The war in Ukraine is snarling global energy supply.
Good morning. We’re covering global energy challenges, missile deception in North Korea and the wild world of Wikipedia. On Thursday, the White House announced a plan to release up to 180 million barrels of oil from U.S. strategic reserves, the largest release since it was created, hoping to push gas prices down. Oil prices, which had been surging since the fighting in Ukraine began, fell modestly on expectations of the announcement. But diesel prices are still soaring. At the same time, OPEC and its allies, including Russia, decided to stick with their previously agreed-upon plan of modest monthly production increases. Still, European leaders again rejected Russia’s demand that gas deliveries be paid in rubles. Food: The U.N. is forecasting the worst global hunger crisis in decades as the conflict constrains grain exports. Ukraine said on Thursday that it had lost $1.5 billion in such exports since the war began. Saboteurs: Ukrainian fears of Russian spies have led to a rise in checkpoints, hotlines and apps for reporting suspicious activities. Schools: Europe’s teachers are struggling to explain the war to their students. Fighters: Hundreds of Syrian mercenaries will join Russian forces, effectively returning a favor: Moscow helped President Bashar al-Assad crush rebels in the country’s 11-year civil war. State of the war: Other updates: North Korea conducted its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile test to date last week, saying it had launched the Hwasong-17, its newest and biggest ICBM. South Korea now says this may have been a ruse. Officials say Kim Jong-un used video editing to disguise an older, though possibly improved, Hwasong-15 missile, exaggerating the North’s weapons achievements. Kim badly needs diplomatic leverage with the U.
