The European Union expressed its regret at the "tremendous" increase in the number of journalists killed in wars, stressing that "media workers must be protected while covering armed conflicts" around the world. The European Union said in a statement today, on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, corresponding to May 3: 'A very large number of journalists lost their lives in recent months while they were reporting to us news from Gaza.' "Journalists also remain at risk on a daily basis as they cover Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as conflicts in Myanmar, Sudan and elsewhere," it added. The Union stressed that "journalists and media workers in areas of armed conflict must be protected, in accordance with international humanitarian law." The Union expressed its 'deep concern about preventing independent media from accessing conflict areas, as a means of controlling the information space and restricting the public's access to factual and objective reporting. Source: National Iraqi News Agency