UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the increasing number of attacks against journalists, said his spokesman.

“The secretary-general is appalled at the continued and increased numbers of attacks against journalists and media workers around the world,” said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.

“The secretary-general condemns all attacks and killings of journalists and calls on the respective authorities to ensure that they are thoroughly investigated and that those responsible are held accountable.”

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday that the country is “practically winning” the battle against COVID-19 due to the reduction of average daily deaths caused by the virus over the last week.

“We are practically winning (the battle against) the pandemic. The government has done everything possible to minimize its negative effects, either through emergency aid, which has reached 65 million people, or with help for micro and small companies, through credit,” the president said at an event in the northeastern state of Bahia.

“It is already beginning to appear, especially in the media outside the country, that Brazil was one of the countries that suffered the least from the pandemic due to the measures taken by the federal government,” he said.

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RAMALLAH — The Palestinian leadership announced on Friday that it strongly condemns the U.S.-sponsored agreement on the normalization of ties between Bahrain and Israel.

In a press statement, the Palestinian leadership said that the agreement “is a betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause.”

The statement added that the agreement between Israel and Bahrain “supports the legislation of the occupation’s heinous crimes against the Palestinian people.”

“Palestine considers this step extremely dangerous and constitutes the destruction of the Arab Peace Initiative, the decisions of the Arab and Islamic summits, and international legitimacy,” said the statement.

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ATHENS — Greece’s European partners are already offering assistance to the country to cope with the crisis on Lesbos island after the destruction of the Moria refugee migrant camp by a fire this week. They are preparing to agree a coherent, single migration and asylum policy to find a definitive solution to the challenge, Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice President, said here on Friday.

“We need to take a broader look at our migration policies and make sure that Moria will be there to remind us of everything that we need to change in Europe,” Schinas said in a statement. “We are a family. We are a union. It is unthinkable that only a few member states have to shoulder a disproportionate responsibility in crisis situations.”

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WASHINGTON — Israel and Bahrain have agreed to establish diplomatic ties, according to a joint statement of the United States, Israel and Bahrain issued on Friday.

The joint statement, which was presented by U.S. President Donald Trump on Twitter, said that leaders of the United States, Israel and Bahrain held a phone conversation earlier in the day and agreed to the “establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

“Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region,” the statement said.