A restaurant in China that challenged its customers to eat more than 100 dumplings in return for a free meal has fallen foul of authorities, who are investigating whether it has violated the country's anti-food waste law.Related video above: How to reduce food wasteLocal authorities in Yibin City in the southwestern province of Sichuan swooped on the restaurant after hearing of its "king of big stomach challenge," the state-affiliated news outlet The Cover reported this week. The challenge reportedly involved patrons competing to eat 108 chaoshous, or spicy wonton dumplings, as quickly as possible to win a free meal and additional prizes. To drum up interest, the restaurant had advertised the offer on social media to entice patrons only to find itself in the hot seat when the State Administration for Market Regulation said it would open an investigation into whether it had breached the law surrounding food waste.While eating contests are relatively common in Western countries and can bring fame for their winners – like Joey Chestnut, who last week won Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island by downing 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes – they can be a sensitive matter in China.Many in the country still have memories of the famine of the 1950s and 60s that killed an estimated 45 million people.The Cover said the restaurant, which it did not name, was one of several being probed by the authorities over similar competitions.Chinese leader Xi Jinping has in the past called food waste "shocking and distressing" and in March this year said agricultural supplies were like the foundation of national security.The law against wasting food was enacted in 2021, following pointed government criticisms of online bloggers who live-streamed themselves binge eating to draw in viewers. Many of their accounts were subsequently suspended by the social media platforms.Under the law, restaurant owners can be fined up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) if their establishments "induce or mislead customers to order excessively to cause obvious waste."Radio and television stations, as well as online video and audio providers, face a maximum fine of 10 times that amount if they are found to be involved in "making, publishing, promoting programs or audio messages about eating excessively and binge eating and drinking." The restaurant in Yibin "demonstrates behaviors of binge eating and drinking and inducing customers to order excessively," the Cover said, citing the local market regulator.However, some Chinese internet users have criticized the authorities for overreaching. "Is this counted as a waste? Why not let people compete for the biggest eater? Will the food not consumed there actually go to the poor?" wrote one user on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.Another user pointed to the country's poor track record on food safety, which has included scandals ranging from contaminated baby milk powder to the use of "gutter oil" – recycled oil tainted with food waste or even sewage."You didn't regulate food safety … but this?" the user said.

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A restaurant in China that challenged its customers to eat more than 100 dumplings in return for a free meal has fallen foul of authorities, who are investigating whether it has violated the country's anti-food waste law.

Related video above: How to reduce food waste

Local authorities in Yibin City in the southwestern province of Sichuan swooped on the restaurant after hearing of its "king of big stomach challenge," the state-affiliated news outlet The Cover reported this week.

The challenge reportedly involved patrons competing to eat 108 chaoshous, or spicy wonton dumplings, as quickly as possible to win a free meal and additional prizes.

To drum up interest, the restaurant had advertised the offer on social media to entice patrons only to find itself in the hot seat when the State Administration for Market Regulation said it would open an investigation into whether it had breached the law surrounding food waste.

While eating contests are relatively common in Western countries and can bring fame for their winners – like Joey Chestnut, who last week won Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island by downing 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes – they can be a sensitive matter in China.

Many in the country still have memories of the famine of the 1950s and 60s that killed an estimated 45 million people.

The Cover said the restaurant, which it did not name, was one of several being probed by the authorities over similar competitions.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has in the past called food waste "shocking and distressing" and in March this year said agricultural supplies were like the foundation of national security.

The law against wasting food was enacted in 2021, following pointed government criticisms of online bloggers who live-streamed themselves binge eating to draw in viewers. Many of their accounts were subsequently suspended by the social media platforms.

Under the law, restaurant owners can be fined up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) if their establishments "induce or mislead customers to order excessively to cause obvious waste."

Radio and television stations, as well as online video and audio providers, face a maximum fine of 10 times that amount if they are found to be involved in "making, publishing, promoting programs or audio messages about eating excessively and binge eating and drinking."

The restaurant in Yibin "demonstrates behaviors of binge eating and drinking and inducing customers to order excessively," the Cover said, citing the local market regulator.

However, some Chinese internet users have criticized the authorities for overreaching.

