rejected expert advice on covid tests for people going into care homes during the pandemic whatsapp messages leaked to a newspaper suggest mr hancock was told there should be testing of all residents going going into english care homes — but he decided not to follow the advice matt hancock has denied the claims. in our other main news this lunchtime — a rail disaster in greece leaves at least 36 people dead and dozens injured. two trains on the same track collided at high speed — a station master in charge of signalling has been arrested. translation: suddenly, - there were sparks and flames at the sides of the windows, then a sudden stop. that made us all panic.

we just wanted to get out as soon as possible, so we tried to break the glass in the windows. what we saw in front of us was chaos. the search goes on for a missing baby whose parents have been arrested on suspicion of gross neglicence manslaughter. how hundreds of six offenders slipped off the police radar — just by changing their names. and thousands of volunteers come forward to train up guide dogs after the bbc highlighted a national shortage. and coming up on the bbc news channel, it's been an fa cup fairy—tale for grimsby, but can they reach the quarterfinals tonight against premier league southampton? more than 4,000 fans are travelling to the south coast.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the former health secretary matt hancock has been accused of rejecting key advice on care homes during the pandemic. the daily telegraph says it's obtained thousands of whatsapp messages he sent and received at the height of the covid crisis. the paper says they show mr hancock decided against advice to test all residents going into care homes in england. mr hancock's spokesperson has called it a "distorted account". 0ur political correspondent ben wright reports. in april 2020, covert was spreading fast in the country was in lockdown and polities and officials were struggling to respond. at the heart of the decision—making was then health secretary matt hancock. i am now settin: health secretary matt hancock. i am now setting the _ health secretary matt hancock. i am now setting the goal _ health secretary matt hancock. i —.n now setting the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month. ., , , ., tests per day by the end of this month. .,, , ., ~ tests per day by the end of this month. ., , ., ~ ., . ~ month. last year, mr hancock released his _ month. last year, mr hancock

released his version _ month. last year, mr hancock released his version of - month. last year, mr hancock released his version of events| month. last year, mr hancock. released his version of events in month. last year, mr hancock- released his version of events in a book, co—written by thejournalist isabel 0akeshott. she has now given the telegraph one and 100,000 whatsapp messages from mr hancock, other politicians and officials. e is furious at the league but they give a partial glimpse into what was going on at the time. the issue of care home testing was discussed in whatsapp messages from april to 14th 2020. in one message to an aide, mr hancock said that the english chief medical officer, chris whitty, said he was recommending testing for all going into care homes. the telegraph says by the end of the day mr hancock appeared to have changed his mind, publishing a message saying, isolate all going into care from hospital, i do not think the community commitment adds anything and it muddies the waters. today, a spokesman for mr hancock insisted it was not possible to test everyone entering care homes at the time. the spokesman said, the stolen messages have been doctored to create a false story that matt rejected clinical

