When Indonesia temporarily blocked Grok AI, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI and embedded in Platform X, it did more than shut down a controversial digital service. It placed itself, willingly or not, at the center of a growing global experiment: how countries in the Global South govern powerful artificial intelligence systems built almost entirely in the Global North.

Indomaret Group, controlled by Salim Group, through PT Indoroti Makmur Bersama, has expanded its business line by opening Say Bread Bakery & Cafe’s first outlet in Cikajang, South Jakarta, following its first outlet in Tomang, West Jakarta two years ago.

Khofifah Indar Parawansa, East Java Governor has recently confirmed that the groundbreaking of Surabaya Regional Railway Line (SRRL) phase 1 double track project in Surabaya, the second largest city in the country, is scheduled for 2027. Khofifah conveyed this when receiving the German Ambassador to Indonesia, Ralf Beste, at the Grahadi State Building, Surabaya last week.

Rally of junk stocks listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) continues. Shares of MD Entertainment (FILM) ended 2025 at Rp14,500, thanks to 80% gain in the last two weeks of the year. At that price, FILM was worth Rp158 trillion or 46 times equity (Rp3.4 trillion). 

Shares of PT Metro Healthcare Indonesia Tbk (CARE) closed higher by 4.64% to Rp790 on Friday (Jan 9) to make a market capitalization of Rp26 trillion. The company, which operates five hospitals, is now bigger than Hermina (HEAL), a bigger chain with 52 hospitals under management. 

Composite index of Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) ended 2025 with 21% gain to 8,647. It needs another 15.6% gain to reach 10,000, which, of course, can easily be achieved. Last year, overpriced stocks with nearly one-third of the total market capitalization soared over 100%, while some even 1,000 percent or more. 

Indonesian government’s plan to cut nickel production in 2026 by 34% lifted price from US$14,056 in mid December to as high as US$18,875 per ton by January 6, 2026, but then the commodity retreated to US$17,100 on Thursday (Jan 8) as market participants started doubting magnitude of the production cut.

Rupiah was traded at Rp16,815 per US dollar this morning, lost more than 3% year-on-year. It is not the worst because India’s Rupee already lost 4.7%, while Vietnam’s Dong down 3.5%. Rupiah is now weaker than the government’s assumption when designed the 2026 State Budget (Rp16,500 per USD).

So, the State budget deficit in 2025 was 2.92% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), way above the target set in the 2025 budget law (2.53%) and the government’s mid-year prediction (2.78%). Any change that the deficit could surpass the legal ceiling 3% GDP this year?