Two countries that figure to weather the Y2K storm pretty well – Britain and the United States – are moving to warn their citizens about the rest of the world.
Britain unveiled the first installment of its global guide to the millennium Tuesday, setting out how far 50 other countries have gone toward overcoming the Year 2000 problem, and warning travelers and businesses about potential trouble spots.
Also:
ISP-based virus protection offered
Sam Donaldson to anchor Net news show- - - - - -
For example, "finance, banking, transport, power, defense, and social sectors could all be vulnerable" in Ukraine, the Foreign Office said. The report also named three Indonesian airports where air traffic control was not yet compliant. And Russia faces the "high likelihood" of widespread communications problems and warned that travelers to Egypt should bring "enough cash to cover contingencies" in the event of expected temporary disruptions.
Beginning late Tuesday, travelers will be able to check the British assessment against that of the United States. Britain's State Department plans to begin including a brief Y2K paragraph or two in the information sheets put out for as many as 196 countries by its Bureau of Consular Affairs.
The sheets are widely used by travel agents and independent travelers alike. Some governments fear that a bad report could hurt tourism – and even investor confidence. The Department has distributed advance copies of the Y2K reports to other countries in the past month, which undersecretary Bonnie Cohen said have led to "active dialogs" regarding their assessment.
- Back to topProphylactic ISP: Banking on the fact that people will pay extra to get virus protection along with their Internet connection, Trend Micro said it is starting a worldwide service that will scan all incoming email as it passes through ISPs.
For an extra US$1.50 per month, the company said it will provide 24-hour, seven-day-a-week virus tracking at its labs in the United States, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, China, and the Philippines. It said its 150-plus engineers would make eDoctor Global Network a real-time anti-virus software system that eliminates computer infections as soon as they appear.
Trend Micro said it was working to offer the service with ISPs and telecommunications companies. Sprint has already signed up to provide the service to its corporate customers, while US West has said it would offer eDoctor to home and small-business subscribers.
4. Back to topSam, without Cokie: Sam Donaldson, a man who must write his email messages in all caps, is coming to the Internet.
Donaldson last month said he would step down as ABC's lead White House correspondent, and now he's signed a new contract with the network that, among other duties, has him taking the helm of the network's Internet-only video news program.
The 15-minute Donaldson show will be broadcast three times a week on [ABCNEWS.com](http://www.abcnews.go.com). The network is calling it the first regularly scheduled, live, "television-quality" produced webcast offered by a broadcast network.
*Reuters contributed to this report.*
