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<ul><li>The Indian environment ministry issued a letter to states and union territories informing them that there is no imminent ban on single-use plastics. </li><li>It also clarified that the ban would not affect multi-layered packaging, normally used for food and beverages. </li><li>The document shared by ministry outlines action points to achieve the goal of eliminating single-use plastic by 2022. </li></ul>Companies in India were anxious about the government implementing a nation-wide ban on plastic but it seems there are no plans to announce any such restrictions — for now. The environment ministry issued a document to states and union territories (UTs) clarifying that there is no ban on single-use plastics but that the country is still planning on eliminating their use by 2022, according to <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/plastic-curbs-to-spare-multi-layered-packaging/cid/1709407">The Telegraph</a>, "There is now a need to take it (the awareness) to a new level and ensure that by 2022, we eliminate single-use plastic from our society," stated Environment Secretary Chandra Kishore Mishra in the letter. The ministry outlines that states need to implement legislative interventions and behavioural changes to wean people away from consuming <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/In-some-countries-people-face-jail-time-for-using-plastic-bags-Here-are-all-the-places-that-have-banned-plastic-bags-and-straws-so-far-/articleshow/68712914.cms">single-use plastics</a>. Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s call to action during India’s 73rd <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Independence-day">Independence Day</a> had businesses in India worried about the potential economic impact. If such a ban were to be implemented, it would affect <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">everyday items</a> like plastic cups and plastic plates at food stalls, packaging on biscuits and sodas, and small bottles. Food and beverages are safe The environment ministry also clarified that any planned guidelines to curb the consumption of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=single+use+plastic&amp;sortorder=score&amp;curpg=1">single-use plastic</a>s will not apply to multi-layered plastic packaging, which is commonly used to package products like food and beverages. During the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-pm-endorses-iit-camera-to-catch-inattentive-mps-in-parliament/articleshow/71376832.cms">Singapore-India Hackathon</a> at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on 30 September 2019, Modi clarified that he was exclusively campaigning against single-use plastic and not a plastic-free india. "Some people, by mistake, are talking about plastic-free India. I have not said this. I have said that single-use plastic, which comes to use only once, causes a lot of problems," explained Modi. The environment ministry pointed out that only <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/which-states-in-india-have-banned-plastic/articleshow/70218756.cms">five states</a> — Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh — currently have legislation in place to regulate plastic waste. It has asked other states to plan on introduce restrictions on plastic use to curate a list of products that they plan to on restricting. It also clarified that there may not be a requirement to ban plastic bottles, like the ones used for packaging water and sodas, and that the focus should be on making sure the bottles are recyclable and can be reprocessed. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/article/amazon-flipkart-and-bigbasket-are-racing-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-from-their-supply-chain/articleshow/71402437.cms">Big Basket ahead of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart in eliminating single use plastics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">Here are all the things you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mount-everest-will-turn-into-a-plastic-free-zone-by-2020-as-nepal-bans-it/articleshow/70780916.cms">Mount Everest will turn into a plastic-free zone by 2020 as Nepal bans it</a>

India won’t be banning plastic — for now

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/McDonalds2431USHwy1S/photos/a.790754730969729.1073741825.144714118907130/1554120817966446/?type=3&amp;theater">Facebook.com/mcdonalds2431USHwy1S</a></div></div></div><ul><li>McDonald's will start testing plastic straw alternatives at select US locations this year. In the UK, the company has decided to adopt biodegradable paper straws.</li><li>The announcement comes amid calls from environmental activists urging McDonald's and other food conglomerates to ditch plastic straws.</li><li>Several US cities have already enacted their own bans.</li></ul>Following calls from environmentalists, McDonald's is now testing alternatives to plastic straws in the US.The fast-food giant will trial them at select locations later this year, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/06/15/mcdonalds-test-plastic-straw-alternatives-u-s-later-year/703297002/">according to</a> USA Today. No word on what the straws will be made of, but the announcement follows <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-scrapping-plastic-straws-in-the-uk-and-us-could-be-next-2018-6">news</a> that McDonald's will adopt paper straws at every UK location by 2019.Because plastic straws are tiny and don't easily biodegrade, they can commonly slip through the cracks of a city's waste-recycling process,<a href="http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html"> clogging ponds, rivers, and oceans. </a>And unlike their plastic counterparts (forks, takeout containers, plastic bags, etc), straws don't really offer a purpose besides a bit of convenience.Some American cities have <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40580132/here-are-the-u-s-cities-that-have-banned-plastic-straws-so-far">started cracking down on single-use straws</a>. In 2012, Miami Beach banned hotels from serving straws, because they often ended up on the sand and in the water, threatening marine life. (<a href="https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/02/04/visitors-fort-myers-beach-now-sucking-up-very-well-without-plastic-straws/301989002/">Fort Myers, Florida</a> and <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/the-last-straw-seattle-will-say-goodbye-to-plastic-straws-utensils-with-upcoming-ban/">Seattle</a> took the same steps in January 2018.) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/23/new-york-plastic-straws-ban-proposal-city-council-policy">New York City</a>, as well as <a href="http://www.kitv.com/story/37400783/senate-bill-to-ban-plastic-straws-in-hawaii-passes-committee">cities in Hawaii</a> and <a href="http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/05/30/california-plastic-straw-ban-gets-one-step-closer-to-becoming-law/">California,</a> also have pending straw ban legislation.Nationwide, McDonald's distributes millions of drinks every day, which means many of their straws have likely ended up in the wild. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pouring-guinness-all-wrong-glass-bubbles-2018-5">You've been pouring your Guinness all wrong</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

McDonald's is testing plastic straw alternatives as US cities crack down on single-use straws

