16-04-2018

India Sridevi Received A State Funeral Because Of Maharashtra CM: RTI Activist Anil Galgali Mumbai Live As per RTI, on February 25, 2018 the CM office gave a verbal order regarding the state funeral which was then conveyed to the Mumbai Suburban collector…. Pakistan Geo Blackout Daily Times We feel obligated to raise our voice against reports that cable operators in several areas of the country have taken Geo News.. Pakistan Development and deception Daily Times Empowerment, has come to assimilate power with individual and economic decision-making, de-politicize collective power, and is used to legitimise existing top-down development policies and programs. Canada If public servants have nothing to hide, why the secrecy over gifts? The Canberra Times A transparent public service would publish its gift registers as a matter of course.... Bangladesh A transparent public service would publish its gift registers as a matter of course. Deccan Herald Both cases relate to matters of serious public interest. In the first case, a petitioner approached the PMO two weeks after the demonetisation announcement for .. Pakistan Strength of Punjab Information Commission Lies With the Appointment of Commissioners Business Recorder In case of non provision of requested information, it said, the applicant can lodge complaint in the Punjab Information Commission, where commission is bound to resolve the complaint within 30 to 60 days… U.S.A Transparency in Government Group to meet April 11 in Fort Smith Times Record The Transparency in Government Group of Western Arkansas will meet 5:30 p.m. April 11 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 700 Rogers Ave.. UK Your Right to Know: Policies put public health at risk Winston Watch If passed, it would give effect to the constitutional right of access to any information held by public institutions and private entities which perform public functions with public funds… Pakistan “RTI improves governance, limits corruption” The News on Sunday A key challenge in Sindh and Punjab, as well as federally, is the failure of the authorities to appoint the members of the oversight bodies Ghana Parliament calls for memorandum on right to information bill gbcghana The Right to Information Bill was referred to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, during the first meeting of the Second .… Pakistan Call to fill vacant posts of information commissioners The Nation These posts were created to provide information to people, but they have been vacant since March 2017. In the absence of information commissioners there are many hurdles in the way of enforcement of the right-to-information law.. Pakistan Govt departments violate rules on proactive disclosure DAWN The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has miserably failed to force the government departments to comply with the relevant law’s provisions on proactive disclosure…
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-157


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 157	E - Alert	Issue Date: 30-03-2018

Pakistan Unsanctioned guards being withdrawn from VIPs, police chief tells court The News “As per the information received from the provincial Police Department through the Right to Information Act, 2013 5,500 policemen are deployed for security of the VIPs instead of protecting the public. USA During Sunshine Week, senators cite issues with FOIA request backlog Federal News Radio In order to improve the FOIA backlog at large agencies like DHS and the departments of State needs to take the lead on this effort.. Ghana Coalition to demonstrate over delayed passage of RTI Bill GBC The Right to Information Coalition is not happy with the repeated broken promises regarding the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill. India Mystery of Lal Bahadur Shastri's death deepens further with RTI reply Times Now After 52 years of the death of former Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Right To Information (RTI) reply addressing the cause of death.. India Knowledge is deadly for Indian activists seeking to expose corruption N World India's RTI Act, passed by parliament in 2005, allows citizens to access information about public projects, funding and governance in a bid to improve transparency and accountability… Ireland Law firm at centre of Panama Papers leak to close down The Irish Times The firm said it had previously had a presence in more than 40 countries, with “more than 600 collaborators around the world.. USA Sunshine Week celebrates your right to access public records and information The Hicksburg Post As journalists, it is our responsibility to shine a light into the darkness of government and make certain the public continues to have access to government.. Pakistan KP Law Dept opposes PTI MPA’s bill to change RTI Act The News The Law Department has voiced reservations over the bill seeking amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act 2013 aimed at.. India India's Right to Information in a mess The Milli Gazette Over the years the pendency of cases under Right to Information (RTI) Act has shown an upward trend with close to.
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-156


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 156	E - Alert	Issue Date: 14-03-2018

Pakistan Civil society reacts to PTI Government’s move to amend KP RTI law The News CRTI strongly opposes the amendments proposed in KP RTI Act 2013. India Disclose bills of Air India charter plane for PM's travel abroad: CIC to MEA Kashmir Monitor CIC R K Mathur rejected the contention of the ministry that details of the amount, reference numbers, dates of bills raised by Indian Air Force and Air India.. Bangladesh Adilur wins Franco-German human rights prize Prothom Alo Odhikar secretary Adilur Rahman Khan has been awarded Franco-German Human Rights Prize-2017 for his contribution to defending and promoting human rights in Bangladesh. Columbia Access to information sheds needed light on government secrets Missourian Sunshine Week this year is March 11-17. The “sunshine” refers to access to government information. Journalists value access, but it’s a right that belongs to everyone Pakistan Amendments in proposed RTI Act 2013 of KPK opposed Business Recorder KP RTI Act is one of the effective and well implemented laws in Pakistan but the PTI led provincial government is bringing back old colonial mindset again.. Canada ‘Demand more’ from government, outgoing information watchdog tells Canadians in parting note I Politics In a parting message posted on her blog Wednesday, Suzanne Legault encouraged Canadians to “demand more” from their government. India Delhi University Tells High Court That It Cannot Disclose Exam Records Of 1978, The Year When PM Modi Graduated Outlook India Delhi High Court that the varsity's BA exam records of all its students of 1978-- the year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had graduated-- is held in a fiduciary capacity and cannot be disclosed.. South Africa Politics faces a shake-up if we get access to who funds parties The Citizen If people know who funds political parties, they will fully understand the agenda of political parties. They will then be able to gain context through which to understand the policy position India J&K: RTI reveals 27 Rohingya families staying illegaly, own sim cards The Asian Age It has been revealed that 27 Rohingya Muslim families, who are illegal immigrants, living in Jammu own SIM cards, activist Rohit Choudhary said..
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-155


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 155	E - Alert	Issue Date: 19-02-2018

Pakistan Encounters: a new way of policing? Express Tribune The level of access to information can be gauged from the fact that an application filed under Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013 (RTI Act) is still pending before the PIC since 2016... Fiji Access to right information important The Fiji Times Online By having access to the right and correct information you can be able to make decisions for yourselves... Sri Lanka Right to Information Commission notes concerns despite positives MENAFN Right to Information Commission has recorded a noteworthy increase in the numbers of appeals being filed before the Commission with information being released... India Using RTI benefits community The Hans India Even today, not many people know about their rights. If any private hospital is set up in rural areas, they must adopt two villages and provide them all kind of health-related services... Bangladesh International civil society organisations pen open letter on Digital Security Act Dhaka Tribune In the letter, the organizations expressed concern that the Bangladesh Digital Security Act2018 fails to protect the right to freely express opinions on policies and the actions of decision makers... Pakistan KP tourism body exploits economization, saving policy of govt The News Under the Law of Access to Information 2013, according to the details provided by TCKP, Tourism secretary Muhammad Tariq Khan paid visit to England, Spain... Ghana After Two Decades, Will Ghana Finally Pass a Right to Information Law? Global Voices If passed, it would give effect to the constitutional right of access to any information held by public institutions and private entities which perform public functions with public funds… India Central Information Commission asks EC to launch special drive for 2,000 pending RTIs Hindustan Times The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the Election Commission (EC) to launch a special drive to dispose of around 2,000 Right to Information (RTI) queries and first appeals awaiting a response for a long time… Sri Lanka Use of RTI to hold authorities accountable growing Colombo Gazette RTI has played a life-changing role in the lives of citizens while promoting democratic governance, acting as a tool to combat corruption and restoring sovereignty in the people of Sri Lanka… Pakistan Govt departments violate rules on proactive disclosure DAWN The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has miserably failed to force the government departments to comply with the relevant law’s provisions on proactive disclosure…
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-154


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 154	E - Alert	Issue Date: 17-01-2018

