Transparency International would like to express its deep sadness and profound sense of loss over the tragic helicopter accident in Nepal in September 2006. The crash claimed the life of our colleague and friend Dr. Harka Gurung, President of Transparency International Nepal, among others. Gurung had led the Nepalese chapter of Transparency International since 2004 and was a visionary campaigner for governance reform. Our thoughts are with the families, friends and co-workers of the victims of the crash, including our colleagues at Transparency International Nepal and the World Wildlife Fund.

TI’s Dominican Republic chapter, Participación Ciudadana, celebrated International Right to Know Day on 28 September with a week of events and activities. The chapter piloted a national educational programme on access to information through a community radio network to mark the day, which was established in 2002. A panel discussion was also held on the implementation of the country’s access to information laws and their importance to investigative journalism. Right to Know Day aims to raise awareness of the right to information and to campaign for open, democratic societies.

Shivl, TI Israel, is giving two scholarships of US $1,150 to Masters and/or PhD students doing a research in an area that promotes Shvil's goals. The scholarships promote research in 'implementation of the values of Ethics and Transparency as part of the fight against corruption', which is Shvil's mission. The selection committee is headed by Prof. Asa Kasher, a well known professor of ethics in Israel.

TI India recently instituted the Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi Awards for Excellence in Journalism for Exposing Corruption. The deadline for nominations is 31 October 2006. Details can be found at the TI India website: tiindia.in

TI Latvia has urged the Ministry of Culture and the New Three Brothers agency (a Latvian state agency set up to administer cultural investment projects under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture)to follow the National Anti-Corruption Programme in the course of constructing the new national library, concert hall and art museum. The chapter said that preventing corruption in the project “must be a priority … over the next half-year”, through public communication and a “precise plan of action”. TI Latvia has been monitoring the agency, in particular its procurement processes, while advocating a corporate social responsibility policy based on TI’s Business Principles for Countering Bribery.

TI Lithuania has been conducting a number of detailed sociological transparency studies. The chapter carried out surveys identifying corruption trends in public procurement procedures, forest sector activities and vehicle state technical inspectorates, research that has not been carried out in more than 15 years. The procurement study, carried out with United Nations Development Programme, looked at the views of the business community, and discussed its role in improving transparency in such processes. TI Lithuania plans to conduct more transparency studies soon, including one of EU structural funds allocation.

For further information see www.transparency.lt/new/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=6&Itemid=37

Members of the Lebanese chapter of TI took part in a successful process of election monitoring during the recent triple elections in Yemen. The initiative, in which observers from other Arab countries monitored the transparency of the election, is expected to become a precedent for democratic practices in the Arab world. The delegation’s cultural sensitivity and nuanced knowledge of the local language meant they could be more easily accepted as monitors than many outsiders. Monitors from Morocco, Egypt and Palestine also took part, working in parallel with international observers.