World News 31-08-2001 `Eurovision` Bank Notes Unveiled who: European Central Bank what: Unveils euro bank notes where: Frankfurt, Germany when: Yesterday snippet: "Here comes the euro. Oh no. It`s the Eurovision Song Contest in banknote form," says The Guardian this morning after the European Central Bank unveiled their new notes yesterday featuring "a superbland, superbanal design aimed at offending no one... unless you are Iain Duncan Smith." The Sun, a backer of Mr Duncan Smith in the forthcoming Conservative leadership election, proudly proclaims that its readers will be deciding when or if British people start using euros. "There will be no referendum until the Chancellor has made his assessment as to whether it`s in Britain`s interests or not," Europe Minister Peter Hain tells political editor Trevor Kavanagh. "That means in the economic interests of Sun readers - as well as everybody else in Britain." "One of Europe`s biggest logistical challenges begins in earnest tomorrow," says The Times, "when national banks from the 12 eurozone countries begin distributing the new notes and coins to financial institutions and businesses." But for all the predictions of rampant counterfeiting, confusion and chaos when 300 million people start using it on January 1st, the introduction of the euro so far has proceeded annoyingly efficiently, says The Independent. "Doom-watching has been part and parcel of the British approach to the euro almost from the time the grand design was first mooted," says today`s leader. But with every shop and business from Finland to Crete, Lisbon to Vienna, all using a currency different to ours next year, "we could start to feel very left out." [... more]

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