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Peace Council
White House confused Belgium with Belarus

In a list of countries that have agreed to join Donald Trump's so-called peace council, the White House confused Belgium and Belarus, reports Flemish public service broadcaster VRT.

Belgium was placed on the list along with countries that have joined Trump's security council, an initiative that has met with fierce criticism from liberal leaders in the West. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot denies in a post on X that Belgium wants to join the council.

"We are seeking a common and coordinated European response. Like many other European countries, we have objections to the proposal," he writes.

White House sources say that Belgium first agreed to join the council, only to then back out. This is also denied by Prévot.

Trump's USA Political situation in Cuba
Sources: US plans to overthrow Cuba's government this year

The US is actively working to overthrow Cuba's communist regime before the end of the year, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

There is still no concrete plan for how to end Cuba's seven-decade-long communist rule, but the Americans think the time is right. Cuba is seen as significantly weakened since ally Nicolás Maduro was ousted in Venezuela.

Trump representatives have had meetings with exiled Cubans and civil groups in both Miami and Washington. The goal is to identify someone within the Cuban government who is willing to turn their backs on their colleagues, as in Venezuela, where an insider was helpful when the US overthrew the government.

Identifying a clear plan for Cuba's future is more difficult, however, the sources say, because it is a one-party state that basically lacks civil society and opposition.

- This is a much harder nut to crack. No one is attracted to working on the US side, says Ricardo Zúñiga, who worked on the Cuba issue during the Obama administration.

Landslide in New Zealand – children missing from campsite

Several people, including at least one child, are missing after a landslide at a campsite in New Zealand, several media outlets report.

The landslide occurred on Thursday morning local time, and the rescue operation is still ongoing. The landslide hit several mobile homes, tents and a building with toilets and showers.

Witnesses say they heard voices from the rubble, which was confirmed by rescue personnel. So far, no survivors have been found. The search continues, including with dogs.

In the last 30 hours, the area around the campsite has received 295 millimeters of rain, which has caused flooding and landslides. More rain is expected during the day.

Train accidents in Spain
Fourth train crash in Spain in less than a week

A passenger train has collided with a crane outside Murcia in southern Spain and four people are reported to be injured. It is the country's fourth high-profile train accident in five days, reports Spanish RTVE.

The train is said to have driven into the crane's arm. The crane had nothing to do with railway operations, but was said to have been used in work on a villa next to the tracks.

None of the victims have serious injuries, Murcia's mayor tells El País.

- Neck pain and little else.

The previous accidents were worse. In Sunday's train accident in Andalusia, 43 people died and over 100 were injured. Two days later it happened again, this time in Catalonia. In that accident, the train driver died and 37 people were injured. Later that day, another accident occurred in Catalonia.

Trump's USA The War on the Media
Trump sues NYT polls

Donald Trump believes that the polls that the New York Times conducts together with Siena University are always "tremendously negative" against him and is therefore suing the newspaper, he announced on Truth Social.

The lawsuit is added to the president's ongoing defamation lawsuit against the newspaper. He also claims without evidence that the polls are rigged in the Democrats' favor, especially ahead of last year's election.

"They will be held fully accountable for all their radical leftist lies and their abuse of power," he writes.

Just like many other polls, the NYT/Siena polls showed even numbers between Trump and Harris ahead of the 2024 presidential election, which also reflected the final election result.