Namibia’s president recently signed a projected $10 billion deal that calls for Namibia and the German company Hyphen Energy to produce “green hydrogen,” a clean energy source that advocates see as the fuel of the future.

Hyphen Energy last Friday concluded a multibillion-dollar agreement with the Namibian government to construct the project in the Tsau Khaeb National Park.

If a study finds the project to be feasible, Hyphen will build factories, pipelines and ports with the goal of producing 2 million tons of ammonia by 2030.

The ammonia, which could be used as fuel, would be produced using renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. The project would also produce oxygen and electricity for local consumption.

Speaking to the Voice of America, Namibia’s green hydrogen commissioner and economic adviser to the president, James Mnyupe, said Hyphen Energy has made agreements with companies from Germany, England, South Korea and Japan that will ensure buyers for the company’s main products.

The green hydrogen project, he said, will be vertically integrated.

“In other parts of the world you might get one player developing the port, another player developing the pipelines, another player developing the renewable energy and so on and so forth, whereas this project, we are envisioning to do all of that under one umbrella and that is what a vertically integrated project looks like,” he said.

Hyphen’s chief executive officer, Marco Raffinetti, said securing funding for green hydrogen projects is a massive undertaking but the investments are necessary if the world is to reduce the carbon output from fossil fuels which drive climate change.

Raffinetti said alternative sources of power, such as solar energy, were very expensive 20 years ago but have gradually become cheaper. He said green hydrogen might follow the same trajectory.

Namibian political commentators have raised red flags, however, regarding the speedy adoption of the project that is being spearheaded by the presidency. They question whether the project actually has national buy-in.

Speaking to VOA, political analyst Pendapala Hangala expressed some reservations about the project.

“This is a 45-year project, and a 40-year project, and … I don’t think it went through the right due process, and it is not clear what is going on because we are also looking at critical raw material…. It’s a comprehensive project, which is being fast tracked, that is my concern,” he said.

This green hydrogen project is touted as the largest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other countries such as Morocco are also embarking on green hydrogen projects, and Namibian commentators question what competitive advantage Namibia would have with exports over countries in closer proximity to Europe, which is viewed as the main buyer.

President Joe Biden has approved a new package of military aid for Ukraine that totals up to $300 million amid fresh strikes on Kyiv. North Korea attempts and fails to launch a military spy satellite. Plans are underway to secure a global pact aiming to end plastic waste.

Tensions between the United States and China are expected to loom over Asia’s top security meeting this week, as China has declined a bilateral meeting between the superpowers’ defence chiefs.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, which attracts top defence officials, senior military officers, diplomats, weapons makers and security analysts from around the globe, will take place June 2-4 in Singapore.

More than 600 delegates from 49 countries will attend the meeting, which opens with a keynote address by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Analysts say the dialogue is invaluable for the many bilateral and multilateral military-to-military meetings held on the sidelines of plenary sessions and speeches delivered by defence ministers.

China’s new Defence Minister Li Shangfu, however, has declined to meet U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon said on Monday.

China’s defence ministry spokesperson said in response to a query at a news conference in Beijing that exchanges between the two militaries have always been ongoing but that the U.S. was “entirely to blame” for current difficulties.

“On the one hand, the U.S. keeps saying that it wants to strengthen communication, but on the other hand, it ignores China’s concerns and artificially creates obstacles, seriously undermining the mutual trust between the two militaries,” said the spokesperson, without saying what the obstacles were.

Russia’s war in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan and North Korea’s weapons programmes will also be high on the agenda of many delegates, analysts said. No Russian or North Korean government delegates will attend the meeting.

Some regional diplomats and defence analysts said they will be watching the performance of General Li, who was named China’s new defence minister in March and was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 over weapons purchases from Russia.

Although the defence minister is a largely diplomatic and ceremonial post within the Chinese system, Li serves on the powerful Central Military Commission under President Xi Jinping and is close to his key military ally, Zhang Youxia, they said.

Drew Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said the snub to the U.S. was most likely Xi’s decision.

“The reality is that General Li is coming with a set of instructions to paint the U.S. in a very negative light rather than a set of instructions to engage in dialogue to improve and stabilise the relationship and that is unfortunate,” Thompson said.

