Rapper Chhun Dymey seems to have struck a chord in Cambodia. He was somewhat of an unknown until his song, “This Society,” went viral last month, shared on social media platforms that included opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s YouTube channel.

Since then, police have visited Chhun Dymey’s parents’ home and his workplace and the 24-year-old artist, also known as Dymey-Cambo, has deleted it from his social media accounts. (At the time of this story’s publication it remained viewable online on Cambodian activist and politician Sam Rainsy’s account.)

The song touches on a range of social and political issues and is seen as critical of the government.

“I will stop composing such songs and turn to write sentimental songs that encourage the younger generation to love and unite in solidarity with one another,” Dymey told The Phnom Penh Post.

In an email, Sam Rainsy described the developments as “very worrying.”

“Even artists and musicians are now afraid in this repressive society,” he said. “We must not accept that even artists are held hostage by the Hun Sen regime.” Sam Rainsy was referring to the prime minister.

Musician Vartey Ganiva understands Chhun Dymey’s decision to delete his song and turn to less critical music. In her songs, she has addressed issues that include women’s rights and the environment, but is careful to not take it too far.

In an interview with VOA, Vartey Ganiva said she was worried police would also show up at her home if she wasn’t cautious with her choice of words.

“I write in a good way,” she said, explaining her strategy to avoid encounters with authorities. “I don’t go to the main problem, like, I don’t write about government stuff. [I] just [write] about the problem that happened. But I’m not going directly to the government. [I] just make people understand why the environment has problems right now. Because of what? Because of cutting trees, or [that] they have used so much plastic.”

Asked whether she thought of herself as conducting self-censorship, she replied in the affirmative.

“I mean you can understand I cannot go to the government, because I also protect myself too. I want to stay longer with this kind of music … so if I write something about the government then [this] can cause problems,” she said.

Vartey Ganiva said she had to be mindful as she felt that the Camdodian legal system did not adequately protect artists.

Naly Pilorge, director of human rights organization Licadho, took it a step further, and said that laws were often used against those who criticized the government.

“Dymey’s case illustrates a worrying trend where the government’s attempts to intimidate and criminally charge Cambodians for expressing dissent has increased significantly. This is especially true of online expression,” she said in a message to VOA. “While art is a strong platform to express oneself and should be protected as free speech, we can also see that authoritarian regimes are threatened by them and are quick to ban anything critical of the establishment.”

Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoerung Sackona did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite feeling that she had to be careful about the way she addressed social issues in her lyrics, Vartey Ganiva said she derived satisfaction about her work by having clear and meaningful messages. “[It makes me] a little bit sad, but…I am still writing some stuff that’s good,” she said.

“I really want [new artists] to focus on real music, not copy stuff… They could be writing more songs that can give more messages than love songs,” she said.

 
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From: MeNeedIt

Cameroon’s forest tribes have long depended on insects to supplement their diets. The palm weevil grub, a fat worm found in palm trees, is such a popular source of protein that it has squirmed out of the forests and onto the plates at popular restaurants.

In Cameroon’s capital, some unusual ingredients are wiggling into city kitchens.

At Le Cercle Municipal restaurant, Chef Emile Engoulou cooks palm weevil grubs to create dishes of international standard.

Engoulou says they are the best protein that exist and they have not even finished making an inventory of all the benefits they obtain by eating the palm tree worms.

For people used to eating meat and fish, finding worms on their dinner plate can be a shock.

But the palm weevil grub can also be a pleasant surprise for many consumers like Paul Ndom.

He says the service is very well done, the dish well prepared and they are enjoying it. He says he hadn’t seen this way of cooking yet, but that it is great.

The high demand from chefs has led to a shortage of palm weevil grubs.

Villagers like Valentin Bidja, who used to gather the grubs in the forest, see it as an opportunity for people in rural areas.

Bidja says when they raise worms in the village, it is less stressful and more profitable and that in the village, they spend less energy.

The growing popularity of the grub in Cameroon, Chef Engoulou says, has made it several times more expensive than beef.

“When we do gastronomy in Cameroon, we need authentic, natural, organic and precious ingredients. I often like to say that the palm tree worm is the equivalent in Africa of caviar in Europe,” he said.

People already eat palm weevil in other African countries and in South America and Southeast Asia. Only time will tell if it climbs onto menus in Europe and beyond.