India Gandhi's 'khorak' a 100 years ago The Kashmir Monitor The PIL (public interest litigation) and RTI (right to information) methods, combining with electoral turnarounds, can well make 2018 lead to 2019... Morocco Access to Information Act: The Home Stretch Till the Passing of the Bill Morocco World News The draft was on the agenda of the 2nd Chamber for its final adoption on January 2, however, the bill was voted... Azarbijan Will We Ever See the End of Information Control in Azarbaijan The Global Voices The ban covers a class of content known as "prohibited information," which was established by a May 2017 court... India No need of Aadhaar for RTI The Hans India The applicant who filed this complaint also filed first appeal, asking for information without insisting on the proofs first Appellate Authority Akhilesh Kumar... UK What is a Freedom of Information (FoI) request? ITPRO The right to access public information is one of the most powerful tools individuals have to scrutinise the actions of UK government bodies and public officials... Pakistan KP govt designates public information officers at village, neighbourhood councils MENAFN Public information officers have been nominated at the village and neighbourhood councils in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure access of people to information about the working of local bodies system... Ghana Government will pass the Right to Information Bill soon - Minister Ghanaweb The law would ensure that the media have easy access to information from public institutions that would enable them to hold duty bearers accountable... Zimbave Zimbabwe Activists Seek Truth About 1980s Massacres VOA Activists in southern Zimbabwe are taking legal action to demand the truth about a series of massacres in the 1980s that... Pakistan AJK journalists must work towards promotion of Kashmir cause: Midhat Shahzad Express Tribune Right to Information law would also be implemented in AJK as it has been enforced in the other provinces of the country... Iran Freedom of Information And The Control Over Hearts And Minds in Iran Huffpost It's 2018 and the information battle to control the hearts and minds of citizens continues from Russia to China and from Ethiopia to Iran...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-153


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 153	E - Alert	Issue Date: 22-12-2017

India Know Your Rights - Traffic Police cannot take out keys from vehicle while checking Nation In the information provided by the police department, it has been clearly stated that taking out the key of any two or four-wheeler is wrong. No policeman, irrespective of any rank, has the power to do this... Malta Over 400 Freedom of Information requests in 3 years Times of Malta The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act (Cap. 496), which came into force in September 2012, establishes the right to the public to information held by public authorities in order to promote added transparency and accountability in government... Canada Liberals want to be global leader on open government, but face complaints at home CBC News For instance, Scott Brison, president of the federal Treasury Board, recently flew to Argentina, where he addressed a summit of the Open Government Partnership, a coalition of more than 80 governments pledged to the cause of political openness and transparency... India CIC brings down pendency of cases in 2017 Times of India During the year 2016-17, the CIC had registered 23,811 cases and disposed of 32,344 cases, as compared to registration of 25,960 cases and disposal of 28,188 cases in the year 2015-16... Australia Freedom of information: Australians are losing the battle against government secrecy The Canberra Times Government policy on freedom of information remains in limbo. In 2014-15, thanks to resistance from the Senate... India RTI reveals several Gurugram police stations don't have ladies toilets Outlook A reply to Right to Information (RTI) application filed by social activist Harinder Dhingra has revealed that out of the 35 police stations in Haryana's Gurugram, six police stations do not have ladies washrooms... Pakistan Right to information The News Article 19 urges that the fundamental right of human being is to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media... Sri Lanka Sri Lankan govt body rejects Right to Information request on blocking of news website Tamil Guardian The regulatory commission responded this week with a denial of the request, saying the questions could not be answered for national security reasons... Pakistan Speakers call for extending RTI law to Fata for good governance Dawn The seminar on the significance of RTI law was organised by a non-government organisation in collaboration with the Bajaur Press Club here... India Access to information makes democracy more participative: Vice President Zee News Access to credible information makes a democracy more "progressive, participatory and meaningful"... Pakistan LHC rejects Punjab govt's appeal, orders release of Model Town inquiry report ARY News The counsel maintained that the government was itself accused in the Model Town incident and thus it did not make the report public...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-152


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 152	E - Alert	Issue Date: 27-11-2017

India: From right to information to right to data The daily star OGD and Right to Information (RTI) are two sides of the same coin. In fact, the foundation of OGD lies in peoples' right to information... UK Journalism Made Possible Because of the Freedom of Information Act PROPUBLICA If you're unfamiliar, the Freedom of Information Act is a law that allows anyone - yes, including you - to request records and documents from the government... India RTI reveals failed student with 2 marks actually scored 79 The news Scroll Dhananjay Kumar, a student from Bihar's Rohtas district, was declared failed in the Class 10 final examination conducted by the BSEB with just two marks in Hindi... USA Whistleblower Sues Interior Department For Information On Staff Shuffle Huffpost A scientist-turned-whistleblower who resigned from the Interior Department in October citing agency chief Ryan Zinke's "poor leadership"... Pakistan Graveyard of Journalism The Newsline Magazine Pakistan ranks fifth on the list of deadliest countries in the world for journalists; 60 have been murdered in Pakistan since 1992 - alarmingly high... India Delhi pollution: Facing ire over unused Rs 787 cr green cess, Kejriwal's AAP blames Modi govt Times Now In a shocking disclosure, a Right to Information (RTI) query on Wednesday revealed that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has failed to specify its utilisation of the Rs 787 crore green cess collected during 2017... USA More Nations Adopt Freedom of Information Laws The Market Mogul There are now some 112 countries that have promulgated some type of freedom of information legislation in order to enable citizens to access government data... Pakistan LHC to resume hearing on Punjab govt's plea on 21st Daily Times He said that the Model Town massacre was recognised as 'state terrorism' and witnessed by the entire country where unarmed men and women were killed and tortured... Zimbabwe Access to information: Denying the people Newsday Zimbabwe The right to access of information is canvassed in sections 61 and 62 of the Constitution. So somebody somewhere intentionally violated our rights and freedoms by denying us that piece of news... Pakistan KP govt fails to provide relief despite allocating Rs67bn for health Pakistan Today The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) declared an emergency in the health sector and had allocated a huge development budget of Rs67 billion for health sector from 2013-2018... India Breaking: RTI Act Won't Prevail Over Supreme Court Rules: Delhi HC Live Law Holding that there is no inconsistency in the Supreme Court Rules (SCR) and the Right to Information Act, the Delhi High Court... Indonesia Paradise Papers leaks take aim at Indonesian paper firm APRIL ECO-Business The global Paradise Papers leak has accused Indonesian pulp and paper giant APRIL of unethically exploiting tax loopholes Pakistan Punjab govt asked to file reply in Model town incident by Nov 24 Express Tribune Full bench headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh on Wednesday sought reply from the Punjab government by November 24 over a vacant post of the information commissioner... Ghana A Right to Information Act could have saved KABA GhanaWeb KABA died a brave man, never afraid to ask the critical questions. In the absence of a Right to Information Act, he risked his health, combing through stress, deploying difficult tactics to have access to information, to enrich his program... Pakistan APNS, CPNE, PFUJ, RIUJ express concern over closure of TV channels The News The APNS office bearers have stated that any curb on the freedom of press has always been counterproductive in any democratic dispensation...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-151


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 151	E - Alert	Issue Date: 21-11-2017

India 224 nursing homes, illegal clinics being run in Gurgaon: RTI India Gurgaon, Nov 3 (PTI) A total of 224 nursing homes and illegal clinics are being run under the district's community health centre (CHC) in the millennium city, an RTI query has revealed. Athens Officials warned to produce public records Athens Daily Review The complaint alleges that the city is refusing to provide responses to an open records request," the letter shows. "This is troubling as it is not the first such complaint Pakistan Right to Information, sham or reality? Daily Times It is a recognised concept across the world that the right to information empowers citizens... USA CIA Releases Osama Bin Laden Files, Including a Viral Video TBT Inverse Culture The CIA says it released the additional files Wednesday "in the interest of transparency and to enhance public understanding of al-Qa'ida." India Route For Planned Bullet Train Loss-Making, 40% Seats Empty, Reveals RTI NDTV 32 Mail and Express trains between Mumbai to Ahmedabad have been incurring a loss of 14 crore and 31 trains from Mumbai to Ahmedabad have made losses of 15 crore. Kashmir J&K Hydel Projects: Rejection of Right to Information Request Fans Old Flames Iran Front Page The recent rejection of a right to information (RTI) request over details of the delayed handing over of several central hydel projects to the (J&K)... Pakistan LHC seeks Model Town report The Nation The Lahore High Court has sought a copy of Justice Najfi's report on Model Town massacre in 2014 for its perusal... Australia Victoria Police rejects FOI requests for information about car crash involving Premier's wife Herald Sun PREMIER Daniel Andrews has denied he interfered to stop the release of documents detailing an investigation into a collision involving his wife after a freedom of information request was deemed to not be in the public interest... Pakistan Speakers call for extending RTI law to Fata for good governance Dawn The seminar on the significance of RTI law was organised by a non-government organisation in collaboration with the Bajaur Press Club here... USA Paradise Papers: Firms ‘terrified' by data leak Jersey Evening Post It is claimed that more than six million documents belonging to offshore law firm Appleby, which has a large presence in Jersey.. Africa Gov't committed to strengthen right to information Says Communication Minister The Point The Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure has reiterated The Gambia government's commitment to strengthening and protecting the rights of access to information. Bangladesh The right to know Dhaka Tribune Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran, Hossein Entezami, says the government is determined to implement the law of Freedom of Information (FOI) passed about 6 years ago...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-150