"Is this counted as a waste? Why not let people compete for the biggest eater? Will the food not consumed there actually go to the poor?" wrote one user on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

Another user pointed to the country's poor track record on food safety, which has included scandals ranging from contaminated baby milk powder to the use of "gutter oil" – recycled oil tainted with food waste or even sewage.

"You didn't regulate food safety … but this?" the user said.

The window for local, state and tribal governments to challenge their 2020 census figures closes after Friday, and with it the opportunity to correct mistakes in population totals that could cost them millions of dollars in federal funding.As of this week, almost 160 challenges had been filed through two programs the U.S. Census Bureau started to give governments opportunities to appeal their population totals. Those 2020 census figures help determine how $2.8 trillion in federal government spending is distributed each year.Some cities like Brookhaven, Georgia, found out this month that their challenge was successful. Officials in the city of more than 57,000 residents in metro Atlanta said new parcels were annexed in late 2019 but the 1,200 residents living in them weren't counted toward the city's figures during the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident, which started three months later.The U.S. Census Bureau conceded the error, a victory Brookhaven city officials estimate will be worth $10 million in funding streams over this decade."This final action ensures that all of Brookhaven's residents were indeed counted as our own," Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst said two weeks ago after receiving a letter from Census Bureau Director Robert Santos confirming the numbers were being revised.Dozens of other cities like Las Vegas still have their cases pending. Officials in Nevada's largest city, with more than 656,000 residents, believe the census missed two homeless shelters with under 1,000 residents during the count.Group quarters — including homeless shelters, dorms and prisons — were among the most difficult to count as campuses closed and prisons and nursing homes were locked down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which coincided with the start of the 2020 census. The Census Bureau created a separate program to handle these challenges.Other cities, like Milwaukee, are still awaiting an answer despite filing their challenges many months ago. Milwaukee officials in a challenge filed last December said 16,500 residents were overlooked in houses and apartments, primarily in communities of color. The 2020 census put Wisconsin's largest city at 577,222 residents, down about 3% from 2010.City spokesperson Jonathan Fera said in an email that there was "no frustration" surrounding the delay and that "Milwaukee will continue to await a response from the U.S. Census Bureau."Milwaukee succeeded with another, separate claim that more than 800 jail inmates were missed, part of a challenge organized with other Wisconsin municipalities.While any changes to the numbers after a successful challenge will be applied to population estimates used for the rest of the decade in determining federal funding, they can't be used to change how many congressional seats each state was allotted during the apportionment process nor for the data used for redrawing political districts.A final tally on the success of challenges won't be known for several months because of the pending cases. The 2020 census put the U.S. population at 331.4 million residents."It will take several months to complete processing and to notify those who have submitted" a challenge, the Census Bureau said Wednesday.Challenges to 2020 census numbers were less frequent than the nearly 250 requests made for 2010 census figures — a surprise given the hurdles the most recent count faced.The 2020 census was one of the most difficult in recent memory. Its start coincided with the U.S. spread of the coronavirus in spring 2020, but census-takers during the home-visits phase also contended with wildfires in the West and hurricanes in the Gulf Coast. Some advocates also believe the Trump administration's failed efforts to add a citizenship question and keep people in the U.S. illegally from being counted for apportionment dissuaded some from participating.Some cities waited until the last minute to ask for a review of their numbers. Marquette, Michigan, located on the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula, filed a challenge that only was received by the Census Bureau on Monday. Officials in the city of more than 20,700 residents believe 1,000 students living in dorms and other student housing at Northern Michigan University were missed, an oversight that could cost the city $70,000 in state revenue sharing."We watched the process play out in other places and chose to take advantage of it when we did," said Sean Hobbins, assistant city manager. "It wasn't like we were trying to run up against the deadline."