 
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From: MeNeedIt

Cameroon’s forest tribes have long depended on insects to supplement their diets. The palm weevil grub, a fat worm found in palm trees, is such a popular source of protein that it has squirmed out of the forests and onto the plates at popular restaurants.

In Cameroon’s capital, some unusual ingredients are wiggling into city kitchens.

At Le Cercle Municipal restaurant, Chef Emile Engoulou cooks palm weevil grubs to create dishes of international standard.

Engoulou says they are the best protein that exist and they have not even finished making an inventory of all the benefits they obtain by eating the palm tree worms.

For people used to eating meat and fish, finding worms on their dinner plate can be a shock.

But the palm weevil grub can also be a pleasant surprise for many consumers like Paul Ndom.

He says the service is very well done, the dish well prepared and they are enjoying it. He says he hadn’t seen this way of cooking yet, but that it is great.

The high demand from chefs has led to a shortage of palm weevil grubs.

Villagers like Valentin Bidja, who used to gather the grubs in the forest, see it as an opportunity for people in rural areas.

Bidja says when they raise worms in the village, it is less stressful and more profitable and that in the village, they spend less energy.

The growing popularity of the grub in Cameroon, Chef Engoulou says, has made it several times more expensive than beef.

“When we do gastronomy in Cameroon, we need authentic, natural, organic and precious ingredients. I often like to say that the palm tree worm is the equivalent in Africa of caviar in Europe,” he said.

People already eat palm weevil in other African countries and in South America and Southeast Asia. Only time will tell if it climbs onto menus in Europe and beyond.

 
…

From: MeNeedIt

Michael Bowman contributed to this report.

Mexico warned Monday that President Donald Trump’s threatened new tariff on its exports to the United States would hurt both countries’ economies and cause even more Central American migrants to travel through Mexico to reach the United States.

At the start of talks in Washington, Mexican officials said they could only go so far in meeting Trump’s demand to block migrants’ passage through Mexico to avert Trump’s imposition of a 5% tariff next week. The officials specifically ruled out a “third safe country” agreement requiring U.S. asylum-seekers to first apply for refuge in Mexico.

​”There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate, and the limit is Mexican dignity,” Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, said.

Barcena added that U.S. tariffs “could cause financial and economic instability,” reducing Mexico’s capacity to address the flow of migrants and “offer alternatives” to people fleeing Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Mexican officials contended that an additional quarter million migrants could try to reach the U.S. if the tariff is imposed, on top of the tens of thousands already reaching the southern U.S. border each month.

Trump showed no sign of softening his demand as he tweeted during a visit to London.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador remained confident the two sides would reach an agreement, telling reporters Monday that he was optimistic.

He said his government would not engage in confrontation, and would always defend those who migrate out of necessity due to violence or a lack of food or job opportunities. He also remained positive that no matter what happens in the dispute with the United States, Mexico has “exception, extraordinary,” people and can push through any adversity.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard are due to hold further talks about the dispute on Wednesday.

U.S. lawmakers returning to Washington after a weeklong congressional recess sharply criticized Trump’s latest tariff tactic aimed at a major U.S. trading partner.

“This (tariffs) is not a popular concept,” Republican Sen. John Cornyn said of public opinion in Texas, which he represents. “Mexico is our biggest export market.”

Another Republican, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, expressed concerns that trade friction could harm a newly negotiated free trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“I’m not a big advocate of tariffs, and I’d like to get the USMCA agreement approved,” Blunt told VOA. “I don’t see how the addition of a tariff (on Mexican goods) right now helps make that happen.”

“Mexico is a critical trading partner of the United States,” Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland said. “You put up barriers, it’s going to end up costing us jobs, and it’s going to cost consumers.”

Cardin added that Trump’s threatened tariff “would be counterproductive,” as far as boosting U.S. border security.

“If we need cooperation on the southern border, they (Mexican officials) are not going to give us cooperation. Why bother if we’re going to have an antagonistic relationship?” Cardin said.
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From: MeNeedIt

Michael Bowman contributed to this report.

Mexico warned Monday that President Donald Trump’s threatened new tariff on its exports to the United States would hurt both countries’ economies and cause even more Central American migrants to travel through Mexico to reach the United States.

