Wagner Chief Refuses To Obey Decree In Latest Spat With Russian Defense Minister

Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin (file photo)

 June 11, 2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, said he will not obey a new Russian Defense Ministry decree obliging all volunteer formations to sign a contract directly with the ministry in his latest spat with the nation’s military leadership.

The decree, signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and posted on the agency's website, did not specify if all volunteer groups are required to sign contracts with the ministry or just some. Russia has more than 40 volunteer formations, with Wagner being the most prominent.

Wagner will not sign "any contracts with Shoigu," Prigozhin said on June 11 in response to the new decree as he berated the minister’s leadership. He said Wagner, which has played a major role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, already coordinates its actions with the military.

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Is Wagner Chief Prigozhin 'A Special Operation Inside A Special Operation'?

Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said the purpose of the decree was to give volunteer formations legal status and that volunteers can continue to sign contacts with mercenary groups as long as they sign with the ministry.

"The conclusion of contracts by citizens with the state is, first of all, the extension of social protection and support measures established by the state to them, as well as to their family members," Pankov explained.

Pankov did not state why the ministry decided now – more than 15 months after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – to force volunteers to sign contracts directly with the state.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (left) and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of Russia's armed forces (file photo)

The decree does come amid a growing public fight between Prigozhin and Shoigu as Russia’s invasion falters. Prigozhin, who may have political aspirations, has slammed Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for Russia’s poor performance in the war.

The 62-year-old businessman and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated those criticisms as he refused to obey the new decree.

"Unfortunately, most military units do not have such efficiency [as Wagner], and precisely because Shoigu cannot properly manage military formations,” Prigozhin said.

The Defense Ministry did not immediately reply to Prigozhin’s comments.

Ukraine war: Russia moves to take direct control of Wagner Group

Published

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

By Matt Murphy

BBC News

TODAY

Russia appears to have moved to take direct control of Wagner, after months of infighting between defence officials and the private military group.

Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Saturday "volunteer formations" will be asked to sign contracts directly with the ministry of defence.

The vaguely worded statement is widely believed to target the group.

But in a furious statement on Sunday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would boycott the contracts.

The private military group has played a major role in the war in Ukraine, fighting on the side of Russian forces.

But Prigozhin, who is said to hold political ambitions of his own, has been embroiled in a public dispute with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief Valery Gerasimov for months.

He has repeatedly accused the pair of incompetence and of deliberately undersupplying Wagner units fighting in Ukraine.

"Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu," Prigozhin said in response to a request for comment on the defence ministry's announcement. "Shoigu cannot properly manage military formation."

He insisted that his group was well integrated with the Russian military, but said that its effectiveness would be damaged by having to report to the defence minister.

While Saturday's announcement did not directly reference Wagner or any other paramilitary groups, Russian media suggested that the new contracts were a move to bring Prigozhin and his forces under control.

But the defence ministry said the move was designed to "increase the effectiveness" of Russian units fighting in Ukraine.

"This will give volunteer formations the necessary legal status, create common approaches to the organization of comprehensive support and the fulfilment of their tasks," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the contracts must be signed by 1 July.

The long-running tensions between the Wagner Group and the army have threatened to boil over in recent weeks.

Last week the group kidnapped a senior frontline army commander, Lt Col Roman Venevitin, after accusing him of opening fire on a Wagner vehicle near Bakhmut.

Lt Col Venevitin was later released, and in a video shared by Russian military bloggers he accused the group of stoking "anarchy" on Russia's frontlines by stealing arms, forcing mobilised soldiers to sign contracts with the group and attempting to extort weapons from the defence ministry.

Prigozhin called the comments - which appeared to be read from a script - "absolutely total nonsense".

He has also suggested that he is ready to deploy his troops on Russian soil, saying on Telegram that Wagner was ready to fight against insurrectionist forces in the Belgorod region.

In December, the US estimated that Wagner had around 50,000 troops fighting in Ukraine.

And the mercenary group has increasingly become a tool of Russian state power around the world. Its troops are currently believed to have been deployed in Mali, the Central African Republic,Sudan and Libya.

Knesset Speaker Backs Moroccan Sovereignty Over Western Sahara

By Etgar Lefkovits
- 20 Sivan 5783 – June 8, 2023
Photo Credit: Twitter / @MarocDiplomatie

Amir Ohana in Morocco. June 8, 2023

(JNS) Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on Thursday expressed support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Ohana spoke on a day he became the first-ever leader of Israel’s parliament to pay an official visit to the legislature of a Muslim country.

