Wavelength: Cuba apparently has finally switched on the first undersea fiber-optic cable linking it to the outside world nearly two years after its arrival, according to analysis by a company that monitors global Internet use. In a report posted Sunday on the website of Renesys, author Doug Madory wrote that Cuba began using the ALBA-1 cable on Jan. 14. More details are available in the full story here.
Here, there and everywhere: Superstorm Sandy, one of the nation’s costliest natural disasters, is giving new urgency to an age-old debate about whether areas repeatedly damaged by storms should be rebuilt, or whether it might be cheaper in the long run to buy out vulnerable properties and let nature reclaim them. The difficulty in getting aid for storm victims through Congress—most of a $60 billion package could get final approval next week—highlights the hard choices that may have to be made soon across the country. Federal, state and local governments all say they don’t have unlimited resources to keep writing checks when storms strike. Read the full story here.
Refining options: The recent deadly attack on an Algerian natural gas complex will do little to discourage the drive for lucrative energy exploration in northern Africa, experts say, but it is forcing companies to increase security after largely ignoring the risks of operating in the remote desert region. Energy companies are loath to discuss the issue, but experts say the financial bounty is too high to scare away for long firms like gas giant BP and Norway’s Statoil. Read the full story here.
