Virus Stalls Google, 3 Other Search Engines; Hoax Grounds U.S.-Bound Flight in Sydney; Senate Backs Visa Waiver Extension

Virus Stalls Google, 3 Other Search Engines

A verion of the MyDoom worm prevented users from accessing Google, Yahoo, Lycos and Alta Vista search engines Tuesday. According to a story in the Washington Post users of Google were blocked for as long as five hours. Spokespeople for Google and Yahoo reported no significant outages, but they would continue to monitor the situation.

For more details read the Washington Post.

Hoax Grounds U.S.-Bound Flight in Sydney

A threatening note found on a plane headed from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles prompted pilots to turn the plan around and land back in Sydney nearly three hours after takeoff. According to a report by BBC News, Police Superintendent Peter O’Brien later determined the note a hoax. Apparently the note implied that there might be a bomb on board the plane.

Read the full story on the BBC News website.

Senate Backs Visa Waiver Extension

Citizens from U.S. approved countries with barcoded passports will still be able to travel to the United States thanks to the Senate’s backing of a one-year extension of a deadline for more secure passports. According to a story in The Register, when the deadline passes, travellers from approved countries must either have a passport that included biometric data (for now that means a digital photograph of the person stored on a chip) or obtain a visa. A spokesman for the U.K.’s Passport Service told the Register that the British ePassport would roll out at the end of 2005, right near the U.S. deadline.

For more details, read The Register.