Putin and Russian delegation arrive in Saudi Arabia

"Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and his delegation to Riyadh on Wednesday as the two countries discussed expanding bilateral cooperation, as well as current international and regional issues." RT

Venezuela’s president orders creation of new state and map including land from Guyana

"Venezuela’s president ordered the creation of a new state called “Guayana Esequiba”...Guyana has called the move a step towards annexation and an “existential threat.” President Nicolás Maduro showed a “new map” of Venezuela including the disputed territory and said all residents from the area would be granted Venezuelan nationality. He said the map would be distributed throughout all schools and public buildings in the country.
CNN

Guyana is preparing to defend borders as Venezuela tries to claim oil-rich disputed region

"Guyana's President Irfaan Ali said the country is taking every necessary step to protect itself

from Venezuela, which has ordered its state-owned companies to explore and exploit oil and minerals in Guyana's vast and resource-rich Essequibo region that it considers its own......Ali said his government is reaching out to allies and regional partners, some of which Guyana has defense agreements with, to protect the Essequibo region." MS

Ukrainian soldier sentenced to 15 years on treason charges

"The message noted that the traitor was also stripped of his military rank.

A former employee of Ukraine's SBU security service, he did not report to duty without valid reasons under the conditions of martial law on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the investigation.
He violated his military oath and defected to the enemy. When the village of Nova Basan in Chernihiv Oblast was captured by Russian troops in early 2022, the man was at home after a sick leave. Instead of returning to his place of service in Kyiv, he willingly aided and abetted the enemy.
According to the prosecution, the traitor carried out the orders of Russian commanders, accommodated them in his apartment, cooked for them, and, together with the occupiers, robbed local residents.
The SBU noted that he also participated in the looting of goods from a local store and patrolled the settlement with a weapon." NVU

Regular Ukrainians resist dying for elites as army struggles

"Even if you're missing a leg, they'll say you can still fly drones," complained a draft-eligible

man who fled Ukraine. He expressed frustration over corruption, noting that average Ukrainians are fighting and dying while the "members of parliament" and other elites "drive Mercedes and luxury cars". Ukraine is faced with a shortage of soldiers as many seek to avoid deployment. At least 25 men drowned whilst attempting to cross the Tisa river, which separates Ukraine from Moldova and Romania. Men have hidden in secret compartments in vehicles. They've impersonated clergy and even disguised themselves as women to slip past border checkpoints," said Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the Main Command of Ukraine's State Border Guard. One transport company employee earned money by employing draft-aged men as truck drivers, who subsequently vanished across the border with Poland." essanews

Rockets fired at the US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone

"At least three rockets targeted the US embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone at dawn on Friday, landing on the outskirts of the district housing government and diplomatic buildings, an Iraqi security official said." France24

89 combat engagements occur on front

"In the past 24 hours, Russian troops have launched three missile strikes and 57 air strikes, and opened fire with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) 47 times on Ukrainian positions and settlements. Russian occupiers launched another air attack on Ukraine’s territory, having used

21 Shahed-136/131 loitering munitions. Ukraine’s air defense units intercepted 17 enemy combat drones. Russian invaders launched air strikes on the Kharkiv region’s Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Kucherivka, Podoly, Kurylivka, Kyslivka and Pishchane; Luhansk region’s Serebrianske forestry; Donetsk region’s Vyimka, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Toretsk, Avdiivka, Pivdenne, Novomykhailivka and Kostiantynivka; Zaporizhzhia region’s Kopani.
Russian artillery strikes affected over 120 settlements in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions." Ukrin

New Pledges of Military and Finanical Support to Ukraine Down 90 Per Cent in a Year

"A German research body that tracks donations to Ukraine says the value of pledges fell almost 90 per cent between Autumn 2022 and 2023, with levels dwindling since this Summer, around the time of Kyiv’s ‘Spring Offensive’. Noting donors have become “more hesitant in recent months”, Christoph Trebesch, a director at the Institute claimed “a further delay” to large aid programmes planned by the European Union and the United States of America would “significantly strengthen Putin’s position”." Breitbart