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 150	E - Alert	Issue Date: 31-10-2017

Pakistan 'N' lawyers body head appointed information commission chief Dawn The Punjab government on appointed PML-N Lawyers Forum Pakistan President Naseer Ahmad Bhutta as Punjab Information Commission's chief commissioner... Srinagar Provide Information Under RTI or Face Action Greater Kashmir Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Khurshid Ganie Saturday asked the public information officers (PIOs) and first appellant authorities (FAAs) designated by different departments under right to information act (RTI), to provide information to applicants under rules or face penalty clause... Nepal Use RTI to ensure transparency, says president The Himalayan Inaugurating a programme organised by National Information Commission here today to mark International Day for Universal Access to Information; President Bhandari said transparency and good governance made democracy stronger... India Supreme Court asks EC to look into plea to bring parties under RTI law Financial Express The Supreme Court today asked the Election Commission (EC) to examine a representation for bringing political parties under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to make them accountable and to curb the use of black money in elections... USA UN & Other Organisations "Failing" on Freedom of Information SCOOP World The UN and many international organizations lack the kind of freedom of information policies that are increasingly the norm among governments... India RTI Applicant Asked to Pay GST for Info DNA A Pune-resident, who filed an RTI application with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) recently, was told this by the Public Information Officer (PIO)... Australia Victoria Police rejects FOI requests for information about car crash involving Premier's wife Herald Sun PREMIER Daniel Andrews has denied he interfered to stop the release of documents detailing an investigation into a collision involving his wife after a freedom of information request was deemed to not be in the public interest... India Bihar among top 5 states in country to receive most complaints under RTI NYOOOZ If data on the number of second appeals and complaints filed at information commissions is anything to go by, Bihar is among the top three states where response to information... USA US Sanctions N. Korean Officials for Human Rights Abuses Delhi Times The United States blacklisted seven North Korean officials and three government entities on Thursday, saying they engaged in human rights abuses that are “among the worst in the world... Iran 'Iran Resolved to Provide People with Free Access to Information Iran Front Page Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran, Hossein Entezami, says the government is determined to implement the law of Freedom of Information (FOI) passed about 6 years ago... Bahama Pledge To Protect Whistleblowers Tribune 242 THE MINNIS administration is seeking to immediately implement protections for whistleblowers in the Freedom of Information Act, despite not having a date as to when the entire legislation will be revised and fully enacted, according to Attorney General Carl Bethel...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-149


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 149	E - Alert	Issue Date: 19-10-2017

Georgia Freedom of Information: Georgia laws demand transparency The Valdosta Daily Times It is a bit burdensome for the government to comply with those requests and the posting requirements and all of that, but I do think it's worth it; we need to know what... Canada New Brunswick gets 'B' for openness in national access-to-information audit CBC News A group of media watchdogs has given the New Brunswick government a "B" grade for openness, based on a national audit of access to information systems... Pakistan KARACHI PTI leader seeks Sindh to release three key investigation reports ARY News (PTI) Karachi President Ali Zaidi has submitted a request to Chief Secretary Sindh in writing over the release of probing reports in cases concerning Baldia Factory fire... Nigeria Six years after passage, Nigerians make 'little use' of FOI Act - Report Premium Times Despite these provisions and its attendant guidelines, Nigerian ministries, departments and agencies have received very few requests for information from the public... India Right to Information: Around 2.44 crore applications filed between 2005-2016, reveals report First Post Around 2.44 crore applications under the Right to Information (RTIs) Act have been filed with various central and state government departments by citizens, NGO... U.S Is Trump a Moron? Watchdogs File Freedom of Information Requests to Find Out The Newsweek On Thursday the campaign group Free Speech For People filed the first of a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking details about whether senior officials... Pakistan Controversial bill sails thru NA The Nation The statement of objects and reasons of the bill says the bill is intended to promote a two-way flow of information - from the government to the people and vice versa - for strengthening... India 65 RTI activists murdered since 2005 — here's a tribute to India's fallen heroes Your Story With more than 65 people killed and close to 400 harassed or intimidated, violence against RTI activists is a menace that continues... Pakistan Free flow of information not ensured in RAI Bill: CPDI Business Recorder "The RAI Bill 2017 is neither effective like the provincial right to information (RTI) laws nor in line with the globally accepted principles of RTI legislation. The two houses passed it... India 75,493 infant deaths in India from April to July, 5,547 of them from Maharashtra The Indian Express Madhya Pradesh, with 9,269 children aged till 5, recorded the highest deaths followed by Uttar Pradesh with 8,440 deaths... Ghana Parliament Urged to Pass Right to Information Bill Ghana News Agency RTI Bill, if passed in Parliament would empower Ghanaians to demand for accountability and transparency, and promote access to information that could help curb corrupt practices... Pakistan President urged to send RAI Bill 2017 back to Parliament The News We request you to use your powers under Article 74 of the Constitution and advise Parliament to review this bill in light of suggestions from civil society and RTI experts... India Manodhairya scheme: '1308 survivors have not received compensation The Indian Express Rape, acid attack survivors who were sanctioned compensation under the state-run scheme from October 2013 to January 2017 were not paid: RTI...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter-148


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 148	E - Alert	Issue Date: 03-10-2017

Pakistan International Right to Know Day - Pakistan's RTI legislation is a zero-sum game Dunya Many people know that right to information was granted in 2002 when, during the Musharraf regime, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Ordinance 2002 was introduced... Canada Beresford and Reynolds: Respect Canadians' right to know about the Canada Infrastructure Bank Ottawa Citizen Right to Know Week is a perfect time for Canadian citizens to look at the federal government's new Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB)... Mexico Access to Information: women transforming their communities Ifex 25 With more than 100 workshops carried out so far, and more than 27 communities reached, the campaign aims to bring knowledge of these tools to residents... India My RTI reveals Ram Rahim was a bigger VIP for Modi sarkar than Sri Sri and DailyO On April 19, after banning the use of lal batti (red beacon light) by VVIPs on their vehicles, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thundered on Twitter that every Indian is a VIP... Pakistan Govt fails to get right to info bill passed from NA The Nation The government and opposition engaged in a heated discussion on the 'controversial' bill for an hour. The opposition after failing to incorporate their proposed amendments in the bill took benefit... USA UN must do more to protect journalists around the world The Hill When you imagine the most dangerous jobs in the world, soldiers, police officers, firefighters... Pakistan LHC reserves decision on plea to make Justice Najafi's report public Dailytimes Qaiser Iqbal and 19 others family members of the 2014 Model Town incident's victims had filed this petition. Counsel for the petitioners Barrister Syed Ali Zafar submitted that 14 persons... India Panama Papers: ED May Summon Bachans The Economic Times... The Enforcement Directorate has received replies from actor Amitabh Bachchan and his family members to notices issued to them... UK The Right to Information Around the World Article 19 Info graphics show you where right to know laws are in place, where governments are making commitments to transparency bodies, and where there's still room... India All you need to know about filing an RTI Your Story In India, the Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed in 2005, making it mandatory for the government to respond to a citizen's request for information in the public domain... Pakistan Right to Information Pakistan Today It was on 28 September 2002 that organisations promoting freedom of information (FOI) all over the globe joined heads in Bulgaria and founded FOI... Ghana Fighting Corruption: eliminate the empty promises and let act now News Ghana One of the potent solutions to the numerous scandals of corrupt practices in our country rests in the hands of our leaders. Especially, the Executive and the Legislature to give us a good right to information law... India 65 RTI activists murdered since 2005 - here's a tribute to India's fallen heroes Your Story With more than 65 people killed and close to 400 harassed or intimidated, violence against RTI activists is a menace that continues... U.S Getting The Gift of Education Through RTI Huffpost Knowledge is powerful. So it follows that having access to knowledge is empowering for many. Naresh from Agra is a living example of that... Pakistan Murder will out: Judge orders Sharif govt to make Model Town tragedy probe public Pakistan Today The Lahore High Court's (LHC) decision Thursday, ordering the Punjab government to release the Model Town tragedy report, has added to the Sharifs' woes as the ruling family... Sri Lanka A long way to go Daily Mirror On the other hand some leaders are more futuristic. Yet, another set of political leaders focus on 'the now' and neither focus on the future nor glorify the past... Srinagar RTI: No information about Koul Commission Report, says MHA Kashmir Age The Ministry for Home Affairs Government of India in response to an application filed under Right to Information Act by Kashmiri... Pakistan KP govt asked to make RTI act functional Pakistan Today The right to access information held by public bodies, known as the right to information (RTI), is an internationally recognised human right... US Q&A with Panama Papers investigation coordinator Merquette Wire The Panama Papers are an unprecedented leak of 11.5 million files from the database of the world's fourth largest offshore...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 147


