hello, i'm tom donkin. welcome to bbc news. our top stories: a global cyber attack blocks computers and demands a ransom from governments, companies, individuals and even hospitals. i think it's a heinous crime, this hacking, because they are 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 in 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. 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 said it had "localised the virus". our technology correspondent rory cellanjones has more. it looked at first like an attack

just on hospitals in the uk, but it is 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 is now a common form of cybercrime. ransomware is becoming the tool of choice for an awful lot of criminals, simply because it is 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 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 screen is warning that if you want your data and locked you will have to pay a ransom, often in bitcoin, the virtual currency. the irony is that security experts think hacking tool allegedly leaked

from america's national security agency in april may have been used by the attackers. and a microsoft warned about the threat this vulnerability posed and 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, these 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. it now faces what could be a lengthy process of cleaning up its computers and making the networks safe again. as rory mentioned, the nhs 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. hugh pym has this report. there were serious disruption in some parts of the nhs today, with signs warning of significant delays at a&e units, and some 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's been inconvenient and frustrating for many of my fellow patients. the nurses have been fabulous, and the doctors. but also i thin it's 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 it wouldn't happen today. they helped me, because i was nervous about it, so i have 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 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, a hidden programme used by criminal hackers, was to blame. the prime minister gave the government's response. it's an international attack and a number of organisations and countries 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 tryign to assess the extent of the problem and attempt to contain it over the weekend. earlier i spoke to chris wysopal, he's co—founder and chief technology officer at the security company at veracode. i asked him if there were any clues of who might be behind this attack. well, it does seem like a sophisticated organisation. if you look at how widespread this is happening and the fact that the ransom ware is translated into 28 different languages, it shows there was an effort to put behind this. so to me it is either a sophisticated organisation or potentially a row nationstate trying to raise money.

—— rogue. but the goal is definitely to get money from all these organisations. and these companies that were selected perhaps randomly, there doesn't seem to be some connection? yeah, it is definitely indiscriminate. people are saying, why would someone target hospitals? it is really indiscriminate. it seems like it is hitting the ministry, the interior in russia, telefonica in spain. this is a very widely dispersed the type of organisation, so anybody could be at risk. how hard is it for someone to get their hands on ransom ware? that the thing. you have to put the ra nsomwa re the thing. you have to put the ransomware together yourself, but the hardest part of it is the vulnerability and the exploit. in this case that was published widely bya group this case that was published widely by a group called shadow brokers,

that stole the code from the nsa in the united states. so the most difficult piece to construct is freely available, so i expect to see co pycats follow freely available, so i expect to see copycats follow this, even after people start to clean this up. can companies and individuals do anything to avoid or stop being targeted by ra nsomwa re? anything to avoid or stop being targeted by ransomware? yeah, in general stopping ransomware is really a problem because there is a lwa ys really a problem because there is always new vulnerability that happens. the thing you have to do is have good computer hygiene. you have to have backups. backups are your best defence and a way to restore them quickly, because if you think about an organisation like the hospital, having to back up might be fine but as long as you can get the system is back online in a day or so it's not that useful. the other real thing is you have to keep your systems patched. this update from microsoft was available to months ago andi microsoft was available to months ago and i understand that a lot of

businesses have trouble keeping patches up to date but it's got to be quicker than waiting two months oi’ be quicker than waiting two months or longer. that was a cyber security expert talking to me from boston. 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 inquiry into possible collusion between trump election officials and russia. he was fired on tuesday. now the president has tweeted: the bbc‘s laura bicker, in washington, gave us her reaction. 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 director comey?|j assume you are referring to the tweet and i spoke to the president and he has nothing to add on that. are there recording devices in the oval office or the residence?> i have nothing further to add on that. has he been told not to speak? it's not a threat, he has simply stated a fa ct. not a threat, he has simply stated a fact. i'm moving on. if you are listening closely you would have noticed that there is no denial that

such tapes exist there and the president was asked during a fox news interview as to whether or not the conversation was recorded. he said he didn't want to talk about it. during that interview, which will be aired tomorrow, he was also asked about the contradictory accounts coming from the white house. this week we had one account from president trump and his surrogates and he has gone so far to say that perhaps it is time the white house briefings were limited. are you moving so quickly that your communications department can't keep up communications department can't keep up with you ? communications department can't keep up with you? yes. so what do we do about that? we don't have press conferences. we just don't have them. asl conferences. we just don't have them. as i have them every couple of weeks and do them myself. first of all you have a level of hostility that incredible and very unfair. sarah huckerbee is a lovely young

woman. sean spicer is a nice man. sarah huckerbee is a lovely young woman. sean spicer is a nice manm the press today and tomorrow? he is doing a good job but he gets beaten up. will he be there tomorrow? he has been there 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. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news.

