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	<title>Freedom Info</title>
	<link>http://www.freedominfo.org</link>
	<description>the online network of freedom of information advocates</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:53:11 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Indian Committee Displeased With Nuclear RTI Exemption</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A proposed Right to Information law exemption in a new Indian nuclear safety bill appears to be faring poorly in Parliament.
A committee looking into the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority bill is likely to propose dropping the RTI provision, according&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/indian-committee-displeased-with-nuclear-rti-exemption/</link>
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		<title>Philippines Coalition Endorses Aquino FOI Legislation</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A leader in the Philippines House of Representatives has indicated he plans to schedule hearings on freedom of information in late February en route to summertime enactment.
The comment by Deputy House Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada came&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/philippines-coalition-endorses-aquino-foi-legislation/</link>
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		<title>Comments In, Hearing Set As UK Furthers FOIA Review</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The public comment period has ended and the Justice Select Committee has scheduled its first “evidence session” on possible revision of the United Kingdom’s Freedom of Information law.
The committee will hold its first evidence session Feb. 21 and hear&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/comments-in-hearing-set-as-uk-furthers-foia-review/</link>
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		<title>Indian CIC Orders Agency to Post More on Website</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Indian Central Information Commission has told the Ministry of Environment &#38; Forests to put more information on its website.
The Jan. 18 decision by Commissioner Sailesh Gandhi resulted from a complaint brought by Shibani Ghosh of The Access Initiative&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/indian-cic-orders-agency-to-post-more-on-website/</link>
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		<title>AG Offers Amendments for Bahamas FOI Legislation</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Bahamas House of Assembly on Feb. 20 is scheduled to begin debating a freedom of information bill, changes for which were recently proposed by Attorney-General John Delaney.
A copy of the latest bill is here.
The latest amendments would&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/ag-offers-amendments-for-bahamas-foi-legislation/</link>
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		<title>OGP and Brazil: Question About Consultation and Participation</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Greg Michener
This article first appeared in Michener&#8217;s blog: http://observingbrazil.com/
As co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, in a very few months Brazil will play host to a meeting among more than 50 countries participating in an unprecedented global initiative: a&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/ogp-and-brazil-question-about-consultation-and-participation/</link>
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		<title>RTI Implementation: Comparing Experiences in Southeast Asia</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Chiranjibi Kafle
The writer is Head, Department of English, RR Campus, Kathmandu. This article was originally published in Republica and is reprinted with permission.
More than 90 countries in the world today have introduced Right to Information (RTI) legislations&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/rti-implementation-comparing-experiences-in-southeast-asia/</link>
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		<title>OAS Special Rapporteur Put Under Pressure by Report</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Efforts to reduce the budget and influence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom Expression may be in abeyance for the moment, but the controversial efforts may resurface, according to persons familiar with the&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/oas-special-rapporteur-put-under-pressure-by-report/</link>
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		<title>Guatemala Weighs Tighter Hold on Military Information</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Rachel Hatcher
Hatcher is a PhD candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. She is now in Guatemala studying post-conflict public memories and discourses of the civil wars in Guatemala and El Salvador. 
The Guatemalan Congress is considering stricter controls&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/guatemala-weighs-tighter-hold-on-military-information/</link>
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		<title>21 Governments Tardy With Updates on OGP Activity</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ Twenty-one governments have yet to report on their progress toward developing Open Government Partnership action plans, according to a FreedomInfo.org tally.
In the action plans that have been submitted, however, it appears that governments are holding consultations and preparing draft&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/21-governments-tardy-with-updates-on-ogp-activity/</link>
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		<title>Nepal Backs Off Implementing Controversial Access Restrictions</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The government of Nepal has decided not to implement a controversial classification scheme following strong objections from civil society groups that it would undercut access to information.
The prime minister has “assured” the leaders of groups protesting the planned changes&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/nepal-backs-off-implementing-controversial-access-restrictions/</link>
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		<title>EU Presidency Seeks Solution on Controversial Access Rules</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Staffan Dahllöf
Dahllöf is co-editor of Wobbing Europe, where this article first appeared.
The Danish EU-presidency has taken unusual steps to promote adoption of new access rules: Member countries have been summoned to conflict talks, before there is an&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/eu-presidency-seeks-solution-on-controversial-access-rules/</link>
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		<title>Access Issues Being Debated in Context of Rio Conference</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By Carole Excell 
Excell is Senior Associate, The Access Initiative, World Resources Institute
The Rio+20 Conference, the largest conference on sustainable development in 10 years, is only five months away. 
A first round of informal negotiations on the “Outcome Document”&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/access-issues-being-debated-in-context-of-rio-conference/</link>
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		<title>Bangladesh Court Upholds Penalty for Impeding Access</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The High Court of Bangladesh on Feb. 8 upheld an Information Commission fine for a  government official who refused to provide information under the 2009 Right to Information Act.
The court rejecting a petition filed by a government official challenging&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/bangladesh-court-upholds-penalty-for-impeding-access/</link>
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		<title>Political Appointments in Indian State Stir Objection</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The appointment of eight information commissioners in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has sparked objections that they are unqualified.
Four of the announced commissioners are politicians in the ruling Congress party. The others include three retired or current civil servants and&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/political-appointments-in-indian-state-stir-objection/</link>
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		<title>World Bank Consulting on Accountability Concepts</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The World Bank is a beginning stakeholder consultations on its Global Partnership for Social Accountability initiative “aimed at strengthening beneficiary feedback and participation by supporting civil society capacity to engage with governments to improve development effectiveness.”
Having sought out initial&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/world-bank-consulting-on-accountability-concepts/</link>
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		<title>FOI Notes: Research in EU, US, Canada; Consultancy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Research: &#8220;Transparency and Trust. An experimental study of online disclosure and trust in government,&#8221; by Stephan van Grimmelikhuijsen.  The full text can also be accessed via the link (warning: it is a large file). From abstract: “The experiments show that&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/foi-notes-research-in-eu-us-canada-consultancy/</link>
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		<title>Aquino FOI Bill Sparks Debate, Amendment Ideas</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Now that Philippine President Benigno Aquino has submitted  his freedom of information bill, proposals to expand it have surfaced and critics are calling it too timid.
FOI advocates had known the bill would fall below their expectations, but decided to compromise in order&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/aquino-foi-bill-sparks-debate-amendment-ideas/</link>
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		<title>Indonesia Groups Appeal Denial of Water Agreement</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A group of Indonesian NGOs led by the People’s Coalition on the Right to Water (KRuHA) is appealing to the National Information Commission the government’s refusal to provide details about the privatization of the water utility in Jakarta.
The groups&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/indonesia-groups-appeal-denial-of-water-agreement/</link>
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		<title>State Actions Undermine Right to Information in India</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Some Indian states are making it harder for applicants to use the Right to Information law, according to a series of recent news reports.
To the distress of RTI activists, states are:
-           imposing higher fees,
-           requiring statements of&#8230;]]></description>
		<link>http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/02/state-actions-undermine-right-to-information-in-india/</link>
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