VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel pose for a picture during a European Union (EU) summi in Kyiv, Ukraine on Feb 3, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout) - 

BRUSSELS: European Union leaders unexpectedly agreed on Thursday (Dec 14) to open membership talks with Ukraine, something Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for weeks had vowed to block.

EU diplomats and officials said Orban agreed to leave the room, knowing the other leaders would go ahead and vote on Ukraine.

Orban confirmed that he had abstained from the vote at the EU summit on what he called a "bad decision".

Such an unusual way to approve a decision - especially such a major one - is unheard of in Brussels, even for a place where diplomats have long been very creative about how to strike deals.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision.

"This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens," he said.

Ukraine badly needs support from its Western allies in its nearly two-year fight against Russia's invasion. Its counter-offensive has failed to make major gains and the Biden administration has so far been unable to get a US$60 billion aid package for Ukraine through the US Congress.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was "a strategic decision and a day that will remain engraved in the history of our Union".

Orban had very different words to describe the decision.

"Hungary's stance is clear, Ukraine is not prepared for us to start talks on EU membership," he said, calling the decision to start talks "irrational" and "inappropriate."

"But 26 member states were adamant that this decision must be made so Hungary decided that if 26 decide so, they should go on their own path and Hungary does not wish to participate in this bad decision," he said//CNA-VOI

Dwayne Johnson at the 95th Academy Awards on Mar 12, 2023. (Photos: Reuters/Eric Gaillard) - 

Voinews, Jakarta - Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson will play the MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the movie titled The Smashing Machine.

The 51-year-old actor has been cast as the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion in the new movie that is being directed by Benny Safdie – one half of the sibling duo that helmed the acclaimed picture Uncut Gems.

Safdie has written and directed the flick (which is his first solo project behind the camera) and has been working with The Rock on the film since 2019.

Kerr's rise through the fighting world and an addiction to painkillers that led to an overdose were detailed in the 2002 HBO documentary The Smashing Machine – a nickname he earned as a result of his fighting style.

The movie will also see Johnson return to his roots as he famously started his career as a professional wrestler and was a key figure in the success of WWE at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s.

A24 are financing the film and will produce alongside The Rock and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions company.

The company's Noah Sacco said: "Dwayne and Benny are singular talents, and their shared vision for Mark's inspiring story is electrifying. We are deeply honoured to have their trust as collaborators in bringing this incredibly special project to life."

Meanwhile, The Rock recently suggested that he was open to the idea of running for the US Presidency after a poll showed that he has plenty of support from the public.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Black Adam actor said: "It’s crazy, and it’s wild. This run for President talk has kind of been in the ether for the past couple of years. And it just never stops being surreal.

"It was incredible. It came from DC. We sat down. The poll was something like almost 50 per cent of Americans would support me running for President. It was just crazy."//CNA-VOI

Aerial view of Sudirman Business District in Jakarta, Indonesia October 25, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta/file photo - 

Indonesia's state budget showed a deficit of 35 trillion rupiah ($2.26 billion) for the period of January through to December 12, or 0.17 per cent of gross domestic product, its finance minister said on Friday.

The budget has turned to a deficit since October as spending catches up with revenues.

Total revenues for the period were 2,553.2 trillion rupiah, nearly reaching the full-year target. Total spending was at 2,588.2 trillion rupiah or around 17 per cent short of the full-year allocation, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a press conference.

The government has estimated the budget deficit this year would be below 2.3 per cent of GDP, down from 2.35 per cent in 2022//CNA-VOI

The 2023 Public Service Standards Compliance Predicate Awarding event - 

Voinews, Jakarta - The National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas) has again achieved the title of high quality opinion. The National Library is in the green zone with a score of 85.71, placing it in sixth place at the institutional level.

Acting Principal Secretary (Sestama) of National Library Ofy Sofiana directly received the award certificate at the 2023 Public Service Standards Compliance Predicate Awarding event held by the Indonesian Ombudsman Public Service Supervisory State Institution on Thursday (14/12/2023) at the Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta.

Acting Sestama welcomed the compliance award from the Ombudsman which signifies the National Library's commitment to maintaining the integrity and quality of services.

"We hope that this award will be a motivation to continue to improve the quality of public services and give confidence to the public regarding our commitment to carrying out our duties with full responsibility," he said.

The Ombudsman announced the results of the 2023 Public Service Delivery Compliance Assessment (Opinion on Supervision of Public Service Delivery) for 25 ministries, 14 institutions, 34 provincial governments, 98 city governments and 415 district governments.

Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman Mokhammad Najih said that there was a significant increase in the number of service providers entering the green zone or obtaining the highest and highest quality opinion, compared to the previous year.

Of the total 586 entities surveyed in 2023, 414 entities (70.70%) were in the green zone, 133 entities (22.66%) were in the yellow zone, and 39 entities (6.64%) were in the red.

This comparison shows a significant improvement from 2022, where only 272 entities (46.42%) were in the green zone, 250 entities (42.66%) were in the yellow zone, and 64 entities (10.92%) were in the red zone. .

"Of course, this increase cannot be separated from the commitment of the organizers to always improve the quality of public services, as well as the activeness of the central Ombudsman and representatives in providing assistance to service providers," he said.

Compliance assessment, he continued, is a form of supervision of the implementation of public services by the Indonesian Ombudsman, with the aim of encouraging the prevention of maladministration and improving the quality of public services.

Najih said there was something different about this year's assessment, because the results of the compliance assessment in 2023 were in synergy with the Ombudsman's monitoring products, such as the Final Monitoring Results Report, Analysis Result Report and Ombudsman Recommendations which have the force of law and must be implemented.

"This is an effort to prevent maladministration and improve public services," he continued.

The assessment, which was carried out from July to October 2023, includes various assessment dimensions. These include input, process, output and complaint dimensions.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Friday, the assessment indicators are taken based on the components of public service delivery as stated in Law Number 25 of 2009, Government Regulation Number 96 of 2012, and Presidential Regulation Number 76 of 2013 which are directly related to service providers.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Polhukam) Mahfud MD conveyed the importance of collaboration between government agencies to increase the success of public services.

He stated that this success cannot be achieved only by certain agencies, but requires cooperation between vertical, horizontal and diagonal units.

"In realizing quality public services, collaboration between agencies is the main key. We need to increase and expand collaboration, while eliminating sector egos," he said.

Coordinating Minister Mahfud said that public service is not only the task of certain agencies but is a shared responsibility.

"Socialization of the rights and obligations of public services to the community is very important. The public needs to gain an understanding of their rights, such as fast, cheap, affordable and quality services," he said.

Apart from that, he also explained that the assessment of compliance with public service standards carried out by the Ombudsman is a benchmark for service quality.

"This assessment is a government priority in the 2020-2024 RPJMN, emphasizing compliance as the main prerequisite for realizing quality public services," he added//VOI