China used to be the crypto capital of the world. Thanks to the cheap energy and friendly regulations, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-how-to-mine-foundry-china-crypto-ban-kevin-zhang-2021-11">mining companies</a> flocked to set up shop in a country reluctantly playing host to the energy-intensive process of creating coins and validating transactions. In 2019, despite some regulation and a ban on initial coin offerings years prior, China's leader, Xi Jinping, called for widespread implementation of blockchain technology to support the country's quest for secure and reliable data systems, boosting blockchain research and further propelling China ahead of the US. At its peak, in 2021, the country accounted for almost 70% of global cryptocurrency mining.But in May of that year, China changed course. Concerns about the use of cryptocurrencies for illegal activity resulted in an effective <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-crypto-ban-bitcoin-golden-opportunity-us-blockchain-regulation-2021-10">ban on crypto mining and transactions</a>. Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told me the ban stemmed from the risk that cryptocurrencies posed to China's financial system through activities like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-crypto-fraud-scam-money-laundering-jian-wen-uk-2024-3">money laundering</a>. This sent the industry spiraling.Mining companies immediately fled the country, many moving to nearby Kazakhstan, where there was an abundance of coal power. Since minting bitcoins requires solving increasingly complex math problems, the hundreds of specialized machines used in the process — along with the equipment to cool them — take a massive amount of electricity. According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://ccaf.io/cbnsi/cbeci/mining_map">Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index</a>, Kazakhstan went from accounting for 7% of the global "hashrate" — the computational power required to make new bitcoins — in May 2021 to almost 20% just three months later. The influx of crypto miners began sucking up 7% of the country's generated energy, sending the price of fuel soaring and creating widespread power outages. After a massive public outcry at the end of 2021, mining companies in Kazakhstan were effectively cut off from the grid.So then they came to America. Today, the US makes up about 40% of the <a target="_blank" href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/bitcoin-mining-by-country">global hashrate</a> — up from 17% during China's 2021 peak — making America the biggest hub for bitcoin mining. The country's 52 cryptocurrency-mining operations use about 2% of America's energy — enough to power the entire state of Utah or West Virginia. While it hasn't caused the kind of crisis that took place in Kazakhstan, the massive energy consumption has still prompted pushback from locals and heightened <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-mine-texas-lawsuit-links-to-chinese-investors-2023-12">concerns about Chinese-owned operations moving in</a>. And it's just the latest example of China kicking out burdensome industries only for them to end up on America's doorstep.Among the major Chinese-owned crypto-mining companies that migrated to America was Bit Mining. In May 2021, the company had the largest data center and crypto-mining facility in the world, in China. By that September, after a brief stint in Kazakhstan, it was setting up shop in Akron, Ohio, in a building once owned by the tire giant Goodyear. Other bitcoin-mining companies settled in rural regions in the US with affordable electricity, favorable regulations, and ample warehouse space. But the noisy facilities, which typically employ only a few dozen people, haven't formed the rosiest relations with neighbors."The amount of energy these companies use is staggering," Jeremy Fisher, a senior strategy advisor with the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program, told me. In Rockdale, Texas, for example, a Riot Platforms mining facility uses 450 megawatts of energy — the equivalent of what's needed to power roughly 300,000 homes. Electricity is also becoming an increasingly pressing issue in the climate crisis. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackouts-power-outages-more-common-climate-change-electric-grid-infrastructure-2023-3">Power outages nationwide</a> have increased 64% since the early 2000s, and weather-related outages have increased 78%."At a moment when we need to be rapidly increasing the amount of renewable generation and shutting down fossil-fuel plants, proof-of-work cryptocurrency is pushing the wrong direction," Fisher said.Resistance to bitcoin mining has manifested largely at the local level. Frustrated locals in Murphy, North Carolina, Massillon, Ohio, and other places are signing petitions, forming coalitions, and creating YouTube channels to fight back against the mines in their towns. Gladys Anderson, who lives next to a mining facility in Bono, Arkansas, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://katv.com/news/local/chinese-owned-cryptocurrency-mining-facility-planned-in-vilonia-opposed-by-townsfolk-local-government-officials-mayor-preston-scroggins-chinese-government-communist-party-green-digital-llc-greenland-usa-greenland-holding-group-mike-matos-arkansas-hb-1799">spoke</a> about her experience at a town-council meeting for a proposed facility in Vilonia, Arkansas, last summer. "It's caused a lot of headaches," she said. Her son, who has autism, struggles to deal with the loud noise. "My son is currently in the backyard having a meltdown," she said. The Bit Mining facility in Akron has also faced pushback. "They're going to be using a lot of water, and electricity rates tend to go up for that sort of thing," Kelley Sayre, a resident there, said. A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/bitcoin-mining-electricity-pollution.html?">New York Times</a> analysis found that the energy used by the Akron facility translated to 705,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year (roughly equal to the annual amount of emissions from two gas-fired power plants). Bit Mining didn't respond to a request for comment.The mayor's office of Akron isn't excited about the mine, either. "The bitcoin mining industry as a whole runs counter to this administration's values and policy goals," Stephanie Marsh, the director of communications for the city of Akron, said in a statement. "Digital mining operations consume an exorbitant amount of electricity, employ very few individuals, and take up a considerable amount of space." Marsh told me the city would prefer the space to be occupied by a company that could provide hundreds of jobs and contribute to the local economy. It's not clear what benefits the city gets from the Bit Mining facility.Countering local pushback is a powerful, ascendent new force: the bitcoin lobby. Tech companies and bitcoin investors are already having an impact on legislation in states like California, where, last September, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would've established a licensing and regulatory framework for "digital financial assets." His veto came after the crypto industry spent over $400,000 on lobbying efforts. That influence has grown to a federal level, too. Bitcoin lobbyists spent more than $20 million to ensure that Congress would block federal oversight of cryptocurrencies by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which it did in May."Bitcoin stands for freedom, sovereignty, and independence from government coercion and control," former President Donald Trump told crypto enthusiasts at July's Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, reversing his previous opposition to the coin, which he called a scam during his presidency. To thunderous applause, Trump promised to fire the chair of the SEC and position America as the "<a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/bitcoin-price-reaction-trump-us-crypto-capital-planet-comments-impact-2024-7">crypto capital of the planet</a>." In response, crypto investors and super PACs dumped millions into Trump's campaign.In 2008, bitcoin's inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, whose identity remains unknown, <a target="_blank" href="https://satoshi.nakamotoinstitute.org/quotes/motives/">described</a> the coin as "very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint." The supposed decentralized nature of the blockchain has attracted supporters who believe in free-market economics and techno-utopianism. Crypto enthusiasts dream of a world where financial institutions are replaced by decentralized cryptocurrencies, money that they say is inflation-proof.However, in recent years, bitcoin mining has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small number of private companies. In 2021, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that 10% of miners controlled 90% of the bitcoin-mining capacity. "The concentration of currency holding, processing power, and programming skills in the hands of one group of people who are effectively partners in a venture defeats the entire purpose of employing a blockchain structure," the economist Saifedean Ammous wrote in his book "The Bitcoin Standard."As it grows, the people who own this concentrated industry are becoming of particular interest to politicians concerned about the new Cold War with China.At a packed City Council <a target="_blank" href="https://massillonohio.gov/wp-content/uploads/03-18-24-Council-Mtg.pdf">meeting</a> in Massillon in March, many residents raised concerns about the proposed Bitdeer Inc. crypto-mining facility. The company owns mining facilities across the world and is listed on the Nasdaq; the proposed facility in Ohio would be made up of 30 buildings on 31 acres of land and employ 70 people. Cheyanne Diehl, a 29-year-old Massillon resident, said she wasn't just concerned about energy usage and noise but also had qualms with the company's country of origin. "Some of these questions you guys might not be able to answer, but I did want to know if there are any factors that might motivate a small American town to consider the construction of a bitcoin facility particularly when the facility's owner is a Chinese billionaire," she said. In April, Massillon's City Council ultimately voted 8-1 to move ahead with the facility in hopes of stimulating the economy. It's set to be constructed by next summer. In Arkansas, the backlash was so severe that the state reversed course on its laws allowing crypto mining and passed regulations this year addressing noise reduction, proximity to residential areas, and foreign ownership.The surge in cryptocurrency-mining operations owned by investors from China has prompted the Biden administration to keep a close eye on the industry. In May, President Joe Biden ordered a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-chinese-owned-bitcoin-operation-cheyenne-wyoming-microsoft-2023-10">mining company that is majority-owned by Chinese investors</a> to sell its facilities close to a nuclear-missile base in Wyoming, arguing it posed a security risk. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/a15bb35a-152e-4f8a-bdc2-f45b7497a92c">Liu Pengyu, claimed</a> that this kind of "politicization" of free trade undermined "international confidence in the US market environment."It's yet another touchstone amid the wider economic tension between the US and China. Across the economy, China seems to always be one step ahead of America. When <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-recycling-problem-america-waste-pyrolysis-big-oil-china-2024-4">China banned plastic imports</a>, the US suddenly had to deal with its own plastic waste. When China ramped up <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-china-tech-war-computer-chips-semiconductor-plants-costing-americans-2023-1">making computer chips</a>, America rushed to catch up. And when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cheap-chinese-electric-cars-will-upend-the-us-vehicle-market-2023-5">China put cheap electric vehicles</a> on the market, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-joe-biden-hikes-tariffs-on-chinese-made-evs-2024-5">US quickly imposed heavy tariffs</a> to avoid hurting the domestic EV market. Now, Chinese-owned mines are sucking the energy out of the US.For Fisher of the Sierra Club, the solution is multifaceted. He said it's important to have transparency and ensure regular electricity ratepayers aren't subsidizing bitcoin-mining facilities. "Right now, it's profitable to mine cryptocurrency at electricity costs that put steel mills out of business," he said. "We might need to implement fees to ensure that the grid stays affordable for ratepayers and industries." His final recommendation is an ambitious one: a moratorium on new mining facilities.Fisher isn't alone in calling for a pause on building new facilities. Harrison, Arkansas' City Council, for example, enforced a multimonth moratorium on a Green Digital facility after witnessing citywide opposition to the project. It ultimately greenlighted the project, but it showed that a city council was capable of enforcing a moratorium.Given how much energy bitcoin mining consumes, it's worth questioning whether its presence in the US is really worth the trade-off. The bitcoin lobby's rosy vision for the future has so far been confined to the realm of utopianism and, if left unchecked, could accelerate a climate dystopia for us all.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/taylor-dorrell">Taylor Dorrell</a> is a writer and photographer based in Columbus, Ohio.

