Russia And U.S. At Risk From Y2K Bug, Canada Warns

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Wednesday September 15 5:15 PM ET

Russia And U.S. At Risk From Y2K Bug, Canada Warns

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada said Wednesday that visitors to Russia and the United States over the New Year could find themselves stranded by the Year 2000 problem -- the so-called ''Millennium Bug''.

A foreign ministry study into how 50 countries are tackling the Y2K glitch was less critical in tone than those issued Tuesday by Britain and the United States.

But it made clear that visitors to Russia, the United States, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Pakistan and Hungary should be prepared for possible trouble.

The study said work to tackle the Millennium Bug had started late in Russia and Ukraine, where Y2K awareness was generally weak.

It noted that Russian aviation authorities had claimed new and old aircraft should be safe and that 126 of the country's 128 air traffic control centers were Y2K-ready.

The year 2000 glitch is expected to occur because many older computers -- which allocated only two digits for the year in a date -- may read the year 2000 as 1900, causing computer systems to make mistakes or shut down.

``However, less than twenty centers have conducted actual Y2K operational tests,'' the report said, adding that travelers by rail should also be ready for delays.

``The head of automatic systems development for the vast Russian rail network has suggested that Y2K disruptions could have serious implications in this sector,'' it said.

The study also made clear that air travelers to the United States should be aware of the potential for disruption, saying the air traffic control system was lagging in dealing with the problem.

``Air carriers and larger airports are making significant progress, but local airports and transit services in small communities and rural areas are not doing so well,'' the study said. adding: ``Some smaller airlines have only completed 55 percent of their risk assessments.''

The British report on the state of U.S. preparedness also said small airports and health facilities were at risk.

Canadian foreign ministry spokesman Mike O'Shaughnessy said 25 more country assessments would be ready by the end of September.

``We're not in a position to predict when and where disruptions might take place,'' he said when asked why the reports had been less pointed than those produced by Britain and the United States.

``We had to select the information available to us and provide that which was of most use. Other countries may have other sources of information and other interests,'' he said.

The study also indicated there could be problems in a number of other countries, especially Ukraine, where 85 percent of the telecommunications network was susceptible to Y2K problems.

It said many Ukrainian commercial banks had not set timetables for completion of Y2K preparations and had not even established contingency plans.

``There is a lack of financing available to remediate (remedy) or replace noncompliant systems,'' the report said.

In Romania there was ``a low comprehension'' of the Y2K problem while efforts to fix the glitch in Pakistan were hampered by a lack of resources.

``Pakistan has officially acknowledged that there are significant Y2K problems in the energy, aviation, financial and communications sectors,'' it said.

The report cited international studies indicating the Czech Republic had ``significant unresolved Y2K issues in a majority of key sectors'' and said the health-care sector in Hungary was lagging.

===================================== End

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), September 15, 1999

Answers

It is sobering to think that the U.S is "leading the pack."

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), September 15, 1999.

Does anyone on this board know of a PROGRAMMERS FORUM where Y2K remediation is discussed?

Wouls appreciate a URL.

DavidC

-- David Carrington (DavidC@uneco.org), September 15, 1999.


Dave

I can only make a suggestion that you try this search engine and target newsgroups.

 Infoseek Advanced Search: Usenet Power Search
 

Ray and others

Here is the Canadian links for our Y2K foreign awareness.

Looks like I am going to have to cancel my trip to armpit N.D. Drag.

(Canadian) Year 2000 Readiness Statements 

(Canadian Y2K) Foreign Policy 

(Canada) Y2K Page Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 15, 1999.


Somehow I had a feeling these travel reports might represent a watershed "awareness" moment.

Not great for diplomatic relations between many countries, but what are you going to say when your citizens may be at risk? Pretty hard to downplay it.

Anybody heard from France yet? I have the site bookmarked, but haven't checked in this evening.

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), September 15, 1999.


Just imagine the consequences if people take this advice, many many Canadians live, work and vacation in the US, particularily in the winter.

-- Will (sibola@hotmail.com), September 16, 1999.


This anti-US propaganda isn't really necessary. At the rate the $C is dropping, no one'll have any money to go anywhere for Christmas anyway!

BTW, Brian, I think I've talked Rob out of his stealth attack - I just need you to go to the FRL and reassure him that his dishonour is intact ;-)

-- T the C (tricia_canuck@hotmail.com), September 16, 1999.


tricia

We are going to have to watch the borders for those US border jumpers, specially the ones looking for good Canadian beer. Horrors if Rob got into that! He may never leave.

The security of the Nation would then be comprimized :o)

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 16, 1999.


Brian, thanks for offering the apology (???) so quickly. I'm not too worried about Rob discovering Canadian brews and deciding to stay - he'd have that neat little dragon with him and that would about double our airforce fire power, wouldn't it?

-- T the C (tricia_canuck@hotmail.com), September 16, 1999.

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