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An 18-year-old student in Louisiana is facing a felony charge and up to 10 years in prison for an alleged TikTok challenge, resulting in the assault of a disabled teacher.St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Warren Montgomery announced Tuesday that Larrianna Jackson, of Covington, Louisiana, was charged with felony second-degree battery and cruelty to the infirmed. Jackson was arrested on Oct. 6 by the Covington Police Department for felony battery of a school teacher. Police said she assaulted a 64-year-old teacher who is disabled after the dismissal bell rang.Due to injuries sustained by the attack, the teacher had to seek medical attention at an area hospital, according to police.Officers on the scene were provided a video that captured the entire incident.In the video, police say you can see the schoolteacher sitting at her desk where she appears to be talking to Larrianna Jackson.After a moment, police say Jackson punches the teacher, causing the teacher to fall to the ground. As the teacher fell to the ground, Jackson continues to violently closed-fist punch the teacher. The video then turns off at this point.Officers said they learned that the attack may have been prompted by a viral social media application known as TikTok.Evidently, users on the app have deemed it to be a challenge to damage school property and attack teachers, according to police."The Covington Police Department would like to remind everyone that anyone who participates in such a challenge will be booked accordingly. In this post we also attached the video that has been circulating around the internet. This matter is still under investigation and more arrests are forthcoming," a statement issued by Covington Police said.TikTok released the a statement regarding the challenge circulating on its app."The rumored 'slap a teacher' dare is an insult to educators everywhere. And while this is not a trend on TikTok, if at any point it shows up, content will be removed," according to a statement posted on Twitter. Jackson faces up to 10 years and will be arraigned by 22nd Judicial District Court Judge Richard A. Swartz on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m., according to Montgomery.

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Destructive TikTok challenges are causing trouble in school districts across Greater Cincinnati.We first told you about them last week.Now, in Harrison, the Southwest Local School District said restrooms have been vandalized and students have been caught.A spokeswoman for Cincinnati Public Schools said the TikTok troubles haven't been raised to their attention at this point, but on social media, people have said it is happening within the schools as well.It is a bad trend in many districts, according to school leaders."Just a general disruption to the school setting as a result of the influence of the videos that they're viewing online," Lockland City Schools Superintendent Bob Longworth said.Schools report water fountains damaged, soap dispensers trashed and stuff stolen.In Boone County, eight students have been cited, and it is happening elsewhere, all for the sake of likes, comments, follows and shares."Basically young people all over our region and state and country are being influenced to make really poor choices, resulting in the destruction of property," Longworth said.Longworth said the "Devious Licks" TikTok challenge is an alarming trend.In Middletown, there are more police officers in the schools because of the viral vandalism."So many children right now are starting to get frustrated with this challenge in school, and they want their classmates to stop because they enjoy coming to school every day, focusing in the classroom and being able to learn," Middletown City Schools Superintendent Marlon Styles, Jr. said.The Southwest Local School District said Harrison High School restrooms have been vandalized; students have been caught in three different incidents and two more are under investigation.They warn that students could face charges and families could get repair bills.Mason City Schools Superintendent Jonathan Cooper said a small group is responsible in his district."We have great custodians and maintenance staff that, they work hard, and so to have to come back around and continue to fix those things can be a bit frustrating," he said.They all said it is time parents talk with their kids to buck this trend."It should be a challenge for all of us as parents to lean in and look at what's going on on social media with our kids," Cooper said.In Boone County, sheriff's officials said eight students face charges including theft and criminal mischief.Juvenile courts in Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties said no children have been charged in these kind of incidents at this time.TikTok has confirmed it has banned all content around this trend.

