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Political situation in Hungary
Tens of thousands protest against Viktor Orbán in Budapest

At least 50,000 people demonstrated on Saturday in the Hungarian capital Budapest in protest against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, writes TT.

At the forefront of the demonstrations was opposition leader Péter Magyar, whose party Tisza is topping the opinion polls ahead of this spring's parliamentary elections.

Dissatisfaction with Orbán and his government has grown after a new scandal involving child abuse in state institutions.

- Orbán's government promised everything, but since then it has unfortunately turned out that every member of the Orbán government sided with the perpetrators, Magyar said in a speech.

Political situation in Belarus
Analysis: The agreement suits both Lukashenko and Trump

That Belarus suddenly decided to pardon 123 political prisoners was very unexpected, says Ekot's correspondent Fredrik Wadström.

He points out that this is a very large group and that many of those being released are high-profile opposition figures. The explanation, he says, is that in exchange the US will lift sanctions on potassium, Belarus' most important export.

- This means a lot to the regime and that is why they were prepared to go this far, he says.

DN's Anna-Lena Laurén writes that the agreement suits both the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko and the US's Donald Trump.

For Trump, it is about appearing as a liberator, while Lukashenko gets confirmation that it is possible to negotiate without involving the EU. She likens the process to the negotiations over Ukraine.

"The US is putting the agenda over Kiev's head. The EU is trying to influence, but is constantly one step behind," she writes.

Hong Kong Political Situation
Hong Kong's last opposition party dissolves itself

Hong Kong's last opposition party is expected to vote to dissolve itself later today, writes the South China Morning Post.

According to Reuters sources within the Democratic Party, it has been threatened with severe reprisals, including the imprisonment of representatives, if it does not cease operations.

The Democratic Party was founded thirty years ago, and until five years ago had seven seats in Hong Kong's legislative parliament. When the city's new security law came into effect in 2020, parties deemed insufficiently patriotic were barred from any direct political influence, and the party was marginalized.

Five arrested for terror plot against German Christmas market

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of planning an Islamist-motivated terrorist attack against a Christmas market in Bavaria, Germany. This is stated by German authorities, according to AFP.

The group planned to kill and injure people by driving into the market with a vehicle.

The men are from Egypt, Morocco and Syria and are between 22 and 56 years old.