NUS political scientist Chong Ja Ian said the lack of a formal bilateral meeting does not mean the two countries will not have contact.

“I’m sure they will go at each other during the plenary sessions, then there are the breakouts and possible informal conversations,” he said.

Lynn Kuok, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies – the think tank that organises the Shangri-La Dialogue – said she was not optimistic about U.S.-China relations improving.

“What we really need to be focused on here, however, are guard rails to prevent competition from spiralling into open conflicts, but I think China is also suspicious of that (the guard rails),” Kuok said.

Other key issues that are likely to be discussed include ongoing tensions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Seas.

The evolving security relationships of AUKUS, which tightens ties between the U.S., Britain and Australia, as well as the Quad grouping of the U.S., Japan, India and Australia are also expected to feature, particularly given China’s concerns that the groupings are an attempt to encircle China.

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There is a new political mystery that’s developed. This mystery is as intriguing as an Agatha Christie novel, as mysterious as a Stephen King story, and as interesting as the best “‘House of Cards” episode. It’s the case of the rogue attorneys.

Yes, friends and readers, apparently there is trouble within. Trouble within the ring of Trump lawyers who simply can’t seem to stand each other. “Snitch.” Ah, yes, in the best of mysteries, there’s always a snitch. So it appears we have a dash of John Grisham in this mystery as well!

According to media sources, there is jealousy. There is mistrust. There is anger. And reporter Jose Pagliery writes that there are clashing personalities, and yes, some think there might be a possible snitch.

Such a delicious little mystery, is it not? And some of Trump’s lawyers appear to fear the Department of Justice. And one other thing causing consternation among this dazzling bunch of lawyers is Boris Epshteyn. You see, he is being accused of running interference, and some of Trump’s lawyers aren’t having it.

The bickering has reportedly reached epic proportions. So has the mutual disgust, many feel toward each other. Such a happy little family! Pagliery writes: “the internal bickering has already sparked one departure in recent weeks — and that could be just the beginning.”

Ah, who doesn’t adore a mystery especially when it involves a bunch of nincompoops such as these? This will be something to watch. The case of the rogue attorneys. I think I like it.

The post Donald Trump’s legal team in disarray appeared first on Palmer Report.

In 2019, Nigeria enacted a disability law to promote inclusivity, but rights groups say the law hasn’t altered the status quo and many people still feel marginalized. One Nigerian newspaper has created a way to reach more visually impaired Nigerians. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to launch a Republican presidential campaign next week in New Hampshire.

Christie, who also ran in 2016, is planning to make the announcement at a town hall Tuesday evening at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, according to a person familiar with his thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm Christie’s plans.

The timing, which was first reported by Axios, comes after several longtime Christie advisers started a super political action committee to support his expected candidacy.

The Associated Press had previously reported that Christie was expected to enter the race “imminently.”

Christie critical of Trump

Christie has cast himself as the only potential candidate willing to aggressively take on former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner for the nomination. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, was a longtime friend and adviser to Trump, but broke with Trump over his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election. Christie has since emerged as a leading and vocal critic of the former president.

Christie, who is currently polling at the bottom of the pack, dropped out of the 2016 presidential race a day after finishing sixth in New Hampshire’s primary.

In addition to Trump, Christie would be joining a GOP field that includes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and biotech entrepreneur and “anti-woke” activist Vivek Ramaswamy.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is expected to announce his candidacy on June 7, according to two GOP operatives. And former Vice President Mike Pence is also expected to launch a campaign soon.

‘I’m not a paid assassin’

Allies believe that Christie, who has been working as an ABC News analyst, has a unique ability to communicate. They say his candidacy could help prevent a repeat of 2016, when Trump’s rivals largely refrained from directly attacking the New York businessman, wrongly assuming he would implode on his own.

Christie has also said repeatedly that he will not run if he does not see a path to victory. “I’m not a paid assassin,” he recently told Politico.

While Christie is expected to spend much of his time in early-voting New Hampshire, as he did in 2016, advisers believe the path to the nomination runs through Trump, and they envision an unconventional, national campaign for Christie with a focus on garnering media attention and directly engaging with Trump.