advice on care home testing. that is flat wrong. a view echoed by a former health minister this morning. he changed his view because there was an operational meeting to talk about how you are going to actually test people and how many actual tests we had. the reality was there was a very limited number of those tests. in was a very limited number of those tests. ., ., , ., , tests. in the commons there was agreement _ tests. in the commons there was agreement that _ tests. in the commons there was agreement that only _ tests. in the commons there was agreement that only the - tests. in the commons there was agreement that only the covid i tests. in the commons there was . agreement that only the covid public inquiry could establish what really happened. the inquiry could establish what really hauened. , , , happened. the country deserves better. happened. the country deserves better- the _ happened. the country deserves better. the covid _ happened. the country deserves better. the covid inquiry - happened. the country deserves better. the covid inquiry has - better. the covid inquiry has already— better. the covid inquiry has already cost the taxpayer £85 million — already cost the taxpayer £85 million and hasn't heard from a single — million and hasn't heard from a single government minister yet. so can the _ single government minister yet. so can the prime minister assured house no more _ can the prime minister assured house no more delays, the inquiry will pack— no more delays, the inquiry will pack whatever support it needs to report _ pack whatever support it needs to report by— pack whatever support it needs to report by the end of the spear? rather— report by the end of the spear? rather than comment on piecemeal bits rather than comment on piecemeal hits of— rather than comment on piecemeal bits of information, _ rather than comment on piecemeal bits of information, the _ rather than comment on piecemeal bits of information, the honourable| bits of information, the honourable gentleman— bits of information, the honourable gentleman wiii— bits of information, the honourable gentleman will agree _ bits of information, the honourable gentleman will agree with - bits of information, the honourable gentleman will agree with me - bits of information, the honourable gentleman will agree with me the i gentleman will agree with me the film gentleman will agree with me the right way— gentleman will agree with me the right way for— gentleman will agree with me the right way for these _ gentleman will agree with me the right way for these things - gentleman will agree with me the right way for these things to - gentleman will agree with me the right way for these things to be i right way for these things to be looked — right way for these things to be looked at — right way for these things to be looked at is _ right way for these things to be looked at is the _ right way for these things to be looked at is the tempi - right way for these things to be looked at is the tempi —— - right way for these things to be looked at is the tempi —— covid inquiry, — looked at is the tempi —— covid inquiry, that— looked at is the tempi —— covid inquiry, that is— looked at is the tempi —— covid inquiry, that is why _ looked at is the tempi —— covid inquiry, that is why we -

looked at is the tempi —— covid inquiry, that is why we have - inquiry, that is why we have established _ inquiry, that is why we have established the _ inquiry, that is why we have established the covid - inquiry, that is why we havei established the covid inquiry inquiry, that is why we have - established the covid inquiry and he has mentioned _ established the covid inquiry and he has mentioned it _ established the covid inquiry and he has mentioned it one _ established the covid inquiry and he has mentioned it one or— established the covid inquiry and he has mentioned it one or two - established the covid inquiry and he has mentioned it one or two times. has mentioned it one or two times before _ has mentioned it one or two times before that — has mentioned it one or two times before that he _ has mentioned it one or two times before that he was _ has mentioned it one or two times before that he was a _ has mentioned it one or two times before that he was a lawyer- has mentioned it one or two times before that he was a lawyer in - has mentioned it one or two times before that he was a lawyer in a i before that he was a lawyer in a previous— before that he was a lawyer in a previous time, _ before that he was a lawyer in a previous time, and _ before that he was a lawyer in a previous time, and he - before that he was a lawyer in a previous time, and he will- before that he was a lawyer in aj previous time, and he will know there _ previous time, and he will know there is— previous time, and he will know there is a — previous time, and he will know there is a proper— previous time, and he will know there is a proper process - previous time, and he will know there is a proper process to - previous time, and he will know i there is a proper process to these things _ there is a proper process to these things it — there is a proper process to these things it is— there is a proper process to these things it is an— there is a proper process to these things. it is an independent- there is a proper process to thesel things. it is an independent inquiry and has _ things. it is an independent inquiry and has the — things. it is an independent inquiry and has the resources _ things. it is an independent inquiry and has the resources it— things. it is an independent inquiry and has the resources it needs - things. it is an independent inquiry and has the resources it needs and has the _ and has the resources it needs and has the powers— and has the resources it needs and has the powers it _ and has the resources it needs and has the powers it needs— and has the resources it needs and has the powers it needs and - and has the resources it needs and has the powers it needs and what i and has the resources it needs and l has the powers it needs and what we should _ has the powers it needs and what we should all— has the powers it needs and what we should all do — has the powers it needs and what we should all do in— has the powers it needs and what we should all do in this _ has the powers it needs and what we should all do in this house _ has the powers it needs and what we should all do in this house is- has the powers it needs and what we should all do in this house is let - should all do in this house is let them _ should all do in this house is let them get — should all do in this house is let them get on _ should all do in this house is let them get on and _ should all do in this house is let them get on and their— should all do in this house is let them get on and theirjob. - should all do in this house is let them get on and theirjob. for. should all do in this house is let them get on and theirjob. them get on and their 'ob. for the monke s them get on and their 'ob. for the monkeys at them get on and their 'ob. for the monkeys of covid _ them get on and theirjob. for the monkeys of covid victims, - them get on and theirjob. for the i monkeys of covid victims, thousands of whom died in care homes —— for the families of covid victims. it is a promise to provide a full picture of what the government got right and wrong. 0ur chief political correspondent nick eardleyjoins us from westminster now. matt hancock is such a controversial figure. how do you assess the significance of these claims today? the reason it all matters is because there has been such a vociferous debate over the past couple of years about whether the government made the right decisions at the right time when it came to care homes, and there are different accounts being bandied about today. in the daily