Bitcoin miners got kicked out of China. Now they're sucking America dry.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tide is launching a new laundry detergent product in "tile" form.</li><li>Tide evo arrives as Tide's long-dominant Pods face criticism about water pollution.</li></ul>Popular but polarizing Tide Pods could soon be a product of the past.On Friday, Tide parent company Procter &amp; Gamble unveiled a new laundry detergent product called "tiles" at the South by Southwest festival.Tide evo — as the white squares have been branded — will launch next month in Colorado before a nationwide rollout later this year.Tide said it "listened to consumers' voices" in developing the tiles, which come in recyclable paper packaging.The tiles activate in water and are designed for cold washes, made up of "tens of thousands of minuscule fibers," Tide said, "creating layers of soap without unnecessary liquid and fillers.""Tide evo embodies over a decade of research and development, signifying a major advancement in how we approach cleanliness and efficiency in our daily lives," said P&amp;G Fabric &amp; Home Care CEO Sundar Raman.Evo's predecessor, Tide Pods, launched in 2012 to enormous fanfare, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/16/business/tide-pods-laundry-detergent-history/index.html">crossing $500 million in sales within a year</a>. But the pods' candy-like look <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-reviews-say-you-can-eat-tide-pods-2018-1">spawned jokes online</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tide-pod-challenge-youtube-taking-down-videos-2018-1">social media challenges</a> where people purportedly ate them.P&amp;G added a bitter agent to the pods, warnings to keep them away from kids, and launched an ad campaign with footballer Rob Gronkowski to crack down on the trend.But more recently, laundry pods have come under fire over environmental concerns. A City Council member in New York City introduced a bill last month to ban the sale of pods containing a type of plastic called polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-08/new-york-city-considers-banning-laundry-dishwasher-pods">Bloomberg reported</a>, citing waterway pollution.P&amp;G told Bloomberg at the time that PVA "does not contribute to microplastic pollution."The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.

Forget Pods. Tide wants to make fabric 'tiles' the future of laundry.

<ul><li>The suite provides universities an automation engine to migrate from paper-based and traditional third-party enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.</li><li>This move will help the universities to save at least four billion trees, said <keyword id="13079" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rahul-sharma" source="Orion">Rahul Sharma</keyword>, regional head, public sector – AISPL, <keyword id="8632828" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="aws-india" source="Orion">AWS India</keyword> and South Asia.</li><li>The open source will provide flexibility to process more than 7.6 million student admission applications.</li></ul>Amazon’s cloud service division <keyword id="141088" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="amazon-web-services" source="Orion">Amazon Web Services</keyword> (AWS) on Friday said that <keyword id="6360099" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="delhi-university" source="Orion">Delhi University</keyword> is using its technology and services for the wider adoption of <keyword id="14937955" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="samarth-egov" source="Orion">Samarth eGov</keyword>. Samarth eGov is an open source and secure process automation e-governance platform used by various universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) in India. AWS claims that this source has been adopted by at least 200 universities and HEIs in India, including more than 40 central and state universities, and more than 100 colleges. The company plans to cover more than 500 HEIs by 2023. This move will help the universities to save at least four billion trees, said Rahul Sharma, regional head, public sector – AISPL, AWS India and South Asia. “The education sector in India is adapting to the post-pandemic era where student expectations are rising and changing, and the engagement between students, administration, and faculty are increasingly expected to be digitally-driven,” Sharma added. The Samarth eGov suite provides universities an automation engine to migrate from paper-based and traditional third-party enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to a secure platform that helps in automating digital processes and workflows. The suite provides more than 40 software modules covering academics, administration, student services, human resources, governance, accounting, and finance as a cloud-based service to central and state universities, HEIs, and technical institutions in India. The open source will provide flexibility to process more than 7.6 million student admission applications, handle more than 600,000 faculty and staff recruitment applications, and manage more than 7.5 million student records nationwide. Students can also access basic information on courses, selection criteria, registration, admission, and fee payments online. Educational institutions can also enhance student outcomes by automating processes like managing teaching schedules and freeing up educators’ time to focus on teaching activities such as providing personalized lessons based on students’ performance. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ranbir-kapoors-brahmastra-wipes-out-over-800-crore-wealth-of-pvr-and-inox-investors/articleshow/94095579.cms">Brahmastra wipes out over ₹800 crore wealth of PVR and Inox investors</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/ban-plastic-cigarette-lighters-imports-save-domestic-matchbox-industry-tamil-nadu-cm/articleshow/94089667.cms">Ban plastic cigarette lighters imports, save domestic matchbox industry: Tamil Nadu CM</a>