There, he presented the head of the parliament in Rabat with the smallest Koran in the world, printed with Israeli nanotechnology.

“Israel should move toward that goal of recognizing the Moroccan Sahara just as our closest ally the United States did…. I supported and pushed toward that goal,” Ohana said during a news conference in Rabat.

“Serious discussions” between the countries over the issue are underway and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will be announcing his decisions in the near future,” he added.

The groundbreaking trip comes weeks before the foreign ministers of Israel and the four Arab countries that made peace with the Jewish state under the 2020 U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords are due to convene in Morocco.

The son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants to Israel, Ohana is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party.

The chip containing the nano version of the Koran displayed inside a glass box was presented to Rachid Talbi el-Alami, the president of the House of Representatives of Morocco, who had invited his Israeli counterpart on the visit.

With 320,000 letters, it is 4.7-millimeters (0.185039 of an inch) high and 500-microns (0.019685 of an inch) wide, Ohana wrote on his Facebook page.

“The breakthrough in Israeli-Moroccan relations on the parliamentary level is a marvelous opportunity to connect between the past and the future, between tradition and advancement, between old and new, and to give honorable mention to Israeli innovation and technology,” he posted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Sahara

Western Sahara - Wikipedia 

Western Sahara is located on the northwest coast in West Africa and on the cusp of North Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the northwest, Morocco ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14115273

Western Sahara profile - BBC News 

Jan 31, 2023 ... Western Sahara is a sparsely-populated area of mostly desert situated on the northwest coast of Africa. A former Spanish colony, ...

https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Sahara

Western Sahara | Facts, History, Conflict, Map, & Popula... 

Apr 28, 2023 ... Western Sahara, Arabic Al-Ṣaḥrāʾ al-Gharbiyyah, formerly (1958–76) Spanish Sahara, territory occupying an extensive desert Atlantic-coastal ...

WEATHER KNOWS NO BORDERS

More than 60 million people could face severe storms Sunday

By Caitlin Kaiser, CNN
Sun June 11, 2023

CNN
CNN —

More than 60 million people from Colorado to the Carolinas are under threat for severe storms Sunday, including heavy rain, hail and tornadoes, with the lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys at greatest threat.

Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms could hit the region this afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service office in Huntsville, Alabama.

“Damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall are all potential hazards with this activity,” as well as the chance of a tornado, according to the weather service.


There is a Level 3 of 5 risk for severe storms for portions of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, including Nashville, Birmingham, and Lexington. Cities including Dallas, Fort Worth, Atlanta and Denver face a slight storm threat. Other cities under a marginal threat include Oklahoma City, Columbus, Ohio, and Shreveport, Louisiana.

Parts of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and the Carolinas can expect excessive rainfall due to the storm, possibly 1 to 3 inches Sunday.

More than 100 storm reports came in Saturday across the lower Mississippi Valley and Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, most of which were damaging wind reports.


The storm moved through Mississippi, taking down several trees and causing more than 23,000 power outages across the state this weekend, according to CNN affiliate WAPT.

In Fort Worth, Texas, outdoor events like baseball games were delayed, according to CNN affiliate WFAA.

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.

ChatGPT delivers sermon to packed German church, tells congregants not to fear death

University of Vienna scholar directed ChatGPT to craft 'a pretty solid church service'

By Jon Brown | Fox News


During an appearance on "The Ingraham Angle", Jimmy Failla shares his thoughts on the latest interesting development in the world of artificial intelligence.

Hundreds attended a Protestant church service Friday in Germany generated almost entirely by artificial intelligence, with a sermon presented by the AI chatbot ChatGPT.

The chatbot, which presented as a Black man with a beard above the altar of St. Paul's Church in Fürth, Bavaria, told the packed congregation not to fear death, according to the Associated Press.

"Dear friends, it is an honor for me to stand here and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year's convention of Protestants in Germany," the AI avatar said.

The service, which was attended by more than 300 people, lasted 40 minutes and featured prayers and music in addition to the sermon. University of Vienna theologian and philosopher Jonas Simmerlein, 29, used ChatGPT to craft the event, the AP reported.




Visitors and attendees during the pre-recorded AI-created worship service in St. Paul Church in Fürth, Bavaria. (Daniel Vogl/picture alliance via Getty Images)

"I conceived this service — but actually I rather accompanied it, because I would say about 98% comes from the machine," Simmerlein told the AP.