At the start of talks in Washington, Mexican officials said they could only go so far in meeting Trump’s demand to block migrants’ passage through Mexico to avert Trump’s imposition of a 5% tariff next week. The officials specifically ruled out a “third safe country” agreement requiring U.S. asylum-seekers to first apply for refuge in Mexico.

​”There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate, and the limit is Mexican dignity,” Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, said.

Barcena added that U.S. tariffs “could cause financial and economic instability,” reducing Mexico’s capacity to address the flow of migrants and “offer alternatives” to people fleeing Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Mexican officials contended that an additional quarter million migrants could try to reach the U.S. if the tariff is imposed, on top of the tens of thousands already reaching the southern U.S. border each month.

Trump showed no sign of softening his demand as he tweeted during a visit to London.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador remained confident the two sides would reach an agreement, telling reporters Monday that he was optimistic.

He said his government would not engage in confrontation, and would always defend those who migrate out of necessity due to violence or a lack of food or job opportunities. He also remained positive that no matter what happens in the dispute with the United States, Mexico has “exception, extraordinary,” people and can push through any adversity.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard are due to hold further talks about the dispute on Wednesday.

U.S. lawmakers returning to Washington after a weeklong congressional recess sharply criticized Trump’s latest tariff tactic aimed at a major U.S. trading partner.

“This (tariffs) is not a popular concept,” Republican Sen. John Cornyn said of public opinion in Texas, which he represents. “Mexico is our biggest export market.”

Another Republican, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, expressed concerns that trade friction could harm a newly negotiated free trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“I’m not a big advocate of tariffs, and I’d like to get the USMCA agreement approved,” Blunt told VOA. “I don’t see how the addition of a tariff (on Mexican goods) right now helps make that happen.”

“Mexico is a critical trading partner of the United States,” Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland said. “You put up barriers, it’s going to end up costing us jobs, and it’s going to cost consumers.”

Cardin added that Trump’s threatened tariff “would be counterproductive,” as far as boosting U.S. border security.

“If we need cooperation on the southern border, they (Mexican officials) are not going to give us cooperation. Why bother if we’re going to have an antagonistic relationship?” Cardin said.
…

From: MeNeedIt

California officially gave its blessing to coffee Monday, declaring the beverage does not pose a “significant” cancer risk.

The rule, proposed a year ago by regulators, means coffee won’t have to carry ominous warnings that the beverage may be bad for you.

The state took the rare move after a Los Angeles judge found Starbucks Corp. and other companies failed to show that benefits from drinking coffee outweighed risks from a byproduct of the roasting process.

That ruling put the industry in jeopardy of hefty civil penalties and in the position of either developing a process to remove the chemical or warning consumers about the risk of cancer. 

The chemical in question, acrylamide, is on a list that California says causes cancer, though other groups classify it as a “probable” carcinogen.

Under a law passed more than three decades ago by California voters, products that contain chemicals that cause cancer or birth defects must warn consumers about those risks.

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which implements the law, concluded there was no significant risk after a World Health Organization review of more than 1,000 studies and found inadequate evidence that coffee causes cancer. Further, it concluded coffee reduces the risk of some types of cancer. 

“Coffee is a complex mixture of hundreds of chemicals that includes both carcinogens and anti-carcinogens,” said Sam Delson, a spokesman for the agency. “The overall effect of coffee consumption is not associated with any significant cancer risk.”

 It was the first time the state has declared such a brew of chemicals safe despite the presence of carcinogens, Delson said.

The coffee industry cheered the rule.

“This is a great day for science and coffee lovers,” said William Murray, president and chief executive of the National Coffee Association USA. 

“With this news, coffee drinkers around the world can wake up and enjoy the smell and taste of their coffee without hesitation.”

The Council for Education and Research on Toxics, which successfully sued the coffee industry in a case that has dragged on more than eight years in Los Angeles Superior Court, will challenge the validity of the state’s regulation in court, said attorney Raphael Metzger.

Metzger, who represents the small nonprofit in its lawsuit against Starbucks and about 90 coffee companies, said the regulation was adopted in violation of state law and disregards the statutes the agency is supposed to implement. He said the regulation can’t be applied retroactively to nullify the judge’s ruling.
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From: MeNeedIt

Two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya is temporarily allowed to compete without lowering her testosterone levels, following a ruling by Switzerland’s supreme court.