Delhi University uses Amazon Web Services to drive process automation via Samarth eGov

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In August, I flew from New York to <keyword id="6372909" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="turkey">Turkey</keyword>.</li><li>It's one of the few countries inviting American travelers, and its relatively strong <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> response makes it an attractive destination.</li><li>The country offers cheap <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> insurance to cover medical costs if you get the virus, businesses take precautions by wrapping everything in plastic, and there are hand-sanitizing stations everywhere you look.</li><li>The country's beauty and optimistic vibe stood in stark contrast with New York.</li></ul>In early August, I did something that many friends and family thought was completely crazy — I went to New York's JFK Airport, boarded a <keyword id="99419" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Turkish-Airlines">Turkish Airlines</keyword> flight, and made my way to Istanbul for a 12-day adventure in Turkey.Yes, I understood that we were in the middle of a global pandemic and, sure, I realized that travel — especially international travel — had become almost impossible for Americans. But Turkey was one of the few European holiday destinations still open to Yanks and I had a friend who knew the country well. All I had to do was show up.Part of the reason I went is because Turkey has, for the most part, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/06/04/what-turkey-got-right-about-the-pandemic">handled COVID-19 with surprising success</a>. Its caseload <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/turkey">peaked in April</a>. And despite being far less wealthy — and far more populated — than traditional summer beach spots like Spain and Italy, Turkey's infection rate has <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/travel/1322064/coronavirus-greece-turkey-croatia-cases-infection-rate-quarantine/">mostly been lower than those better-known Mediterranean locations</a>. It's even <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/greece-switzerland-risk-being-added-22570130">lower than Greece</a>, barely 30 minutes away from much of Turkey's southern coastline.True, some <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> organizations are suggesting that Turkey's infection and death rates <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-08-20/turkey-doctors-fear-coronavirus-numbers-are-higher-government-admits">may be higher</a> than reported. And locals who I met regularly spoke of an impending "second wave." But for now, at least, life in Turkey feels, yes, almost normal.Most appealing of all, Turkey launched a new program offering affordable, comprehensive <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> insurance for travelers to cover medical costs in case of COVID-19 infection. Launched by Turkey's <a href="https://travel.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/destination/international/turkey-to-introduce-covid-19-insurance-package-for-all-foreign-guests-from-july-1/76531932">Ministry of Tourism and Culture in June</a>, the plan provides between 3,000 and 7,000 euros worth of health coverage for a fee between 15 and 23 euros — about $25 per person. Although I already had solid travel insurance — and was confident I'd remain healthy — the program offered an added sense of security.<div type="image" title="istanbul" height="1134" width="1511" msid="77922347" hostid="261"></div>The insurance complements the ministry's larger <a href="https://www.tga.gov.tr/about-safe-tourism-program/">Safe Tourism Certification Program,</a> which established a series of strict parameters for hospitality operators nationwide."Early on we realized that corona was not going away anytime soon," Timuçin Güler, General Director of Promotion of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, told Insider. "So we had to take actions that would ensure safety for everyone — foreign travelers and Turkish citizens."And those actions are extensive, explains Güler, who notes that tourism levels are less than half of a typical year right now. Hotels, restaurants, trains, taxis, <keyword id="6569650" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="airplanes">airplanes</keyword>, and airports must pass strict monthly sanitary inspections or face extensive fines — or closure. There are also robust testing, quarantine, and treatment plans in place for tourists, with most services offered in hotels.As a result of these measures, Turkey has managed to remain off of the British government's <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/24/countries-quarantine-list-uk-travel-rules-portugal/">mandatory 14-day quarantine list</a> for its citizens traveling abroad this summer. There's no corresponding policy from the US government — but if Turkey is safe enough for the Brits, it's safe enough for me. And I am not alone."The level of commitment demonstrated by both the Turkish government and the private sector to minimize the virus has been noticeable from airports to dining to hotels," Kuwaiti <a href="https://www.instagram.com/talal.alrashed/?hl=en">travel and lifestyle expert Talal Al Rashed</a>, who has regularly visited Turkey since 2005, told Insider. "You quickly begin to appreciate the seriousness of the government's efforts to help tourism get back on its feet."<h2>Everything is wrapped in plastic</h2>Still, while Turkey may be relatively safe, travel there remains far from normal.Take the flight, for instance. Turkish Airlines is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airlines-in-the-world-2018-skytrax-2018-7">often considered as among the best in the world</a> with elaborate in-flight meals and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/25-best-airlines-in-the-world-entertainment-2019-7">amenities</a> throughout the cabin.No more.While the actual seats — especially in Business Class — remain pure comfort, there is no longer any hot food, poured beverages, magazines, or newspapers. Instead, travelers are greeted with in-flight safety kits filled with hand wash and face masks, which they're told repeatedly must cover their mouths and noses from boarding to arrival. Temperatures are taken upon touch-down and flights are staggered so folks from multiple nations minimally mingle at immigration.Everything is tightly wrapped in plastic, which certainly feels sanitary, but also feels like travel from a far less eco-conscious era. One can only worry that if the coronavirus doesn't kill us, we will, instead, drown in a sea of plastic.<div type="image" title="turkish airlines food coronavirus" height="1875" width="2500" msid="77922348" hostid="261"></div>The never-ending plastic continued throughout the trip, which felt at once surreal and completely ordinary. There are plastic barriers separating drivers from passengers in Turkish taxi cabs and hefty plastic panels between myself and staffers at the new <a href="https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/istjb-jw-marriott-istanbul-bosphorus/">JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus</a>. Opened just before lock-down in the hip Karaköy district — soon home to both a posh <a href="https://www.peninsula.com/en/istanbul">Peninsula Hotel</a> and a massive <a href="https://www.dailysabah.com/business/tourism/istanbuls-galataport-set-to-welcome-first-cruise-ship-in-april">new cruise ship terminal</a> — the JW Marriott inhabits century-old office buildings and is moments from the Bosphorus itself. Anchored by a soaring light-filled atrium, the hotel offers pristine views of the landmark mosques and towers that have lured travelers to Istanbul for centuries.Outside, the hotel fronts lively streets packed with face mask-wearing locals sitting in cute cafes or hanging at mezze or kebab joints. Inside, the feeling is decidedly less "normal." Buffets are banned at the rooftop restaurant, rooms are only cleaned upon request, there is hand sanitizer everywhere, and everything — robes, pens, face-masks — is wrapped in plastic.A similar standard was met at the equally new — and luxuriously resort-like — <a href="https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/kocatas-mansions-istanbul">Six Senses Kocatas Mansions</a> in Istanbul's upscale Sariyer district. Housed in a pair of meticulously restored Ottoman-era palaces dating to the late 19th century, the 43-room property features sprawling hillside gardens out back, the azure Bosphorus out front — where the water is clean enough to actually take a swim.<div type="image" title="Six Senses Kocatas Mansions" height="1665" width="2221" msid="77922349" hostid="261"></div>With its neighboring estates and a quaint nearby village, the hotel feels a world away from Istanbul's packed center 45 minutes to the south. But safety still reigns supreme here. Temperature checks, face masks, hand sanitizer, and a la carte menus at half-full restaurants are standard. Considering the Six Senses is new and not extremely busy, these protocols felt effortless.Clearly a more concerted effort was required five hours south in Izmir, where I stayed at the <a href="https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/izmir/">Swissotel Bukey Efes</a>, a massive waterfront resort with 457 rooms and suites, multiple restaurants, and a giant swimming pool. The place was packed — mostly with vacation-desperate Turks, but also with Europeans in need of some summer sun. I'll concede, I missed the massive breakfast buffet — replaced by myriad servers shrouded behind plastic barriers. But it felt like a small sacrifice to be in a hotel — and city and nation — where it essentially felt like life had gone back to normal.<h2>Some Turkish-Americans were shopping for real estate</h2>I ended my trip in Bodrum, on Turkey's legendary "Aegean Riviera," which was hopping. Like in Izmir, most folks were Turks, enjoying elegant resorts and posh private villas. But there was <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2020/08/06/covid-19-travel-where-can-americans-vacation-internationally/5517408002/">also a strong contingent of Americans</a>, eager to escape the endless stateside quarantines and lockdowns — including many (particularly Turkish-Americans) shopping for real estate."We have seen a dramatic increase in inquiries from the States in the last three months, which is very encouraging," Mihane Miki Sadiku, owner and director of local real estate firm <a href="http://www.yalihaninternational.com/">Yalihan International</a>, told Insider. "Bodrum's housing stock is limited and it is getting harder to approve building permits, which is why we are seeing property values increasing."<div type="image" title="bodrum meal" height="1134" width="1511" msid="77922350" hostid="261"></div>Our time in Bodrum was spent at the five-room, family-owned, city-center hotel — <a href="https://www.instagram.com/halabodrum/">the Hala Bodrum</a> — which is set in a traditional Turkish stone house with a beautiful garden heaving with citrus trees. The owner, Ayca Aras, also runs <a href="https://www.instagram.com/polebodrum/?hl=en">Pole Bodrum,</a> a fun and fitness-minded pole dancing studio.At a moment of increasing Islamist conservatism across Turkey, everything about Bodrum felt refreshingly open and free. The bars and restaurants — Port and Old Town — were bustling with visitors, mostly covered in face masks and reasonably socially distanced. And folks who didn't follow the rules received a stern talking-to from local police.Back in New York, I was immediately struck by the contrast between lively Turkey and the grim vibe pulsing through post-lockdown Manhattan."Corona was really a game-changing scenario for us and we are already preparing and taking precautions for next year," Güler said. In the meantime, "we are open for business and still waiting for Americans to show up."

