Metro launches "Metro World News"

METRO LAUNCHES "METRO WORLD NEWS" Metro International S.A. (Metro), the leading international free newspaper, today announced the launch of a new newswire and information service called Metro World News ("MWN"). By providing news and feature articles and information services to all 17 Metro editions, MWN will further improve the high quality of Metro, whilst at the same time achieving significant cost savings. MWN will also reinforce Metro's position as a global newspaper by introducing global stories in local languages, in the form of centrally produced reporting and commentary on events and issues which have global relevance. Tony Metcalf, Metro International Editor in Chief, will head up the new division and be responsible for introducing the new service to the 17 Metro editions in 13 countries around the world. MWN was launched this week and is already providing all Metro editions with high quality centre-piece feature articles. The articles are written by leading international journalists, translated into local languages, and published in each edition. MWN also provides a centralized graphics service which designs and produces uniform formats for items such as weather maps and financial market reports. Tony Metcalf, Metro International Editor in Chief, commented: !Metro is a global concept and a global newspaper. This development is evidence of our commitment to consistently improving the quality and reach of our editorial. With 17 editions, we have a considerable amount of news flow everyday, which it makes perfect sense to share across our editions. Each edition continues to carry a high proportion of local news and the Metro concept ensures that our Editors maintain an independent and non-political line." Sakari Pitkänen, Editor in Chief of Metro in Sweden, commented: "Metro readers will benefit from columns and features written by internationally reputed journalists about breaking news stories which have global impact, as well as interesting features on global issues such as this week's coverage of the tragedy in the Galapagos Islands. The formats for weather and finance information enable us to adopt a common look for the different editions whilst also adding in the appropriate local news and information." Metro International S.A. publishes and distributes free daily newspapers, comprising 17 editions in 13 countries: Stockholm ('Metro' & 'Everyday'), Gothenburg ('Metro'), Malmö ('Metro'), Helsinki ('Metro'), Prague ('Metro'), Budapest ('Metro'), Holland ('Metro'), Zurich ('Metropol'), Santiago ('MTG'), Rome ('Metro'), Philadelphia ('Metro'), Toronto ('Metro'), Buenos Aires ('PubliMetro'), Milan ('Metro'), Warsaw ('Metro') and Athens ('Metrorama'). Metro International S.A. 'A' and 'B' shares are listed on the Stockholms Börsinformation (SBI) and on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbols 'MTROA' and 'MTROB'. For further details, please visit www.metro.lu, email info@sharedvalue.net or contact: Pelle Törnberg - Metro International+44 (0) 20 7408 0230 Matthew Hooper - Metro International+44 (0) 20 7321 5010 Metro International S.A. 75, Route de Longwy LU-8080 Bertrange, Luxembourg ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/29/20010129BIT00030/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/29/20010129BIT00030/bit0002.pdf