The court ordered the International Association of Athletics Federations to temporarily suspend their regulations until the organization makes its arguments to the court.

The suspension of the IAAF regulations is the latest in a line of legal disputes between the South African 800-meter runner and the governing body for track and field.

Hyperandrogenism

In April 2018, the IAAF put in places rules requiring women with higher-than-normal testosterone levels — known as hyperandrogenism — to artificially lower the hormone level in their bodies if they wanted to compete in distance races between 400 meters to a mile.

“This is an important case that will have fundamental implications for the human rights of female athletes,” Dorothee Schramm, the Swiss-based lawyer leading Semenya’s appeal, said after the ruling.

Semenya challenged the regulation and ultimately lost her case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month.

“Necessary, reasonable, proportionate” 

The court then acknowledged that the IAAF regulations were discriminatory, but that the regulations were “necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the IAAF’s aim of preserving the integrity of female athletics in the restricted events.”

Following the CAS ruling, Semenya appealed to the Switzerland supreme court. Semenya is still appealing the CAS ruling to get the IAAF testosterone rules permanently stricken.
…

From: MeNeedIt

Two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya is temporarily allowed to compete without lowering her testosterone levels, following a ruling by Switzerland’s supreme court.

The court ordered the International Association of Athletics Federations to temporarily suspend their regulations until the organization makes its arguments to the court.

The suspension of the IAAF regulations is the latest in a line of legal disputes between the South African 800-meter runner and the governing body for track and field.

Hyperandrogenism

In April 2018, the IAAF put in places rules requiring women with higher-than-normal testosterone levels — known as hyperandrogenism — to artificially lower the hormone level in their bodies if they wanted to compete in distance races between 400 meters to a mile.

“This is an important case that will have fundamental implications for the human rights of female athletes,” Dorothee Schramm, the Swiss-based lawyer leading Semenya’s appeal, said after the ruling.

Semenya challenged the regulation and ultimately lost her case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month.

“Necessary, reasonable, proportionate” 

The court then acknowledged that the IAAF regulations were discriminatory, but that the regulations were “necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the IAAF’s aim of preserving the integrity of female athletics in the restricted events.”

Following the CAS ruling, Semenya appealed to the Switzerland supreme court. Semenya is still appealing the CAS ruling to get the IAAF testosterone rules permanently stricken.
…

From: MeNeedIt

Jay-Z is officially hip-hop’s first billionaire, Forbes declared Monday, founding his kingdom on entertainment but also reaping earnings from liquor, art and real estate.

The rapper, who was born Shawn Carter and grew up in one of Brooklyn’s most notorious housing projects, “has accumulated a fortune that conservatively totals $1 billion, making him one of only a handful of entertainers to become a billionaire — and the first hip-hop artist to do so,” the magazine said in a new cover story.

The house that Jay built includes stakes in Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Usse cognac — worth $310 million and $100 million respectively — as well as $220 million in cash and investments that includes a stake in Uber worth an estimated $70 million.

The 49-year-old also boasts a $75 million music catalog, $75 million from the entertainment company Roc Nation and $100 million from streaming service Tidal.

In addition to his penthouse in New York’s posh Tribeca neighborhood, Jay-Z and his superstar wife Beyonce own mansions in East Hampton, New York and Los Angeles’ swank Bel Air neighborhood — real estate holdings adding some $50 million to the rapper’s name, Forbes said.

In 2017, Forbes said music’s first couple had officially amassed a joint billion-dollar worth.

It had been widely assumed that hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre had already achieved billionaire status — especially after he anointed himself as such in 2014 — but according to Forbes’ 2018 ranking his personal wealth is closer to $770 million, despite selling his company Beats by Dre to Apple for $3 billion.

Fellow megawatt rap titan Diddy is worth $825 million, according to that same list. He along with Dre and Jay are not only the wealthiest hip-hop artists, but the richest American musicians of any genre.

Swizz Beatz, the producer behind a number of Jay-Z’s megahits, told Forbes the rapper has created “the blueprint for our culture.”

