| | 18/09/2024 Hezbollah targeted by pager explosions, the ‘rent-tech’ burden, and night of the supermoon |
|
|
 | | | | | Dear reader, you can now get Weekly Beast, Amanda Meade's diary of the week in Australian media, as a newsletter. You can learn more here, or sign up in a single click here.
Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties.
|
|
|
| | |
|
| Martin Farrer |  |
| | | Morning everyone. Hezbollah is pointing the finger at Israel after at least 11 people were killed and thousands were injured when pagers used by the group exploded simultaneously across Lebanon. Our investigation into the property market continues as we report on the Australians who are charged to pay their rent thanks to the rise of “rent tech”, and Scotland has agreed to stage the Commonwealth Games that Victoria cancelled. |
|
|
| Australia | | Moon shot | A supermoon will be visible in Australian skies tonight with astronomers passing on the useful advice to “remember to look up”. | ‘Pro-business and pro-worker’ | Anthony Albanese has accused the Greens of “gesture-based climate amendments” to Labor’s environment legislation in a speech defending his government’s reform record and its relationship with big business. A double dissolution could create a Hunger Games contest, our political editor warns. What is a double dissolution, and how could it happen? | Teen control | Meta is putting Instagram users under the age of 18 into new “teen accounts” to allow parents greater control over their activities, including the ability to block children from viewing the app at night. | Union probe | The construction wing of the CFMEU is facing investigations into alleged corruption and criminal links in its Queensland, New South Wales and South Australian branches and a further inquiry in Victoria backed by new coercive powers, after its interim administrator accepted the findings of an initial investigation in full. | Poll play | The NSW Libertarian movement is taking political plays from arch rivals in a bid to become to the Liberals what the Greens are to Labor, after unexpected success at the state’s council elections. |
|
|
|
| Advertisement |  |
|
| Full Story | | Who cared? The disappearance of Amber Haigh, part 8 Robert and Anne Geeves were cleared this week of murdering 19-year-old Amber Haigh more than 20 years ago. Ben Doherty talks to Bridie Jabour about the two “indispensable facts” the judge says the prosecution failed to prove. | |
|
|
| In-depth | | The rent-tech industry is booming. There are apps to apply for a home, apps to pay rent, apps to make maintenance requests. But for some renters, this technology is making renting even more of a burden as the latest part of our investigation into the property market shows. Some of these apps impose service fees on rental payments, and in many cases they’re now written into rental contracts. Some renters, such as Guy Moore (pictured), are pushing back – but others fear that doing so will see them blacklised as bad tenants. |
|
|
| Not the news | | Paul Daley has a dream and that is to see Sydney’s growing number of tree vandals go to jail. The harbour city is suffering an increasing plague where people are chopping down trees to improve the view from their properties, knowing there’ll be little sanction. He calls it “perhaps the ultimate in ‘FU society’ acts of wealthy entitlement” and hopes that one day councils can “bring on the criminal convictions and the truly punishing fines”. |
|
|
| What’s happening today | Melbourne | Employment tribunal involving a psychologist who moved a young patient into his home and began an abusive relationship with her. | Canberra | Employment minister Murray Watt addresses the National Press Club. | New South Wales | A state government report on urgent modern slavery risks for temporary migrant workers. |
|
|
|
| Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. | |
|
|
| | | … there is a good reason why not to support the Guardian | | Not everyone can afford to pay for news right now. That is why we keep our journalism open for everyone to read. If this is you, please continue to read for free.
But if you are able to, then there are three good reasons to support us today. | | 1 | Our quality, investigative journalism is a powerful force for scrutiny at a time when the rich and powerful are getting away with more and more |
| | 2 | We are independent and have no billionaire owner telling us what to report, so your money directly powers our reporting |
| | 3 | It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message |
| | Help power the Guardian’s journalism in this crucial year of news, whether with a small sum or a larger one. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis . It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you're making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you. | | |
|
|
| | |
|
|
|
