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The Hong Kong government's recent decision to restrict access to public records marks a huge blow to journalists and others who want to investigate official wrongdoing.

On April 20, the China Coast Guard (CCG), together with China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Transport, and the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, jointly launched a seven-month-long special maritime law enforcement campaign, coded "Blue Sea 2021", to enhance marine environmental protection.

Germany's conservatives have decided to pick Armin Laschet, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), as their candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in the country's upcoming elections.

The Czech Republic has warned Moscow that it will expel more Russian diplomats unless Czech Embassy staff ejected from Russia are allowed to return to work by noon on April 22.

A court in Russia has upheld lengthy prison sentences handed down to a couple convicted on high treason charges that stemmed from a wedding photo that included an officer of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi stressed that the disputes between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be resolved amid a constructive and unpolitical atmosphere.

Iran's President said that in the negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), we want the implementation of the same JCPOA, not a word less and not a word more, and we do not want JCPOA+, adding, "Today, everyone knows that the only solution to this problem is the full implementation of the nuclear deal".

The Joint Commission of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), held another plenary meeting on Tuesday afternoon at the Grand Hotel of Vienna, and finally decided to continue the talks next week.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tuesday that the latest round of the talks in Vienna are "progressive" despite "the existing difficulties."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says what Tehran is seeking through the ongoing talks in Vienna is the full implementation of the 2015 nuclear accord, neither more nor less.

China has reiterated its call for the removal of all sanctions imposed on Iran and third parties, as negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal move ahead in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Amnesty International says the use of the death penalty in 2020 was the lowest in at least a decade, though the "unprecedented challenges" of the COVID-19 pandemic were not enough to deter Iran and 17 other countries from carrying out executions last year.

European Union's foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano said on Wednesday that Europe was focusing on success of the nuclear talks between Iran and the 4+1.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the solution to Iran's nuclear issue is the implementation of the existing JCPOA, no more and no less.

A broad grouping of countries and organizations has demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all foreign forces from Libya.

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two Burmese state-owned enterprises, Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) and Myanmar Pearl Enterprise (MPE), which are responsible for timber and pearl exports from Burma.

The United States has imposed sanctions on the Myanmar state-owned Myanma Timber Enterprise and Myanmar Pearl Enterprise to further pressure the military government, which seized power in a February coup.

Protesters have taken to the streets in Myanmar in blue shirts to demand the release of those detained during weeks of a military crackdown on protests against the junta rule.

The Burmese military regime continues to ignore the will of the people of Burma to restore the country's path to democracy. Instead of acceding to the clear aspirations of its citizens, the regime has intensified its violent crackdown, killing more than 650 people, including many children, and detaining more than 3,200 others since February 1.

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi sat down with VOA's Ayesha Tanzeem this week for an exclusive interview to discuss the impact on the region of the United States withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, how Pakistan sees its future relationship with its western neighbor, and whether putting forward a resolution in parliament to expel the French ambassador from the country, over French support for publication of