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 147	E - Alert	Issue Date: 14-09-2017

Pakistan NA Spearker Ayaz Sadiq fined for over speeding on motorway Daily Pakistan Motorway police on Sunday slapped National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq with a fine due to exceeding speed limit on M2 motorway, local media reported... India Oxygen Theory of Information The Hans India Explaining the role of information in a democratic and developing society, a renowned communication expert and former Director General... Ghana Fighting Corruption: eliminate the empty promises and let act now News Ghana One of the potent solutions to the numerous scandals of corrupt practices in our country rests in the hands of our leaders. Especially, the Executive and the Legislature to give us a good right to information law... Pakistan The right to know The News Recently, the Senate passed the Right of Access to Information Bill and now the same is waiting for the approval of the National Assembly... Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's New Right-to-Information Law Could Save Lives Open Society Foundation Introduction of a simple procedural law in August last year is changing the face of Sri Lankan democracy. The Right to Information (RTI) Act has enabled journalists and citizens to access official correspondence and records that would once have been kept shrouded in secrecy... India Corrupt may get leeway by citing privacy concerns: Arun Jaitley Indian Express A week after the Supreme Court ruled that privacy is a fundamental right; Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that privacy “comes in the way of accountability... U.S FBI Says No Public Interest In Hillary Clinton Email Files: Time To Prove Them Wrong! Conservative The FBI recently turned down a lawyer's request for the release of FBI files on Hillary Clinton, faulting the... UK UK Data Protection Laws to be Overhauled BBC "The new Data Protection Bill will give us one of the most robust, yet dynamic, set of data laws in the world," said Mr Hancock in a statement... U.S Transparency in government leads to real news The Post and Courrier Whether depending on our government for storm recovery, good schools, police protection or other important services, openness and access to information... Pakistan RTI roadblocks The Dawn THE Right of Access to Information Bill, 2017, approved by the Senate, is most likely to be passed by the National Assembly... India Centre declines sharing details of CBI chief appointment, cites confidentiality clause under RTI Act The First Post Replying to an RTI appeal, it said the appointment of CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma was done through the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which is exempted from the ambit of the transparency law... India 50 per cent of human rights complaints from J&K: RTI The Indian Express A total of 186 complaints were received between 2012 and January 2016 from seven states, said the Ministry of Home Affairs while replying to an Right to Information application... India Seeking Personal Information Of Bank Employees Is Exempted Under RTI: Supreme Court The Outlook The court made the observation while allowing an appeal filed by Canara Bank challenging an order of the Kerala HC directing it to provide about transfers... Australia Are you ready for the amended Freedom of Information Act? Lexology While some changes formalise current informal practices, the, along with the new regulator and timeframes, will require agencies to ensure their internal processes... Pakistan RTI and emancipation of information - I Daily Times The right to information (RTI) is one of the basic drivers of participatory democracy. Yet given that information is power there are those who are averse... Malaysia Malaysia's democratic foundations key to its progress New Straits Times Malaysia is able to celebrate 60 years of independence today, proving that the country is moving in the right direction... Pakistan One PML-N achievement that everyone must appreciate Daily Times Although, the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 has been in the use, the Right for Access to Information Bill (2017) comprehensively covers the Article 19-A... China Analysis \| The Right to Information Macau Daily Where there is lack of institutions for managing information and the political will to make information available...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 146


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 146	E - Alert	Issue Date: 31-08-2017

India Here's how the fundamental right to privacy will affect the Right to Information Act International Business Times Experts have said that there will be a conflict between the RTI Act and the right to privacy now as the Supreme Court has upheld it as a fundamental right. Read on to know... Pakistan Filer taxpayers up by 58pc Pakistan Observer The number of return filer taxpayers in the country has increased by 58 percent during the fiscal year 2016 compared to FY2013 and by 13.23 percent against FY2015... India Making the Right to Information (RTI) work in Defence Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis Central Information Commission (CIC) advised the Ministry of Defence to ensure probity and accountability in defence procurements... Egypt Egypt's court media ban limits public access to trials Al-Monitor A legal researcher at the American University in Cairo's law and society unit, told Al-Monitor, "Judges are strongly sensitive about broadcasting hearings, especially in cases related to terrorism... UK UK Data Protection Laws to be Overhauled BBC The new Data Protection Bill will give us one of the most robust, yet dynamic, set of data laws in the world," said Mr. Hancock in a statement... USA Brennan Center and Protect Democracy File Suit to Make "Voter Fraud” Commission Records Public Newspark Forest This is a problem in South Carolina that needs to be fixed by our Legislature ... or through people suing public bodies to make sure they turn these over,” said Smith, who also works with the Press Association... Pakistan Senate passes 'Right of Access to Information Bill'; NA adopts 'Election Bill 2017' ARY News The bill moved by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb provides for the right to information... USA Herald asks Army to reveal investigation findings withheld from public The Herald The Army's investigation was released Friday, in response to a 2016 Freedom of Information Act request by the Herald... Pakistan Creating transparency Express Tribune Transparency does not happen at the flick of a switch and the passing of this bill is not going to immediately... India So Far, Narendra Modi Has Brought Back 24 Indian Antiquities from Foreign Countries TOPYPAS Replying to a Right to Information appeal of a journalist, the Archaeological Survey of India has revealed that out of these 24 ancient items, 16 have been brought... USA Douglas County launches Transparency Portal to increase government accountability NNBW Douglas County's new Transparency Portal empowers government officials and staff to conduct better analysis and performance measurement by improving access to key... India Indian citizenship regained: The 22-year ordeal of Luingam Luithui for justice Catch News The Delhi High Court has finally restored the Indian citizenship of both Luithui and his wife, declaring that they had never ceased to be Indian citizens... USA Freedom of Speech is Under Assault in the USA The Live News Trading To stand up for free speech i.e. the First Amendment is a noble thing. The left has conflated this with hate speech i.e. "Free Speech enables "hate speech”... India Did Modi Mislead Parliament on the Number of Fake Ration Cards that Aadhaar Had Exposed? The Wire Nikhil Dey of MKSS said that in Rajasthan 10 lakh people had been removed from the pension list through Aadhaar linkage. "While 50 lakh people were getting pension earlier, it has come down to 40 lakh now. As a consequence, many elderly have died or are living in abject poverty... Ghana Fighting Corruption: eliminate the empty promises and let act now News Ghana One of the potent solutions to the numerous scandals of corrupt practices in our country rests in the hands of our leaders. Especially, the Executive and the Legislature to give us a good right to information law... Scotland Victory for Scottish information campaigner in battle with Supreme Court The National We must realise that government and public sector bodies have to be seen to be open and transparent by nurturing access to information in order to improve public confidence and trust... U.S USS McCain crash is 4th Navy accident in Pacific this year Washington Post The commander of U.S. naval operations has ordered a comprehensive review to get to root causes after the collision this week between a Navy destroyer and an oil tanker near Singapore... Pakistan Protecting the whistleblower The News The bill aims to provide protection to whistleblowers that make public any corruption, criminal activity or wrongdoing... Sri Lanka A long way to go Daily Mirror On the other hand some leaders are more futuristic. Yet, another set of political leaders focus on 'the now' and neither focus on the future nor glorify the past... Nigeria Three states join Nigeria's participation in Open Government Partnership Premium Times Three state governments have formally joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to implement transparency reforms in Nigeria. The states are Kaduna, Anambra and Kano... Pakistan LHC seeks govt response on Model Town incident report by Sept 12 Pakistan Today The petition has been filed by the families of victims killed in Model Town massacre which killed 14 people and injured 100 others during police action... US Getting NASA to Comply With Simple FOIA Requests Is a Nightmare Motherboard Trying to effectively use the Freedom of Information Act can be hell. Maybe a police department will demand a ridiculous and seemingly arbitrary fee to collect records...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 145


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 145	E - Alert	Issue Date: 22-08-2017

