U.S. joins world in averting Y2K disaster

Business as usual, with minor Y2K problems
European, Asian and U.S. share markets rallied today in relief at the absence of serious Y2K problems, but the appearance of a number of small glitches showed it was too soon to write the bug off as mere hype.

Minor Y2K glitch hits U.S. spy satellite
The United States said that a Y2K glitch had stopped the processing of data from a satellite spying operation for about two or three hours until back-up procedures stepped into the breach.

U.S. "pleasantly surprised" by bug's scarcity
The United States, which pushed the world to spend billions to meet the 2000 technology challenge, said today it was pleasantly surprised by the scarcity of reported computer glitches but confident the threat had been real.

Reporters are incommunicado, but not due to Y2K
first person It was the best indicator of whether the so-called year 2000 bug would hit our millennium destination: would cellular phones ring in the New Year too?

Power facilities cite few glitches
update Government officials say there have been only a handful of Year 2000 glitches at public power facilities around the country.

Computer Associates warns of new millennium viruses
update The company identifies a rash of new viruses that could wreak havoc on PCs, including one that permanently erases files on hard drives.

Most e-commerce sites open for Y2K
update Some e-commerce sites, notably auctioneer eBay and carmaker Audi, have shut down as a precaution for the millennium, but most remain open for business.

FBI investigates explosion at Illinois utility
Unicom's Commonwealth Edison says the FBI is investigating what appears to be a bomb that detonated just before Y2K at one of the electric utility's transmission towers in Niles, Ill.

Phone carriers get call surges, not Y2K glitches
AT&T processes 1.5 million calls in the first five minutes of 2000 on the East Coast in a traffic surge experienced by most of the major telephone carriers.

Boredom reigns in computer industry
One of the most potentially debilitating problems to ever face the computing industry is passing with nary a whimper.

Midwest automakers cruise through Y2K
Detroit's "Big 3" automakers report a smooth transition into 2000 with little or no apparent problems from the Y2K computer bug.

White House: Y2K spending justified
Federal officials defend the billions of dollars spent on Y2K fixes and predict major benefits--but say they expect plenty of second guessing.

Research firm cuts cost estimate of bug
After receiving initial reports, International Data Corp. reduces its estimate for worldwide costs related to Y2K downtime by $2 billion.

ISPs prepare for surfing wave
Internet service providers expect North American Net usage to surge at midnight but don't foresee widespread outages.

Finance workers settle in for long haul
Workers at U.S. financial companies hunker down for a long night of waiting and monitoring as 1999 turns into 2000.

FAA passes key millennium test
The U.S. air traffic control system completes a major test when Greenwich Mean Time reaches midnight with no immediate sign of computer problems.

Shipping not expected to be e-commerce Y2K issue
If any Year 2000 computer problems slow down the e-commerce industry, the shipment of packages is unlikely to be a culprit.

Report from Moscow: "Everything is OK"
With little trace of the Y2K bug, millennium festivities reach Europe as Moscow fetes the new year. The first day of 2000 also arrives in Prague, Berlin and Paris.

South Korea breezes into 2000
Officials report no significant problems at the country's hospitals, power and communication companies.

Singapore sees no Y2K disruption
The nation-state reports no problems at its banks, phone companies and power plants as computers switch over to the new year.

Malaysia enters 2000 sans bugs
It is all-systems go during the rollover to Jan. 1, 2000, according to the Y2K operations center at the Energy, Communications and Multimedia Ministry.

China reports no millennium chaos
There are no reported problems in China's banking, transportation, or power and communications sectors from computers changing over to the year 2000.

Japan enters 2000 with no troubles
There are no immediate reports of trouble from computers mistaking 2000 for 1900 in Japan as the country celebrates the dawn of a new millennium.

Australia reports no problems as new year begins
update The Australian government says no Y2K computer bug problems were reported as the country ticked over to greet the new millennium.

New Zealand embraces 2000, reports no troubles
update All 12 of the country's key utility sectors report normal operations two hours after the country becomes the first industrialized nation to see the new century.