1.   The Italian lira continued to slide against the German mark and the dollar.

2.   The lira on Tuesday continued its record plunge, spurred downward by political uncertainty and fears of inflation.

3.   The lira continued to be pummeled by the German mark against a backdrop of political uncertainties and market rumors.

4.   He was speaking to the La Repubblica newspaper after the Italian lira continued to buck its reputation as a weak currency by rising strongly against other major currencies.

5.   However, the lire continued to slip despite intervention by the Bank of Italy, said David Bear, a dealer at Indosuez.

6.   With the lira continuing its plunge against the German mark, Scalfaro was expected to announce his choice on Thursday, a parliamentary source said.

7.   The lira continued to fall early on Thursday after several Italian politicians had forecast that early elections would be held.

8.   The lira continued to plunge.