India Did You Know Someone Asked India's Nuke Code as an RTI Reply, Here's What Some Others Did India Times Indians file nearly 60 lakh RTIs a year and this number is highest of such information request in the world with most requests are filled in Delhi… Pakistan KP RTI Law Promoting Transparency The News PIO was the lynchpin in the implementation of the RTI law, therefore it was essential for PIO to be fully…. India Plea to stop hounding of RTI activists The Hindu The forum opposed the probes launched against RTI activist and government officer Kashinath Shetye for filing… Thailand Thai reporter probing corruption faces trespass charge National Post Thailand’s main professional association of journalists on Friday protested the arrest on a trespassing charge of a reporter who was looking into the assets… UK UK Data Protection Laws to be Overhauled BBC "The new Data Protection Bill will give us one of the most robust, yet dynamic, set of data laws in the world," said Mr Hancock in a statement….. U.S Officials' use of private email creating 'shadow government' in South Carolina The Post and Courrier This is a problem in South Carolina that needs to be fixed by our Legislature … or through people suing public bodies to make sure they turn these over,” said Smith, who also works with the Press Association…. Pakistan Ishaq Dar launches Tax Directory of 1.21 million taxpayers The DND The 17,000 page document was formally launched by Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar during a function at FBR house in Islamabad… India Why the Government Is Still Stuck in Its Culture of Secrecy The Wire Despite legislations and promises to the contrary, the government is not doing everything it can to be more open and accessible… U.S Accomack ruling: Judges exempt from Freedom of Information Act Delmarva Now Virginia law says access must be provided “to public records in the custody of a public body or its officers and employees…. India RTI is my new amulet: Ghulam Mohiudin Sheikh, faith healer cum RTI activist The Indian Express "This area has witnessed more development since people started filing RTI applications.. U.S How much is too much to charge for public records requests? Chicago Tribune The proposed ordinance would have brought the city in line with the maximum fees allowed under the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), City Attorney Bob Long said during a Monday committee meeting…. India Did Modi Mislead Parliament on the Number of Fake Ration Cards that Aadhaar Had Exposed? The Wire Nikhil Dey of MKSS said that in Rajasthan 10 lakh people had been removed from the pension list through Aadhaar linkage. “While 50 lakh people were getting pension earlier, it has come down to 40 lakh now. As a consequence, many elderly have died or are living in abject poverty… Ghana Fighting Corruption: eliminate the empty promises and let act now News Ghana One of the potent solutions to the numerous scandals of corrupt practices in our country rests in the hands of our leaders. Especially, the Executive and the Legislature to give us a good right to information law…. Gambia Secrecy in gov’t leads to poor governance: Info Minister The Point We must realise that government and public sector bodies have to be seen to be open and transparent by nurturing access to information in order to improve public confidence and trust.. U.S CIA's 60 year war with the Government Accountability Office: the '80s Part 1 Muckrock The Agency was happy to accept the DIA’s request to coordinate lists of the types of intelligence records which the President should then certify as exempt… Pakistan Senators call for across the board accountability of corrupt Business Recorder The Senate debated a motion under Rule 218 jointly moved by lawmakers of various parties regarding measures to combat corruption with focus on off-shore companies, across the board accountability and a new accountability mechanism… India Government Asked To Clarify Whether Taj Mahal Is Mausoleum Or Temple NDTV The question, forwarded as an alternative narrative of history by some claiming to be historians and the subject of various court cases, reached the CIC through a Right to Information… Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's New Right-to-Information Law Could Save Lives Open Society Foundation Introduction of a simple procedural law in August last year is changing the face of Sri Lankan democracy. The Right to Information (RTI) Act has enabled journalists and citizens to access official correspondence and records that would once have been kept shrouded in secrecy… U.S How Wheeling says a resident cost taxpayers $144,000 The Dailyherald Did Wheeling really spend more than $144,000 to supply a resident with documents she'd requested under the Freedom of Information Act? Or is the village using big cost estimates to deter her requests?... Nigeria How public institutions deny Nigerians right to information Daily Trust The legal right to information helps the public hold authorities accountable for their actions and allows public debate to be better informed and more productive. It infuses an inclusive governance and democratic culture… Scotland Figures reveal Scottish Government more likely to reject journalists' FoI requests Press Gazette Freedom of Information (FoI) requests from journalists to the Scottish Government is being refused….
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 144


A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 144	E - Alert	Issue Date: 01-08-2017

India Sasikala was allowed 23 visits, instead of 8, during four months in prison: RTI Hindustan Times A Right to Information (RTI) response has revealed that she was allowed a whopping 23 visits from February 16 – the date of her incarceration – to June 16... Canada Canada: Supreme Court fails to protect freedom of expression beyond its borders Article19 ARTICLE 19 intervened in this case with Human Rights Watch, Open Net Korea, the Software Freedom Law Centre and the Centre for Technology and Society, arguing that global orders of this kind had a chilling effect on freedom of expression Pakistan Protecting Journalists The Nation The Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage met on Thursday to gauge the progress made on the intended bill... India Right to information is indeed potent; Modi's PMO handled one million rti pleas since 2014 The Indian Saga On the applications for obtaining information which pertain to Multiple Public Authorities) shall not be transferred to such Public Authorities but rejected... India No Information for RTI Query on Taj Mahal, Archaeological Survey Officials To Lose Salary Nyoooz Not providing information about illegal constructions in the prohibited area around Taj Mahal proved costly for two officials of the Archaeological Survey of India... UK The Future of FOIA FCW News Technology has helped the government become more efficient and transparent in many areas. That hasn’t been the case in UK USA Editorial: Foundation of our freedom Daily Press President Trump's ascent to the White House came at a time when the public's right to know was already under attack... India Collector admits to electronic voting machine malfunction in RTI reply Mumbai Mirror "Every time the voter pressed a symbol of Coconut, allotted to a candidate, the LED lamp of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Lotus used to flash... U.S The Drone Program in Pakistan Is One of the Government’s Worst-Kept Secrets ACLU In August 2016, the government blacked out a court ruling against government secrecy (yes, really) hiding from the public its reasons for why the ruling should remain secret... Bangladesh Eight years old - How is the Right to Information Act faring? The Daily Star 539 complaints were lodged with the Information Commission by disgruntled information seekers. Of these, 364 were accepted for hearing. USA At 50, US Information Law Key to Open Up Government Voice of America This month marks 50 years since the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) went into effect... UK Hazlehead Crematorium report 'must be published' BBC An internal report into "abhorrent practices" at Hazlehead Crematorium in Aberdeen must be published, Scotland's Information Commissioner has ruled... India What does privacy mean in India? Money Control As the Supreme Court of the country debates on the landmark judgement of whether to make privacy a Fundamental Right, here’s a look at how the privacy stands in India at the present Australia Mark Bailey stood down over email scandal after CCC finds 'reasonable suspicion of corrupt conduct' ABC The Crime and Corruption Commission's findings put further pressure on the minority Palaszczuk Government in the lead-up to the next state election... France 'Right to be forgotten' case in France referred to top European Union court Reporters Committee for Freedom of Press The case centered on a question of whether citizens of France, can demand that search engine results be removed from the Internet globally... Africa Call For Action On The Passage Of The RTI Bill Peacefm Online The importance of the RTI Legislation to the development and advancement of Democracy, Good Governance, Probity and Accountability... U.S ACLU requests records on Iowa share of voter info to Trump voter fraud commission KCRG The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa has sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate requesting specifics of President Trump's "voter fraud... Pakistan LG Members demands greater access to Information The Tribune RTI application for information regarding utilization of district government funds allocated to the local bodies in last two years... India PM Modi flew non-official trips to rallies in IAF planes at rates fixed in 1999 Hindustan Times The trips were largely for electioneering, and India’s election code makes it must for ministers — including the PM...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 143

A newsletter containing news

$Description: C:\Documents and Settings\admin\My Documents\My Web Sites\cpdi_logo.33JPG.JPG$
A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 143	E - Alert	Issue Date: 20-06-2017

