(Photo courtesy of Anadolu) GENEVA - The number of people affected by hunger globally grew to as many as 828 million in 2021, swelling by about 46 million from 2020 and 150 million from the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, a United Nations report said Wednesday. The UN report shows the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. Cindy Hollerman, a Food and Agricultural Organization economist and editor of the report, said at a UN press conference in Geneva it is "dismaying" to see an upswing in hunger and worrying to see the trends. "We are still seeing hunger rising in 2021 and that is very worrying," Hollerman said, adding: "Worrying also is the cost of a healthy diet." "Increases are sharper, where people were experiencing economic slowdowns with the Covid pandemic, but combined with the other drivers," she said, citing "conflict or climate factors and high lev