Compiled by Nathan Whiteman
March 4, 2016
BRAZIL: Brazil is constructing an underwater cable to link its communications directly with Europe in order to avoid American mass surveillance. The project is predicted to cost $250 million.
CANADA: A new grant in Ontario is offering students from low-income houses free university tuition starting in 2017. The grant is being paid for with a repealed university tax credit, giving it $145 million in funding.
CHINA: Chinese officials are laying off about 1.8 million coal and steel workers as part of President Xi Jinping’s economic reconstruction plan. This is one of the largest layoffs in Chinese history and signals a major change in Chinese economic strategy after heavy investment in industry for many years.
INDONESIA: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck about 500 miles off the coast of Sumatra. Tremors were felt in the Indonesian capitol but no tsunami has yet been reported.