welcome to bbc news. i'm david eades. our top stories — is the un warns russia's blockade of ukraine could push tens of millions into severe hunger. you're talking about a declaration of war on global food security. it will have extraordinary consequences. a russian diplomat quits over his country's invasion of ukraine, calling it bloody and needless. the leaders ofjapan, australia, us and india reaffirm their common intrests in the indo—pacific region, aiming to counter china's influence. new calls for british prime minister borisjohnson to resign, as more photos emerge of lockdown gatherings at downing street.

ukraine produces enough grain every year to feed 400 million people. along with russia, it exports one third of the world's entire wheat harvest. or, at least, it should. but russia's blockade of ukrainian ports means millions of tonnes of grain are going nowhere, prompting the head of the un's world food programme to call it a "declaration of war on global food security" that could push tens of millions of people into severe food shortages. our economics editor faisal islam reports. across the world, food and energy crises are hitting households, increasing social instability and hunger, and leading to whole countries going bust. sri lanka at first, but more are feared to be heading in the same direction. from southeast asia to the middle east, and it's also affecting the uk, too.

with russia's war in ukraine making these supply shocks much worse, the economic stakes are very high here, and across the world, according to one of britain's top bankers. many of the conversations here in davos have been what percentage likelihood you attach to a recession? i'll say 50—50. right now, thise emerging markets racked up debts and many, perhaps dozens, will go bust. is that how you see it? hopefully not dozens, but when you have political instability, cost of living crisis, also importing energy, it's going to be tough. part of the problem is that the natural response that should bring down energy orfood prices — producing more — isn't working because, for example, russia is blockading ukraine's food exports. if we don't open those ports, you're talking about a declaration of war on global food security. it'll have extraordinary consequences. we are already facing the worst food crisis since world war ii. and when you take 400 million people that are fed by the food that comes out of ukraine, and you shut that off,

and then you add on top of that fertiliser problems, droughts, food cost, fuel costs, we're looking at a hellstorm on earth. the world's biggest importers of wheat, the egyptians, told us they can cope for now, though prices are surging. the government is putting in place and utilising tools to limit that price increase, especially on the most vulnerable. we do have a high degree of resilience, in terms of our stocks of basic commodities, and we will continue to explore and to cooperate with our partners in alternative sources. this forum is normally about a combination of high finance and high politics. so far, it's been about the most basic of commodities — food — and the soaring prices affecting everywhere, including

britain. and the fear of many here is that this is not an accident — it's a conscious strategy — the weaponisation of famine by the kremlin. a standing ovation for president zelensky�*s video address. his deputy prime minister says the west needs to get ukraine's food exports past russia's ships. so, we need the assistance of our partners, international partners, to secure our exports through the seaports, so i mean from the defence point of view, to find a way to build a corridor, or another solution, how to give the opportunity to ukrainian vessels. some sort of safe passage? safe passage, yes. events in ukraine have already proven how horrific, but mountains of its grain, blocked from reaching the world's most hungry, could yet make that worse. faisal islam, bbc news in davos, switzerland. i spoke to peter ceretti, who is a senior analyst at the eurasia group. i asked about the damage from russia's blockade of ukrainian ports and whether millions of people could end up

suffering from severe food shortages. i think the blockade is very significant. we see it as one of the main drivers of the rise in food prices that has happened over the last few weeks, but there are several others. we had covid—related disruptions that predated the war, rising fertiliser costs, rising energy costs and of course logistical issues related to sanctioning and self sanctioning in tight shipping markets, so it is a confluence of factors that is driving the rise in food prices we are seeing. partly the blockade, partly other issues. if the blockade were to be ended, if there were a way of getting the cargo outcome and there is a lot of it, clearly, how much of a difference will that make? i think the difference will be quite substantial. if we look at the estimates from the ukrainian minister of agriculture for the amount of plant that has been planted and fertilised for this year, it looks like production will be much better than we initially feared it would be in early 2020.

