hello, i'm tom donkin. a warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: a global cyber attack blocks computers and demands a ransom from governments, companies, individuals and even hospitals. 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. hello and welcome to bbc news. thanks for being with us. the largest hospital group in the united kingdom has cancelled all outpatient appointments on saturday, because of the ongoing global cyber attack affecting its systems. the national health service in england is just one of several large organisations to have been hit by the attack in more than 70 countries worldwide. hackers are demanding money to restore access to their files.

rory cellan—jones reports. 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 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 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. 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: our north american editor jon sopel gave us this update from the white house. there was just the tone of that tweet from the president suggesting to james comey that you better keep your mouth shut or else. i am sure it is pure coincidence but this afternoon we have learnt that james comey who had been invited to testify before the intelligence committee has declined in the invitation. more remarkable the suggestion that there may be some secret recording devices in the white house. it may be that there is

a recording of a dinner thatjames comey had with the president shortly after donald trump took office. inevitably it was the only question people wanted to ask. 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. pa rt part of the reason it has been chaotic is that people ‘s stories keep changing. the president has

tweeted as well that may be the a nswer to tweeted as well that may be the answer to that is to stop briefings altogether because it is hard to give accurate information when things are changing so quickly. at the end of this week, it has been a rare week of tumultuous and turbulence. this could go on for some time yet. stay with us here on bbc news, still to come... chelsea are champions— the blues win the premier league title with two games left of the season 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. here's our health editor hugh pym there was serious disruption in some parts of the nhs today, with signs warning of significant delays at 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 nonurgent surgery, were told their operations had been postponed. it's inconvenient, very frustrating for my fellow patients inside lincoln county. the nurses are absolutely fabulous, and the doctors, but also i think it's a heinous crime, this hacking, because they are putting people's lives at risk. richard, who was due to have an operation on his leg, was also told it wouldn't happen today. it was disappointing, because i've got all... they helped me, because i was a bit nervous about it, so i'll have to go through it again, i hope, not very long way. laura, whose new baby arrived yesterday, was delayed n leaving hospital. was delayed in leaving hospital. as a precaution, they were doing all the paperwork on paper, their systems were down because of all 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 have gone down and, "we're not sure whether the doctors can see you,

for whatever reason. if it's x—rays or breakages or whatever, they're going to send you home." it's happened before, at this hospital trust covering north lincolnshire and goole, it systems were closed for three days as a result of a cyber attack last autumn. hundreds of operations and patient appointments were postponed. people were told to go to a&e only if it was really necessary. there were warnings then that nhs it was vulnerable. and today, staff logging in at some other hospitals found this on their screens, with the message saying, "your files are encrypted. if you want to recover them, you need to pay up." ransomware, a hidden programme used by criminal hackers, was to blame. in a statement, nhs digital, responsible for it, said... nhs england said it wanted to reassure patients that,

in the event of emergencies, they should visit a&e as normal, but some gps are warning there will be disruption at least into early next week. there will be referrals that gps have made this afternoon or wanted to make a referral that will now have to be processed on monday. hoping that everything is back up and running. and there will be a backlog of things like repeat prescriptions, which we do electronically. we've have patients unable to book future appointments and things this afternoon, so there will be things that will give us a backlog from this, depending on how long it goes on for. the prime minister gave the government's response. it's an international attack on a number of countries and organisations. the national cyber security 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 trying to assess the extent of the problem and contain it over the weekend. hugh pym, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. turkish police have detained more than fifty 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 planning the plot. the united states has signed a number of trade agreements with china, in an attempt by washington to reduce its trade deficit with beijing. among american firms to benefit will be beef and natural gas exporters, plus big credit card companies such as visa and mastercard. 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. italy's highest court has upheld the sixteen—year jail sentence imposed on the captain of the shipwrecked cruise liner, the costa concordia. thirty—two 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. greg dawson reports. more than five years since his ship capsized, francesco schettino's fight forfreedom is over and he's spending his first night inside this prison in rome. it follows a definitive ruling here at italy's highest court that his 16 year sentence was sound. his convictions include multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a maritime accident, and abandoning ship before his passengers had been evacuated. translation: this ruling caused an extraordinary, terrifying affair.

72 hearings in the first trial, then the appeal trial, finally the supreme court. we are glad the supreme court have put an end to this because our clients needed the sentence. they needed truth and justice. 32 people were killed when the costa concordia capsized on a cold january evening, in 2012. the ship left its planned moving towards the island of giglio. by the time it saw the rock it was too late — a gaping hole was ripped in the stern. water filled in and the power failed before it eventually tipped onto its side. more than 4,000 people were onboard but, instead of staying with his passengers, the captain spoke to the coastguard from his lifeboat. after the ruling, schettino's lawyer said his client

respects the verdicts, but he would investigate the option to appeal to the european court of human rights. friends of schettino claim he's been made a scapegoat for what happened, but there will be no sympathy from victims‘ families, who have waited five years to see the man named ‘captain coward' finally behind bars. 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‘ 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%. which went up 65%. 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. 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 directorjames comey. jeremy corbyn says the war on terror isn‘t working and britain needs a fresh approach. in a speech outlining his foreign policy, he said he wasn‘t a pacifist and could see circumstances in which, he would involve britain in a war but he warned

against what he called a "bomb first, talk later" approach. mr corbyn accused theresa may of pandering to donald trump — who he said was making the world a more dangerous place. here‘s our deputy political editorjohn pienaar. he‘s used to it now, all the attention, and not always friendly, though he still tries to be. don‘t push each other, ok? labour‘s campaign is so much about jeremy corbyn, his character, ideas he‘s held dearfor 30 years, though some in his party wish he hadn‘t, like defence. and today the labour leader was holding to his oldest and deepest convictions, writing off years of britain‘s way of war against international terror. the fact is that the war on terror has been driven, which has driven these interventions, has not succeeded. it has not increased our security at home. in fact, many would say just the opposite. but this, britain‘s leader onside and alongside with donald trump, was notjeremy corbyn‘s answer.

