her ties agencies, and a nuclear power plant in the u.k., hundreds say they have then hit by a malicious cyber attack spreading fast. united states and france agreed to coordinate a response in the event of a chemical weapons attack in syria after the pentagon said it had evidence the regime was preparing to use those weapons on civilians. the fight to oust the islamic state continues.

dozens of civilians have been killed by the u.s. backed coalition. first, companies around the world say they have been hit by a major cyber attack. the french construction company and the british advertising giant wpp are among those who say their i.t. systems have been struck by a virus demanding money in exchange for access to data. it is a similar attack to the virus that claimed thousands of victims. to talk more about that i'm joined of new york by an internet security expert. thank you for joining us. is this virus spreading so

rapidly and how much damage can it do? is a ransom ware attack spreading because it was designed to spread. it is a type of malware that criminals in fact machines with an demand a payment to free the day that they have locked. this was highly successful in the past. they are making a lot of money. >> what kind of damage do these programs do? some pretty big targets here. the chernobyl nuclear plant in the ukraine, a british war strip -- warship. what is the risk here? >> the risk is you could lose access to your data. thankfully criminals do restore it if you pay the ransom. not all do. some may lose their data. the other thing is this may have been designed in such a way that

it can propagate without human involvement for some of the process. it may spread to others. that's part of the problem of the virus. it can be transmitted and sometimes requires human error. sometimes it does not. once presumably someone would have to activate it. is there anything people can do to protect themselves? >> the best things you can do, practice good security hygiene. siebel --rity software. you are not doing things that are risky. back up. make sure they are not connected to primary systems. if the primary system gets infected, the ransom ware may also encrypt the backup. backing up and general good cyber security practices are the best practices.

that doesn't mean it is impossible but puts the odds in your favor and puts the odds in your favor if you need to recover. >> are companies taking the threat of cyber attacks seriously enough? we solve the virus affecting people around the world. have enough protections been put in place since then? >> the simple answer is no. it is possible and our experts believe already this particular attack was completely preventable by parties simply patching their servers and keeping them up to date. there are those who are speculating that way. that may be the case. not patch their servers, maybe because it stopped. now they may be paying the price . this may be a known vulnerability. >> are criminals getting smarter? is the internet security

industry keeping up? >> it is always mouse versus mouse. criminals move first. they create something new that creates a new risks. beeneality is, it may have an old vulnerability is something that everybody could have prevented. that is yet to be determined. we have seen things like that in the past. keeping servers up-to-date is not an easy process. .hat is part of the problem sometimes you have to move very fast. >> thank you very much. statesce and the noted have agreed to coordinate the response of the event of a chemical weapons attack in syria after the pentagon claims they have seen active preparations and warned the government of bashar al-assad it will pay a heavy price if the used banned

chemicals. u.s. forces band a syrian airfield. >> this is how the u.s. responded last time the syrian government carried out a major chemical weapons attack on its people. 59 tomahawk cruise missiles launched hitting regime airbases. now the white house is warning if another attack goes ahead bashar al-assad's regime will pay a heavy price. from an unusual warning president trump's administration, aimed at determining a repeat of the event when searing gas was allegedly dropped on sleeping civilians, killing 80 people and leaving many struggling to breathe. in an official statement the white house said it believes

another asked attack is being prepared that could result in mass murder. with president trump's administration should it is willing to carry out a second targeted strike in syria the united kingdom said it would consider military action. >> we supported the last strike that took out the airplanes. if the united states is considering a similar strike we will support that. i'm discussing this with the american defense secretary at the next meeting in brussels thursday. >> any intervention risks direct confrontation with russia, a firm backer of assad's regime. >> let's go to washington. philip, why is the pentagon making this morning? >> the pentagon says it has proof. that is something we did not get from the white house. basically threatening to respond

militarily to any future chemical attacks by the regime. did that statement by the press secretary there was no proof given the new details of what the syrian military might be up to. the pentagon has filled in the gaps. the pentagon says that is suspicious activity at that same air base from which the planes departed that according to united states and most of the west, that provoked that chemical attack in the first place. there are differing points of view on what exactly happened on the ground. the russians contest the u.s. point of view. that is what the pentagon is saying. suspicious act vividly and preparations for another chemical attack. the response from the united states might be similar to what we saw at the beginning of april. there were no details on that. there were details from the

