Microsoft computer systems were crippled by a humble security update that brought some of the world's biggest companies to a halt and caused disruption on a massive scale, with experts likening it to the much-feared millennium bug that failed to materialise 24 years ago.
Affected Windows PCs were left unusable, showing a "blue screen of death" error message. The chief executive of CrowdStrike, the firm that issued the faulty software update, said he was "deeply sorry" but warned that it would take "some time" for systems to be fully restored.
In Britain, the chaos included:
• 3,700 GP practices - around 60 per cent - being hit by disruption to appointment booking and other services
• The FTSE 100 dropping 0.8 per cent
• Almost 300 flights being cancelled, with around 5,000 cancelled worldwide
• Nearly all independent pharmacies being affected
• Sky News and other channels being unable to broadcast
The bug's ramifications were on a scale not seen before. Banks, supermarkets and other institutions reported disruption, while many businesses were unable to take digital payments or access key databases.
Airports, which use myriad PC systems for managing customers and equipment, suffered some of the worst effects. On what was set to be the busiest day for UK airports in five years, some 50,000 passengers who were planning to fly to or from Britain yesterday were unable to do so.
Huge queues formed at the affected airports, with Gatwick staff forced to check in passengers manually for flights. Heathrow airport said yesterday afternoon that it was still "working hard" to get passengers "on their way".
In another dramatic consequence of the outage, CBBC and Sky News were both rendered unable to broadcast yesterday morning, with news presenters forced to use printed notes once the channel returned to air after more than an hour's blackout.
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Carse justifies England faith as the archetypal bold pick
If you won a boxing match after your opponent continually punched themselves in the face, how much credit can you take?
Tenacious Diallo the key to Amorim pressing machine
Old Trafford has not seen anything like this before.
Gold King Cole packs the Bridge with merry old souls
In the 83rd minute, the ball rolled to the feet of Cole Palmer in a bubble of space outside Aston Villa's box, and the crowd snapped to attention.
Vibrant Anfield marks the changing of the Guardiola
There was a lull in the noise, a break in the Anfield atmosphere, when a defiant chant emerged from a corner near Stefan Ortega’s goal.
What is so daunting about Spain's new data checks?
Q You have written about the new “red tape” for visitors to Spain. So, as well as your usual passport details you will give a contact number, address and email. Not exactly the Spanish Inquisition, is it?
Sectarian clashes claim at least 130 lives in Pakistan
At least 130 people were killed in deadly sectarian clashes in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram district in spite of a tentative ceasefire, days after gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying Shia Muslims, local officials said.
Coalition government likely in Ireland as count proceeds
Fianna Fail say decisions on power-sharing for another day’
How Syria's forgotten war is back on the world's agenda
Many believed the country was lost in an unsolvable conflict, until everything changed in a matter of days, writes Bel Trew
Assad regime scrambles to halt Syrian rebels’ advance
Civilians reportedly killed by Russian and Syrian airstrikes
Mother of poisoning victim says she knew she would die
Lawyer Simone White succumbed to the effects of methanol while backpacking in Laos with two of her childhood friends
