hello. i'm tom donkin. welcome to bbc news. here are our top stories: a global cyber attack blocks computers and demands a ransom from governments, companies, individuals and even hospitals. i think it is a heinous crime, this hacking, because they're putting people's lives at risk. a veiled threat to the former fbi boss — the white house won't say whether or not there are tapes of his conversations with president trump. venezuelan pensioners take to the streets to protest against the government — and official figures show a sharp rise in mother and child deaths. and chelsea win the english premier league, at the end of antonio conte‘s first season in charge. thanking you forjoining us.

a fast—moving wave of huge cyberattacks has swept the globe affecting computers in thousands of locations. it's thought the hackers used tools developed by the us national security agency, and were leaked online last month. users have found themselves locked out by a programme that demands a $300 payment to restore their access. there have been reports of infections in 99 countries. britian‘s national health service was one of those hit. hospitals and doctors‘ surgeries were forced to turn away patients and cancel appointments. a number of spanish companies, including telecoms giant telefonica, suffered from the outbreak. there were reports that staff there were told to turn off their computers. russia was also hit. the interior ministry has said it has "localised the virus". our technology correspondent rory cellanjones has more. it looked, at first, like an attackjust on hospitals in the uk, but it's now becoming clear

that this malicious software has run riot around the world. russia, the united states, and many points in between, have been hit by what's now a common form of cybercrime. ransomware is becoming the tool of choice for an awful lot of criminals, simply because it is very, very easy to make money very quickly. you can buy ransomware online for as little as $39. it's quite cheap. at the top end of the market it comes with support and payment systems to help you get your money. so how does ransomware work? it often arrives in the form of a link in an innocuous—looking e—mail. when you click on that link, the malicious software is downloaded and spreads rapidly through your network, locking up all the files on it. then a message flashes up on screens, warning that if you want your data unlocked, you will have to pay a ransom, often in bitcoin, the virtual currency. the irony is that security experts think a hacking tool allegedly leaked from america's national security agency in april may have been

used by the attackers. microsoft warned about the threat this vulnerability posed, but said anyone who had installed a security update to windows software the previous month would be ok. the worry is that many health service computers may not have been updated. the nhs is vulberable, because typically it has not invested enough in computer security, they're using old computers, old systems, and if they don't keep them properly patched, they will keep on getting hit by attacks like this. the health service will point out that it is just one of many organisations around the world affected by this attack. but it now faces what could be a lengthy process of cleaning up its computers and making the networks safe again. rory cellanjones, bbc news. as we mentioned the national health service here in britain was a major victim of the cyber attack. with many hospitals affected and surgeries cancelled, it's been declared a major national incident. our health editor hugh pym has this report. there were serious disruption

in some parts of the nhs today, with signs warning of long delays in a&e units, and some gp surgeries having to remain empty. all this the result of the biggest cyber attack in the history of the nhs. some patients, like tom, waiting for non—urgent surgery, were told their operations had been postponed. it is inconvenient and frustrating for many of my fellow patients in lincoln county. the nurses have been fabulous, and the doctors. but it is a heinous crime, this hacking, because it is putting lives at risk. richard, who was due to have an operation on his leg, was also told his operation would not happen today. they helped me, because i was nervous about it, so i had to go through it again, i hope. not very long away. laura, whose new baby arrived yesterday, was told she would be delayed from leaving hospital.

as a precaution, they were doing all the paperwork on paper, and their systems were down, because of this thing that happened. some patients going to colchester hospital were told what services had been affected. the gentleman just inside the door said that all the computers had gone down. "and we're not sure whether the doctors can see you," for whatever reason, if it is x—rays, or breakages, or what have you, they are going to send you home. and today, staff at many hospitals found this on their screens, with a message saying "your files are encrypted — if you want to recover them, you needed to pay up." ransomware, used by criminal hackers, was to blame. the prime minister gave the government's response. it's an international attack, and a number of countries and organisations have been affected. the national cybersecurity centre is working closely with nhs digital to ensure that they support the organisations concerned, and that they protect patient safety. some hospitals and gp surgeries in scotland have been

caught up in the cyber attack. the scottish government, like ministers at westminster, and nhs leaders, will be assessing the problem and attempting to contain it over the weekend. hugh pym, bbc news. the bbc‘s dave lee joins us live from san francisco. what has been microsoft's response? microsoft said they have done everything they can to prevent this happening. we knew about this vulnerability over a month ago. microsoft had fixed it, a month before we knew it existed. and so really, it was up to people to upgrade their systems. it does seem, as we are hearing, in those two pieces, that organisations like the nhs simply were not doing that. their machines were too old and they we re their machines were too old and they were not being properly looked after and maintain. and that is why it has

