What We Read Today 28 July 2014

Econintersect: Every day our editors collect the most interesting things they find from around the internet and present a summary “reading list” which will include very brief summaries (and sometimes longer ones) of why each item has gotten our attention. Suggestions from readers for “reading list” items are gratefully reviewed, although sometimes space limits the number included.

• Ukraine launches offensive to retake Donetsk (Ayse Weiting and David McHugh, AP, Yahoo News) The Ukrainian military has gained control of some key areas close to the city of more than 1 million. Russia is reported to be moving artillery across the border to support the rebels.

• Lack of trust and tit-for-tat escalation brings Ukraine to the brink of all-out war with Russia (Stefan Wolff and Tatyana Malyarenko, The Conversation) This source says that Russia is actually shelling positions within Ukraine to support the insurgents.

Russia continues to act and react in the Ukraine crisis in a way that betrays a dangerous sense of desperation, betting on military escalation by proxy that is ultimately beyond the Kremlin’s control.

• Councils seek to impose “Tesco tax” on supermarkets (Sarah Spickernell, City A.M.) Hat tip to Ian Campbell, LinkedIn GEI Discussion Group. Proposed tax in supermarkets only (as much as 8.5%) would be returned to local communities to support small businesses.

• Bill to Legalize Unlocking Cellphones Passes Congress (Nick Wingfield, The New York Times) The law says you could pay huge fines and go to jail for years if you unlock your cell phone case. The new bill will decriminalize the act. This is something users for users of GSM (Global System for Mobiles) will find this useful when they want to change carriers. However, it will do nothing for CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) users. Most U.S. systems are CDMA, European GSM.

• Global Analysis – June 2014 (National Climatic Data Center) The combined average temperature for June was the highest on record for the month, besting June 1998 for top spot. The ocean was the strongest contributor to the record; land temperatures were 7th highest for any June on record. The first six months of 2014 were the third highest on record for that period. Follow climate economist Sig Silber’s weekly reports for detailed updates on weather and climate issues.

Click on infographic for large and very large images at NOAA.gov.

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