telegraph we have an account which suggests that there was advice to everyone that they should be tested which was not taken by the government. the account we have heard from matt hancock is quite a different one, that simply the capability wasn't there. there weren't enough tests. so they couldn't test everybody going into care homes and they prioritised those coming from hospitals into care homes. that again begs the question about whether the government could have done more to secure more testing earlier, like happened in some other countries. but ultimately, because we have not seen the full trail of messages or the full context or the full content, it is hard to say at the moment with any certainty exactly what happened. this is all something that has been looked into by the public inquiry. you heard in the piece that that came up at prime minister's questions, but there is no sense that that will report any time soon. in fact, some suggestions

that it could well report after the next general election, something the labour party has been saying would be completely unacceptable. what we can say with some certainty is that this story has a way to go. firstly, because there are still questions over when the government took action and whether it acted quickly enough, and whether it acted quickly enough, and secondly, because the telegraph says there were 100,000 messages from mr hancock and it's going to publish a lot more. fiiq from mr hancock and it's going to publish a lot more.— from mr hancock and it's going to publish a lot more. 0k, nick, thank ou ve publish a lot more. 0k, nick, thank you very much- _ the director of the fbi, christopher wray, has said it believes covid probably originated in a chinese government—controlled laboratory. china has denied a lab leak in wuhan, and says the allegation is defamatory. mr wray�*s comments come a day after the us ambassador to china called for the country to "be more honest" about covid's origins. the president of greece has called it an unimaginable tragedy. at least 36 people are dead and dozens injured after two trains collided in the north

of the country. one of the them was a passenger service from athens to thessaloniki with 350 people on board — it crashed head—on at high speed with a freight train on the same stretch of track, near the tempi district north of larissa. police have arrested a station master in charge of signalling. here's our europe correspondentjessica parker. within seconds, two trains rumbling through the night came to this, a head—on crash between a freight and passenger service carrying around 350 people. it passenger service carrying around 350 purple-— passenger service carrying around 350 --eole. . ., , 350 people. it was chaos. tumbling over, 350 people. it was chaos. tumbling over. fires. — 350 people. it was chaos. tumbling over, fires, cables _ 350 people. it was chaos. tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, - 350 people. it was chaos. tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken| over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped. you windows, people screaming, people tra ed. ., windows, people screaming, people traued. ., , , trapped. you can see the shock, the fear on the — trapped. you can see the shock, the fear on the faces, _ trapped. you can see the shock, the fear on the faces, some _ trapped. you can see the shock, the fear on the faces, some stained - trapped. you can see the shock, the | fear on the faces, some stained with blood, of those who escaped. irate

fear on the faces, some stained with blood, of those who escaped. we were sittin: in blood, of those who escaped. we were sitting in the — blood, of those who escaped. we were sitting in the second _ blood, of those who escaped. we were sitting in the second carriage _ blood, of those who escaped. we were sitting in the second carriage from - sitting in the second carriage from the front— sitting in the second carriage from the front of the train, but in the front— the front of the train, but in the front it — the front of the train, but in the front it was _ the front of the train, but in the front it was very difficult for anybody _ front it was very difficult for anybody to survive because the collision — anybody to survive because the collision happened head—on. at some point, _ collision happened head—on. at some point, we _ is a mess of metal and shattered glass,

london search and rescue are searching allotments and a local nature reserve and open ground in brighton, and they are asking local people to help in the search. i feel very sad because although i think the police are doing a very good job, you know, i don't know if the baby is there or not. but i think everybody is hoping they will find it. constance marten and her partner mark gordon, a convicted rapist, have been missing for 53 days. police believe the baby was born in the back of a car in earlyjanuary. while shopping in this store in brighton on monday, they were spotted by members of the public who called the police. soon after this cctv was taken in north brighton, the couple were arrested. they were walking towards an allotment and golf course.