the problem of course is that grain is piling up in the silos, and it needs to leave, otherwise when the harvest comes in, injune, july, a lot of this year's production will be wasted because there will be nowhere for it to go. we really need to avert that worst—case scenario and get those ports unblocked so that we don't have a global food crisis. so what is the for that, then, for the grain that is in silos, how long can that be kept in suitable condition before it has to be used, and honestly i take your point, once the next harvest comes in, where are you going to put it? right, grains do have some shelf life, particularly if the conditions are right and the storage facilities are properly built, and it is nice and dry. but indeed these stocks need to leave the country. my understanding is that the overland transit routes are totally overwhelmed, and the average wait time at the ukrainian border for trains to leave the country with grain is something like 15 days right now, right, so having this build—up in the silos that might not be

able to be cleared quickly is very concerning, with the harvest for the next market year coming in just a few weeks. and what is the state of play at the moment? in various parts of the world, it seems as if people a court in ukraine has jailed a 21—year old russian tank commander for life, for killing a civilian. it's the first war crimes trial since the invasion three months ago. the soldier — vadim shishimarin — was convicted of killing 62—year—old 0leksandr shelipov in a village in the sumy region. he admitted shooting mr shelipov but said he had been acting on orders and asked forgiveness of the man's widow. meanwhile, a russian diplomat has quit over his country's invasion of ukraine, calling it "bloody, witless and absolutely needless". boris bondarev, a counsellor at russia's mission to the united nations in geneva, said he's never been

more ashamed of russia as when it sent its troops across the border. 0ur russia editor steve rosenberg has more on the story. he not only resigned, but he basically stormed out. he launched a scathing attack on the kremlin, and he issued a statement on social media, saying he's never been so ashamed of his country, of the aggressive war unleashed by putin against ukraine, and against the entire western world. he said it was not only a crime against the ukrainian people, but also the people of russia. now, later i managed to get through to mr bondarev on the telephone, and he told me more about why he decided to resign from the russian foreign ministry. i strongly disagree and disapprove of what my government is doing, at least since february, and i don't want to be associated with it any longer. how difficult a decision was it? you know, it wasn't a decision,

like, to do or not to do, it was just to do, and when. so, i don't see any alternative. are you worried about your safety, after taking such a decision? well, i think you may say so. how shocked were you by what has happened after february the 24th by this offensive in ukraine? oh, i was shocked. as any normal person would have been. because, you know, the first news i got on the morning of february 21st, russian air force bombed kyiv, and kharkiv, and last time those cities were bombed, it was during the second world war, by germans, and now it was by us. any russian must be very shocked, i think so.

that was our russian editor steve rosenberg speaking to boris bondarev in an exclusive interview. president biden is currently in tokyo, holding a meeting with the so—called quad countries. in the last half hour, the us president took a family photo with the prime ministers of japan, india and australia. ahead of the meeting, they each gave a short statement. my government is committed to working with your countries, and we are committed to the quad. the new australian government's why it is aligned with the quad agenda —— priorities, aligning on climate change and building a stronger indo asian region through better economy, better cyber

security, and better environmental and health security. 0ur cooperation is built on the values that we share. a commitment to representative democracy, the rule of law and the right to live in peace.— rule of law and the right to live in peace. prime minister kushida, _ live in peace. prime minister kushida, i— live in peace. prime minister kushida, i want _ live in peace. prime minister kushida, i want to _ live in peace. prime minister kushida, i want to commend live in peace. prime minister- kushida, i want to commend you for the _ kushida, i want to commend you for the extraordinary leadership you have shown over the past — leadership you have shown over the past few months and the gracious— the past few months and the gracious way in which you have hosted — gracious way in which you have hosted all _ gracious way in which you have hosted all of us. and prime minister— hosted all of us. and prime minister modi, hosted all of us. and prime ministermodi, it hosted all of us. and prime minister modi, it is wonderful to see — minister modi, it is wonderful to see you in person. thank you for your— to see you in person. thank you for your continuing commitment to making — for your continuing commitment to making sure democracy is delivered, because that is what this is— delivered, because that is what this is about, democracies versus— this is about, democracies versus autocracies, and we have to make — versus autocracies, and we have to make sure we deliver. prime minister— to make sure we deliver. prime minister albanese, to make sure we deliver. prime ministeralbanese, i to make sure we deliver. prime minister albanese, i welcome you to — minister albanese, i welcome you to your first quad meeting, you to your first quad meeting, you got— you to your first quad meeting, you got sworn in, got on a plane, — you got sworn in, got on a plane, and if you fall asleep white — plane, and if you fall asleep while you are here, it's ok. translation:—

while you are here, it's ok. translation: ., ., ., , ., translation: the quad has made an important _ translation: the quad has made an important place _ translation: the quad has made an important place for— translation: the quad has made an important place for itself- an important place for itself on the global stage in a very short time today. the scope of the quad has increased, and also it is more influential. that was never enter a moody, all of the prime minister is they're having a word to say at they're having a word to say at the start of their quad meeting. we will —— that was prime minister modi. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — jean edited tomatoes. they boost the levels of vitamin d. can they help to see off supplements? in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletic events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7am. taunting, which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juventus enclosure. the belgian police

had lost control. the whole world will. mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of the indian people from the day— of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end, after 25 years, and more than 4,500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri halliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she's left the spice girls. argh! — i don't believe it! she's the one with the bounce, the go, girl power! not geri! why? this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the un world food programme is warning that russia's blockade of ukraine could push tens of millions into severe hunger. a russian diplomat quits over his country's invasion of ukraine, calling it

bloody and needless. in the uk, there's yet another twist in the so—called pa rtygate controversy, as new photographs have emerged of the prime minister, borisjohnson, drinking at a gathering in downing street during a coronavirus lockdown. the images, obtained by itv news, have sparked further accusations that the prime minister has been lying over his version of events, as our political editor chris mason reports. it's the 13th of november 2020, the country is in lockdown, and this is what was happening in downing street. look at these pictures, obtained by itv news. the prime minister raising a glass, holding forth, bottles littering a table as a senior colleague is given a send—off. and the rules at the time — no person may leave or be outside of the place where they are living without reasonable excuse.

we now know there were two gatherings in number 10 that night. borisjohnson was asked about one of them in the commons six months ago. will the prime minister tell the house whether there was a party in downing street on the 13th of november? prime minister. mr speaker, no, but i'm sure that whatever happened, - the guidance was followed i and the rules were followed at all times. we now know at least one person at the drinks do was fined, but the prime minister was not. this is clearly not a work meeting, this is clearly a gathering, a social gathering, that was clearly against the rules at the time. now, borisjohnson knows this and he knew this all along, and he's just tried to lie to the british public, and it seems like he's laughing at them now. i think it's appalling. people will be disgusted by it, i'm pretty certain of that. remember, angela rayner and labour's leader, keir starmer, are themselves subject to a police investigation over an alleged covid rules breach. before the pictures of the downing street do were published this afternoon, the prime minister was on a school visit in orpington,

in south—east london, this morning. 0h! come on, come to our party, love from... that's so nice of you, thank you. have you invited him to a party? thank you very much. that's wonderful, thank you. after this invite from a pupil, he was asked by a journalist about the imminent report into lockdown parties by the senior civil servant sue gray. i'm, with great respect, not going to comment or give any running commentary on her report until we get it. and i think that, to be frank, the moment is not very far off. it can't be long now before i'll be able to say something. in bristol, there's anger as people see the photos. it's just really annoying. i'd like to think that while he was saying what he was saying, it was genuine and we were all doing what he was asking us to do. and, quite clearly, he's not doing what he said at the time. i don't think it's surprising. kind of the pictures i think

everyone expected to come out off the back of what everyone had heard. he made the rules and he broke the rules. - and he says he didn't, so he lies. _ tonight, the liberal democrats are asking how the prime minister avoided another fixed penalty notice. i think millions of people will be sitting at home tonight thinking that if it was them or anybody else pictured in that party, they would have received a fine. so, unless the met police can provide an urgent clarification as to why borisjohnson wasn't fined, then the police watchdog needs to step in and restore some transparency and public trust in this process. in response to these pictures, downing street say the police and the civil service investigations into what went on had access to all the information they needed — including photographs. our political editor chris mason there. millions of people around

the world take supplements to top—up on vitamins that can't be extracted from food alone, but the uk could be about to change things as it introduces a bill to parliament that would allow the commercial growing of gene edited crops. our science correspondent pallab ghosh went to see the scientists growing tomatoes modified to boost levels of vitamin d. these tomatoes could have great health benefits. they've been developed in a lab to be rich in the sunshine vitamin, d, which ordinary tomatoes don't have. it's vital for the development of strong bones and muscles, and one in six people in the uk don't get enough of it. with humans, half—an—hour in the sunshine every day is enough to make enough vitamin d3 for you, but a lot of people don't have that time outside. the tomatoes have been produced using an advanced scientific technique known as genetic editing. it usually involves snipping out a small portion of the plant's dna. the older technique of genetic modification involves putting genetic material in, sometimes genes from a completely different species.

