U.S. WARNS TRAVELING AMERICANS ABOUT Y2K WOES
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States warned Americans Friday to
take special care when traveling abroad at the end of the year or the start of next year because of possible computer-related problems stemming from the change to 2000.
In a notice issued worldwide, the State Department said transportation could be disrupted and credit card and ATM machines may malfunction. Americans with special medical requirements should not assume that medical facilities and services will be available overseas, the department added.
''Many businesses and governments are actively engaged in addressing potential Y2K
(Year 2000) problems and may experience little or no noticeable disruption in essential
services,'' the department said.
''However, others with more limited resources or expertise, or who are not paying
appropriate attention to the problem, may experience significant difficulties,'' it said.
The announcement identified financial services, utilities, telecommunications,
transportation and other vital services as the most likely areas of concern.
It did not cite specific countries where problems might occur, saying: ''It is difficult to
forecast where the Y2K problem will surface and some problems could even appear
before January 1, 2000.''
More specific information would be provided periodically as it becomes available, the
department said.
Experts fear that computer programs may interpret the change from 1999 to 2000 as a
reversion to 1900, playing havoc with a variety of services.
Yahoo! News - Technology Headlines
Saturday January 30 1:51 AM ET
dailynews.yahoo.com.
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BA BOSSES TOLD TO FLY ON MILLENNIUM NIGHT
THE TIMES - January 31 '99 - by David Parsley
SENIOR executives at British Airways have been ordered to take to the air on
New Year's Eve to prove that the millennium bug will not bring their planes
crashing down ....
"This is not a kamikaze operation," said one hopeful executive. "We may avoid some areas which may cause some trouble because air traffic control systems are looking doubtful, but I have every confidence in our planes."
sunday-times.co.uk.
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