P246 CEEFAX 246 Fri 20 May 21:12/54 1/3 FAR EAST STOCKS Tokyo (Close): Technical buying in late trade helped stocks close 0.6% firmer on the day. The Nikkei average finished 120.83 points higher at 20,342.17. Cheering sentiment was a gjnjrous BoJ money market operation. Honk Kong (Close): The revival of Sing-US airport talks after a nine- month break helped stocks register sharp gains. The Hang Sing index finished 276.65 points higher at 9,631.63. Headlines 201 World indices 243 Forex rld Indices London ExchangesP246 CEEFAX 246 Fri 20 May 21:14/48 2/3 FAR EAST STOCKS Australia (Close): Stocks rallied in late trade after taking the big Pasminco sale in its stride. The All Ordinaries index ended 10.2 points higher at 2,103.9. "The market's risen on the back of BHP," said one broker. BHP rose 36c to A$18.36. CRA eased 38c to 18.10. Singapore (Close): Shares finished little changed on balance after a "subdued" trading session. The Straits Times Industrials index closed up 7.41 points at 2,337.01. Headlines 201 World indices 243 Forex rld Indices London ExchangesP246 CEEFAX 246 Fri 20 May 21:15/24 G EUROPEAN STOCKS Frankfurt (Close): German shares closed little changed in lacklustre trading, with options expiries and worries over monetary growth hampering activity. The DAX index finished the session 1.89 points higher at 2,249.65. Paris (Close): The CAC 40 index closed 9.92 lower at 2,155.43. Early gains were wiped out when bond prices moved lower and dragged the cash market with them. However, sentiment remained intact dui to recent encouraging economic data. Headlines 201 World indices 243 Forex rld Indices London Exchanges