a wide range of foods are produced using both methods in other countries, but not in europe. you can't get these high—tech foods in the shops. that's because europe effectively banned genetically modified crops 25 years ago, over concerns about their safety. when gene—editing emerged eight years ago, that wasn't allowed either. the uk government has now looked at the science and decided that the newer technology is completely safe. this firm in hertfordshire has been developing new varieties of wheat and barley using traditional breeding methods for decades. they're planning to use gene editing because they believe it'll keep food on our shelves at affordable prices. when we're developing new varieties like these, that you see in the packages here, that takes around 12 years, typically. with precision breeding

techniques, we can significantly shorten that timescale and bring new varieties to the market much faster. in 1999, worried protesters trampled gm crops. since then, scientific reviews have shown the technology to be safe, and some have now changed their minds. mark linus was there. crops have been in the ground now for a quarter of a century. we know they're safe, and we also know it's a technology that can be very useful for increasing the sustainability of agriculture, to reduce pesticides, to help crops adapt to climate change, to feed a growing world population. but a large proportion of the population still have their doubts, especially that the new gene—edited crops won't be labelled, and they worry that the regulation won't be fully transparent. pallab ghosh, bbc news. we're joined by david zilberman, professor of agriculture and resources economics at ucla, berkeley. a member of the us academy of science, he's also a wolf prize

laureate. david, thank you very much indeed forjoining us. obviously the whole notion of genes and gene modification, genes and gene modification, gene editing create certain anxieties among many people in the public sphere. is gene editing, would you say, safer than gene modification? i think that aene than gene modification? i think that gene editing _ than gene modification? i think that gene editing and _ than gene modification? i think that gene editing and gene - that gene editing and gene modification are safer. these are much more precise systems than breeding. it is like electronic, we know what is going on inside the atom and now we know what is going on inside the cell, rather than basically relying... and gene editing is better than gmo's.

altogether, it's about the inner working of cells, we are able to have more precise food varieties. we would have the modern solution to the pandemic if we did not understand how the genetic material worked we wouldn't. this was they discovered that was made in england the united states. and now it's about time. so england the united states. and now it's about time.— now it's about time. so is this 'ust a now it's about time. so is this just a question, _ now it's about time. so is this just a question, in _ now it's about time. so is this just a question, in your- now it's about time. so is this just a question, in your view, | just a question, in your view, public perception then? if we go back 25 years, as you know, the european union said no, frankly, to gmo's and we had a, aggers, generation of people who talked about frankenstein foods. to who talked about frankenstein foods. ., , ., , ., , ., foods. to me it is a history of both perception _ foods. to me it is a history of both perception and - foods. to me it is a history of both perception and also - both perception and also basically economic manipulation. so there is a reason why technology will develop in the us and the

companies that produce the pesticides with present, they really supported some of the anti— gmo, a lot of the farmers were worried, because they were afraid supply would increase and, to some extent, some vmos in the public. the reality is that gmo is not allowed to be on the cell. in my studies, about 70%, 60% of the public would buy it if it were on the she” would buy it if it were on the shelf and it would be cheaper. so let it be on the shelf, listed the an opportunity to buy, and it will be accepted. people did not like to make those at the beginning, they were afraid of it. we those at the beginning, they were afraid of it.— were afraid of it. we may be one step _ were afraid of it. we may be one step closer— were afraid of it. we may be one step closer to _ were afraid of it. we may be one step closer to that - were afraid of it. we may be l one step closer to that coming to reality. david zilberman, thank you very much indeed. you are welcome. _ thank you very much indeed. mt. are welcome. goodbye. the queen has visited this year's chelsea flower show, using a buggy to view the array of gardens.

the event which has returned this year to its traditional spring slot has floral tributes to honour her majesty's platinum jubilee. our correspondent helena wilkinson reports. driven by a member of the royal household, the queen visited some of the tributes celebrating her platinum jubilee year. she's missed several events recently, but this is one of her favourites. on her tour, she'll take in the main display in her honour, a four—metre—high floral portrait. we've got one tonne of steel as a frame, in the lovely platinum purple, and then it supports 70 terracotta pots — one for each year of her reign. within the centre, we have a silhouette, again, of her majesty, using gorgeous rosemary for remembrance and an assortment of british trees.

this one has been made for children who have been treated at liverpool's hospital. it will be transferred there once the show is finished. that one is meant- _ the show is finished. that one is meant. smell— the show is finished. that one is meant. smell it. _ the show is finished. that one is meant. smell it. smell- the show is finished. that one is meant. smell it. smell the| is meant. smell it. smell the mint. ., , ., is meant. smell it. smell the mint. ., , mint. can you smell the mint? be , mint. can you smell the mint? betty. who _ mint. can you smell the mint? betty. who was _ mint. can you smell the mint? betty, who was for, _ mint. can you smell the mint? betty, who was for, spent - betty, who was for, spent months in intensive care after she was born prematurely —— four. i she was born prematurely -- four. ~ , she was born prematurely -- four. ~' , ., four. i think it is that opportunity - four. i think it is that opportunity to - four. i think it is that. opportunity to explore four. i think it is that - opportunity to explore and four. i think it is that _ opportunity to explore and have those connections in the world that you don't get when you are stuck in hospital.— stuck in hospital. over the next week. _ stuck in hospital. over the next week, thousands - stuck in hospital. over the next week, thousands of l next week, thousands of visitors will be able to enjoy the gardens in all their spring glory. helena wilkinson, bbc news, at the chelsea flower show. we have more of those lovely pictures on the website. if you

want to get in touch you can do that through twitter. this is bbc news. thank you. hello. after a wet night across parts of england and wales, keep the umbrellas handy wherever you are during tuesday. there will be some sunny spells. it won't be wet all the time, but you may never be too far away from a shower that could be heavy, possibly thundery. now, low pressure is beginning to edge away. we have a flow of air coming in from the west—northwest to the uk. it is unstable, so along with those sunny spells, there will be some big clouds building at times with those showers breaking out. away from central, southeast and eastern england, where it could still be quite wet first thing, quite a bit of dry weather early on, probably chillest across western scotland, a few spots in low single figures. just wait for the showers to break out. after the rain's cleared away from the eastern side of england, hints of brightness, and then

the showers break out here as well, so you can see them coming through. they will be accompanied by gusty winds. as mentioned earlier, it doesn't mean it's going to be raining all the time, we mayjust have a brief shower and then a lengthy dry and bright spell afterwards. temperatures i2 celsius in stornoway, 18 celsius in london. most around 14—17 celsius, not too far from average for the time of year, perhaps a little bit below. a lot of dry weather to end the day as the showers fade away, but then overnight and into wednesday, from west then pushing eastwards, there will be some cloud and outbreaks of rain, which means as wednesday begins, the lower temperatures mid single figures in a few spots where you have the clearer skies across the eastern side of england. so, this latest batch of wet weather will push on through, mainly during wednesday morning, not much rain, though, into the early afternoon into east anglia and southeast england, whereas elsewhere, it brightens up again, and it will be another afternoon of sunshine and scattered showers. temperatures pretty similar. wednesday is going to be a windier day, some gusts in excess of a0 mph, parts of scotland, northern england, perhaps the south coast of england as well. now, high pressure trying to build in for thursday, not having much success, as another weather front snakes its way in from the atlantic. it does mean there will be quite a bit of cloud around

on thursday, some outbreaks of rain pushing in, some heavy showers in northern scotland. ahead of the system towards the southeast, although expected to cloud over, we mayjust see a few sunny spells, enough to lift temperatures back in a few spots into the low 20s, whereas elsewhere, it's as you were. now, high pressure does move in friday, and at least into the start of the weekend, settling things down. although it is high pressure, though, that will not translate into warmth.

this is bbc news. the headlines — the head of the world food programme has accused russia of having declared war on global food security. david beasley told business leaders at the world economic forum in switzerland that russia's blockade of ukraine's ports on the black sea threatened food supplies for 400 million people. a russian diplomat has resigned over his country's invasion of ukraine, calling it "bloody, witless and absolutely needless". boris bondarev, a counsellor at russia's mission to the united nations in geneva, said he's never been more ashamed of russia as when it sent its troops across the border. the leaders ofjapan, the united states, india and australia are meeting in tokyo. discussions among the group — known as the quad — are expected to include how to address china's growing power in the indo—pacific region.