the couple have used large amounts of cash to live off—grid since early january. 0njanuary 5th, their car was found on fire on the side of the m61 near bolton. from there, they took a taxi to liverpool, then another to harwich, arriving there on the morning of the 6th january. by lunchtime on the 7th january, they were in east london, where they bought a blue tent from argos and abandoned their pushchair. there were more taxi journeys, including a final one to the port of newhaven. it's during one of these journeys that a taxi driver reported hearing the sound of a baby. 35—year—old constance marten comes from a wealthy family. she grew up in this country estate in dorset and was at drama school in 2016 when she first met 48—year—old mark gordon. gordon was deported to britain from the united states in 2010 after spending 20 years in prison for a rape he committed aged 1a. meanwhile, police are increasingly concerned for the infant's welfare after possibly many days out

in the cold. aruna iyengar, bbc news. a public hearing into the allegations of racism made by the former yorkshire cricketer azeem rafiq is underway today. it's more than two years since rafiq first alleged he'd been the victim of racial harassment and bullying at yorkshire county cricket club. his testimony will be a key part of the case being heard by an independent panel of the cricket disipline commission. 0ur sports editor dan roan reports. 0n the field, business as usual for england cricket, the one—day team playing their first match of their tour of bangladesh today, but off it, escaping the past is proving difficult. former yorkshire player, azeem rafiq, arriving for a disciplinary hearing in london this morning in relation to racism allegations he first made in 2020. this is the latest episode in a hugely damaging saga for the sport. there is a lot of festering stuff that has to be dealt with, and it's

being done and it is an unhappy situation now, but i do believe things will improve greatly. tram things will improve greatly. two ears things will improve greatly. two years ago. _ things will improve greatly. two years ago, yorkshire sparked outrage by not disciplining anyone despite rafiq being found to have suffered racial harassment, plunging the county and crisis. the whistle—blower gave harrowing testimony to mps about the abuse he said he suffered at the hands of former colleagues at yorkshire. there just seems to be an acceptance in the institution from the leaders, and no one ever stamped out. disciplinary proceedings were then brought by the ecb against yorkshire and seven of its former players who were all charged with bringing the game into disrepute. yorkshire itself and its former batsmen, gary ballance, accepted the charges and will not participate. five others including ex england bowler matthew hoggard withdrew from the hearing, criticising the ecb process. former england captain michael vaughan is said to be the only charged individual to appear in person,

accused of making a racist comment to rafiq and three other asian players during a yorkshire matching 2009. vaughan, who has repeatedly denied the claims, stepped back from his broadcasting work at the bbc last year after he was charged. the sanctions that _ last year after he was charged. iie: sanctions that could be last year after he was charged. i“ie: sanctions that could be imposed last year after he was charged. iie: sanctions that could be imposed by the commission normally relate to curtailing their activities as players or suspending them. 0bviously, players or suspending them. obviously, as former players, that will not affect them, but the cdc commission could think creatively and perhaps ban them from the ground for a certain period of time which could curtail their activities in the media. could curtail their activities in the media-— could curtail their activities in the media. �* . �*, ., ., ., , the media. azeem rafiq's allegations in the way they _ the media. azeem rafiq's allegations in the way they have _ the media. azeem rafiq's allegations in the way they have been _ the media. azeem rafiq's allegations in the way they have been handled i in the way they have been handled since have cast a long shadow over notjust since have cast a long shadow over not just yorkshire cricket, since have cast a long shadow over notjust yorkshire cricket, but since have cast a long shadow over not just yorkshire cricket, but the wider english game as well, forcing it to confront its record on inclusivity and diversity. the sense that this scandal will finally come

