TIME MAGAZINE UNVEILS ITS 2004 EUROPEAN HEROES Including Emma Thompson, Mstislav Rostropovich, Staffi Graf and Nick Hornby

LONDON 4th October (PROTEXT) - Exclusive interview withSimona Torretta and Simona Pari, Italian aid workers releasedlast week after three weeks as hostages in Iraq The two Simonason the cover of TIME.

TIME has chosen a definition of heroism based on merit andhumanity; one that seeks to record the often forgottenachievements of an unremarked public; one that values overcomingadversity and celebrates selfless acts. - Tristram Hunt, Author &Academic.

We dont do it because we feel like heroes. We just dont wantto put up walls between ourselves and the Iraqi people. - Simona Torretta, Italian aid worker and freed hostageThis week, TIME Europe unveils its second annual list ofEuropean Heroes, which pays tribute to extraordinary people whosespirit and talent have made the world a better place, oftenagainst overwhelming odds. Some are famous, some are unknown;but all have one thing in common: heroic actions which have madea significant impact on the lives of others.

Most of us have our own rough definition of heroismwe thinkwe know a hero when we see one. But pinning down thoseattributes is a challenge; your hero may not look like mine. Soits worth asking: are there certain immutable characteristicsthat have defined heroism across the ages? In a special essayfor the European Heroes feature, Tristram Hunt, lecturer inHistory at Queen Mary, University of London and author ofBuilding Jerusalem: The Rise and Fall of the Victorian City,traces the shifting definition of heroes throughout history.

Last years European Heroes issue made a real impactour bullypulpit helped some of these amazing people further theirimportant work, said TIME Europe Editor, Eric Pooley. This yearwe give special attention to heroism forged in the crucible ofterrorism: Lifesaving rescue workers in Moscow and Madrid. A 13-year-old girl who refused to leave her little sister behindduring the Beslan school siege. And the Italian aid workers,Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, who were set free by Iraqiinsurgents last week and whose radiant smiles grace the cover ofthis very special issue.

The full list of TIMEs European, Middle Eastern and AfricanHeroes is as follows: * Fadela Amara (France) campaigner againstthe abuse of women in the banlieue * Marie Cammal (France)defender of Cambodian street children and abuse victims *

Dr Ervigilio Corral Torres (Spain) led the rescue efforts atthe March 11 bombings in Madrid; his team is credited withsaving some 400 lives * Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) Middle-distance running great and double Olympic medalist * JaneGoodall (UK) animal behaviour researcher, founder of the JaneGoodall Institute and campaigning to help people as well asanimals in Africa * Steffi Graf (Germany) internationaltennis star who founded and funded Children For Tomorrow *

Sylvie Guillem (France) uncompromising and incomparableballet star * Nick Hornby (UK) extraordinary novelist,champion of young artistic talent and founder of a school foraustistic children * Otylia Jedrzejczak (Poland) Olympic goldmedal swimmer who is auctioning her medal to help children withleukaemia * Vika & Olya Kallagova (Russia) survivors of thesiege at School No. 1, Beslan * Vilho Kivikangas(Finland) doctor and development aid chairman of FidaInternational, who gets medical supplies to those in need *

Ilya Lyubimsky (Russia) professional rescuer who saved livesafter the 2002 Moscow siege and February 2004 subway bombing *

Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala (Nigeria) Nigerias Finance Minister,tackling corruption and trying to fix Nigerias troubled economy* Ellen MacArthur (UK) sailor who raced solo round the worldin record time * Claude Nobs (Switzerland) founder of theMontreux Jazz festival whose his passion and spirit changed thesound of music in Europe * Simona Pari and Simona Torretta(Italy) Aid workers who devoted their lives to sufferingIraqis, were recently taken hostage in Iraq, feared dead, andreleased last week. AN EXCLUSIVE TIME INTERVIEW * CarloPetrini (Italy) Founder of the influential Slow Food Movement,the Don Juan of the food world who is helping to change the waywe think about eating * Jan Pfeiffer (Czech Republic)fighting against the use of cage beds and the brutal treatmentof mental patients in Central Europe * Carla del Ponte(Switzerland) chief prosecutor at the Hague and the worlds mostvisible champion of justice for the victims of war * AnitaRoddick (UK) founder of the Body Shop, campaigner forenvironmental, fair trade, human rights and social justiceissues * Mstislav Rostropovich (Russia) Legendarymusician, conductor and activist for child immunizations *

Sorious Samura (Sierra Leone) powerful documentary filmmaker who has risked his life to document the suffering offellow Africans * Hasan Saltik (Turkey) record producerusing music to overcome prejudice in his nation * SabriyeTenberken (Germany) Sightless teacher and activist for the blindin Tibet * Emma Thompson (UK) actress and HIV activist,supporting women with Aids in Africa * Orri Vigfusson(Iceland) passionate angler helping to save the seas and protectwild salmon * Aida Seif El Dawla (Egypt) human rightsactivist, campaigner against political torture.

TIME Europe will be honouring the 2004 European Heroes at aspecial event on October 26, 2004 at the RSA in London. The full stories are available in the October 11 issue of TIMEEurope, on newsstands across Europe from Monday 4 October, andat www.timeeurope.com

TIME magazine is available to readers worldwide in Europe,the Middle East and Africa, Asia, South Pacific, Canada, LatinAmerica and the U.S. Each issue offers readers access to TIME'sglobal resources with regional, relevant stories. TIME isEurope's leading weekly newsmagazine, with a circulation of555,000 across EMEA and more than 290,000 in Asia. Founded in1923, TIMEs worldwide circulation is 5.4 million.

For further information please contact:

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

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