-Caveat Lector- http://www.prophezine.com/search/database/DailyNews/news3.html Russia's Computers Not Y2K-Ready MOSCOW (AP) - Only one-third of Russia's vital computer systems are ready for the millennium, and the government probably won't have the money to fix the rest in time, officials said Monday. Finance Ministry officials told a Cabinet meeting on Monday that Russia needs at least $187 million to prepare its computers for the year 2000, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. The new estimates were dramatically lower than previous figures, which said Russia would need $1 billion to $3 billion to fight the millennium bug. The Finance Ministry did not explain the discrepancy. Still, the money will be hard to find, and Moscow will probably have to give priority to defense and security sectors while withholding money from other agencies, Finance Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said, according to ITAR-Tass. The Defense Ministry needs $13 million to fix the problem, and the Interior Ministry needs $6 million, Kasyanov said. Russian government agencies have 28,000 vital computer systems, one-third of which are ready for the Year 2000 changeover, said Alexander Ivanov, head of the State Communications Committee. He said many of Russia's government agencies don't fully appreciate the risks. ``The situation with resolving the Y2K bug in Russia provokes concern,'' Ivanov told the meeting, according to the Interfax news agency. Russia plans to reduce the number of airplane flights on Dec. 31, halt some hazardous industrial processes and switch others to manual control, ``just in case'' anything goes wrong, Ivanov said. But the Russian Central Bank and most fuel and energy companies are prepared, he said. Russia has been slow to address the millennium bug because of more pressing problems, including a severe cash shortage. The problem may occur if older computers that use two figures to designate a year mistake the year 2000 for 1900 and shut down or produce erroneous information. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