The service was part of Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag, a popular biennial event that occurs in Nuremburg and nearby Fürth and attracts tens of thousands of Christians. Issues addressed at the event this year, which lasts Wednesday to Sunday, include climate change, the war in Ukraine and AI.

"Now is the time" is the theme of this year's gathering, which Simmerlein noted was one of the phrases he gave ChatGPT when he asked the chatbot to write the sermon.

"I told the artificial intelligence ‘We are at the church congress, you are a preacher … what would a church service look like?’" said Simmerlein, who also requested the chatbot implement psalms, prayers and a concluding blessing in the sermon.

Simmerlein said ChatGPT ended up providing "a pretty solid church service."




Jonas Simmerlein, right, practical theologian and AI artist, during the AI-generated service at St. Paul Church in Fürth, Bavaria. (Daniel Vogl/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The chatbot's sermon reportedly focused on leaving the past behind, paying attention to the present, not being afraid of death and maintaining faith in Jesus Christ.

Four different AI avatars took turns leading the service and reportedly drew laughter at times for their monotonous, deadpan delivery.

"There was no heart and no soul," Heiderose Schmidt, 54, told the AP of the service. "The avatars showed no emotions at all, had no body language and were talking so fast and monotonously that it was very hard for me to concentrate on what they said."

"But maybe it is different for the younger generation who grew up with all of this," she added.



The chatbot, which presented as a Black man with a beard above the altar of St. Paul's Church in Fürth, Bavaria, told the packed congregation not to fear death. (Daniel Vogl/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Simmerlein noted that no human interaction was able to take place between the chatbot and the congregation.

"The pastor is in the congregation, she lives with them, she buries the people, she knows them from the beginning," Simmerlein said. "Artificial intelligence cannot do that. It does not know the congregation."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of 'dumping toxic waste' in Yemeni waters

The New Arab Staff
11 June, 2023

The Houthi Ministry of Fisheries alleged that Saudi Arabia was discarding nuclear and toxic waste from "foreign companies" in Yemeni territory.

Houthi officials have warned the Saudi-led coalition of "harming the Yemeni environment" following allegations of nuclear waste dumping [Getty]

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have accused Saudi Arabia of dumping nuclear waste in waters in the south and east of the country, Houthi-affiliated media said on Friday.

The Houthi Minister of Fisheries, Muhammad al-Zubairi accused Riyadh and the internationally-recognised Yemen government of "burying nuclear and toxic waste in Yemen's territory", in comments reported by affiliated Al Masirah TV.

The minister did not specify when and where exactly the alleged waste dumping took place.

The official warned the Saudi-led coalition against harming the marine environment in Yemen by discarding nuclear waste, stressing that the country’s marine safety was "a red line".

Al-Zubairi said that a joint committee consisting of members of the navy, security, coast guard, and the foreign affairs and fishery ministries wa formed to follow up on the issue.

Another official, Muhammad al-Faqih, claimed that the waste dumped by Saudi Arabia belonged to "major foreign companies", Al Masirah said.

The internationally-recognised Yemeni government did not comment or respond to the Houthi’s claims, according to Arabi21.

Can renewed Saudi-Iran diplomacy lead to peace in Yemen?

Analysis

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

On Friday, the Iran-backed Houthis warned against the signing of any agreements that authorise the dumping of toxic waste, stating that such practices "jeopardise Yemen’s environment".

The rebels, who have de-facto control of north Yemen, also claimed that high radiation levels were detected on the coasts of Aden, Abyan, Al-Mahra and Hadramout governorates as a result of alleged toxic waste "dumped by foreign companies".

The radiation has allegedly killed thousands of tons of fish and damaged coral reefs in the Red and Arabian Sea.

The ministry of fisheries further said that efforts to turn Yemen into a dump of toxic waste "represent a crime against humanity", and the international community must "take immediate action" to stop it, stressing the need to take urgent measures to protect the environment and the Yemen people from such pollution.

The Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports the Yemeni government, have been engaged in conflict since 2015 as a result of the rebels seizing the capital Sanaa the year before.

The years-long fighting has resulted in the death of thousands of civilians and one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises, with both sides being accused of grave abuses by rights groups.

Saudis seeking to turn Yemen into toxic waste dump: Sana’a

TEHRAN, Jun 10 (MNA) – Yemeni National Salvation Government condemned Saudi attempts to dump untreated hazardous waste on ground or off shores of the conflict-stricken Arab nation, warning that Riyadh is trying to turn Yemen into toxic waste dump.

