Burkina Faso: The Communications Minister explains that the 2015 access law is still not effect, suggesting that changes may need to be made, according to an interview (in French) in Burkina 24. He says a constitutional review is underway because of concerns about the oversight body.
The Philippines: The Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition (R2RKN) launches an effort to ensure compliance with the FOI executive order. Rappler reports that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has not responded to FOI requests.
Canada: The Liberal government delays promised Access to Information reforms, saying it needs more time.
Denmark: The government receives an independent study on the rules of access in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Britain, France, Germany and Austria. according to an article (in Danish).
Kenya: The government has been ordered by High Court judge Joseph Onguto to make public information on county expenditures in 2013, reports The Star.
Pakistan: The chairman of the Special Committee of Senate on RTI tables a report and draft of an RTI law, according to The Daily Times. The Committee drops the whistleblower clause, The Nation reports.
Australia: The Productivity Commission has released a draft report into Data Availability and Use.
Australia: More than 30,000 emails have been retrieved from the private email account of Energy Minister Mark Bailey by the state’s corruption watchdog as it mulls whether to investigate him over its use, according to The Courier Mail.
Malawi: The Malawi Human Rights Commission outlined a roadmap to implement the new Access to Information Act, according to The Nyasa Times.
United States: “The Colorado Senate endorsed a heavily amended version of the open-records modernization bill Tuesday evening, adding a broad exemption to bar the disclosure of records that “could endanger public safety or the operation of critical infrastructure,” according to a March 22 report by the Colorado FOI Coalition.
United States: The US commitment to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is in doubt. See Reuters story.
India: The public has little awareness of the RTI Act in the state of Assam, reports The Sentinal, based on the Assam Information Commission in its Annual Report for the year 2015-16.
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