Cheat sheet: Tuesday's news in 60 seconds.

Your speedy update on all the day’s stories, Tuesday, June 17 2014

1. Bleach throwers avoid jail.

Two women who threw bleach at a four-year-old girl have avoided jail time after appealing their initial six-month jail sentences.

Both women, who are now pregnant, say they did not know they hit the girl.

Sarah Louise Roan, 21 was driving when she began to throw a series of items out her window. Lauren Jackson, 22 was the one who threw the bottle of bleach.

Judge Norman Delaney quashed their sentences on Monday and placed Roan on a six-month good behaviour bond. Jackson was placed on a two-year bond for one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and a six-month bond for one count of assault.

2. Eating disorders aren’t just a “female” problem.

The Foundation estimates that over 333,000 men in Australia have a clinical eating disorder. Morgan told news.com.au, “There’s this myth that eating disorders are something that only affects teenage girls, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. The number of boys that are being hospitalised (because of an eating disorder) is frightening stuff.”

Stars like Singer Elton John, Comedian Russell Brand and the former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns have all stated they suffered from a clinical eating disorder.

Exacerbating the problem, men are less likely that women to seek help. “Guys are more likely to say, ‘I don’t really have a problem, I don’t really need help’,” said Morgan. “It’s perceived as a sign of weakness. They believe it’s simply a matter of willpower — but an eating disorder is not cured by willpower. It’s a very serious psychological disorder where the battle ground is in the brain.”

If you or someone you know is seeking help, contact the Butterfly Foundation National Support Line for eating disorders on 1800 33 4673

3. The Swedes look to ban homework.

One Swedish city is debating whether to have a total ban on homework after authorities suggest school children should learn everything they need in school hours.

The left-wing organisation Vänsterpartiet suggested the change in the city of Hallstahammar, but it is strongly opposed by Education Minister Jan Björklund of the Liberal People’s Party. “If this proposal is passed, I will take the initiative to change school laws so that cities will not be able to butt in and affect this kind of pedagogical decision,” Björklund said.

In support of the ban, Christina Aspenryd, who chairs Hallstahammar’s children and education board, said “we think it’s an interesting idea, and one that should be investigated further to see if it’s possible for Hallstahammar to become the first homework-free municipality in Sweden."

A 2012 British study demonstrated a link between homework and achieving better results in English, maths and science which challenged earlier research showing only a "relatively modest" link between homework and performance.

4. Woman faked pregnancies.

A woman has been jailed in the UK for conning potential parents pretending to be a surrogate and then saying she miscarried their baby.

The 28-year old woman took £15,000 from couples desperate for children. Louise Pollard, 28, agreed to carry babies for two couples and pretended to inseminate herself before telling them she was pregnant on three occasions.

The court heard that Pollard then pretended she had suffered a miscarriage – leaving them ‘heartbroken’. Bristol Crown Court heard Pollard’s deception was uncovered when a pregnancy confirmation letter she sent one of her victims was found to be a forgery.

Pollard later admitted three charges of fraud by false representation relating to the faked pregnancies in March 2012, May 2012 and November 2012.

She was jailed for three years.

5. Queensland bananas could save African children.

The bananas are currently in human-testing phase to see whether they have a difference on Vitamin A levels. The research received $10 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and 5 Ugandan PhD students and project leader Professor James Dale have been working on the project for 9 years.

Professor Dale said that vitamin A-enriched bananas will be grown by Ugandan farmers by 2020. 70% of the Ugandan population survive on bananas.

The World Health Organisation said that  Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, with the most severe being in Africa.

6. Cooking chicken: you're doing it wrong.

It turns out that 2/3 of us prepare our chicken incorrectly and are potentially spreading bacteria unknowingly.

Health experts say that washing a chicken before you cook it can spread a bacteria called Campylobacter, which is responsible for the majority of food poisoning cases. Four out of every five cases of campylobacter are caused by contaminated chicken.

The bacteria commonly causes abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, although experts say it can lead to more significant health problems.