been hit so hard. i think it is interesting that the prime ministers said it was an international event. —— maintained. but the international health system has not seen anything like the same impact. i spoke to the department of health here in america, and they said they were not aware of any significant impact. that shows the gap between the us and with the nhs. how sophisticated is this? do you have to be a top hacker to get your hands and is ra nsomwa re, hacker to get your hands and is ransomware, oi’ hacker to get your hands and is ransomware, or can anyone get it? the interesting aspect of this is that you would have to be a top hacker to work out how to do it in the first instance, to find what we call a zero direct exploit. thatjob was made easier when a large range of tools that were created by the nsa, the national security agency, a large of their tools were leaked. it

seems that these cybercriminals have seen us. they have repurposed the tools. —— a large number of their tools. —— a large number of their tools were. the question many are asking of the nhs —— nsa is what obligation the government has if they find serious flaws in products that everybody uses and could have such a big impact. what obligation to the us governed had to share that as soon as possible with the affected companies? i think that is affected companies? i think that is a debate that is good to come once the fallout from this has been tidied up. david, thank you for joining us live from san francisco. president trump has warned the man he fired as the director of the fbi against talking to the media — and suggested that there could be tape recordings of their conversations. james comey had been leading an enquiry into possible collusion between donald trump's election officials and russia. he was fired on tuesday. now the president has

tweeted. .. laura on tuesday. now the president has tweeted... laura bicker in washington gave her reaction to the development. the white house says this is not a threat, but it is extraordinary, this tweet, on many levels. firstly, he appears to be saying to the sacked head of the fbi, "do not talk to the press." and secondly, he appears to be saying "i may have tapes of the conversation." now, this all relates to a dinner that supposedly took place in january. it's thought, and certainly this is the president's account, that he turned to james comey and asked him directly if he was under investigation. and james comey, according to the president, said "no". now we do not know if such tapes exist. but here is what sean spicer said during the white house briefing, earlier today. did president trump record his conversations with james comey? i assume you are referring to the tweet.

and i've talked to the president, and the president has nothing further to add on that. were there recording devices in the oval office? for a third time, there is nothing further to add on that. is it appropriate for the president, threatening somebody like james comey not to speak? i don't think that is a threat. he has simply stated a fact. the tweet speaks for itself. i am moving on. if you are listening closely, there was no denial that such tapes exist, there. the president was asked during a fox news interview if the recording existed, and he said he did not want to talk about it. and during the fox news interview, which will be airing tomorrow, he was also asked about contradictory accounts coming from the white house. this week, we have had one account from the vice president and president trump's surrogate, and another from the president himself. he went as far as to tell fox news that it might be time

that the white house briefings were limited. are you moving so quickly that your communications department cannot keep up with this? yes. that's true. so what we do about it? and we do... you don't mean that. we just don't have them. unless i have them every two weeks and i do them myself, we don't have them. i think it is a good idea. first of all, you have a level of hostility that's incredible. and it's very unfair. sarah huckerby is a lovely young woman. you know sean spicer. he is a wonderful human being. he is a nice man. is he your press secretary today and tomorrow? yeah he is, sure. he is. he's doing a good job but he gets beat up. will he be there tomorrow? he has been at from the beginning. this has been a chaotic and tumultuous week for the white house. when it comes to donald trump's behaviour, and his flouting of the presidential norms, it is once again under the spotlight.

even richard nixon, famed for his paranoia, did not make this kind of publicly veiled threat. and when it comes to james comey, we are hearing tonight that he is not worried if any tapes do exist. and we are also hearing that he will now not appear before the senate intelligence committee, as he was invited to, next tuesday. whatever went on between president trump and the former head of the fbi, james comey is staying silent, for now. the venezuelan president, nicolas maduro, has sacked his health minister after she released official figures showing a sharp rise in child mortality and maternal deaths. venezuela is facing a serious economic crisis and a shortage of food, medicines and medical equipment. thousands of elderly venezuelans held street protests on friday to show their anger. from caracas, here's vladimir hernandez. it is now the elderly in venezuelan

who are clashing with police in the streets. this was called the grandparents' streets. this was called the grandpa rents' march. streets. this was called the grandparents' march. its aim was to protest medicinal shortage, which is affecting the most vulnerable, like children and older people. these we re children and older people. these were minor scuffles compared to the recent political violence that has killed almost a0 people since april. but pictures of police spray the elderly with pepper gas caused outrage on social media inside venezuela. translation: we have been repressed with this gas, a guess that makes you itch and want to coal. why? if they are older citizens, they don't have any weapons. what we have is the flag. all rich venezuela is currently struggling to stay afloat after a collapse in the price of crude left an enormous public spending structure in tatters. the economy is dependent on imports, but the cash strapped state has been

