Russia denies millennium bug nuclear war threat

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SLEEP easy. The millennium bug that some say could melt down the world's computer-run transport and financial systems will, at least, not trigger a third world war.

So said Marshal Igor Sergeyev, Russia's defence minister, last week when he denied suggestions from the United States that Moscow's vast and underfunded nuclear arsenal could be launched by a computer glitch at the dawn of the third millennium.

Sergeyev should know as previously he was the commander of the strategic missile forces. But he gave no secrets away at a Moscow news conference: "This problem affects more those spheres where mass-market computer technology is used. In Russia's strategic missile forces, there is no risk because special computer technology is used."

The US has voiced concerns that the bug might trigger an unintended Russian nuclear attack by blanking out command computers and panicking officers into suspecting an enemy first strike. Two months ago, the US secretary of defence, William Cohen, offered expertise and ideas to help Russia handle the issue. Russia told Washington it did not have a problem.

In Singapore, meanwhile, specialists suggest that banks should remain closed for the first few business days of the new millennium. Andrew Lee, a consultant working for a major Singapore bank, told the Straits Times that Singapore the millennium bug posed a high risk for Singapore as it would be among the first countries to witness the calendar transition. Singapore banks are scheduled to open for business on 3 January, 2000.

Specialists in Singapore have indicated that many businesses - including banks - are not adequately prepared for the change, though the government has said that most large institutions are on track. "The Year 2000 issue is ; going to hit us," warned Lee. "We have to work together to minimise its risks." A worst-case scenario might involve entire systems crashing and billions of dollars in overseas transactions being lost.