palace where you are from a phone call between the u.s. president. aty seem to have discussed least a possible response together. a joint response by france and the united states, if there was to be another use of chemical weapons by the regime. >> what does the readiness to stand this -- stand beside the united states tell us about the relationship between emmanuel macron and the president? >> it is a relationship that can go in many directions. this is a tense one pretty publicly. at this point we know there was this phone call this morning. we have the details from the french side on how they see that

discussion having gone. there was an invitation from the french president to visit france for bastille day. not just to be there on the national holiday but but to commemorate the entrance of the u.s. forces into the first world war 100 years ago. what is interesting is the relationship between these men. if they were to meet in paris this would be the third meeting between them. ,nother one was being planned at the g 20 meeting in germany next month. what came before is more interesting. that tends handshake in brussels as aeverybody has seen the tough stance from donald trump. then there was the fact the united states decided to withdraw from the paris climate

agreement and the decision on the french president to start his own slogan based on donald made --election slogan, make the planet great again. hence why we are asking these questions. the first view of this phone call from the palace, that it went pretty well. there was an invitation to visit france. we will have to see what the u.s. says about this. >> thank you very much. meanwhile, back to syria. the fight to let -- liberate raqqa rages on. dozens of people have been killed in an airstrike believed to have been carried out by the u.s. backed coalition. a prison run by jihadists was reportedly hit. forces say they are investigating reports of

civilian casualties. firsthand how civilians are being caught up in the violence. here is his report. >> this young boy and his father have managed to escape and fully. >> since the 10th day there has been no bread. they are all fighting. >> the father is determined to go back and get the rest of the family. to the commerce who can hear me come don't shoot at the motorbike -- they are civilians. destination, 400 meters from the old historic wall. claire is one of the main commanders. in charge of coordinating with

the international coalition. she was to make the civilians get a chance to succeed. >> it is safer if he stays with me. >> are you going by bike? >> yes. >> i will give you food and water to take with you. >> the man and his son ride off to the islamic state stronghold. this time they are alone. they hope to return alive with the whole family. as they leave, heavy fighting starts. >> are you there? take cover. can we move now? >> yes. only with a tank.

.> we have 22 millimeters be careful. >> we will move quickly. >> the security situation in raqqa is unpredictable. this time it went wrong. we were evacuated rapidly. >> minutes later and ambulance arrives. it is caring a fighter wounded in the attack. he is seen to in this small shop used at the hospital. the man was blasted a mortar shell. he will survive. >> that report from james andre inside raqqa. columbia's farc are no longer an armed group. they have handed over thousands weapons to end five decades and conflict in which a quarter of a million people were killed.

>> it is significant. showing -- at the events. as --ch as well [indiscernible] sayingve been basically today is the last day of the farc. today is the day when they cease to exist as an armed group. the chief said that today is the day when they will start their political activity. received 7132 weapons, a record. ofe weapons than the number

in these zones. it is a really important moment for the history of peace in the world. the first time so many weapons have been laid down. weaponsall -- now the are in special containers. government and the colombian people the certain the farc has handed over all of its weapons? colombian people have been skeptical. >> they have. this is the most important criticism. they say this cannot be all the weapons. but this is more than one weapon her guerrilla -- per guerrilla.

this will take months. so far they have found 77 of them. columbia is a complex country. star are landmines and the need to dig down and find these weapons. still, the u.n. certifies this is the most important time in history. >> hundreds of lawmakers who have never before held elected office took their seats in parliament today. macron's republic on the move party one 308 seats. his party brings a record number mps.men today the first order of business was to choose a president of the national assembly, a former member of the green party was nominated.