unable to maintain supplies of many basic goods, like food or toilet paper, and also medicines. this week, the venezuelan health minister revealed alarming figures about the child mortality rate. days later, she was fired by the president. it was the first time in years that the state published figures like this. for example, maternal deaths during childbirth, which went up 55%. child mortality, which is up 30%. and also an increased rate of illnesses, like the zika virus and malaria. since this period of unrest in venezuelan began, the government has also called its own supporters to take to the streets. and on friday, president nicolas maduro called for the elderly to back him to hold a counter demonstration. translation: i wanted to keep on working, to continue being

president. you won't find any more like him. the opposition, which is mainly seeking fresh elections, has promised more protests in the coming days. and the level of political violence is causing increasing concern in the region. but for now, the government shows no signs of giving in. vladimir hernandez, bbc news, caracas. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: break open the bubbly! a latvian wins the title of world champion wine waiter. the pope was shot, the pope will live. that was the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism has come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse.

the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, gary kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! this is bbc news. the latest headlines: an international assault on computer networks has affected a number of organisations in 70 countries, including britain, russia, the united states and china. the white house spokesman has refused to confirm or deny speculation that president trump secretly recorded a meeting with the sacked fbi

directorjames comey. let's get more on our top story now — that global attack on computer networks, which has affected a number of organisations in many countries. chris wysopal is co—founder and chief technology officer at the security company at veracode. he's joins us from boston. chris, any clues as to who might be behind this attack? well, it seems like a sophisticated organisation. if you look at how widespread this is happening, and the fact that the ransom ware is translated into 28 languages, it shows there was effort put behind this. so, to me, it is either a sophisticated organisation, or it is potentially a vogue nationstate trying to raise money. the goal here is definitely to get money from all these organisations.

and these companies that were selected, perhaps randomly, there are dozens seem to be any connection? yes, it is indiscriminate. people have said, well, why would someone target hospitals? it is really indiscriminate. it seems like it is hitting — you know, the interior ministry in russia, telefonica in spain, this is a widely dispersed type of organisation. anyone could be at risk. how hard is it for someone to get their hands on ransomware? that is the thing, you have to put the ransomware together yourself. the hardest part of ra nsomwa re yourself. the hardest part of ransomware is the vulnerability and exploit. it was published widely by a group called shadow brokers who stole the code from the nsa in the united states. the most difficult

piece to construct is freely available so i expect to see co pycats follow available so i expect to see copycats follow this after people clea n copycats follow this after people clean this up. can companies and individuals do anything to avoid or stop being targeted by ransomware? yes, stopping ra nsomwa re stop being targeted by ransomware? yes, stopping ransomware is a problem because there is always new vulnerabilities that happen. the thing you have to do is have good computer hi jean. you thing you have to do is have good computer hijean. you have to have backups. backups are your best defence and a way to restore it quickly hygeine. unless you can get a system up in a day or so, it is not useful. you have to keep your sister patched. this update was available to months ago and i understand that a lot of businesses have trouble keeping patches up to date but it has to be quicker than waiting two months or longer. chris,

really good to get your insights. let's take a look at some of the other stories we are monitoring today. italy's highest court has upheld the 16 yearjail sentence imposed on the captain of the shipwrecked cruise liner, costa concordia. 32 people died when the vessel hit the rocks off the italian island of giglio injanuary 2012. captain, francesco schettino was also convicted of abandoning ship before passengers and crew were clear. an ebola outbreak has been declared in the north of the democratic republic of congo. the world health organization confirmed that one person who died, had tested positive for the most deadly zaire strain of the virus. nine people in the area have fallen ill with a fever, three of them have died. pope francis has been greeting pilgrims at the fatima shrine complex in portugal, where he's due to make two new saints on saturday. portugal has temporarily re—imposed border controls to keep track of the hundreds of thousands of people coming in from elsewhere in the european union. the shrine remembers three child

shepherds who are said to have had repeated visions of the virgin mary in 1917. candidates in iran's presidential election have clashed in their final debate on friday, accusing each other of corruption and financial mismanagement. the current president hassan rouhani is contesting the election, to be held next week. he's up against five other candidates. if you've been following the english premier league this season, it won't come as a surprise to hear that chelsea will be crowned this year's champions. they confirmed it on friday evening with a 1—0 win away to west brom. our sports editor dan roan reports. glory was within their grasp. chelsea strolled to the title almost complete. west brom have also enjoyed their season, and victory at the hawthorns would have to be earned. in the final ten minutes and with the game heading to a draw, —— the pressure finally told.

