Indonesia Tsunami Kills at Least 437

The eruption of a volcano in Indonesia led to an underwater landslide that triggered a tsunami that affected several surrounding islands. The death toll currently stands at 437 and the number injured at 14,059.

Indonesia is no stranger to tsunamis. This past September, a tsunami triggered by an  earthquake left over 2,200 dead. In 2004, the tsunami which struck many countries after a massive earthquake killed well over 100,000 in Indonesia, the most of any country in the disaster area.

Microsoft Ends Year as Most Valuable Publicly Traded Company

Microsoft Corporation has ended the year as the most valuable publicly traded company for the first time since 2002. Its position at the top of the markets is a remarkable turnaround for the company which has spent the past years behind other major technology firms such as Apple (which it ironically helped to save in 1999 with a $150 million investment).

Microsoft’s resurgence is often attributed to the leadership of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who took over from Steve Ballmer. Nadella moved the focus on Microsoft to its cloud computing offerings, which allow companies to launch software on online servers to be accessible anywhere. It was a major break from Microsoft’s previous focus on its operating system Windows. Nadella’s efforts paid off, however, as Azure, Microsoft’s main cloud computing offering, now ranks second to Amazon Web Services and continues to post strong growth numbers.

Microsoft continues to face strong competition from Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet (parent of Google), and with that the number one spot could change hands several times in the coming year.

No End in Sight for Federal Government Shutdown

The government shutdown resulting from disagreement over the funding of a border wall continues into 2019 with no end in sight.

The shutdown began on December 22 after President Trump and Democrats failed to find agreement on funding the president’s signature campaign promise, a border wall across much, if not all, the US-Mexican border. Trump had asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for $5 billion in funding for such a wall, which they have refused to support. With Trump in opposition to any spending bill that funds the government without wall funding, Republicans have been unwilling to support any spending bill without it. While Republicans hold the House until January 3, 2019, Senate Democrats have blocked measures that include wall funding as such bills need 60 votes to pass. Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate. While Republicans will gain net two seats in the coming Congress in the Senate, there will be still enough Democrats to block funding. In addition, the incoming Democratic majority in the House will also not be supportive of Trump’s requested funding.

Shutdowns lead to the suspension of numerous federal government services and the furloughing of government employees. The effects of this shutdown have been mitigated by two spending bills passed right before the main government funding resolutions expired. This money is expected to run out for many agencies, such as the Smithsonian, at the beginning of 2019.

Services deemed essential, such as those related to the military, continue to be funded.