This week's Summit of the Americas was never going to be exhibit A for international cooperation. Even if the region was a top priority for President Biden (it isn't), he doesn't have all that many natural partners to work with.
Driving the news: Much of the focus this week has been on who's not in Los Angeles for the first regional summit since 2018, and the first in the U.S. since 1994.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Biden administration is committing $331 million to fight food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean, with more efforts still to be announced this week at the Summit of the Americas.
Why it matters: The U.N.'s World Food Programme reports the number of severely food insecure people increased by over half a million from December 2021 to March 2022 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Why it matters: Many countries in the developing world are highly reliant on Ukraine's wheat, sunflower oil and other exports. Without them on the market, prices are rising and the global food crisis is getting worse.
Driving the news: LIV is highly controversial, partly due to conflicts with the PGA Tour and partly because it is funded by the Saudi Arabian government, Axios' Kendall Baker writes.
Why it matters: The court has not been recognized by the international community. The families of the British men said they were sworn members of Ukraine's military, which would make them prisoners of war, according to the BBC.
China's financial regulators have begun early talks about allowing Ant Group to revive its IPO, which would occur in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, per multiple reports.
Why it matters: First, because Ant Group had expected to price the largest global IPO of all time, before being pulled in late 2020.
Why it matters: We may be witnessing the dawn of a new era, or maybe just the early days of a well-funded startup doomed to fail. Either way, men's professional golf has changed forever, and there's no going back.
The Iranian government has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that it is going to disconnect 27 cameras that have operated since the 2015 nuclear deal at several nuclear-related sites in the country, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi said Thursday.
Why it matters: The Iranian decision is seen as retaliation for the IAEA board vote on Wednesday in favor of a resolution calling on Iran to fully cooperate with UN inspectors in the investigation at three undeclared nuclear sites.
The Biden administration has rolled back a Trump administration decision to place the department that deals with the Palestinians within the U.S. Embassy to Israel, the State Department said Thursday.
Why it matters: The move carries symbolic meaning by differentiating the U.S.-Israel relationship and the U.S.-Palestinian relationship. It also comes ahead of President Biden's expected trip to the region next month and as his administration seeks to reassure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that it is committed to the Palestinians.
Scientists have found microplastics in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time.
Why it matters: Researchers from New Zealand's University of Canterbury discovered tiny plastic particles in all 19 samples taken from sites along the Ross Ice Shelf, per a study published Wednesday in the science journal The Cryosphere.
President Biden formally opened the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles on Wednesday by announcing a new regional economic partnership plan and declaring democracy a "hallmark of our region."
What he's saying: "As we meet again today, in a moment when democracy is under assault around the world, let us unite again and renew our conviction that democracy is not only the defining feature of American histories, but the essential ingredient to Americas' futures," Biden said during his speech.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday the "fierce" battle for the city of Severodonetsk was probably one of the most difficult of the war, and its outcome will decide the fate of eastern Ukraine.
Why it matters: Severodonetsk is the last remaining major city in the Luhansk region of the Donbas under Ukrainian control.