I traveled to Turkey, one of the few countries letting Americans in, and they offered me $25 insurance in case I got the coronavirus

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Jean Chung/Getty ImagesThe elderly have particularly high suicide rates in South Korea.</div></div></div><ul><li><a href="http://businessinsider.com/category/south-korea">South Korea</a> has the <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">highest rate of deaths by suicide</a> among developed countries. </li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/suicide">Suicide</a> by the elderly <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2013/12/07/poor-spirits">comprises the bulk of these deaths</a> in the highly developed East Asian country. </li><li>But a government push in 2011 and 2012 to ban paraquat, a pesticide often used in suicide attempts, helped curb suicide deaths nationwide. </li></ul> In South Korea, nearly 30% of all suicide victims are <a href="https://www.koreaexpose.com/no-country-for-old-people/">over the age of 65</a>. Seoul resident Seong Young-Sook, 70, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/23/asia/s-korea-elderly-poverty/">told CNN in 2015</a> that, after years of being an impoverished widow, she almost became another elderly victim. <div>"I feel that my generation is being forgotten," Seong <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/23/asia/s-korea-elderly-poverty/">said to CNN</a>. "I worked really hard and I've been so diligent. But somehow I ended up here.</div>"I tried to kill myself next to my husband's grave. Someone discovered me and I survived," Seong told CNN.While suicide rates across the developed world have fallen or stayed stagnant the past decades, they've <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4823193/#B2">rapidly increased</a> in South Korea. <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">In 1995,</a> there were 12.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people in South Korea. That number reached 33.3 <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">by 2010</a>.Since 2003, South Korea has had the highest suicide rate among developed countries, <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development</a>.Suicide is especially prominent among South Korean elderly. They take up an increasing share of South Korea's population, and nearly half of them <a href="https://www.koreaexpose.com/summer-tapgol-park/">live in poverty</a>. Suicide is also the <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180426000581">leading cause of death</a> for teenagers; nearly 8% said <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/04/116_177930.html">in 2014</a> that they considered suicide. And when South Korean notables die by suicide, their deaths dominate the headlines for weeks at a time, like in the recent cases of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/23/roh.dead/">former president Roh Moo-hyun</a> and beloved singer <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2124871/shinee-singer-jonghyuns-final-message-suicide-becoming-famous">Jonghyun</a> of the boy band SHINee. In the US, celebrity suicides have been shown to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/7/16985220/robin-williams-sucide-reporting-health">increase deaths</a>.As in much of the world, depression and other mental illnesses are harshly stigmatized in South Korea, author Young-Ha Kim <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/opinion/south-koreas-struggle-with-suicide.html">wrote in The New York Times</a>."Too many people in South Korea have outdated views of psychological illness," Kim wrote in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/opinion/south-koreas-struggle-with-suicide.html">a 2014 Times opinion piece</a>. "Many think that when someone is suicidal he simply lacks a strong will to live; he's weak. There's little sympathy or interest in probing below the surface."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Source: World Health Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentThe rate for deaths by suicide in South Korea has fallen by 15% from 2011 to 2015.</div></div></div><h2>But the trend is slowly reversing</h2>Since 2010, however, suicide rates in South Korea have fallen.Busan and Incheon, two of South Korea's biggest cities, both implemented suicide prevention programs within their cities, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/opinion/south-koreas-struggle-with-suicide.html">according to Kim</a>. The banning of a highly-toxic weed killer called paraquat has been key in plummeting suicide rates.Paraquat and other pesticides accounted for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26582846">a fifth of suicides</a> in 2006-2010. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4823193/">Poisoning overall</a> is the second-most common suicide method among elderly South Korean men and most common for elderly South Korean women. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2009/nwdesk/article/2515881_18873.html">MBC News</a>MBC News, a leading South Korean news source, reported on paraquat's potentially lethal uses.</div></div></div>South Korea began curbing paraquat purchases in 2011 and banned its sale totally in 2012. From 2011 to 2015, the suicide mortality rates dropped by nearly 15%, a <a href="http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2017/en/">2017 World Health Organization report</a> showed. The suicide rates for pesticide-caused deaths alone decreased 46%, according to <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0128980">a 2015 South Korean study</a>.The suicide rate as of 2015 in South Korea was 28.3 per 100,000, according to the <a href="http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2017/en/">WHO report</a>. The US rate stands at 14.3, Japan at 19.6, and China at 10.0. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/moon-jae-in">Moon Jae-in</a>, the South Korea president who took office last year, has pledged to lower suicide rates to 20 deaths per 100,000 by 2020.<a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180426000581">In January,</a> the South Korean government began a new initiative to lower suicide rates: community engagement. They will train one million religious and civic group members on suicide prevention, analyze case studies, and run more screening tests.But the budget to fight these measures still remains low: <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170907000924">$9.2 million</a>. According to the Korea Herald, that's <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170907000924">0.02% of the government's budget</a> to reduce traffic accidents. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/eyelid-surgery-in-south-korea-2015-11">Why Korean parents are having their kids get plastic surgery before college</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