batshuayi with the crucial touch. the substitute has barely played this season, now he scored the goal to sealed the title. when chelsea play watford at stamford bridge on monday, they and their fans will be able to celebrate a second premier league triumph in three seasons, re—establishing this club as the dominant force in the english game. when you consider what went on here last season, it's an achievement that shouldn't be underestimated. jose mourinho was sacked after a chaotic defence of the title, the club finishing tenth. chelsea hired conte but had to wait until after the euros. there were one or two big signings, the player of the year, but the new coach has largely transformed

an underperforming squad. it's not easy to adapt new methods and new philosophies, and also to work very hard, to change totally your work. if you compare the work of the season and the past. and there could yet be more success. conte's also guided chelsea to the fa cup final. other managers may have grabbed more headlines and created more controversy, but the italian has eclipsed them all. chelsea really making a habit of winning. if you enjoy the occasional glass of wine, then this next story may be of interest to you. the european sommelier championship has been taking place in austria. it was a chance for competitors to show their skills when it comes to bouquet, body and aroma. the eventual winner came from a country you don't necessarily associate with fine wine, latvia. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. decisions, decisions — suite or dry,

full—bodied or medium? choosing the right kind of wine can be a real challenge —— sweet. what you need is a good sommelier and here in vienna you will find the very best. would you will find the very best. would you care for 18 glasses of champagne filled precisely with exactly the same amount in each class? no problem. trouble identifying an italian wine or a french calvados brandy? worry not. the sommelier, the wine waiter, is your guide or friend. translation: the qualities of the winner — someone we want to be served by — he is fast, he is charming. iwant be served by — he is fast, he is charming. i want the feeling he is a nice skater. no effort, beautiful to watch. he can describe the wines well. someone who has a lot of

knowledge but a very nice personality. charming and professional. and this is the sommelier‘s sommelier, the winner of the competition, a consummate professional and a proud latvian.|j think it is important to give huge motivation to young people in latvia back home working in the industry. i think this will be a huge motivation that a small country like latvia can doa that a small country like latvia can do a big thing. the next championship will take place in 2019 — plenty of time to say that the aroma and the taste of victory. don't forget you can get in touch with me to discuss any of the stories we've been covering here via twitter. i'm @ tom donkin bbc. but that's all the time we have for now, so i'll say goodbye. hello.

showers or longer spells of rain were the mark of the day on friday in many parts of the british isles, but other areas too got away with a pretty decent sort of day. that was the end of the day in kings cross in london. that was the day in cornwall. and what's driving things at the moment? this area of low pressure, sat in the middle of this great swirl of cloud. you can see the persistent rain showing up, and those with a good eye can see the speckling of showers, some of those were quite sharp. as we get on into the body of saturday, rather than friday, the same area of low pressure has drifted a little bit further north, taking the prospect with it of those longer spells of rain. not a cold start to the day wherever you're starting it. the temperatures just about dipping away into single figures, across a rather murky north—eastern quarter of scotland. but further south, across the greater part of southern england and wales, it's not wall—to—wall sunshine, but it is mild as you step out of the door first thing perhaps, and a lot of dry weather too. you've got to start moving

towards the north—west of wales, to northern ireland, the north—west england and up into the heart of scotland, where you are in the centre of the low, and you will see more cloud, thick enough for some rain and further north and east it is a cooler feel, with a noticeable south—easterly wind there and a lot of low cloud. it's going to be one of those days i'm afraid in that neck of the woods. but let's not major too much on the rain and showers, because, across a greater part of england and wales, yes, isolated light showers, but a lot of dry weather too. with the sunshine coming out, quite strong at this time of year, 18 or 19 could be yours. and i suspect, down on the south coast, bournemouth versus burnley, mid—afternoon, there'll be a lot of sunshine there, a really glorious spring afternoon. however, closer to the low pressure and some of the fixtures, especially on the western side of scotland, they could be pretty wet affairs. if you're coming further south, and it is the challenge cup weekend for the rugby league fans amongst you, castleford versus st helens, i think that one will be essentially a dry fixture.

saturday evening on into sunday, if you're out and about you'll have to put up with a couple of hours at least of pretty weather as the front moves west to east. it'll be away from most eastern coastal areas, say for the north—east of scotland, as you wake up on sunday. another day of sunny spells and showers, some of them sharp, especially in the north—western quarter of scotland, but i hope you have some time on the weekend to enjoy at least some of this dry weather. and i urge you to do it if you can, because this is what monday looks like — rather wet, rather windy to say the least. this is bbc world news. the headlines: cyber attacks have been reported on organisations in more than 70 countries. computers in thousands of locations have been locked by a programme that demands a three hundred dollar payment to restore users' access. companies, individuals and public services, including hospitals,

have been affected. the white house has refused to confirm or deny whether president trump recorded conversations with james comey, the man he sacked as director of the fbi. in a tweet earlier, mr trump warned mr comey not to leak stories to the media, saying he had "better hope there are no tapes of our conversations". thousands of elderly venezuelans have taken to the streets of the capital, caracas, and other cities to protest against the government of nicolas maduro and show their discontentment with the worsening economic crisis. police blocked access to a main road in caracas and used pepper gas to try to control the crowd. now on bbc news, hardtalk celebrates its 20th anniversary with one of its classic interviews.