VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

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

People cross a street in the city centre following further easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney, Australia on Dec 10, 2020. (File photo: Reuters/Loren Elliott) - 

SYDNEY: Australia on Monday (Dec 11) said it would tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers that could halve its migrant intake over the next two years as the government looks to overhaul what it said was a "broken" migration system.

The decision comes after net immigration was expected to have peaked at a record 510,000 in 2022 to 2023. Official data showed it was forecast to fall to about a quarter of a million in 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026, roughly in line with pre-COVID levels.

"We've worked around the clock to strike the best balance in Australia's migration system," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement ahead of the formal release of the government's new migration strategy later on Monday.

"The government's targeted reforms are already putting downward pressure on net overseas migration, and will further contribute to this expected decline," O'Neil said.

O'Neil said the increase in net overseas migration from 2022 to 2023 was mostly driven by international students.

Australia boosted its annual migration numbers last year to help key businesses recruit staff to fill shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic brought tighter border controls, and kept foreign students and workers out of the country for nearly two years.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over the weekend said Australia's migration numbers needed to be wound back to a "sustainable level", adding that "the system is broken".

Long reliant on immigration to supply what is now one of the tightest labour markets in the world, Australia's Labor government has pushed to speed up the entry of highly skilled workers and smooth their path to permanent residency.

Under the new policies, international students would need higher ratings on English tests. It will also end settings that allow students to prolong their stay in Australia.

A new specialist visa for highly skilled workers will be set up with the processing time cut to one week, helping businesses recruit top migrants amid tough competition with other developed economies//CNA-VOI