Ben Lomond is at a critical crossroads – either investment will secure its future or watch it disappear as a ski field forever. The Northern Tasmanian Alpine Club has more than 180 members and has had a presence on the ski field for 90 years. But president Jamie Lawrence believes now is the right time to start thinking seriously about future scoping plans for the alpine peak. RELATED: Mountain of opportunity on Ben Lomond “Ben Lomond is such a pretty place, but the fact of the matter is that it’s grossly under-funded,” Mr Lawrence said. Tasmania’s only ski-field is only an hour from Launceston, but faces significant challenges, due to its reliance on natural snowfall...
Read More Monthly Archives آگوست 2020
‘Invest in the mountain or lose it forever’
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: اگزمینر
4. Partisans remain sharply divided in many views toward the news media; stark differences between Trump’s strongest supporters, critics
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: روزنامه نگار
A major takeaway of the first phase of this yearlong study was that partisan dynamics are the strongest factor in Americans’ trust in the news media and other related concepts. The findings here reinforce that conclusion: Republicans, and especially strong Trump supporters, consistently express more negative sentiments about the news media.
There are a few places, though, where there is somewhat more agreement, including opinions about whether the news media should be approached with skepticism, perceptions of whether confidence in the institution can increase, and important factors that draw people to their key sources of news.
Republicans are more negative than Democrats in views of the news media’s role in society
Across a range of attitudes toward the news media, Republicans and t...
Read MoreCoronavirus update: Beijing imposes draconian measures in Xinjiang as Auckland’s lockdown lifts
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: کارما
China has been accused of doubling-down on the repression of its ethnic minority Uyghur population amid the coronavirus pandemic, the allegations include coercing Uyghurs to take Chinese traditional medicine.
Meanwhile, Auckland’s coronavirus lockdown has lifted as Russia announced it would forcibly vaccinate ‘high risk’ groups.
This story will be regularly updated throughout Tuesday.
Tuesday’s key moments:
Xinjiang experiences draconian COVID-19 response

The government in China’s Xinjiang region is imposing draconian measures to combat coronavirus, including physically locking people in homes and arresting those who do not ...
Read MoreConcern for hard-up landlords
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: اگزمینر
5. Black Americans see representation as key in determining how they stay informed
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: روزنامه نگار
People in different subgroups within the U.S. population often have different views of, relationships with and priorities for the news media. Partisanship is among the strongest divides, with Republicans expressing much more negativity toward the media than Democrats (see Chapter 4). But striking divisions also emerge between other groups in the country, including racial and ethnic groups, age groups, and people who rely on different pathways for political news – particularly when that pathway is social media.
Black, Hispanic and White Americans often have different perspectives as they navigate the information environment to get news they trust. Black adults have clear priorities, which are different from those of White adults, in what they look for in their news sources.
Americans we...
Read More‘Not all Australians are the good guys’: Spy boss defends surveillance of citizens
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: کارما
The head of Australia’s top foreign cyber-intelligence agency says spying on some Australians is essential because authorities are in a “near-impossible game” to defeat terrorism and espionage.
Key points:
- Australian Signals Directorate head Rachel Noble says some Australians need to be spied on
- In a rare speech, she will argue Australia is in a “near impossible game” when it comes to protecting its interests
- Ms Noble says some secrecy is essential to protecting the ASD’s mission
Rachel Noble — who last year became the first woman to lead the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) — is set to lay out the organisation’s history in unprecedented detail, while warning Australia’s strategic circumstances are the most threatening in decades.
ASD was established as the Defence Signals Bur...
Read MoreBridgenorth safety response given days before fatal crash
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: اگزمینر
Quarantine guests say hotel rooms weren’t cleaned, let alone deep cleaned
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: کارما
Complaints about cleanliness at the Travelodge quarantine hotels in Sydney are a symptom of wider issues within an unregulated cleaning industry, according to a cleaning insider.
Key points:
Darryl Soekoe runs a commercial cleaning company in Melbourne that since March has been cleaning sites with COVID-positive cases.
“You could say cleaners are the new shock troops of the COVID war because we are the ones that are taking the fight to COVID,” he told 7.30.
“But the cleaning industry is similar to other sorts of low-entry industries.
“There’s not much training out there. There’s not much guidance out there.
“In a way, it’s a race to the bottom.”
NSW Police removed The Travelodge from Sydney’s hotel quarantine program last week, following an increase in complaints from guests.
The hotel ...
Read MoreAmbos ‘facing burnout’ in NW
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: اگزمینر
Prominent Australian anchor for China’s government-run TV network detained in Beijing
آگوست 31, 2020 Category: کارما
A high-profile Australian television anchor for the Chinese Government’s English news channel, CGTN, has been detained in Beijing in a highly sensitive case posing a fresh challenge to Australia-China relations.
Key points:
- Friends became concerned when Cheng Lei did not reply to messages in recent weeks
- Ms Cheng has not been charged but is being held under what is called “residential surveillance at a designated location”
- Ms Cheng’s two young children are with family members in Melbourne and the family has issued a statement
A statement from Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed Cheng Lei was being held by authorities in the Chinese capital and Australian diplomats were permitted to speak to her last week via video conference.
“The Australian Government has been informed that an ...
Read More