Mining Dam Collapse in Brazil Leaves Dozens Dead

At least 84 have died in a Brazil dam collapse at a mining site, with many more missing. The resulting mudflow crashed into a surrounding area and destroyed numerous homes.

The company responsible, Vale, was involved in another dam collapse in 2015, which killed 19.

Newly inaugurated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro dispatched ministers to aid with the relief effort, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent over 100 personnel to help in the search for survivors.

The union of mining workers has claimed that the dam was clearly unsafe before the incident; Vale has denied the accusation.

Deep Chill Hits Northeast, Midwest

A polar vortex has brought chilling air to the parts of the US this week. State of emergencies have been declared in several Midwestern states as record low temperatures are threatened to be broken.

In Chicago, workers have set fire to some of the rail lines to keep the trains running. Across the region, officials have closed schools until the cold air passes.

The cold air has led to extremely low wind chills being recorded. Wind chills in the Chicago area have reached below –50 degrees Fahrenheit, and wind chills well below –20 degrees have been recorded and forecasted across the Midwest.

Officials have warned that the low temperatures could be life threatening and urged people to take shelter.

Shutdown Ends, For Now

The longest federal government shutdown in history ended last Friday, with no permanent concluding agreement reached. Under the temporary agreement, funding for federal government agencies was restored until February 15, after which government funding will expire unless a new agreement occurs.

The shutdown began on December 22, after President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, failed to come to a agree on funding for a wall along the US-Mexican border. Trump wanted at least $5.7 billion in funding for building a barrier and increased border surveillance, while Democrats criticized such measures, with Pelosi going as far as to call a wall an “immorality.”

During the shutdown, Trump and Pelosi tussled over other areas of government, including Trump’s refusal to authorize a trip by Pelosi to the Middle East and Pelosi refusing to allow Trump to give the State of the Union speech in the House chamber.

Trump agreed to end the shutdown last week, without receiving any promise for funding, but also saying that he will attempt the same fight again next month. If Congress does not allocate funding for a border wall, Trump has threatened, he will declare a national emergency to divert funding to begin some of the construction. Trump cites the number of people crossing illegally and crime committed by those in the country illegally as justifying such a decision. Democrats have criticized Trump for this threat, as have some Republicans, saying that such as move creates a bad precedent for future administrations.

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.