more talking, less fighting, yes, and a lot less cosiness with washington if labour wins. britain deserves better than simply outsourcing our country‘s security and prosperity to the whims of the trump white house. so no more handholding donald trump. a labour government will conduct a robust and independent foreign policy. in this election, it‘s become clear that a vote for the conservatives would be a vote to escalate the war in syria, risking military confrontation with russia, adding to the suffering of the syrian people and increasing global insecurity. the message — when facing terrorism, time somehow to rely on peace and diplomacy. but what about britain‘s nuclear deterrent, and jeremy corbyn‘s lifelong opposition to nuclear defence? for a potential prime minister, it‘s become a nagging question, a live election issue, and he knew it. i‘m often asked if, as prime minister, i would order the use of nuclear weapons.

it‘s an extraordinary question, when you think about it. would you order the indiscriminate killing of millions of people? would you risk such contamination of the planet that no life could exist across large parts of the world? that sounded like a no. he wanted nuclear defence reconsidered, too. we cannot obviously decide what a review would decide, otherwise you wouldn‘t have a review. what do you say to supporters of british military power, when it‘s not clear in what circumstances you would ever order forces into battle, in or out of nato, and including strikes against islamic state? think back to our history. i doubt many, if any in this room would have questioned the legitimacy ultimately of the second world war because of the catastrophe that had approached by the rise of the nazis. but controversy today is about recent conflict. british air strikes on the so—called islamic state in iraq and syria, whichjeremy corbyn opposed. he is proud now that hejoined the marches against the iraq invasion in 2003, a war which drove down support for labour in government.

today, he wanted british raids against is reviewed. we examine what they are doing straightaway, examine what their presence is straightaway, but above all, that fits into the whole point i‘m saying, that i would do everything i possibly could in order to reignite the whole peace process. political opponents, out campaigning too, had their lines rehearsed and ready. a labour party led byjeremy corbyn would simply chuck away our ability to defend ourselves. i think that is crazy, and it's not the way i want to go. we see defence policy sucking in billions of pounds on trident at a time when our conventional defence forces have seen cut after cut after cut. approval for the leader‘s line here today, but labour needs converts, lots of them. john pienaar, bbc news. well, theresa may was out campaigning in the north—east today, in an attempt to win over labour voters.

and as mr corbyn was outlining labour‘s foreign policy plans, mrs may accused him of deserting proud and patriotic working class people. here‘s our political editor laura kuenssberg. labour for the many, not the few. what the tories might expect, a raw reception in much of the north—east of england. the tories will ruin our environment. will the conservatives win around here? no. it is a small selection of people canvassing for the tories, we have a huge following for the labour. but inside, theresa may believes she can swell these polite ranks of her supporters, trying to stir up national pride with talk of security and defence, while slamming her labour opponents, who have been in charge around here for a long time. proud and patriotically working—class people in towns and cities across britain have not deserted the labour party, jeremy corbyn has deserted them.

we respect that parents and grandparents taught their children and grandchildren that labour was a party that shared their values and stood up for their community. but across the country today, traditional labour supporters are increasingly looking at whatjeremy corbyn believes in and are appalled. can she really take the tories beyond small pockets of the north—east? look at the side of the bus to see how they hope she will. strong and stable leadership... her name in giant letters, you almost need a magnifying glass for the party. we will deliver for britain. she may be well ahead in the polls, but the tory manifesto is not even published yet. how far can she really reach? i was labour a few years ago. but my views are changing. just working life and what is happening in this country, my views are changing.

have you voted tory before? no. you will be voting for them for the first time? yes. what is changing your mind? strong opinions on brexit, that is what i want to see, us standing alone and moving forward that way. getting on the road in the north—east is part of a deliberate strategy, not just to try to win, but to pump up the majority. i have used every form of transport. except horses. but however she travels, and whatever the polls say today, shifting huge numbers of votes in labour territory is a hard sell. theresa may has already been to more than 20 labour seats, including some here in the north—east that should traditionally be safe as houses. the tories say she is having a positive message, but every day they are trying to display contrast between her and jeremy corbyn,

brutally trying to strip away labour‘s vote. convention suggests whole chunks of the north of england, scotland and wales just are not safe for the conservatives. but theresa may wants to persuade you the country‘s future is only safe with her. the liberal democrats have confirmed they would legalise the sale of cannabis if they‘re elected. the party would allow licensed shops to sell the drug to people over the age of 18. people would also be able to grow cannabis at home and smoke at small social clubs. 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, batshuayi with the crucial touch. the substitute has barely played this season, now he scored the goal to sealed the title. this is how much it meant to manager antonio conte. 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 is 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 celtic defence of the title, the club finishing tenth. —— after a chaotic defence. chelsea hired conte but had

to wait until after the euros. there were one or two big signings, antonio conte, 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 is 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 have prevailed with two games to spare and the first time,

this is not a leicester city style miracle like last season‘s premier league. chelsea is one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. having said that, given last season, this represents a highly impressive turnaround in fortunes in this sense is that this manager in charge has, it could be a double winning season and next, this team can challenge for the champions team as well. don‘t forget you can get in touch with me on twitter — let me know if you‘re off to the games. i'm @tom donkinbbc. showers a longer spells of rain were the mark on friday. other areas got away with a pretty decent sort of day. that was the end of the day in king‘s cross in london. that was the day in cornwall. what is driving things? this area of low pressure sat in the middle of this great

swirl of cloud. 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 world news, the headlines: