Japanese city considers two-hour screen limit for kids

Toyoake, in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, is weighing a draft ordinance to restrict residents’ smartphone, tablet and computer use to two hours a day outside work and school. The non-binding proposal also suggests children stop using devices by 9 pm in elementary school and 10 pm in middle school or older.

Mayor Masafumi Koki said the plan carries no penalties and is intended to raise awareness of the health risks of excessive screen time. A national survey earlier this year found Japanese youth spend an average of five hours a day on devices during the week.

22-inch rat found in UK home

Pest control officers in North Yorkshire, UK, were stunned after removing a rat measuring more than 22 inches from nose to tail inside a home in Eston.

“It’s almost the size of a small cat,” councillors David Taylor and Stephen Martin wrote while sharing a photo of the rodent online. They warned the case highlights a growing rat problem in the area.

The councillors are now calling for a full vermin survey, more pest control funding and cooperation between authorities, specialists and property owners.

“The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. We need action — not just advice,” they said.

Peanut the turtle turns 41

The Missouri Department of Conservation marked the 41st birthday of Peanut, a red-eared slider turtle with a peanut-shaped shell, at the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Centre. The event featured card making, colouring, litter awareness activities and even turtle-style treats like worms and crickets.

Peanut became a symbol of anti-littering after getting trapped in a plastic six-pack ring as a hatchling, which deformed her shell. Conservation officials say her story still reminds people to dispose of litter responsibly.

World’s oldest person turns 116

Ethel Caterham, recognised as the world’s oldest living person, the oldest living woman and Britain’s oldest ever, celebrated her 116th birthday on August 21 in Surrey.

Guinness World Records and LongeviQuest certified her title in April after the death of Brazil’s Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was the same age.

Caterham, who outlived her two daughters, has three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren. Her sister Gladys lived to 104.

A care home spokesperson said she marked her birthday privately with family and would only make an exception for a visit from King Charles.

Her advice for long life: “Say yes to every opportunity, have a positive attitude and keep everything in moderation.”

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 6th, 2025