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WORLD NEWS Monday 4 May 2020
Report: Virus pandemic being used to curb press freedom

BERLIN (AP) — An interna- on the rise." The Vienna-
tional media rights group based organization said
said Sunday the coronavi- it has documented 162
rus pandemic is being used press freedom violations
by governments around the related to coronavirus cov-
world to increase restric- erage over the past two
tions on press freedoms. and a half months, almost
a third of which have in-
In a report issued to co- volved the arrest, deten-
incide with World Press tion or charging of journal-
Freedom Day 2020, the In- ists. The institute's report
ternational Press Institute came three days after the
concluded that in both International Federation
democratic and autocrat- of Journalists published a
ic states the "public health survey that found that the
crisis has allowed govern- working conditions of news
ments to exercise control reporters around the globe
over the media on the have deteriorated during
pretext of preventing the the coronavirus pandemic
spread of disinformation." amid job losses and attacks
It said authoritarian govern- on media freedom. World
ments have been abusing Press Freedom Day was
emergency measures to proclaimed by the United
"further stifle independent Nations in 1993. Ahead of A riot police points the pepper spray to journalists as pro-democracy activists gather outside a
media and criminalize jour- this year's event, U.N. Sec- shopping mall during the Labor Day in Hong Kong, Friday, May 1, 2020 amid an outbreak of the
nalism," while in democra- retary General Antonio new coronavirus.
cies "efforts to control the Guterres said the COVID-19 Associated Press.
public narrative and re- crisis has underscored the demic spreads, it has also from harmful health advice vides the antidote: verified,
strict access to information importance of a robust given rise to a second pan- to wild conspiracy theo- scientific, fact-based news
around the pandemic are and free press. "As the pan- demic of misinformation, ries," he said. "The press pro- and analysis."q

IS extremists step up as Iraq, Syria, grapple with virus

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, dominated police have
BASSEM MROUE and SA- become a more visible tar-
MYA KULLAB get for IS as they patrol the
Associated Press streets to implement anti-vi-
BAGHDAD (AP) — The man rus measures, said Mervan
wearing an explosive vest Qamishlo, a spokesman
emerged from a car and for U.S.-allied Kurdish-led
calmly marched toward forces.
the gates of the intelligence IS fighters in late March
building in Iraq's northern launched a campaign of
city of Kirkuk. When he ig- attacks in government-
nored their shouts to halt, held parts of Syria, from the
guards opened fire, and he central province of Homs
blew himself up, wounding all the way to Deir el-Zour
three security personnel in to the east, bordering Iraq.
the first week of Ramadan. Some 500 fighters, includ-
Days later, a three-pronged ing some who had es-
coordinated attack killed caped from prison, recent-
10 Iraqi militia fighters in the ly slipped from Syria into
northern province of Sala- Iraq, helping fuel the surge
haddin — the deadliest in violence there, Iraqi intel-
and most complex opera- ligence officials said.
tion in many months. In this March 10, 2010, file, photo, people attend the funeral of a Syrian Democratic Forces fighter IS is shifting from local intim-
The assaults are the latest in who was killed in a battle with remnants of the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, in the town of idation to more complex
Qamishli.
a resurgence of attacks by Associated Press. attacks, three Iraqi military
the Islamic State group in officials and experts said.
northern Iraq. The first was a group is taking advantage and Syria, was brought ing us in the north and they Operations previously fo-
brazen suicide mission not of governments absorbed down last year. will start hitting Baghdad cused on assassinations of
seen in months. The sec- in tackling the coronavirus In Iraq, militants also ex- soon." He said IS was bene- local officials and less so-
ond was among the most pandemic and the ensuing ploit security gaps at a fiting from a "gap" between phisticated attacks. Now
complex attacks since the slide into economic chaos. time of an ongoing territo- Kurdish forces and federal the group is carrying out
group's defeat in 2017. In The virus is compounding rial dispute and a U.S. troop armed forces caused by more IED attacks, shootings
neighboring Syria, IS at- longtime concerns among drawdown. political infighting. and ambushes of police
tacks on security forces, oil security and U.N. experts "It's a real threat," said Intelligence reports say and military. The officials
fields and civilian sites have that the group would stage Qubad Talabani, deputy the number of IS fighters in spoke on condition of ano-
also intensified. a comeback after its "ca- prime minister of the north- Iraq is believed to be 2,500- nymity because they were
The renewed mayhem liphate," which once en- ern Kurdish region of Iraq. 3,000. not authorized to talk to the
is a sign that the militant compassed a third of Iraq "They are mobilizing and kill- In northeast Syria, Kurdish- media.q