Democrats on Friday seized on new voting restrictions in Georgia to focus attention on the fight to overhaul federal election laws, setting up a slow-building standoff that carries echoes of the civil rights battles of a half-century ago.In fiery speeches, pointed statements and tweets, party leaders decried the law signed Thursday by the state's Republican governor as specifically aimed at suppressing Black and Latino votes and a threat to democracy. President Joe Biden released an extended statement, calling the law an attack on "good conscience" that denies the right to vote for "countless" Americans."This is Jim Crow in the 21st Century," Biden said, referring to laws of the last century that enforced heavy-handed racial segregation in the South."It must end. We have a moral and Constitutional obligation to act," he said. He told reporters the Georgia law is an "atrocity" and the Justice Department is looking into it.Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, lashed back, accusing Biden of attempting to "destroy the sanctity and security of the ballot box" by supporting what the governor sees as federal intrusion into state responsibilities.Behind the chorus of outrage, Democrats are also wrestling with the limits on their power in Washington, as long as Senate filibuster rules allow Republicans to block major legislation, including H.R. 1, a sweeping elections bill now pending in the Senate.Biden and his party are seeking to build and sustain momentum in the realm of public opinion — hoping to nationalize what has so far been a Republican-led state-by-state movement to curb access to the ballot — while they begin a slow, plodding legislative process. Allies meanwhile plan to fight the Georgia law, and others, in court."What's happening in Georgia right now, underscores the importance and the urgency," said Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., in an interview Friday."This is about what is fundamental to our identity as an American people — one person, one vote."The emerging brawl over the politics and policy of voting access is swelling like nothing seen in recent years, harkening back to what many Americans may assume are well-settled rules ensuring equal access to the ballot.But as Republican-controlled state legislatures from Georgia to Iowa to Arizona are taking dramatic action to limit early voting and force new voter ID requirements, the debate in Washington threatens to exacerbate the nation's cavernous political divides in the early days of the Biden presidency, just as the Democratic president vows to unite the country.It is expected to be a months-long slog in the narrowly divided Congress, specifically the Senate, where Democrats are, for now, unwilling to muscle their slim majority to change filibuster rules, despite the party's urgent calls for action.Instead, the Democrats are prepared to legislate the old-fashioned way, unspooling arguments in lengthy Senate debates, spilling out of the committee hearing rooms and onto the Senate floor, and forcing opponents to go on the record as standing in the way — much as South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond was positioned when he filibustered the Civil Rights Act of the last century."They're literally squeezing the arteries of the lifeblood of America," Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., the son of civil rights activists, said in an interview. "They are choking what makes us distinct and unique on the planet Earth."Booker would not, however, openly call for the end of the filibuster, a parliamentary tool requiring at least 60 votes to advance Senate legislation in some cases.On Friday, the president revived his call on Congress to enact H.R. 1, an elections overhaul that would confront the Republican restrictions. He called as well for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore some aspects of a landmark law struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013.But Biden, like a shrinking number of other powerful Democrats, remains unwilling to embrace the so-called "nuclear option" — ending the filibuster — for fear it would further divide the country.Meantime, the political fight was intensifying in Georgia, where years of voter registration drives in Black communities and steady population changes helped Biden win the once solidly red state.Just as Kemp and several white state lawmakers celebrated the signing of the state's new voting law on Thursday, state police officers handcuffed and forcibly removed state Rep. Park Cannon, a Black woman, after she knocked on the door of the governor's private office.Cannon was charged with obstruction of law enforcement and disruption of the General Assembly, both felonies. She was released from jail late Thursday. Donald Trump, the former president who promoted false claims of election fraud, congratulated the Georgia governor and state leaders on the new law.As Congress hunkers down for the fight, a groundswell of outside efforts is spending millions to try to influence the debate and apply political pressure on voters, corporations and lawmakers in both parties.A $30 million advertising campaign is coming from the liberal group End Citizens United, working with former Attorney General Eric Holder's anti-gerrymandering group, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, trying to persuade Democratic and Republican senators considered to be swing votes.Other efforts are also underway, including from former first lady Michelle Obama, via the nonpartisan celebrity "When We All Vote" organization.Civil rights leader Al Sharpton said Friday that he's working with religious leaders in West Virginia and Arizona to press the home-state Democratic senators. He's well aware that this fight may go on for a while."I'm prepared to go on this fight for however long it takes," he said. "Look at how long it took us to get the right to vote."Sharpton also suggested that Black voters have been energized by the debate, which could lead to a surge in participation in next year's midterm elections despite the new voting requirements enacted by Republicans."By them being so blatant, I think that they play into our national strategy," Sharpton said. "We just need the Democrats in the Senate to stand up."The Georgia law requires a photo ID in order to vote absentee by mail, cuts the time people have to request an absentee ballot and limits where ballot drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed. The bill was a watered-down version of some of the proposals considered by the GOP-led General Assembly.H.R. 1 is vast, and its Senate counterpart would confront the new Georgia law by expanding voting by mail and early voting, both popular during the pandemic. It would more broadly open ballot access by creating automatic voter registration nationwide, allowing former felons to vote and limiting the way states can remove registered voters from the rolls. It also addresses campaign financing and ethics laws.Still, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison warned his party would take Republicans to court "and fight about it there." A lawsuit filed late Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta by three groups — New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter Fund and Rise — challenged key provisions of the new Georgia law and said they violated the Voting Rights Act.But Harrison also acknowledged that the filibuster was an "an obstacle" for the national Democrats' efforts to overturn the Republican-backed changes."I am delivering the message to everybody, particularly on my side of the aisle, that folks right now are very, very upset about where things are going," Harrison told The AP.The chairman continued, "I'm going to do everything in my power, with every breath in my body, with every drop of blood that flows through my veins, to make sure that we fight back from this.""We're not going back to Jim Crow 2.0," he said. "So we've got to do whatever we need to do to make sure that doesn't happen."___Peoples reported from New York. Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow, Josh Boak and Aamer Madhani contributed.