South Korea has the highest rate of deaths by suicide in the developed world - but a 2011 law helped decrease rates by 15%

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"> REUTERS/Jim Young</div></div></div>For years, Dunkin' Donuts has been saying it would replace its iconic foam cups with cups that are more friendly to the environment.In <a href="http://dunkinbrands.iprsoftware.com/internal_redirect/cms.ipressroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/226/files/201411/CSR_Annual_Report_2010.pdf">a 2010 report</a>, the coffee chain considered its use of foam to be "the most prominent sustainability issue we must deal with." In a follow-up report two years later, the company said it was still searching for an alternative to foam. Dunkin' Donuts CEO Nigel Travis said in its 2012 corporate social responsibility report that it hoped to roll out a more sustainable cup <a href="http://www.dunkinbrands.com/internal_redirect/cms.ipressroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/226/files/201411/2012%20CSR%20Report%20Online%20Design%20-%20FINAL%2006.28.13.pdf">in 2 to 3 years</a>.That effort has pretty much stalled.Today, six years after declaring that replacing foam cups was the company's "#1 sustainability priority," a majority of Dunkin' Donuts restaurants still serve coffee in cups made of polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam. And the company hasn't made much progress transitioning to a suitable alternative. "We are not prepared to transition fully out of foam at this time," Christine Riley Miller, Dunkin' Brands' senior director of corporate social responsibility, told Business Insider in a statement. Like McDonald's golden arches, Dunkin' Donuts' foam cups have become an icon of the brand. The company loves them because they're cheap to buy. Customers love them because they insulate hot beverages well. But polystyrene foam is one of the most <a href="https://sustainability.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Impacts-of-Styrofoam.pdf">environmentally unfriendly</a> materials out there, <a href="https://sustainability.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Impacts-of-Styrofoam.pdf">clogging up landfills</a> and choking animals in the wild, among other things. Because foam is so detrimental to the environment, many municipalities across the country are <a href="http://time.com/4388034/san-francisco-polystyrene-ban-foam/">banning it</a>. In those places, Dunkin' Donuts has introduced new cups made of a recyclable plastic called polypropylene, which the company says is "currently the best available alternative to foam." Polypropylene is much easier to recycle than polystyrene, though it's not as easy to recycle as polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is the material used to make most plastic soda bottles. Polypropylene can be identified by the number "5," which appears on the bottom of cups. A number "6" means polystyrene, or Styrofoam. Polyethylene terephthalate is coded with the number "1."Dunkin' Donuts' polypropylene cup was the result of years of research to find an alternative to foam that would keep beverages hot and be accepted in municipal recycling facilities, according to Miller. But the company won't be rolling out the new cups nationwide anytime soon for a few reasons. One issue with the polypropylene cups, according to Miller, is the cost. The polypropylene cup and lid cost a lot more than the foam cup and lid combo.Miller also said customers, "are not satisfied with the lid on the new cup." The lid, she said, is still made of polystyrene, which is banned in some places and is also not recyclable. As a result, Miller said the company is still working to find a better alternative. "They're being reactive," said Conrad Mackerron, senior vice president of As You Sow, an organization that has been pushing Dunkin' Donuts to phase out its foam cups. "They're in a comfortable spot because they've made the commitment and now they say they're just trying the get the logistics right."One of the main challenges in getting Dunkin' Donuts to ditch foam cups across the board is its ownership structure, Mackerron said. Most Dunkin' Donuts shops are franchises, and according to Mackerron, there would be a lot of push back from franchisees if the company switched to a more expensive cup. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.theworldsbestever.com/2009/05/15/fast-food-sandwiches-of-the-past/">theworldsbestever.com</a>McDonald's discontinued the McDLT, which was served in a double compartment foam container, after phasing out polystyrene in the '90s.</div></div></div>However, Mackerron noted that McDonald's, which also franchises a <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245809">majority</a> of its restaurants, was able to make the switch from foam. In 2013, McDonald's <a href="http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130925/NEWS/130929944/mcdonalds-to-phase-out-ps-hot-beverage-cups#">announced</a> that it would phase out foam cups in favor of paper-based cups at all of its US restaurants. Way back in 1990, the fast-food giant ditched its foam burger containers, the Los Angeles Times <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1990-11-02/news/mn-3711_1_foam-packages">reported</a> at the time. Starbucks's hot cups are made with 10% recycled paper fiber, and while what is and is not recyclable varies by municipality, a representative from Starbucks told Business Insider, "we pay local private haulers across the country to collect and recycle hot cups along with our other recyclable products, compost and trash."Starbucks has <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report/environmental-stewardship/front-of-store-recycling">prioritized</a> putting recycling bins in its stores, but that solution only goes so far. After all, most customers take their Starbucks cups to go and then dispose of them in normal trash cans. About <a href="http://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/ee8121c1a6554399b554d126228d52ed.pdf">59% of Starbucks stores</a> had front-of-store recycling as of last year. While the coffee chain has been promoting reusable cups by offering a discount to customers who bring in their own tumblers, progress has been slower than expected. Starbucks had to <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report/environmental-stewardship/reusable-cups">drastically lower</a> its goal of serving 25% of its beverages in reusable cups to just 5%. Currently only about 1.6% of Starbucks drinks are served in personal tumblers. In 2015 when New York <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/nyregion/judge-strikes-down-new-york-citys-ban-on-foam-food-containers.html?_r=0">implemented a ban</a> on foam food containers, Dunkin' Donuts made headlines that said the chain was "phasing out Styrofoam." In fact, the chain did temporarily switch to the recyclable polypropylene cups it had been <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-17/dunkin-donuts-tests-recyclable-cups-as-foam-loses-favor">testing</a> in other regions.But just a few months after the city's foam ban went into effect, a judge overturned it, under pressure from the restaurant industry. And Dunkin' Donuts soon switched back to its foam cups. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/secrets-jack-daniels-whiskey-alcohol-2016-8">Secrets about Jack Daniel's that you probably don't know</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NxZndtNTE6jNhqw_oXnWnU3pNG6t0_4c" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Dunkin' Donuts is still serving coffee in Styrofoam cups 6 years after saying it would stop

