Editor's note

There’s little doubt new technologies made overseas travel easier – think offline maps, translation apps, ticket bookings and electronic banking. But have they made travelling abroad safer? Not necessarily, writes Anastasia Powell in the latest instalment of our series exploring how technology is changing tourism. We also looked at what to do if a customs agent demands you handover the password to your digital device, and how to ensure you’re don’t pay more for your airfare than the person sitting next to you.

Boys have consistently performed worse than girls on national and international reading tests. We need to get them reading more, but how? Margaret Merga writes that first, we need to stop assuming boys don’t like to read fiction (there’s no evidence to support this) and allow and encourage them to explore their own interests in the the books they enjoy reading most.

Shelley Hepworth

Section Editor: Technology

Top story

Generally speaking the risks of sexual assault or homicide from an unknown male perpetrator in a public place are low.

Mobile apps might make you feel better about travelling alone, but they won’t necessarily make you safer

Anastasia Powell, RMIT University

The additional precautions many women take when travelling alone help us manage our fears and feel more empowered to enter into public spaces.

Boys typically read less frequently and perform worse on national and international reading assessments than girls. www.shutterstock.com

Six things you can do to get boys reading more

Margaret Kristin Merga, Curtin University

Girls are encouraged more often to read, despite performing better in reading assessments nationally and internationally. Here's how parents and educators can help connect boys with books.

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  • Australia moves to El Niño alert and the drought is likely to continue

    Skie Tobin, Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Catherine Ganter, Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Robyn Duell, Australian Bureau of Meteorology

    After the warmest month on record, it looks like Australia will have an El Niño event – which means the drought is likely to continue.

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