On the road toward a return to normalcy, the rapidly climbing number of COVID-19 vaccinations is good news. But a major challenge may lie ahead, a leading health expert says.Tens of millions of Americans haven't started their vaccinations yet, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins told CNN on Wednesday, and "a lot of those folks are still not sure that they want to take part in this amazing opportunity to put this virus behind us.""We have to really figure out how to get the messages out there so that those who are still undecided get the information they need to see why this is really something they would want to do."A report published this week warned the country will likely reach a "tipping point" in the next two to four weeks and vaccine supply could outstrip demand. Parts of the country have already begun to see that pattern. And younger Americans, many of whom recently became eligible for a shot, are less likely than older residents to claim they have or will get vaccinated, a recent poll found.But experts say the U.S. needs much higher levels of vaccination to control the virus."If we're going to get past this terrible pandemic, it's going to take most of us being immunized. Otherwise, the virus can just keep going on and on," Collins said.So far, roughly 40.5% of the U.S. population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and about 26.4% is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.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And efforts — federal, state and local — are ongoing to push up those vaccination numbers."I think our effort shifts, and it shifts to younger people who just don't think about Covid quite as much," Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response, told CNN.In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced a new "all-hands-on-deck" effort to ensure every resident who wants a shot can get one as quickly as possible, including seniors and college students."We truly are close to that light at the end of the tunnel. Those of you who have not yet been vaccinated, please go get a vaccine as quickly as you can. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for your friends, and do it so that all of us can put this global pandemic behind us," Hogan said in a statement.Hundreds of Americans die every dayWhile many government leaders are highlighting the proximity to ending the pandemic, COVID-19 numbers in the U.S. are still high.In the past week, a daily average of more than 62,900 COVID-19 infections was reported, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.More than 43,000 Americans are hospitalized with the virus, according to the Department of Health & Human Services.And hundreds of Americans continue to lose their lives every day. In the past week alone, the U.S. reported more than 4,900 COVID-19 deaths.In Washington state, COVID-19 cases are increasing in most counties and hospitalizations are up, with a sharp increase in the number of young adults who are hospitalized, said Dr. Umair Shah, the state's secretary of health.And most counties have also detected variants, Shah said."Good news (is) that two-thirds of people 65+ are fully vaccinated and more than half of people 50+ have had one #COVID19 #Vaccine dose," Shah said on Twitter. "Bad news is that as close as we are to turning the corner, we are beginning to see a 4th wave and need people to hang on a bit longer."Variants also helped fuel a violent surge in Michigan and officials say that the faster the country gets more shots into arms, the more we lower the chances of dangerous strains fueling further spikes.A new study highlights the importance of vaccinationsFor those who have been fully vaccinated, the risk of still getting COVID-19 — described as "breakthrough infections" — remains extremely low, a new study suggests.Among 417 employees at Rockefeller University who were fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, only two of them had breakthrough infections later, according to the study.The researchers found that variants with several differences from the original virus caused those breakthrough infections."We have characterized bona fide examples of vaccine breakthrough manifesting as clinical symptoms," they wrote."These observations in no way undermine the importance of the urgent efforts being taken at the federal and state levels to vaccinate the U.S. population. They also lend support to efforts to advance a new vaccine booster (as well as a pan-coronavirus vaccine) to provide increased protection against variants." Another study that looked at infections in nursing homes in Chicago found that most fully vaccinated residents were not infected with the virus even after someone in the same facility tested positive.Among the nearly 8,000 residents and nearly 7,000 staff that received two doses since December, there were only 22 breakthrough infections among the fully vaccinated, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published on Wednesday.Of those breakthrough cases, two-thirds were asymptomatic. Two residents were hospitalized and one of those residents died, the CDC said. The person who died had three underlying conditions, the agency added.

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