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</div></div></div><ul><li>China lists the names and personal details of 8.8 million debt defaulters on a public website.</li><li>Those defaulters can't fly or use high-speed trains, book fancy hotels or enroll their children at expensive schools.</li><li>Naming and shaming is growing across the country, with automatic messages playing on mobile phones and the names and photos of defaulters being promoted on screens in buses and public lifts.</li></ul> China maintains a public blacklist of debtors that effectively restricts their movements and their spending habits.The country's highest court publishes the names and ID numbers of "dishonest people" on its website and restricts those people from flying domestically, using high-speed trains, or enrolling their children at expensive private schools.Defaulters are also prevented from staying at <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/newsrepublic/2016-11/02/content_27257134.htm">hotels</a> with three-stars or more. They also face tougher <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-civil-service-exam-2017-11">exams</a> if they want to join the civil service, and are charged higher fees for booking cars. The bans work by linking to a person's ID number. Some people used their passport when travelling to circumvent the ban, but that loophole now appears to be <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1033041.shtml">closed</a>.The site was created by the Supreme People's Court in an attempt to make people comply with verdicts to repay their debts. <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-07/22/content_21376666.htm">Restrictions</a> are placed on "high-expenditure consumption" and "consumption not necessary to sustain normal life or businesses" for individual defaulters as well as the legal representatives and CEOs of companies that default.The list launched in late 2013 with <a href="http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-11/05/content_17082990.htm">31,259 names</a> and within two weeks it had been visited 180,000 times.Since then, <a href="http://english.court.gov.cn/2017-11/21/content_34809918.htm">8.8 million</a> debtors have been added to the list.Together, they have been prevented from flying 8.7 million times and denied 3.4 million high-speed train tickets.Earlier this year one defaulter was <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/03/c_136657135.htm">fined</a> $15,000 for travelling on a first-class flight while another underwent <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1AE047">plastic surgery</a> to try and evade detection by authorities.The blacklist also limits defaulter's job prospects. Several major employers first check the creditworthiness of job applicants and more than 170,000 people on the list have been denied executive positions."It is hoped that by imposing such inconveniences on their daily lives, debtors will be encouraged to pay back the money they owe in a timely manner," the court said in its statement earlier this year.<h2>Provinces are using people's own phones to shame them</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</div></div></div>In August, a court in the southwest Sichuan Province began leaving <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/03/c_136657135.htm">recorded messages</a> on the phones of 20 debtors.When someone rings a defaulter, this <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2114768/china-create-national-name-and-shame-system-deadbeat-borrowers">message</a> plays: "The person you are calling has been put on a blacklist by the courts for failing to repay their debts. Please urge this person to honour their legal obligations."Three other provinces have trialed similar programs and another province rolled out messages on the phones of 492 debtors.But in one Beijing district, eerie court-mandated messages aren't only being used for people who haven't paid their bills.According to Chinese publication <a href="http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1000762/chinese-app-gives-blacklisted-people-dishonest-caller-id">Sixth Tone</a>, any of the hundreds of millions of people who have the anti-virus Qihoo 360 app will be informed - via a pop-up message that says, "Included on the list of dishonest individuals" -if they have contact with someone who hasn't paid staff or child support.<h2>Names and faces will soon be promoted on buses and in the media</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Guang Niu/Getty Images</div></div></div>The Supreme People's Court is partnering with the Communist Party's Publicity Department to begin widely shaming anyone who doesn't repay a bank loan, the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2114768/china-create-national-name-and-shame-system-deadbeat-borrowers">South China Morning Post</a> reported in October.The name, ID number, photograph and home address of bank defaulters across the country will now be able to be published in newspapers, radio, and broadcast on television, as well as on screens in buses and public lifts.According to the report, local governments were also instructed to create name-and-shame databases - searchable by anyone - before the end of 2017.Regional courts will provide the details to local media outlets, who will then run the databases.In Guangzhou, in southern China, 141 people have had their personal details displayed on screens in buses and commercial buildings.<h2>The debtor blacklist was the first step to an all-encompassing social credit system</h2>Since the debtor list was first created, state-media reports repeatedly described it as the first step toward creating a China-wide social credit score of trustworthiness.China's credit scoring system will be rolled out nationwide in <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/article/chinese-government-social-credit-score-privacy-invasion">2020</a>, but for now eight pilot systems are being run. One of these, Sesame Credit, is run by the Alibaba subsidiary Ant Financial.In 2015, the Supreme People's Court began working with Sesame Credit, which then deducts credit points off people who default on court fines. Once rolled out, the lower a person's social credit score the fewer opportunities and more restrictions they will face.But for now, the debtor blacklist appears to be working. Last month, the Supreme People's Court reported the list "has made more than 1 million of them voluntarily carry out court orders." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-modest-home-bought-31500-looks-2017-6">Warren Buffett lives in a modest house that's worth .001% of his total wealth - here's what it looks like</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Debtors in China are placed on a blacklist that prohibits them from flying, buying train tickets, and staying at luxury hotels

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Thomson ReutersA meal of a "Monster"-sized A.1. Peppercorn burger, Bottomless Steak Fries, and Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake is seen at a Red Robin restaurant in Foxboro</div></div></div>NEW YORK (Reuters) - A restaurant industry trade group is suing New York City's Board of Health to stop it from enforcing a new rule requiring many chain restaurants to post warnings on menu items that are high in sodium.The National Restaurant Association said on Thursday the Board of Health unfairly burdenedrestaurant owners and usurped the power of the popularly elected City Council by forcing restaurants with more than 15 locations nationwide to warn diners about salty foods.Backed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, the rule, believed the first of its kind nationally, requiresrestaurants to post a salt shaker encased in a black triangle as a warning symbol next to any menu item with more than 2,300 milligrams (0.08 ounce) of sodium, the daily limit many nutritionists recommend.New York City adopted the rule, which took effect on Tuesday, in an effort to help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.The rule also applies to concession stands at some movie theaters and sports stadiums. Violators would be punished by a $200 fine, starting on March 1, 2016.In papers being filed with the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, the restaurant group likened the rule to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's failed effort to curb sales of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces (473 milliliters)."The regulation, like the Soda Ban before it, is completely arbitrary in its scope, reach, and application," the group said. "With the Sodium Mandate, the Board has required the disclosure of just enough inaccurate and controversial information about sodium in certain food items to cause far reaching negative consequences rather than help consumers and reduce public health risks."The papers could not be independently verified in court records.Nick Paolucci, a spokesman for the city's law department, said: "We are confident that the Board of Health has the authority to enact this rule. We will review the specific claims once we are served with the lawsuit."Bloomberg was known for pushing health initiatives in New York. Some, including requiring fast-food restaurants to post calorie counts and banning smoking in public places, have found growing acceptance elsewhere.The National Restaurant Association calls itself the world's largest food service trade association, supporting more than 500,000 restaurant businesses.The case is National Restaurant Association v. New York City Department of Health &amp; Mental Hygiene et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/eyelid-surgery-in-south-korea-2015-11">Why Korean parents are having their kids get plastic surgery before college</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="N3anZreDpn-2nQvRx1Ucqnt93GqH8mTZ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

The restaurant industry is suing New York City over 'arbitrary' rules regulating salty foods

'In search of the apex and the other side of the mountain': The coronavirus has killed more than 4,100 New Yorkers in just over a month, and the worst is still to come

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/daspunkt/6957266058/">Flickr/daspunkt</a></div></div>People are drinking less but doing so more harmfully. Policymakers want higher prices--causing a headache for the booze industry
BY DAY tourists flock to Plaza de España in central Madrid to snap photos beside the sculpture of Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quixote". By night a newer facet of Spanish culture is on display: loitering groups of young people downing plastic bottles of whisky and vodka mixed with Fanta Lemon. The ground is littered with empties. Nearby, three young men help a friend vomiting on the pavement.
Such carousing was once rare in Spain. A Mediterranean drinking culture prevailed in which alcohol was taken only with food. That is changing. In Spain and many other rich countries, alcohol intake is becoming a bigger problem--for some groups. Overall, the global consumption of alcohol has been stable since 1990, according to the World Health Organisation. Around half of the planet's population is teetotal. But those who drink alcohol do so more hazardously. Policymakers are looking for ways to address this. A new and much-watched experiment in Scotland, for example, involves setting a minimum price for each unit of alcohol.
Individual consumption peaked in Spain in 1975 but young people are increasingly indulging in the botellón, (literally "big bottle"): drinking outdoors to get drunk. In France, another country with traditionally moderate drinking patterns, a similar trend is emerging. In the past three years hospital admissions from alcohol abuse have risen 30% there, to 400,000 a year. Bingeing is so common that in July it gained an official name, beuverie express. Across much of the rich world, many people (not just the young) are drinking greater quantities in a single session.
Responsible drinkers pose little risk to others. But the growth in hazardous drinking habits has far-reaching implications. Deaths from the overuse of alcohol rose from 750,000 in 1990 to 2.5m in 2011, nearly 4% of all fatalities worldwide. Alcohol causes long-term ill-health, but even a single binge can end in hospital: in Britain, for example, such admissions doubled in 2003-10. It is not only drunks who suffer from their excess. Booze contributes to a third of all deaths on Europe's roads each year and stokes abuse and violence. It features in almost all public-order offences in Ireland; up to 80% of Australian police work is alcohol- and drug-related; across the European Union, it is linked to 65% of domestic violence and 40% of murders. When lower output and higher social costs are taken into account, alcohol costs Europe and America hundreds of billions a year, up to 1.5% of GDP by some estimates.
The industry has introduced some modest schemes to encourage responsible drinking. Governments have stepped up education campaigns; most restrict the sale of alcohol in some regard, by licensing premises, setting opening hours and banning purchases by children. But all that is largely outweighed by another factor: health campaigners say that in many countries booze is simply too cheap.
Increasingly alcohol is drunk at home, rather than in bars or restaurants, and is often deeply discounted. In Britain and Ireland supermarkets frequently sell drinks at or below cost, to lure in customers: cheap strong cider means a Scotsman can reach his recommended weekly drinking limit of 21 units (210ml of pure alcohol)for just £4.62 ($7.50); an Irishwoman can buy her 14 units for EUR6.30 ($8.70). The trend is spreading. Walmart, an American chain, recently started selling beer almost at cost.
The cheaper the liquor, the more people drink. That is not just bar-room wisdom. A 2009 paper in Addiction, a public health journal, reviewed 112 distinct studies of changes in alcohol taxes and found an unambiguous link. This suggested that a 10% price rise in prices would cut consumption by around 5%.
Two groups are particularly price sensitive. Heavy drinkers tend to trade down and seek out cheaper booze to maintain their intake. They drink at home and are likely to die early of alcohol-related illness. Such topers account for a large share of consumption: in Scotland 80% of alcohol is drunk by 30% of boozers. A second category is young and underage merrymakers who often have low or minimal income. They cannot afford to drink as much when prices rise.
Most government initiatives on prices have been tentative. In 1998 Germany introduced a so-called "apple-juice law": in places where booze is consumed, at least one alcohol-free beverage must cost less than the cheapest alcoholic one. This does not deal with domestic consumption, though, which accounts for most hazardous drinking. In 2014 Britain will introduce a ban on selling alcohol at below cost price, but this will affect less than 1% of all booze on sale, according to the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, a British academic consortium. Alcohol duties in some tax-thirsty European countries have been rising for a decade but wine and cider are both taxed by volume, not just strength. That means a sweet wine with 6% alcohol bears the same tax as a riesling with 10%.
More convincing are the efforts of several Canadian provinces, which have a floor price for a unit of each type of alcohol: the stronger a drink, the more it costs. When this policy was introduced in British Columbia in 2002, with an average 10% price increase, an immediate, substantial and significant reduction in wholly alcohol-attributable deaths followed, says Tim Stockwell of the province's University of Victoria. The longer-term effect is striking too. Over the 2002-09 period, figures show a 32% drop in such deaths. In Saskatchewan a similar price rise in 2010 was associated with an 8.4% drop in drinking.
Scotland is raising the bar. In May 2012 its devolved parliament passed an ambitious bill to introduce a minimum unit price of 50p. This would affect the price of 60% of booze on sale: a 70cl bottle of Tesco Value Vodka would rise by around £4.50, to around £13, but classy Smirnoff by only 13p, according to Scottish government calculations. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), a trade body, has challenged the legislation, which was due to come into force in 2013. It would breach European law and could affect exports, says its spokeswoman, Rosemary Gallagher. The SWA lost the case in Scotland's highest civil court, but its appeal will be heard in February. If it loses again, it may appeal to London or to Europe.
Five continental wine-producing nations have joined the fight against Scotland's law. Bulgaria, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain say it is illegal and could hurt their own drinks industries. Cheap plonk (mostly foreign) would suffer more than pricey whisky (mostly domestic), they say.
What happens in Scotland will affect policy elsewhere; other governments are watching the legal battle with interest. One house of the Swiss parliament has already voted for a minimum price though the other voted against. New Zealand is considering a bill. The British government pulled back from an earlier plan to introduce a nationwide floor price but may reconsider its policy if Scotland's proves successful; some English councils are trying to introduce minimum pricing rules locally. The Irish cabinet is discussing a similar notion but awaits the Scots' verdict.
For all their reputation as a nation of soaks, Scots actually constitute a small market. The SWA says its big concern is other countries introducing similar bills if the Scottish legislation goes ahead. The real fear is of "contagion", agrees Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: "Scotland shows Europe what is possible." Just as bans on indoor smoking spread rapidly from country to country, the Scottish decision on the price of booze could raise drink prices all over the world. A sobering thought in the festive season.
Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist

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