Japanese town introduces 2 hour smartphone limit, lowest risk of UK blackout for years

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While excessive smartphone use is a worldwide phenomenon, authorities in Japan are taking action, amid growing concern over its physical and psychological toll, particularly on children and young people. Last week, the town of Toyoake in central Japan introduced a measure limiting smartphone use among its 69,000 residents to two hours a day, in what officials say was an attempt to tackle evidence of online addiction and sleep deprivation. The ordinance – passed by the town assembly last month – does not carry penalties for those who ignore it. Guardian

A key Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) supplier has reopened its factory, but says it lost about £13m in revenue during the car maker’s six-week shutdown. Evtec Group, based in Coventry, furloughed 900 workers on 80% pay after JLR halted production in late August due to a cyber-attack. The company has now restarted some operations, with 60 staff back at work, but says it will be at least another four to six weeks until it is running at full capacity. BBC 

Amazon recently announced a new facial recognition feature for Ring doorbells and cameras called “Familiar Faces.” The feature isn’t even out yet, but it’s already raising eyebrows because of how popular Ring security cameras have become over the years. Familiar Faces lets you tag people you know using facial recognition. So the next time your neighbor, a friend, or the mail carrier walks by your door, you’ll get personalized notifications and can quickly find footage of them in the Ring app. Android Authority 
TAG Heuer has been making some of the best smartwatches for almost a decade now, but the new Connected Calibre E5 feels like the moment it’s finally found its own rhythm. I briefly tried both versions at a TAG Heuer event in London, the larger 45mm model and the new 40mm version, and within minutes, it was clear: this isn’t just another Wear OS smartwatch in a luxury suit. It’s TAG Heuer taking full control of its destiny. And that’s because, for the first time, the Connected has dropped Google’s Wear OS in favour of the brand’s own software – TAG Heuer OS. Stuff 

Britain is at the lowest risk of a winter power blackout than at any point in the last six years, the national electricity grid operator has said. Not since the pre-pandemic winter of 2019-2020 has the risk been so low, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) said. It’s thanks to increased battery capacity to store and deploy excess power from windfarms, and a new subsea electricity cable to Ireland that came on stream in April. Sky News 

Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested by police investigating a cyber-attack on a chain of nurseries in London. The Metropolitan Police say the pair were arrested at residential addresses in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail. Hackers were said to have stolen the photographs, names and addresses of about 8,000 children from the Kido chain.  The force said it received a referral from the Action Fraud cyber crime reporting service on 25 September detailing a ransomware attack. BBC 

Classic BBC shows are set to appear on Channel 4’s streaming platform following a landmark deal between the two broadcasters. Hundreds of titles from UKTV, which is owned by the BBC’s commercial arm, will be available on Channel 4’s streaming service from next year, including hits such as The Office, Red Dwarf and QI. UKTV’s output also includes original series such as Outrageous, a historical drama about the Mitford sisters and the Jersey-based crime drama Bergerac. Telegraph 

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