☕️ Indonesia denies Russia reports

For those of you who are more organised than the rest of us, this will be your last day of work before a 10-day break, using just three days of annual leave. For those confused, it’s because we have three public holidays coming up in quick succession, starting with Good Friday tomorrow.

For the rest of us, maybe time to put in our leave request for next year so we don’t miss out.

“I’m giving up… I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting … [There are] a lot of things I want to do with my life”.
Oscar-winning Australian actor Cate Blanchett speaking to Radio Times about her career plans.

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The number of cases of measles that have been recorded in the U.S. state of Texas so far this year, according to the local health department. Two unvaccinated primary school children have died of the disease in this latest outbreak.

2011
The Game of Thrones premiered on HBO in the U.S. The show ran for eight seasons before finishing in May 2019.

Indonesia has told Australia it won’t allow Russia to use a military base in its province of Papua.

A report from an independent military intelligence company earlier this week claimed Russia wanted to set up an aircraft base around 1,380km north-east of Darwin.

It sparked a national security debate in the middle of the federal election campaign.

Here’s what you need to know.

On Monday, military intelligence company Janes posted an article claiming Russian authorities had asked Indonesia about the use of a military air base in the province of Papua.

The Manuhua Air Force Base is currently home to Indonesian surveillance aircraft and links up to an international airport runway.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has forged closer ties with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin recently, meeting him at the Kremlin in July and conducting joint military drills with Russia in November.

When asked about the reports on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said senior officials were seeking “further clarification” with Indonesia.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told the ABC that afternoon he wanted Labor to explain “exactly what’s taken place”.

He cited unconfirmed reports of conversations taking place between Indonesia and Russia, and claimed there had been a statement from the “Prabowo administration”.

Defence Minister Richard Marles spoke with his counterpart in Indonesia on Tuesday, telling the ABC the report was “incorrect”.

Indonesian officials have since confirmed Russia would not be allowed to set up a military base in Papua. However, Marles did not confirm whether Russia made a request to Indonesia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not acknowledge the reports directly, telling reporters: “There are a lot of different pieces of fake news around”.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

The entire board of Victoria’s Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) has been sacked, after questions for the 2024 VCE exam were leaked.

A Government-commissioned review into the leak has this week handed down the first tranche of findings into how the incident occurred. It found a “lack of appropriate Board-level oversight” was a key factor.

The State Government says the review will “safeguard” this year’s exams and restore “confidence” among “students, families, and schools.”

Ahead of VCE exams, the VCAA publishes sample questions and study guides to help school leavers prepare.

It also publishes “cover pages” for the final exams, which include details like the allocated reading time and sections of the paper.

Last year, questions for some exams were found to be hidden within digital cover pages. Students were able to find these questions by selecting the text on the cover pages and then copying and pasting that text elsewhere.

According to the review of the VCAA, students accessed the material around 6,000 times.

The leak affected 65 of the 116 VCE exams, including legal studies, Australian politics, and business management.

The VCAA was made aware of the hidden questions in mid-October and removed the impacted cover sheets from its website.

Overall, the review found the VCAA had “poor management capabilities”, poor risk management processes, and a lack of oversight of the exam development process from the board.

It handed down eight “specific and implementable” recommendations ahead of this year’s exams. These included scrapping sample pages and appointing a senior executive director to oversee the entire exam process.

The second report will cover staffing and resourcing, internal culture, and structure.

Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll supported the dismissal of the VCAA board, saying last year’s exam failures were “not good enough and let down tens of thousands of students”.

An interim board and an independent monitor have been appointed to oversee this year’s exams.

Shadow Education Minister Jess Wilson said last year’s “debacle... catastrophically failed” students, and accused the government of failing to implement adequate safeguards.

Last year was the third in a row where VCE exams had issues.

In 2022, Monash University maths professors flagged “major errors” in the high-level maths exams.

In 2023, a review was launched after the VCE maths exams included a wrongly labelled graph, and multiple questions on topics not covered in the course.

Shortly after last year’s mistakes became public, then-VCAA CEO Kylie White resigned.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Alright, who’s heading overseas this year?

For those that raised their hands, we know there’s nothing quite like the feeling of experiencing new cities, embracing new cuisines, and the satisfaction of mastering a new phrase or two.

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🍊 JD Vance’s college football fumble.
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🍊 The Lachlan Galvin saga, explained.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: rugby, soccer, and more…

The climbing pair from Switzerland and Austria completed the north faces of a trio of mountains 10 hours faster than the previous record, which was set more than 20 years ago. The feat took Nicolas Hojac and Philipp Brugger a total of 15 hours and 30 minutes in icy conditions. Hojac described the experience as "completely surreal." The trio of peaks conquered by the pair are considered some of the most challenging climbs in the Swiss Alps.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Chinese authorities issued an unusual warning earlier this week: stay inside if you weigh less than 50kg.

According to the BBC, the warning came amid high winds in northern China and the capital city, Beijing.

State media said some residents were at risk of being "easily blown away" by the strong gusts.

The conditions also saw flights cancelled, train services called off, and parks closed.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

Harvard University is facing a major financial blow after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding this week. The prestigious institution has refused to comply with a series of government demands relating to antisemitism and diversity policies. Today, we're unpacking what's happened in this unprecedented standoff between one of America's most elite universities and the White House.