Axios

The world is "far off track" to meet its goal of ending hunger and food insecurity by 2030, the United Nations warned in a new report published on Wednesday.

The big picture: Between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022 — an increase of 122 million people since 2019. Multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters exacerbated by climate change and Russia's invasion of Ukraine contributed to the increase, the UN said.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund reported an $11 billion investment loss for 2022, compared to a $19 billion gain in 2021.

Why it matters: It's a reminder that all that glitters isn't always gold, and came on the same day that U.S. senators grilled PGA Tour officials on their proposed partnership with PIF-backed LIV Golf.

The U.S. has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years helping other countries clean up unexploded bombs — including the same type of controversial weapon that it now plans to send to Ukraine.

Why it matters: President Biden's decision Friday to green-light the transfer of widely banned cluster munitions to Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russia has sparked humanitarian concerns — even among some in his own party.

The White House called on the Israeli government “to protect and respect the right of peaceful assembly” after Israeli police made dozens of arrests and used force against protesters who rallied across the country against the Netanyahu government’s judicial overhaul.

Why it matters: The unusual statement by the White House on domestic issues of an ally like Israel signals the growing concern of the Biden administration about the escalating internal unrest in the country.

Chidiebere Ibe, whose illustration of a Black fetus went viral a year and a half ago, is helping launch a campaign to diversify images used in medical textbooks and diagnosis manuals.

Why it matters: The scarcity of such illustrations is an example of — and can lead to — racial inequities in health care.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg vowed Tuesday that Ukraine would join the alliance once they have met all the prerequisite conditions.

Why it matters: The prospect of Ukraine’s future membership has been a contentious point among NATO allies, and Tuesday's decision assures Ukraine of its future membership but stops short of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's desire for a concrete timetable.

Three Latinas are among a diverse slate of candidates vying to be Rhode Island's next Congressional representative, illustrating the state's shifting demographics and Hispanics' growing political power.

The big picture: Latinos are now 17.6% of the state's population, a more than 40% increase from 2010 to 2022, according to census data.

Senior Biden adviser Amos Hochstein met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Tuesday to discuss U.S. efforts to get a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia and the recent tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border, two Israeli officials told Axios.

Driving the news: The White House is pushing to reach a set of agreements that would upgrade U.S.-Saudi relations and normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky in a tweet on Tuesday slammed NATO members' unwillingness to offer Ukraine a timetable for membership as "unprecedented and absurd."

Why it matters: Zelensky didn’t name President Biden directly, but the U.S. and Germany are leading the resistance to any definitive statements at this week’s summit in Vilnius that Ukraine will soon be a member.