>> six months ago he was one among seven candidates in the left wing primary. he is the 13th speaker of the country's national assembly. 353 votes out of 577 cast. he has taken his perch at the head of the chamber. , it is aan honor responsibility as gravity i recognize. when i hope to carry among you and with you. deputyanuary he was a from the green party facing long odds the presidential race. he declined to support the winner of the now decimated socialist party. he rallied to macron. he held onto his seat in parliament but this time as a member of macron's republic on

the move party. he was one of the mower experienced officials. tical career under his belt and his bet was about to pay off. he is now forth in line to the french residential succession. he keeps order. he receives draft legislation from lawmakers in the executive branch. from his seat above the assembly he will try to breathe new life into the chamber. >> he must achieve deep reforms. fewer deputies, proportional refuse and nation. proportional representation. now they must get to work.

now, we aress news going to start with that record of fine for google from the european union. .> 2.4 billion euros google had been abusing its position of dominance in the internet world to give itself an unfair advantage, in particular for its shopping service. it has been ordered to change those practices. that would amount to $14 million per day. google's current company has denied the allegations and expected to appeal the decision. earlier i spoke to a business advisor and lawyer and asked how the google decision could affect other tech companies facing scrutiny in brussels. ownacebook has had its various legal counsel's. saw not that long ago

they were a transport service which will have an effect on the dealhey are taxed and with employees. the eu regulators are getting more active than they expected. this is not the only antitrust competition google is facing in the eu at the moment. platform inising the way they manufacture android smartphones. i don't think the trend of regulators being willing to take anywhere anytime soon. what i think the courts want to happen is people will start using other competitors. google is such a valuable brand that it may be they will simply not want to use an alternative. >> wide you think it is it was the shopping service that was singled out?

you look at competition it depends on how easy it is for the man on the street to make an informed choice. their market in which they buy goods and services is distorted. google is the only game in town and they are setting up a platform that is at a level playing field. they prioritize their own shopping service. we will see similar cases in the future. it is a matter of time before they got to this point. to avoid daily fines, i will imagine they will get their fine -- their appeal in very quickly. >> shares have extended losses down 2%, tracking down other tech stocks and the nasdaq itself, underperforming on wall street over one and a quarter percent. the dow has dropped before the line.

investors don't like those kinds of delays because it adds to uncertainty about whether president trump can push through other reforms. european markets closed lower in the euro dropped. mario draghi said winding down the program could lead to another recession. the international monetary fund is downgrading growth forecast for the american economy and casts doubt on the fiscal plans for the trip administration saying they will not confident the white house would push through plans to cut taxes and reduce financial regulation. that could impact economic momentum. they predicts the world's largest economy will grow 2.1% rather than the 2.3% forecast. expansion could drop 1.7%.

moving on to the other business headlines, european union and japan are pressing ahead with talks to forge a free trade agreement. the negotiations have been underway since 2013 but who has taken greater urgency. spain's banking sector continues to consolidate. valuing taking over that smaller lender at 825 million euros. both banks were nationalized in the 2012 housing crisis and the government remains the primary shareholder. they could begin selling of shares by the end of this year. the bank of england says the u.k. lenders need to set aside 11 and a half billion pounds. 13 billion euros to protect against the risk of bad loans. the financial policy committee cited risks including the

pending exit from the european union, saying banks could need a financial cushion if proceedings go badly. officials say they want banks to ensure they can afford their repayments. prince finance minister has warned petty politics must not derail efforts to reach a good brexit deal. phillips of the u.k. can eu negotiators should prioritize economic logic and push for an agreement to allow trade to continue without major delays. a bed do what impact not just britain but the european economy as well. since the brexit vote european cities have been vying to win business away from london. banks and other financial services will have to set up -- left their in europe to set up bases in other areas of europe. so far germany has the edge over its french rivals.

>> scoring points in the battle for the spoils of brings it. announceanese banks they will move hundreds of employees to frankfurt following the lead of goldman sachs. by contrast, hsbc has confirmed it will relocate 1000 jobs to paris. both cities have been competing to attract british banks and so far it is advantage, germany. >> it is a question of bonuses. are they limited by the law? not in germany. >> flexible laws, cheap office space and international appeal, a long list of artemis to seduce british banks coming to frankfurt. fromhasn't stopped paris courting the u.k. financial sector to dispel prejudice surrounding the french labor code, often seen as too rigid by

foreign investors. >> we have the 35 hour workweek, but not for executives. most employees will not be affected. the stakes are high for paris and frankfurt. they will have to move thousands to the continent if they want to keep access to the eu market after brexit. >> that battle is still heating up across europe. >> thank you. we leave you with the business.

♪ >> from pacifica, this is democracy now. >> mr. president, today's congressional budget office analysis of the trump mcconnell health care bill gives us 22 million reasons why this legislation should not see the light of day.. >> as 22 million more e people e projected to lose health insurance under the senate republican