to these are just a hero of the men who have been jailed for six offences who later changed their names and went on to reoffend —— these are just a few of the men. we know of dozens of others and it's clear there could be many more out there. freedom of information requests have revealed the police no longer know the whereabouts of at least 729 six offenders. campaigners believe most have changed their names to make it easier to disappear. della wright was abused as a child. decades later when she reported the case to the

police, she learned the man responsible had changed his identity and reoffended. she is leading a campaign for what they are calling della's law to deny six offenders the right to change their names. it should be backed that offence follows you for the rest of your life so that when you want to start a newjob or get into a new relationship, those people around you are aware of who you are and what you've done. if it's as simple as a sex offender saying i'd never be known by any other name and nobody checks that, it's far the national police to's council described the current system is robust and said that in the uk, we have world leading powers to deal with six offenders. the have world leading powers to deal with six offenders.— have world leading powers to deal with six offenders. the home office added that recently _ with six offenders. the home office added that recently the _ with six offenders. the home office added that recently the laws - with six offenders. the home office added that recently the laws have i added that recently the laws have got even tougher and if anybody failed to register a change of name, they could go to prison for up to five years. the lucy faithfull foundation has worked successfully with sex offenders for decades, helping to stop them committing more

crimes. ii helping to stop them committing more crimes. . ., helping to stop them committing more crimes. . . ., helping to stop them committing more crimes. . . . ., , , , , crimes. if changing and nine assists in doinu crimes. if changing and nine assists in doing that. _ crimes. if changing and nine assists in doing that, then _ crimes. if changing and nine assists in doing that, then that _ crimes. if changing and nine assists in doing that, then that for - crimes. if changing and nine assists in doing that, then that for me - in doing that, then that for me becomes a priority. but of course they have to do that in a way that is consistent with their registration requirements, that doesn't allow them to seek opportunities and take opportunities to reoffend. this a opportunities and take opportunities to reoffend. �* , . ., ., to reoffend. as a teenager, lauren id was abused _ to reoffend. as a teenager, lauren id was abused by _ to reoffend. as a teenager, lauren id was abused by her— to reoffend. as a teenager, lauren id was abused by her biological- id was abused by her biological father. he is now out of prison and has changed his name. even though he's told the authorities, she doesn't think he should have been allowed to. t0 doesn't think he should have been allowed to. ., , doesn't think he should have been allowed to— doesn't think he should have been allowed to. ., , ., , ., ., allowed to. to be able to come out and live in — allowed to. to be able to come out and live in a _ allowed to. to be able to come out and live in a new _ allowed to. to be able to come out and live in a new place _ allowed to. to be able to come out and live in a new place with - allowed to. to be able to come out and live in a new place with a - allowed to. to be able to come out and live in a new place with a newl and live in a new place with a new name, it's almost as if he is able to move on from that past and not haveit to move on from that past and not have it affect his life any more. whereas for me, i'm never going to get away from that. the whereas for me, i'm never going to get away from that.— get away from that. the ma'ority of six offenders — get away from that. the ma'ority of six offenders who * get away from that. the ma'ority of six offenders who change _ get away from that. the majority of six offenders who change their - get away from that. the majority of i six offenders who change their names do tell the authorities but a worryingly high number are using it as a loophole to evade scrutiny. phil mackie, bbc news.

the time is 1:18. our top story this lunchtime. former health secretary matt hancock strongly denies allegations he rejected key covid testing advice during the pandemic after the link to a newspaper of thousands of his whatsapp messages. and still to come — youtube is accused of collecting the viewing data of children aged under 13. coming up on the bbc news channel, england face bangladesh in the first of three one—day internationals and need 210 to win, but they have it all to do after falling to early wickets — including that ofjos buttler. a record number of people have volunteered to help in the training of guide dogs, after the bbc highlighted a national shortage. after the bbc highlighted the charity guide dogs says more than 4,500 people have put themselves forward. 0ur correspondent sean dilley has been without a guide dog

since his last one — sammy — retired six months ago. he's facing a two year wait for a replacement, but with more volunteers to train guide dogs, that waiting time could be reduced, as sean reports. i can only see light if i look directly into the sun or into a light bulb. i couldn't imagine my life without rio. she's so important. she's my best friend, my constant companion, my means of independence. this is the freedom guide dogs give their blind and visually impaired partners. ella started to lose her sight at four years old. when she was 15, she received some bad news. i think because it happened gradually, it wasn't like an immediate shock of, "you're not going to see again." i was told i had a retinal detachment and i definitely broke down then. i was with my dad. i can remember him hugging me and the nurses kind of bringing me a cup of water, just kind of comforting me. and then i got booked in for surgery the next day.

doctors operated to try to save any sight they could, but those attempts failed. never, says ella, would she ever want to be without a dog again. ella and rio are one of 3,695 partnerships currently working in the uk, that's down from around 5,000 before the pandemic. more than one in five people who had a guide dog before then now do not. come on, then son, good. good boy! archive: after more than eight years of working with sean, _ guide dog sammy is set to retire. and sean may have to wait two years for his next door. ——and sean may have to wait two years for his next dog. that was six months ago. much of my confidence and nobility left me that day. ——much of my confidence and mobility left me that day. you are actually quite moved today. sharing my story is by far the hardest thing i've ever done in my career. the impact, though, has been huge. the bond you two have... the niblock family were one

of many watching that day. it was heartbreaking to watch it, really. itjust made us think, why not sign up when we've got the time, the space and everything, just to help make a difference? they're among more than 4,500 people who've applied to volunteer since sammy's last walk. thank you so much to everyone who's already applied to volunteer at guide dogs. since the coverage, we've seen a peak in applications. so, injanuary alone, we received almost 3,000 volunteer applications. the charity's new volunteers will go on to help people like me and ella. she gives me that independence that i do kind of need and i crave, that i need to live the life i want to lead. sean dilley, bbc news. and you can see much more on that story in the documentary britain's guide dog shortage. that's available now on bbc iplayer. uk house prices have seen their biggest annual fall for more than a decade. they dropped by 1.1% in the year to february, as higher mortgage rates and living

costs made homes less affordable. according to the nationwide building society, the price of an average property is nowjust over £250,000. nationwide is warning it will be hard for the property market to regain much momentum in the nearfuture. our business reporter ben king is here. tell us more about this. nationwide roduces tell us more about this. nationwide produces one _ tell us more about this. nationwide produces one of— tell us more about this. nationwide produces one of the _ tell us more about this. nationwide produces one of the most _ tell us more about this. nationwide produces one of the most closely i produces one of the most closely watched measures of uk house prices and the numbers have shown prices falling for the past six months in a road to the point where they are now below where they were a year ago by i.i%. to below where they were a year ago by 1.1%. to put that in historical context, if you look at this graph you can see a shop full in recent months but that still nothing like what we saw back in 2009th in the aftermath of the great financial crisis, where you had prices falling by more than 15%. the nationwide

attributes this to those two main factors, the cost of living, inflation and rising mortgage interest payments, both of which eat away at people's ability to buy new houses and push prices down. nationwide thinks this full isn't going to continue much longer. hopefully mortgage rates are already past their peaks, hopefully. the labour market is likely to weaken, but still, most people, ourselves included, expect the unemployment rate to stay low by historic standards. so hopefully that means we should get a relatively soft landing and that is certainly our expectation. they predict that prices will continue to full, they will probably bottom out at about 5—6% below the august peak which is substantial but still much less that we've seen in the past. still much less that we've seen in the ast. ., ~ still much less that we've seen in the ast. . ~ , still much less that we've seen in the ast. ., ~ , . youtube has been accused of collecting the viewing data of children aged under 13 — which would be a breach of a uk data privacy code that was designed to protect young people. an official complaint has been lodged with the information commissioner's officer, in what's thought to be the first

