Notes today:

 

• A day after Ukraine and Russia had signed a deal to resume grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, Russian missiles hit Odessa, the biggest of those ports. 

• (Economist) Xinjiang, a region in the far west of China, was warned that it faced flash floods, mudslides, and risks to agriculture amid forecasts of more unusually high temperatures in the coming days. Some 20% of the world’s cotton is produced in the area. Since mid-June much of China has baked under brutal heatwaves, which are attributed to climate change. 

• Australia now gets an amazing 35.8% of its electricity from renewables, up from 8% in 2009. 1 in 4 Australian homes have solar. 

• Mario Draghi’s, the man credited with saving the euro, departs. Italy has had 69 govts since the end of WWII – on average one every 13mths. 

• (FT) China’s Belt and Road spending in Russia drops to zero... 

• (FT) Palestinian villagers lose 20-year legal fight to hang on to homes... 

• Recently BMW announced plans to charge a subscription for heated seats – Hackers are having a field day. 

• Amazon stock has gotten crushed. There’s a case It could double, or even triple, from here. So says Barron's. 

• Stocks in Argentina hit all-time High. 

• “No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot” Mark Twain