The Yemeni Ministry of Fisheries in a statement on Friday pointed to the environmental pollution, injuries, and adverse health risks that could arise as a result of any agreement between the Saudi Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission and the so-called Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, led by Rashad al-Alimi, concerning nuclear radiation resulting from toxic waste.

It highlighted that the matter “portends a great environmental disaster due to the impact of Saudi waste that has been and will be buried in desert regions and other areas” in Yemen.

The ministry also pointed to “the continued dumping of toxic and chemical waste by foreign ships off the coast of Yemen,” noting that the “radiation recently detected in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea waters has caused the death of a high number of fish and culminated in the destruction of coral reefs and the marine environment in the provinces of Aden, Abyan, al-Mahra, Hadhramaut.”

“The Saudi regime has turned Yemen, since the beginning of its aggression [in March 2015], into a testing ground for all internationally prohibited weapons, including cluster bombs, incendiary munitions, and nuclear ammunition. Saudi Arabia and its allies have employed such munitions in Yemen with support from the United States, Israel and certain Western governments.”

The statement emphasized that attempts to turn Yemen into a dumping ground for toxic waste amount to a “crime against humanity,” calling on the international community to take immediate action to stop them.

It called for urgent measures to be taken to protect the Yemeni environment and population from such waste.

MNA/PressTV

America's most powerful get a close-up of climate change

• Andrew Freedman, author of Axios Generate

The U.S. Capitol shrouded in smoke from Canada wildfires in Washington on June 8. Image: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The harmful veil of smoke that enveloped the country's economic and political power centers this week presented bankers and lawmakers with an in-your-face demonstration of what climate change looks, feels and smells like.

Why it matters: The shadowy pall of smoke, which turned the skyline of Manhattan an eerie orange and shrouded D.C. landmarks in smoke, was impossible not to notice.

• It was the first climate change-linked extreme weather event to hit New York and Washington at the same time, and grab international headlines, since 2012's Hurricane Sandy.

Zoom in: This was the worst wildfire-related smoke crisis in the U.S. since at least 2006.

• As of Friday, there were 427 wildfires burning across Canada, including more than 100 in Quebec alone.
• The wildfire season in Canada is on track to be its worst on record; in addition to causing air quality problems, the wildfires are emitting record-shattering amounts of carbon that further warm the planet.

The big picture: Climate studies show clear ties between climate change and larger, more frequent wildfires, since heat waves and drought help to fuel these blazes and are exacerbated by higher temperatures.

• "They have a human component," Stanford University climate researcher Marshall Burke, told Axios in an interview. "We should not think of these as a random occurrence."

Context: The partisan split on climate change has long been a feature of this issue in the U.S.

• In recent years, parts of the GOP's conservative base and some Republican lawmakers in both chambers have shifted their stance from outright rejecting climate science findings, to arguing against the problem's urgency and severity.

For example, former vice president Mike Pence, now seeking the Republican presidential nomination, acknowledged the problem at a CNN Town Hall on Wednesday.

• "Let me just say that clearly the climate is changing," Pence said when asked if climate issues would be a top priority for him should he become president. He said the climate is not warming "as dramatically as the radical environmentalists like to present, but there's change."
• Another presidential candidate, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), has also staked out a middle ground on climate, per Axios' Nick Sobczyk.

Between the lines: Polling has consistently shown that Republicans are more skeptical of climate science findings than Democrats, including the conclusion that modern-day climate change is due to human activities.

• While recent Ipsos polling shows that about half of Americans believe climate change is mostly caused by humans, far more Republicans believe natural patterns are the biggest factor compared to Democrats.

• Other new polling out this week from Yale University's Program on Climate Change Communication shows that 65% of Americans surveyed think climate change is affecting weather in the U.S.

Reality check: It's unlikely that any extreme weather event, not even one that is as in your face as this one, will help push legislation through on Capitol Hill.

• On the left, some Democrats used the smoke to intensify calls for President Biden to declare a climate emergency.
• And on the right, several senators who spoke with Axios attributed the smoke to naturally driven wildfires.
• When asked whether the wildfires would alter any views on climate change, "It's totally unrelated. It's smoke from a forest fire that's, by the way, a natural forest fire," said Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

What they're saying: Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said the fires are not likely to change any minds on climate change, but that some Republicans may be thinking of them as an environmental issue.

• "I don't think this would change anybody's mind," she said.
• "I don't want to infer that, as Republicans, nobody's thinking about the changing environment. I mean, I don't think that's a fair statement," she said.