India Info panel upholds right to inspect court registers The Hindu The petitioner was asked to submit an application under the Right to Information Act to the Registrar-General of the Madras High Court and obtain ... Canada No hiding abortion numbers: Ontario ruling forces gov't to allow access to statistics Lifesite The January 2012 law brought in by then-Premier Dalton McGuinty amended Ontario's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) to ... UK Terrorist 'fighting deportation after 9-year prison sentence given € 250000 in legal aid' Mirror.co.uk According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Daily Mail, the criminal has so far won more than € 210,000 in legal aid for his defence ... Pakistan People need to know if their rights and liberties are at risk, says SHC The News International The Sindh High Court (SHC) has observed that the right to information and the right to freedom of speech are guaranteed under the constitution and ... India Maharashtra has no information on CM's attendance in office: RTI Times of India MUMBAI: How many days was chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in office? No one knows. A Right to Information (RTI) query filed by Jeetendra ... India Why RTI Act not implemented by BCCI? CIC asks PMO The Tribune The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Law Ministry to explain why the Right to Information law ... UK Inside Housing: trade magazine that warned of high-rise fire risks The Guardian In 2015 it used a freedom of information request to reveal that just 18 council-owned tower blocks out of 2,925 had sprinklers fitted. After a fire in ... USA CNN files lawsuit seeking Comey's Trump memos CNN International That constitutes a violation of the federal Freedom of Information Act, the lawsuit alleges. CNN asked the court to require the agency release the ... India RTI activist Nikhil Dey sentenced to 4 months in jail in 20-year-old case Sify News The case refers to a row in May 1998, when Dey, a Right To Information activist, had gone to a village near Jaipur to investigate reports of corruption in ... Canada Canada: Snitches Don't Get Stitches: IPC Upholds Municipal Decision To Withhold Complainant ... Mondaq News Alerts (registration) The requestor submitted a request to City of Toronto under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for records generated ... Bangladesh Learning from the US's experience The Daily Star ... between the socio-economic and political conditions of Bangladesh and the US and the extent of their Right to Information (RTI) experiences. USA Think FOIA Is a Paper Tiger? The New York Times Gives It Some Bite New York Times Time has not been kind to the Freedom of Information Act. It was enacted more than 50 years ago to give citizens the right to obtain documents from ... Bangladesh BREAKING THE CULTURE OF 'SECRECY': Judiciary stands for right to information The Daily Star As the Court also opined, a negative opinion of the political parties in providing information would undoubtedly violate citizen's right to information ... India (Village and Block): A Comparative study of Bihar and Rajasthan Central Information Commission I was interested in exploring whether the right to information has made Blocks and Villages more transparent and accountable institutions at the ... Ireland Tusla 'worst offender' for refusing Freedom of Information requests Irish Independent "The real sense we have is this is a resource issue; I mention Tusla particularly, because they outsourced [Freedom of Information work] to the HSE ... India All talk, little information Frontline Comparison of RTI data show that the Narendra Modi government has not been as good for right to information as its predecessor, the Manmohan ... UK Thousands of children's operations cancelled each year, NHS figures show The Guardian The real number of cancellations is likely to be much higher as the figures obtained by Labour under freedom of information laws cover barely half of ... India Modi Urged to Ensure Speedy Appointment of Central Information Commissioners The Wire With many posts vacant for months, case pendency is on the rise. The National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information has urged the prime ... India No Information For RTI Query On Taj Mahal, Archaeological Survey Officials To Lose Salary \| Agra ... NYOOOZ ... the records were not provided to a Right To Information or RTI applicant.In response to a separate RTI response, the Archaeological Survey of India ...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 142

A newsletter containing news

$Description: C:\Documents and Settings\admin\My Documents\My Web Sites\cpdi_logo.33JPG.JPG$
A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 142	E - Alert	Issue Date: 02-06-2017

Pakistan 'Enforce Right to Information Act' The News International Coalition on Right to Information, a consortium of 52 civil society groups has demanded the Punjab Pakistan Transparency Foul The Nation It was presented in the Senate this week and has since then been termed redundant by various activists. Ireland State faces �60m bill for public services cards by end of year Irish Times Records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the Government is examining other opportunities for the use of the card, including the ... Pakistan Right of Access to Information Bill 'restrictive, ineffective' The Nation However, citizens are unable to exercise this right in the absence of an effective federal right to information law. The CRTI presented its charter of ... Pakistan Punjab govt failed to appoint information commissioners: Expert The Nation He said the Punjab government had made a legislation on the Right to Information law and made a commission to protect the citizens' right to ... India BMC has spent ₹540 crore, but is yet to get land for 166 projects in Mumbai Hindustan Times Information accessed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed that the collectors' offices -city and suburban - are yet to clear land ... Pakistan Reply sought in appointments case The News International ... of the chief information commissioner had been lying vacant for two months in violation of Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013. Pakistan A law that will ensure secrecy instead of transparency The News International ISLAMABAD: The newly-drafted Right to Information Bill tabled in the Senate defeats the purpose of its formation, thus, it turns out to be a great ... Brazil Brazil does not punish public servants who don't comply with access to information law, says Article ... Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas (blog) ... Brazil are not punished, according to a recent report from Article 19 Brazil, an NGO that defends freedom of expression and the right to information. India RTI: Lawyer seeks info on judge's IQ Times of India Ahmedabad: In a weird request under the Right to Information Act (RTI), a lawyer has asked for details about the intelligence quotient (IQ) of a sitting ... India RTI activist alleges bungling in BRTS NYOOOZ Amritsar, May 23 A Right to Information (RTI) activist and a social worker, Suresh Kumar Sharma, alleged embezzlement of funds by officials of the ... Pakistan Legalising secrecy DAWN.com Both the PML-N and PPP had committed in the Charter of Democracy that an effective right to information law would be enacted and the Freedom of ... India Information Commission Backs Centre, Says Details of Naga Accord to Be Kept Secret in Public ... The Wire ... emerged about the contents of the accord even a month later, Nayak filed an RTI application with the PMO under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Malta Planning Authority keeps chairman's new salary under wraps MaltaToday ... executive chairman's new salary, instead forwarding this newspaper to make a Freedom of Information request - a lengthier approach to obtaining ... UK Surrey Police catches 58 drivers using phones behind the wheel in month after tougher ... Get Surrey Just 58 drivers were caught using their mobile phones in Surrey in March, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. This figure is dwarfed by the ... Pakistan Senate body approves Right To Information bill The News International ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting accorded approval to the Right to Information Bill 2017 Monday and ... UK At least one deer is killed every week on Surrey roads Get Surrey Thirty five deer died on four Surrey roads alone in 2016-17, according to data from a Freedom of Information request. Surrey's deadliest road is the M3 ... Pakistan RTI bill approved by Senate committee without taking suggestion from civil society: CPDI The Nation ISLAMABAD: The Senate Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage has approved right to information bill tabled by government ... India Haryana Assembly Corrects Speaker's Educational Qualification After RTI Highlights Discrepancy The Wire Through an application filed under the Right to Information Act 2005, advocate Hemant Kumar had sought information from the state public information ... Sri Lanka Appoint Information Officers as required by RTI Act: Commission The Sunday Times Sri Lanka The Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has called on Public Authorities (PA) who have yet to comply, to abide by the mandatory statutory duty, ... Sri Lanka Odisha activist in Limca Book of Records for receiving highest RTI replies Odisha Sun Times Akhand had filed a petition under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI) with the Department of Posts, Govt of India on Jan 22, 2016 asking whether ... India 4000 investors conned of 440 acres Pune Mirror Given the magnitude of the scam, right to information (RTI) activist Vijay Kumbhar filed an application against the company. According to his blog, the ...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 141

A newsletter containing news

$Description: C:\Documents and Settings\admin\My Documents\My Web Sites\cpdi_logo.33JPG.JPG$
A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 141	E - Alert	Issue Date: 17-05-2017