italy's highest court has upheld the 16—year jail 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 in january, 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. nine people are suspected to have contracted the virus, three of them have died. so far one of the cases has been confirmed as ebola. turkish police have detained more than 50 employees of istanbul's stock exchange. it is part of an investigation into lastjuly‘s failed coup. they are accused of being followers of the cleric accused by the government of orchestrating the plot. 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's now the elderly in venezuelan who are clashing with police in the streets. this was called the grandpa rents' march. its aim was to protest medicinal shortage, which is affecting the most vulnerable, like 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 gas that makes you itch and want to cough. why? if they are older citizens, they don't have any weapons. what we have is a flag.

oil—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 zika and malaria. since this period of unrest in venezuela 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 want him 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 here on bbc news. still to come: break open the bubbly — a latvian wins the title of the world's top 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. these are the

latest headlines. an international assault on computer networks has affected a number of organisations in seventy 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 director, james comey. 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. 0ur sports editor dan roan reports. glory was within their grasp. chelsea's stroll to the title almost complete. in the final ten minutes, and with the game seemingly sending for 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. chelsea were champions once again. it has rarely been in doubt, but this, a moment to savour for a reunited team and their coach in his debut season. 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. and when you consider what went on here last season, it is an achievement that should not 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,

‘ngolo kante, the player of the year, but the new coach has largely transformed an underperforming squad. i have to give thanks to my player. because it is not easy to adapt new methods, and new philosophies, and also to work very hard, to totally change your work, if you compare the work of this season and the past. and there could yet be more success. conte is also guided chelsea to the fa cup final. other managers may have grabbed more headlines, created more controversy, but the italian has eclipsed them all. some more news in brief now. 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. pope francis hasjoined tens of thousands of pilgrims

from all over the world for a candle—lit vigil and prayers at the fatima shrine complex in portugal. the pope is due to declare two new saints on saturday. the shrine remembers three child shepherds who are said to have had repeated visions of the virgin mary in 1917. the international art festival, the venice biennale, opens on saturday, and some artists have decided to challenge the usual practice of countries having their own national pavilions to showcase their art. this year, there are even pavilions for imaginary countries. to explain, here's our arts editor, will gompertz. the whole point of the venice biennale is for countries across the world to have their own national pavilion in which they proudly present the work of one of their artists. but the notion of art belonging to nation states is becoming an increasingly anachronistic concept for many artists and curators, some of whom have set up alternative pavilions, such as nsk state, an imaginary country which we are all welcome to come along and join, although they have made it a bit of an uphill struggle.

this is a state without rules or regulations, rights or responsibilities — although citizens do need to get themselves a passport. you've got to do all the boring admin stuff and hand over your fee to a passport officer, who, in this instance, is a migrant seeking a european passport. so, in a way, the power dynamic is being turned on its head. you then go up this moving stair to an elevated office, where you come along and hopefully pick up your authorised passport. thank you very much. and then there is the diaspora pavilion, showing the work of predominantly non—white british artists, which is challenging the very notion of nationhood, arguing that a multicultural society needs a fresh approach to established ideas of borders and belonging. venice is about nationalism. it's about the nation. it's about what is

represented by the nation. for us, that terrain or that definition has to change. we feel diaspora is really much more appropriate, to talk about fluid communities and diversity within the uk, but also within the art movement. for some countries, though, those that maybe feel marginalised or misunderstood, biennale offers a public platform on which to show and share. venice becomes even more important for a country like iraq, that can participate because it's allowed to — you know, as a national pavilion, as defunct as that notion may be. it's one of the few venues available. these antiquities from the iraq museum form the core of the exhibition. some have never left the country before. others were looted after the fall of saddam hussein. they represent both traditional craft and contemporary politics, like much of the work at this year's biennale. will gompertz, bbc news, venice. now, if you enjoy the occasional glass of wine, then this next story may be of some interest to you. tim allman explains.

decisions, decisions — sweet or dry, full—bodied or medium? choosing the right kind of wine can be a real challenge. what you need is a good sommelier, and here in vienna you'll 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, or wine waiter, is your guide orfriend. translation: the qualities of the winner — someone we want to be served by — he is fast, he is charming. i want the feeling he is an ice 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. i 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 do a big thing. the next championship will take place in 2019 — plenty of time to savour the aroma and the taste of victory. don't forget you can get in touch with me to discuss any of the stories we're covering via twitter — i'm @tomdonkinbbc. but from me and the team that's it for now. 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 really 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, as i say, a coolerfeel, 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 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 $300 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 spray to try to control the crowd. now on bbc news time for our world.