“A guy that looks like us, sounds like us, loves us, made it to something that we always felt that was above us,” he said. “If he’s a billionaire now, imagine what he’s about to be.”
…

From: MeNeedIt

Jay-Z is officially hip-hop’s first billionaire, Forbes declared Monday, founding his kingdom on entertainment but also reaping earnings from liquor, art and real estate.

The rapper, who was born Shawn Carter and grew up in one of Brooklyn’s most notorious housing projects, “has accumulated a fortune that conservatively totals $1 billion, making him one of only a handful of entertainers to become a billionaire — and the first hip-hop artist to do so,” the magazine said in a new cover story.

The house that Jay built includes stakes in Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Usse cognac — worth $310 million and $100 million respectively — as well as $220 million in cash and investments that includes a stake in Uber worth an estimated $70 million.

The 49-year-old also boasts a $75 million music catalog, $75 million from the entertainment company Roc Nation and $100 million from streaming service Tidal.

In addition to his penthouse in New York’s posh Tribeca neighborhood, Jay-Z and his superstar wife Beyonce own mansions in East Hampton, New York and Los Angeles’ swank Bel Air neighborhood — real estate holdings adding some $50 million to the rapper’s name, Forbes said.

In 2017, Forbes said music’s first couple had officially amassed a joint billion-dollar worth.

It had been widely assumed that hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre had already achieved billionaire status — especially after he anointed himself as such in 2014 — but according to Forbes’ 2018 ranking his personal wealth is closer to $770 million, despite selling his company Beats by Dre to Apple for $3 billion.

Fellow megawatt rap titan Diddy is worth $825 million, according to that same list. He along with Dre and Jay are not only the wealthiest hip-hop artists, but the richest American musicians of any genre.

Swizz Beatz, the producer behind a number of Jay-Z’s megahits, told Forbes the rapper has created “the blueprint for our culture.”

“A guy that looks like us, sounds like us, loves us, made it to something that we always felt that was above us,” he said. “If he’s a billionaire now, imagine what he’s about to be.”
…

From: MeNeedIt

The United States is again calling on European allies to be careful of what it says are security risks posed by Chinese telecommunication company Huawei, as countries build out their 5G networks.

“We’ve been clear: our ask is that our allies and our partners and our friends don’t do anything that would endanger our shared security interests or restrict our ability to share sensitive information,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday after meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok in The Hague.

The top U.S. diplomat’s remarks come amid the Dutch intelligence agency’s investigation over alleged hidden backdoors in the software that could have given Huawei unauthorized access to users’ data.

Huawei’s CEO Ren Zhengfei has maintained his company would not share confidential user information and Huawei denies it is controlled by Beijing. The company also says it does not work with the Chinese government, an assertion Pompeo and other U.S. officials have rejected.

Blok said while his government wants to align policies with allies, the Dutch will make its own security decisions as it prepares to auction off new 5G internet rights.

“There is a specialist committee working now to decide on what criteria to add to the 5G option and somewhere this summer those criteria will be published,” said the Dutch foreign minister.

Pompeo and Blok met on the sidelines of a three-day Global Entrepreneurship Summit co-hosted by the U.S. and the Netherlands in The Hague.

This preeminent annual gathering convenes entrepreneurs, investors, and their supporters from more than 120 countries.

Eyeing China, Pompeo said the United States is seeking terms for fair trade practices.

“Authoritarian states can steal ideas and prop up their own business enterprises, but they’ll never match the entrepreneurship and innovation found in free societies,” said Pompeo, stressing the importance of intellectual property rights protection, the rule of law, as well as a predictable and consistent legal system.

Friday, Pompeo warned German authorities that the U.S. could withhold national security information if Germany adopts 5G networks run by Huawei because “it is not possible to mitigate” the security risks.

The White House has effectively blacklisted Huawei, making it harder to continue doing business with American companies.

In response, China says it plans to target organizations or individuals that deemed to damage Chinese companies’ interests in a so-called “unreliable foreigners list.”

 
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From: MeNeedIt

British star musician Elton John and the filmmakers of “Rocketman,” a feature film about his path to fame, have criticized a Russian distributor for removing gay and drug abuse scenes from the movie. Russia has a poor record on LGBT rights and a controversial law bans the promotion of “nontraditional sexual relationships” to minors. The artist’s Russian fans were disappointed with the cuts, recognizing that the LGBT community is still ostracized in the country. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports.
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From: MeNeedIt