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Demonstrations were held in several countries on Saturday in solidarity with the Belarusian opposition movement. Protesters took to the streets of Krakow and Warsaw, Poland, while in Ukraine, about 100 Belarusians in Kiev held up old white-red and white Belarusian flags - a symbol of the opposition - and chanted slogans including "Freedom to the motherland" and "Long live Belarus." The rallies are a show of support for the opposition-minded Belarusians who fear repression following the arrest of a dissident journalist whose plane was forcibly diverted to Minsk earlier this week. The European Union has banned flights from the country, leaving opposition-minded Belarusians with few options to get out from under the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. For his part, Lukashenko spent Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that his country will move ahead with a second $500 million loan to Belarus next month. Russia promised Belarus a $1.5 billion loan last year as part of Moscow's efforts to stabilize its neighbor. Minsk received a first installment in October.
At least four people, including two university lecturers, were killed and several others were wounded when a roadside bomb struck their bus north of the Afghan capital on Saturday. The incident occurred when the bus they were traveling in was hit by an explosive device on the road in the city of Charikar, the capital of Parwon province, according to an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman. No group claimed responsibility for the incident. Roadside bombs, small magnetic bombs attached under vehicles and other attacks have targeted members of security forces, judges, government officials, society activists and journalists in recent months in Afghanistan.
British newspapers reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds married Saturday in a small private ceremony in London. The 56-year-old Johnson and the 33-year-old Symonds, an environmental campaigner, announced their engagement in February, 2020. They have one son together, one-year-old Wilfred. There is more news on our website voanews.com. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA News.