test of the ico children's code, introduced in 2020. our technology editor, zoe kleinman, reports. what are our children watching online? and who knows about it? 89% of 3—17—year—olds watch youtube, according to the regulator 0fcom, despite it being aimed at children aged 13 and above. youtube gathers data about what its users are watching so that it can show them more videos they might like. it also looks at where they're watching and what they're watching on. children are supposed to be part of this, but lots of them ——children aren't supposed to be part of this, but lots of them use their parents devices and accounts, and that means that their data gets gathered, too. let me see your recommendations. campaigner and father of three duncan mccann says he believes youtube is breaching industry standards by doing this, as neither the children nor their parents have consented to it. and he's taken his complaints to the information commissioner's office. it has a children's internet

code designed to protect children's data privacy. my preferred reform that youtube should make is that actually when you enter youtube, they don't collect any unnecessary and process any unnecessary information. and that the best way to ensure that they are only collecting the data of adults who are properly consenting would be to then have a process where adults can sign in to the tracking recommendation systems, profiling, targeted ads. in a statement, youtube said it had made investments to protect kids and families, including more protective default settings, a dedicated kids' app and a supervised experience which requires parental consent. the information commissioner's office told the bbc, "we will consider this complaint carefully." many tech firms make a lot of money from compiling data about their users and then using it to sell them ads, but children are supposed to be protected from this. action in the us led to youtube paying a £140 billion fine and changing its practices.

so, it assumed that anyone watching children's content would be potentially under the age of 13 and so it collects far less data on that type of content and also doesn't send personalised ads to people watching that content. it shows that big tech can make big changes when it needs to. zoe kleinman, bbc news. the nigerian electoral commission has declared the governing party candidate, bola tinubu, the winner of saturday's disputed presidential election. the 70—year—old veteran politician won with almost 9 million votes, well ahead of his main rival, who got nearly 7 million. the two main opposition parties have demanded a rerun. in his acceptance speech, mr tinubu called for reconciliation with his opponents. just fontaine, the all—time top scorer in a single world cup finals with 13 goals, has died aged 89. fontaine achieved the record in the 1958 finals in sweden

where france reached the semi—finals for the first time in their history. it's been the centrepiece of coronations for more than 700 years — the medieval chair that kings and queens sit on as the crown is placed upon their head. for the last four months, conservationists have been working to restore the chair ahead of the coronation of king charles iii at westminster abbey in may. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. just over nine weeks to go now to the coronation, and westminster abbey is still busy with tourists. the physical preparation of the abbey has barely begun. but in one of the abbey's side chapels, one of the key components of the coronation is being made ready. this is the coronation chair. the 700—year—old chair made in the year 1300 and used at every coronation since then. the late queen elizabeth was seated on the coronation chair

for her crowning in 1953, just as her namesake elizabeth i had been four centuries before, and henry viii and others before that. the chair bears the marks of the centuries. graffiti from the 1800s, when visitors were able to carve their initials into it. but conservators say, all in all, it's in remarkably sound condition. it's made from oak and it's gilded. it would've originally had painted and gilded glasswork as well, so it would've looked like a metallic object. it's decorated with punch work, which is small, tiny dots that were used to create images. so there's birds, there's figures of saints and kings, and there's lots of foliage as well. and because so little survives of english art from that time, it really is an exquisite example of the quality of craftsmanship that doesn't survive any more. by coronation day, the chair�*s preparation will be complete.

there'll be no attempt to restore its original gold leaf gilding. the significance of this chair is rooted in its age and the centuries of history that it embodies. there's one vital part of this historic chair which has still to be added. it's the stone of scone, the ancient slab of sandstone on which scottish kings used to be crowned, which on coronation day will restjust here, underneath the seat on which king charles will be crowned. 0n coronation day itself, a stage, a platform will have been built in that area in front of the high altar, and the coronation chair will be there, the centre of attention, facing the high altar for the most solemn parts of the service — the crowning and the anointing. it will be the coronation of a british king. a religious service tailored in some respects to modern times, but honouring the centuries of tradition represented

by the chair, which will be its centrepiece.