Two years after school phone bans were implemented in Australia, what has changed?

Phone bans are now well-established in many Australian primary and secondary schools. Have they made a difference?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Australian Christian College, a high school in the Melbourne outer suburb of Casey, implemented a phone ban on its campus, there were multiple reasons for the crackdown. Peer conflicts between students were escalating online, students were struggling to focus and teachers observed “notification-driven code-switching” in their students.“When a phone is within reach, a student’s mind is only ever half in the room,” the school’s principal, Caleb Peterson, says. “We wanted their whole attention back

Georgia’s story: how a domestic abuse victim’s suicide was ruled an unlawful killing by her partner

On 26 April 2020 Georgia Barter, a long-term victim of domestic abuse, died in hospital after taking a fatal overdose of painkillers. Last week, in an extraordinary verdict, a coroner ruled that Georgia, 32, was unlawfully killed by her abusive partner.A court heard how GPs, nurses and police officers all had chances to intervene in Thomas Bignell’s violent campaign against Georgia, but failed to do so.At the conclusion of the hearing, there were gasps in the courtroom. It is believed to be only the second time in English legal history that a coroner has reached such a conclusion in the case of a suicide following domestic abuse, and the first time without a jury

Revealed: Labour-run council using legal loophole to serve families with no-fault evictions

A Labour-run council is using a legal loophole to issue dozens of families with no-fault evictions, despite Keir Starmer’s manifesto pledge to outlaw the practice.Scrapping no-fault evictions “immediately” was one of Labour’s main manifesto pledges before its 2024 election win, but more than a year on, the party’s flagship renters’ rights bill has not been made law.Local authorities cannot normally carry out no-fault evictions – known officially as section 21 evictions – as they apply to tenancies issued by private landlords.However, Lambeth council in south London has been able to start eviction proceedings against 63 households because it created an arm’s-length body to manage some of its housing stock.Five families have already been issued with possession orders via the courts and two of those have had their homes repossessed by bailiffs

Gen Z women in the US: do you identify as liberal?

Gen Z women are the most politically left-leaning group in the US, according to a poll which suggests that women 28 and younger skew substantially more left than the national average on issues such as abortion and gender-affirming care.The 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll found that 17% of gen Z women identify as Republicans, compared with 30% of gen Z men.We would like to hear from younger women in the US about their thoughts on this survey – and whether they identify as “liberal” or not.You can share your thoughts on the poll using this form.Please include as much detail as possible

High street slot machine shops pay staff bonuses linked to how much gamblers lose

High street slot machine shops are paying their staff bonuses linked to how much gamblers lose, the Guardian has learned, prompting condemnation of the “appalling” reward scheme from MPs and campaigners.A network of 1,451 “adult gaming centres” (AGCs), most of which are open 24 hours a day, has spread through the UK in recent years, concentrated in the most economically deprived areas.Amid booming revenues, the German-owned Merkur posted a £15m profit for 2024, while Admiral Slots paid its Austrian owner a £10m dividend last year, according to accounts posted at Companies House this week.It can now be revealed that the growth of at least one of the sector’s leading players has been partly fuelled by incentive schemes that unlock bonuses in return for hitting key targets. At Merkur, these targets include revenues from punters’ losses on highly addictive slot machines

Millions of over-50s have undiagnosed sight and hearing problems, UK study suggests

Millions of people aged 50 or over in the UK have undiagnosed sight or hearing problems, according to research, prompting calls for that age group to have checkups more regularly.Doctors involved in the research said the findings were “deeply concerning” and warned that those affected were at risk of falls, mental ill-health and of leading socially restricted lives.One in four people aged 50 and over – 6.7 million people – cannot see clearly out of one or both eyes, according to a pilot stage of the UK national eye health and hearing study.And three in four older Britons – 20