increase font size Authoritarianism advances as world battles the pandemic The coronavirus pandemic has upended life around the globe, but it has hasn’t stopped the spread of authoritarianism and extremism. By JILL LAWLESSAssociated Press Share A man protests the policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during Orban's talks with Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Nov. 30 in Warsaw, Poland. Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press LONDON — Here’s some of what happened while the world was distracted by the coronavirus: Hungary banned the public depiction of homosexuality. China shut Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy newspaper. Brazil’s government extolled dictatorship. And Belarus hijacked a passenger plane to arrest a journalist.