O-STA

TIME MAGAZINE UNVEILS ITS 2004 EUROPEAN HEROES

Including Emma Thompson, Mstislav Rostropovich, Staffi Graf and Nick Hornby

Exclusive interview with Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, Italian aid workers released last week after three weeks as hostages in Iraq

"The two Simonas" on the cover of TIME

"TIME has chosen a definition of heroism based on merit and humanity; one that seeks to record the often forgotten achievements of an unremarked public; one that values overcoming adversity and celebrates selfless acts."

- Tristram Hunt, Author & Academic

"We don�'t do it because we feel like heroes. We just don�'t want to put up walls between ourselves and the Iraqi people."

- Simona Torretta, Italian aid worker and freed hostage

LONDON: 4 October 2004: This week, TIME Europe unveils its second annual list of European Heroes, which pays tribute to extraordinary people whose spirit and talent have made the world a better place, often against overwhelming odds. Some are famous, some are unknown; but all have one thing in common: heroic actions which have made a significant impact on the lives of others.

Most of us have our own rough definition of heroism�-we think we know a hero when we see one. But pinning down those attributes is a challenge; your hero may not look like mine. So it�'s worth asking: are there certain immutable characteristics that have defined heroism across the ages? In a special essay for the European Heroes feature, Tristram Hunt, lecturer in History at Queen Mary, University of London and author of Building Jerusalem: The Rise and Fall of the Victorian City, traces the shifting definition of heroes throughout history.

"Last year�'s European Heroes issue made a real impact�-our bully pulpit helped some of these amazing people further their important work," said TIME Europe Editor, Eric Pooley. "This year we give special attention to heroism forged in the crucible of terrorism: Lifesaving rescue workers in Moscow and Madrid. A 13-year-old girl who refused to leave her little sister behind during the Beslan school siege. And the Italian aid workers, Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, who were set free by Iraqi insurgents last week and whose radiant smiles grace the cover of this very special issue."

The full list of TIME�'s European, Middle Eastern and African Heroes is as follows:

ˇ Fadela Amara (France) - campaigner against the abuse of women in the banlieue

ˇ Marie Cammal (France) - defender of Cambodian street children and abuse victims

ˇ Dr Ervigilio Corral Torres (Spain) - led the rescue efforts at the March 11 bombings in Madrid; his team is credited with saving some 400 lives

ˇ Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) Middle-distance running great and double Olympic medalist

ˇ Jane Goodall (UK) - animal behaviour researcher, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and campaigning to help people as well as animals in Africa

ˇ Steffi Graf (Germany) - international tennis star who founded and funded Children For Tomorrow

ˇ Sylvie Guillem (France) uncompromising and incomparable ballet star

ˇ Nick Hornby (UK) - extraordinary novelist, champion of young artistic talent and founder of a school for austistic children

ˇ Otylia Jedrzejczak (Poland) - Olympic gold medal swimmer who is auctioning her medal to help children with leukaemia

ˇ Vika & Olya Kallagova (Russia) - survivors of the siege at School No. 1, Beslan

ˇ Vilho Kivikangas (Finland) - doctor and development aid chairman of Fida International, who gets medical supplies to those in need

ˇ Ilya Lyubimsky (Russia) - professional rescuer who saved lives after the 2002 Moscow siege and February 2004 subway bombing

ˇ Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala (Nigeria) - Nigeria�'s Finance Minister, tackling corruption and trying to fix Nigeria�'s troubled economy

ˇ Ellen MacArthur (UK) - sailor who raced solo round the world in record time

ˇ Claude Nobs (Switzerland) - founder of the Montreux Jazz festival whose his passion and spirit changed the sound of music in Europe

ˇ Simona Pari and Simona Torretta (Italy) - Aid workers who devoted their lives to suffering Iraqis, were recently taken hostage in Iraq, feared dead, and released last week. AN EXCLUSIVE TIME INTERVIEW

ˇ Carlo Petrini (Italy) - Founder of the influential Slow Food Movement, the Don Juan of the food world who is helping to change the way we think about eating

ˇ Jan Pfeiffer (Czech Republic) - fighting against the use of cage beds and the brutal treatment of mental patients in Central Europe

ˇ Carla del Ponte (Switzerland) - chief prosecutor at the Hague and the world�'s most visible champion of justice for the victims of war

ˇ Anita Roddick (UK) - founder of the Body Shop, campaigner for environmental, fair trade, human rights and social justice issues

ˇ Mstislav Rostropovich (Russia) Legendary musician, conductor and activist for child immunizations

ˇ Sorious Samura (Sierra Leone) - powerful documentary film maker who has risked his life to document the suffering of fellow Africans

ˇ Hasan Saltik (Turkey) - record producer using music to overcome prejudice in his nation

ˇ Sabriye Tenberken (Germany) Sightless teacher and activist for the blind in Tibet

ˇ Emma Thompson (UK) - actress and HIV activist, supporting women with Aids in Africa

ˇ Orri Vigfusson (Iceland) - passionate angler helping to save the seas and protect wild salmon

ˇ Aida Seif El Dawla (Egypt) - human rights activist, campaigner against political torture

TIME Europe will be honouring the 2004 European Heroes at a special event on October 26, 2004 at the RSA in London.

The full stories are available in the October 11 issue of TIME Europe, on newsstands across Europe from Monday 4 October, and at www.timeeurope.com

TIME magazine is available to readers worldwide in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia, South Pacific, Canada, Latin America and the U.S. Each issue offers readers access to TIME's global resources with regional, relevant stories. TIME is Europe's leading weekly newsmagazine, with a circulation of 555,000 across EMEA and more than 290,000 in Asia. Founded in 1923, TIME�'s worldwide circulation is 5.4 million.

Emma Gilpin

Int. Director of Public Affairs

TIME Europe

T: +44 (0) 20 7322 1193

M: +44 (0) 7082 955 243

E: emma_gilpin@timemagazine.com

Jo Crosby

Public Affairs Assistant

TIME Europe

T: +44 (0) 20 7322 1103

M: +44 (0) 781 3185 975

E: jo_crosby@timemagazine.com