Bangladesh Journalists face restrictive access to government buildings Dhaka Tribune "Every citizen has a right to information from the Authority and the Authority shall on demand from a citizen be bound to provide information," the Right ... Bangladesh Complaints at info commission on the rise Dhaka Tribune Ever since the Right to Information (RTI) Act was enacted, the Information Commission has been seeing a significant rise of complaints by those who ... Pakistan Zardari wants draft RTI law presented in parliament The Express Tribune ISLAMABAD: PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday urged the government to bring the draft Right to Information [RTI] law - agreed upon by all ... Pakistan PHC makes judges' salaries public The News International The applicant, Zahid Abdullah, a resident of Islamabad, filed an RTI request under the provision of KP Right to Information Act 2013 for making the ... Pakistan Call for effective implementation of right to information law The News International Veteran journalist and human rights activist Zubeida Mustafa said the Right to Information Act serves as a means of check and balance to keep the ... India Filing an FIR is no answer for a missing file; PIO should reconstruct the file, rules CIC Moneylife Neither lodging a first information report (FIR) with the police nor denying information to a citizen under Right to Information Act (RTI) under the pretext ... India Word power: An RTI query to BBMP hits the language barrier Bangalore Mirror Of all the excuses available to not provide information against an RTI (Right to Information) query, a public information officer at the Bruhat Bengaluru ... Bangladesh A new breed of truth seekers The Daily Star There is a new breed of fans in South Asia: fans of the Right to Information (RTI) laws in our region. These are passionate, almost fanatical, RTI ... Pakistan Marriyum Aurangzeb presents 'Right to Information Bill, 2017' before Senate ARY NEWS ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday laid before India How RTI changed the face of Investigative Journalism in India forever The Siasat Daily Shyamlal Yadav not only masters to use the Indian Right to Information law as powerful tool for his journalistic work, even more importantly, in his role ... Pakistan PTI seeks information about corruption allegations on Fawad Hassan Pakistan Today Therefore, she said that right to information law demands that the "unedited" version of this report must be made public. Andleeb requested that she ... India Central Government Owes Rs 451.75 Crore to Air India For VVIP Flights Outlook India ... vice president and the prime minister, as well as special missions, according to the latest data provided under the Right To Information Act. India RTI rejection rate in most public sector banks increased in 2015-16 Hindustan Times An analysis by a Delhi-based advocacy group of over 80,000 applications filed under the Right To Information Act with 24 major public sector ... Sri Lanka ETCA will destroy Sri Lanka's IT sector- Lasantha Wickramasinghe Lankaweb ... measures to legalize its lack of transparency by excluding the Right to Know about international trade agreements by its Right to Information Bill. USA Number of FOIA Requests Reaches Record High Secrecy News (blog) Federal government agencies received more Freedom of Information Act requests last year than ever before, the Justice Department reported last ... Pakistan IHC seeks details of civil servants working in IFIs The Nation He adopted that this is his right to know under the Right to Information Law. The petitioner who is Pakistani and Belgium national stated that on ... Pakistan PTI seeks info on 'misuse of PM Office by Maryam Nawaz' The Nation ... is addressed to the principal secretary of the Prime Minister's Secretariat seeking information under the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002. Scotland Police Scotland refuse to reveal the identity of a paedophile handed rare legal order despite case ... The Scottish Sun But when Police Scotland were asked to reveal the detailed terms of the order under Freedom of Information rules, they refused and declined to ... USA GOP Chairman Tells Agencies What to Release in FOIA Requests New York Times "All such documents and communications constitute congressional records not 'agency records' for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act, and ...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 140

A newsletter containing news

$Description: C:\Documents and Settings\admin\My Documents\My Web Sites\cpdi_logo.33JPG.JPG$
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 140	E - Alert	Issue Date: 02-05-2017

India Govt plans to change RTI norms will make information expensive, appeals difficult Hindustan Times The government wants to make getting information difficult as the draft rules empower public authorities more than citizens right to information (RTI) ... India Pol parties under RTI: CIC puts matter in abeyance India Today The file notings have now been disclosed by the Central Information Commission under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to activist R K Jain, who had ... India RTI pleas on pension issues should be decided in 48 hrs: CIC Business Standard ... to pension of a person pertains to his/her life and liberty which is mandated to be replied to within 48 hours as Pakistan RTIC serves notice to TMO Pakistan Observer Right to Information Commission (RTIC) Friday served notice on an officer of local administration for not sharing information and directed him to submit ... India Criminal case against wife for lying of being jobless to get alimony Pune Mirror Therefore, the husband decided to get evidence under the Right to Information (RTI) Act about her position Bahamas Activists Fear Foi Act Will Not Be Enacted As Election Looms Bahamas Tribune #AS the general election looms, activists fear that the government's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2017 is heading for the same fate of its ... Pakistan Right to information: Multan chief engineer fined two salaries The Express Tribune LAHORE: The Punjab Information Commission has imposed a fine of two salaries on an executive engineer of the machinery division of Multan for not ... Pakistan Vasai doctor booked for extorting money from builder Times of India MUMBAI: A week after an absconding Vasai-based government doctor and Right To Information (RTI) activist was booked for extorting money from a ... India No change in fee structure, word limit for RTI queries: Centre refutes 'misleading' reports Hindustan Times The Centre on Wednesday dubbed as �misleading� media reports on the Right to Information (RTI) Act Sri Lanka 110 Acts in conflict with RTI: DG Information Daily Mirror A total of 110 Acts had been found to be contradicting with the Right to Information Act when the RTI was implemented, Government Information ... UK Parking fine appeal success varies between council areas BBC News Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show about a third of driver challenges were accepted. The figures cover initial challenges to ... USA Documents show NYPD infiltrated Black Lives Matter despite no knowledge of criminal activity AOL The information was made public thanks to a freedom of information lawsuit filed by a New York law firm. The documents shed light on how the NYPD ... Canada Overhaul of Canada's Access to Information Act taking too long, critic says CBC.ca He pointed to a global right-to-information rating chart, compiled by his organization, which gives Canada a ranking of 49 out of 111 countries. India Killing RTI: Bad idea to let an inquiry lapse if applicant dies Financial Express Given how the Right to Information (RTI) Act has become a powerful tool in the hands of citizens to ensure accountability from public authorities, it is ... Ireland Justice officials tried to keep Data Protection Commissioner's files secret Irish Times As a "partially included" body under the Freedom of Information Act the office is exempt from disclosing its records other than those to do with general ... Pakistan Court seeks copy of notification banning protests on The Mall The Nation The LHC sought more arguments on a petition challenging the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act (PTRIA). Justice Atir Mehmood of the ... India Right to information can't be curtailed, says Supreme Court Deccan Chronicle New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday made it clear that it can't curtail the right to seek information, knowledge and wisdom as long as the ... UK Heathrow third runway: Councils spent �350000 on legal action BBC News Four councils under Heathrow Airport's flight path spent �350,000 on legal fees challenging the planned third runway, the BBC has learnt. Hillingdon ... Sri Lanka New anti-terrorism law undermines RTI The Sunday Times Sri Lanka Questions now arise on the position of the CTA against the Right to Information Act, also enacted by this Government, which denotes that public ... India The right to reject, deny, obfuscate The Hindu A month had passed since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation announcement, but Venkatesh Nayak, a Right to Information (RTI) ... India RTI activists may come under increased threat with new rules The Indian Express The Centre is planning to impose new rules related to the Right to Information Act that will mean potential for threats and attacks to RTI activists. India Give info on sexual harassment cases to victims within 48 hrs: CIC The Tribune Information on sexual harassment cases should be provided to victims within 48 hours under the Right to Information Act as it pertains to their life and ... India When CIC disposed 1282 appeals of an RTI applicant in a single order Moneylife ... the Central Information Commission (CIC) had dismissed a record 1,282 second appeals filed by an applicant under the Right to Information (RTI) ... Sri Lanka * Salawa explosion victims to take legal action to obtain compensation Colombo Page The victims of the blast have decided to submit an application to obtain information under the Right to Information Act on how the government has ... Bangladesh Designated officials can now receive RTI training online Dhaka Tribune The online training for the Right to Information Act (RTI) 2009 will be available on the Information Commission's website, Shafiul informed reporters ... Sri Lanka RTI application by TISL reveals EPF investment details Colombo Gazette Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has successfully utilised the Right to Information (RTI) Act to request and receive information relating to ... Canada Some Canadian bank record information being sent directly to IRS CBC.ca According to information obtained by CBC News under a U.S. Freedom of Information Act request, 31,574 such reports have been sent directly to ... India Non-Traceability Of The File Cannot Be A Defence To Deny Information CIC Read Order Live Law ... their destruction would be seen as a destruction of evidence and will invite sanctions under the Public Records Act and the Right to Information Act. Pakistan Punjab DG anti-corruption ordered to provide info about corruption The News International However, the DG anti-corruption did not take an action on an application, filed by Sarmad Ali Advocate under the Right to Information Act 2013. Ireland New data shows just 2076 homes built last year Irish Times ... State last year was just 2,076, a fraction of the Government's 15,000 estimate, according to new figures obtained under the Freedom of Information. Sri Lanka RTI: President gives people access to Cabinet decisions The Sunday Times Sri Lanka ... has informed all Ministers that all Cabinet decisions and Memoranda not falling within excepted categories under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, ... UK Elderly people hit by council delays in free personal care BBC News Age Scotland's research, compiled using freedom of information requests, found significant variations across councils in the time taken to carry out ... India 500 plus RTI queries: Man loses right to seek info Deccan Herald A Punjab resident running riot with rampant applications under the Right to Information Act (RTI) has become a pain in the neck for the state authorities ... UK More NHS mental health patients treated privately BBC News By George Greenwood BBC Freedom of Information researcher ... Freedom of information requests were sent to all 81 NHS mental health authorities ... Australia Western Sydney's peak-hour train services could be cut, while North Shore may benefit ABC Online Direct train services from Penrith could be cut back as the city's $20-billion Metro project wavers on its promise of a faster, better rail system for all. USA Trump seeks shift in visa allotments key to tech outsourcing Information Management Outsourcing companies now get far more visas than traditional technology companies, according to data collected through Freedom of Information Act ... India Soft drink to oil, state food monitors find 9 products of top firms 'substandard' The Indian Express According to information accessed by The Indian Express under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, these products include Pepsico's Mirinda, ... India SHRC orders Rs 15 lakh compensation for RTI activist's family Daily News & Analysis Shetty, who had exposed several land-related scams through Right To Information Act, was brutally murdered at Talegaon Dabhade in Pune district ... Pakistan PML-N to win 2018 elections with performance: Marriyum Pakistan Today The minister said the government was working to finalise Right to Information Bill to facilitate the journalists in order to perform their duties in a proper ... Pakistan Federal and Balochistan RTI laws most ineffective: CPDI report The Nation Federal and Balochistan RTI laws most ineffective: CPDI report ... Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, (CPDI) urges federal government to ... Pakistan PTI demands PTV chairperson's resignation over 'serious violations' The Express Tribune �Being the citizen of Pakistan and a taxpayer, under the Article 19-A of the Constitution of Pakistan and Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, I, ...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 139

