American officials accuse North Korea of breaking a 1994 agreement, in which North Korea agreed to halt its production of plutonium in return for America, Japan, South Korea and other countries providing the impoverished country with fuel oil and, later, nuclear reactors to produce electric power but of a type that would make it harder for North Korea to extract plutonium for weapons.

ECONOMIST: Old allies turn on North Korea

Fuel prices in the impoverished South American country, which had been frozen for almost a decade, will now rise by 73% for low-octane petrol and 83% for diesel.

BBC: Strike over massive Bolivia fuel price rises begins

Nordic countries, for example, are already worrying that next winter, as in this one, they will find their sleeves being tugged for fuel, food and medicine by local governments in impoverished towns in Russia's desperate far north.

ECONOMIST: Western man��s burden