A newsletter containing news

$Description: C:\Documents and Settings\admin\My Documents\My Web Sites\cpdi_logo.33JPG.JPG$
A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 139	E - Alert	Issue Date: 31-03-2017

Pakistan Our right to know The News International A Right to Information Bill has been doing the rounds of parliament for nearly five years and even passed the Senate in 2013 before it was allowed to ... India 9.76 lakh applications filed for RTI in 2015-16 Indiainfoline In year 2015-16, people of India filed 9.76 lakh applications under the Right to Information Act. The applications see an increase of 20% as against the ... India Narendra Modi's social media presence free of cost, says PMO to Manish Sisodia's RTI India.com The revelation was made in response to a Right To Information (RTI) plea filed by Delhi's deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia demanding to know ... Bangladesh Gonojagoron Moncho uses Right to Information Act on Tonu murder case Dhaka Tribune Comilla branch of Gonojagoron Moncho has demanded to know the current state of Tonu murder investigation under the Right to Information Act and ... Pakistan Punjab Information Commission verdict The News International ISLAMABAD: With the enforcement of Right to Information (RTI) law in Punjab, citizens aware of their rights are not only filing requests to the ... India Can't apply RTI Act to unaided institutions: State info panel Times of India ... from the government do not fall within the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the state information commission's Pune bench has ruled. Pakistan Information commission asks LHC registrar to reveal CJ's salary, perks DAWN.com ... had not provided him the piece of information within the time period prescribed in the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013. Malta Shareholders' right to information Times of Malta The First Hall Civil Court, presided over by Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon on February 28, 2017, in the case 'Dr Suzanne Wolfe Martin as ... Pakistan Hefty pay cheque: Punjab's top judge gets Rs1.05m per month The Express Tribune Under Section 7 of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013, the CJ has nominated Deputy Registrar (Procurement) Shahbaz ... USA Court rules government employees can't hide public records in private accounts LA Daily News In its unanimous decision, the court made an analogy to the treatment of public records under the federal Freedom of Information Act. �In construing ... India Munna bhai MBBS style: RTI exposes over 50 applicants sent imposters to write Haryana clerk exam India Today The recruitment examination comprised a written test and one in computer skills. Gurugram-based Right to Information activist Harinder Dhingra, who ... India RTI Act: 50% rise in penalties imposed on central public information officers Times of India The Right to Information Act, 2005 provides for imposition of penalty by CIC against central public information officers (CPIO), in pursuance of section ... India Prescription for doctors who duck responsibility Mumbai Mirror When, under the right to Information Act, I asked for a copy of the report on the action taken, Sion Hospital's assistant dean, who was also the facility's ... Pakistan Right to information: LHC told to disclose staff salaries on website The Express Tribune LAHORE: In a rare move, the Punjab Information Commission has asked the Lahore High Court (LHC) to make public the records of salaries, ... Pakistan Punjab govt urged to appoint information commissioners� The News International The Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013 which scores 139 out of 140 points on CPDI score Sheet of Right to Information Laws of ... Pakistan Right to know DAWN.com WILL the newly enacted Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act 2016 be a harbinger of transparency in Sindh? The answer to this question ... Sri Lanka Caution not to strike premature body blows on RTI Daily Mirror Sri Lankan activists who rushed precipitously to file Right to Information (RTI) requests for the Assets Declarations of the President and the Prime ... UK Activists Stop Deportation of Asylum Seekers in London teleSUR English ... planes with no witnesses." A Freedom of Information request found that 1,877 people were deported on such charters in 2015, reported the Mirror. India RTI applications can be filed orally: Govt Business Standard The applications under Right to Information (RTI) Act can be filed orally, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said today. Section 6 (1) of the ... India Research scholars allege₹45-lakh swindle in MKU The Hindu ... University Grants Commission for scholarship to MKU through Right to Information Act. �I am yet to receive around ₹ 2.3 lakh of scholarship money.
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-8312794, 8312795 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 138

A newsletter containing news

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A newsletter containing news, views, articles, investigative stories in the field of
Right to Information from Around the World
Issue No: 138	E - Alert	Issue Date: 17-03-2017

Pakistan 'Bulletproof vehicles only for vulnerable officials' The News International The Punjab Home Department has refused to disclose information under Right to Information Act regarding use of bulletproof vehicles by government ... India Activist Moves SC Against Delhi HC Judgment Excluding AG's Office From RTI [Read Petition] Live Law Justice Vibhu Bakhru allowed the appeal and held that the office of the Attorney General of India is a public authority under the Right to Information Act ... India Modi's passport application cannot be disclosed: Chief Information Commissioner RK Mathur The New Indian Express ... had earlier refused to share the documents, saying it is "personal information" which cannot be provided under the Right to Information (RTI) Sri Lanka RTI Commission seeks Rs. 76 m to carry out its work efficiently The Sunday Times Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's Right to Information (RTI) Commission says it has urged the Finance Ministry's Budget Director to ensure that Rs. 76 million allocated for it ... India Plea to reserve MBBS seats for govt. school students The Hindu He claimed that information obtained under the Right to Information Act, 2005 revealed that out of the 35,357 MBBS seats filled between the academic ... Bangladesh JS standing committee meetings should be open to public The Daily Star ... be open to public and the wealth accounts of the public representatives should be published to make the right to information (RTI) more effective. Pakistan 'Whistleblower' clause dropped from Right to Information Bill PressReader Pakistan's Senate committee on the Right to Information (RTI) Bill 2016 yesterday unanimously decided to drop the clause for �whistle-blowers� from ... Pakistan Interpol help sought to curb blasphemy online DAWN.com ... Pakistan's embassy in Washington has been tasked with contacting Facebook to seek the requisite information under US Right to Information laws. USA Obama Administration Spent Record Millions in 2016 Fighting Freedom of Information Act Requests The Root In its final year, the Obama administration spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs defending its refusal to turn over federal records requested under ... Pakistan After Punjab and KP, Sindh passes right to information bill The News International Following the lead of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, the provincial legislature of Sindh unanimously passed the Sindh ... India Narendra Modi degree: Delhi University college says no data of students passing out in 1978 The New Indian Express ... and Section Officer (Information) of the University, who are the deemed PIOs under section 5(4) and 5(5) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Pakistan Needless delay DAWN.com THE government continues to drag its feet over the issue of enacting a right to information law and putting in place institutional mechanisms so that ... Pakistan Culture of opacity DAWN.com THE active history of right to information laws in Pakistan starts from 2002, when we became the first country in South Asia to pass an ordinance in this ... Pakistan Senator Babar tables report and draft of RTI bill Daily Times ISLAMABAD: Special Committee of Senate on Right to Information (RTI) Chairman Senator Farhatullah Babar on Thursday tabled report and draft of ...
Transparency and Right to Information Program -------------------------------------------- Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan) Tel: +92 (0) 51-2304987, 2304989 URL: www.cpdi-pakistan.org

Newsletter 137

A newsletter containing news

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