June 21, 2004 | Vol. 163 No. 25

FOOTBALL

Euro Mania! (Cover Story | Euro 2004 Portugal)

The Continent's best footballers and their feverish fans are in Portugal for the Euro 2004 championship. Europe is ready — and willing — to be transfixed

A Last Chance To Sparkle (Cover Story | Euro 2004 Portugal)

Fading stars are looking to exit in glory

Catch Some Rising Stars (Cover Story | Euro 2004 Portugal)

Euro 2004 is filled with young, gifted players who are ready to shine. Meet the hot prospects

The Most Famous Man in the Middle (Cover Story | Pierluigi Collina)

The game's most recognizable ref, a celebrity in his own right, is taking part in his last European Championships. Don't expect the tall guy with the killer stare to go unnoticed

EUROPE

Can This Man Beat Blair? (Britain | Politics)

Have the elections helped Michael Howard in his quest to unseat Tony Blair?

There's No Place Like Home (Europe| Italy's Hostages)

A freed Italian hostage tells of life in captivity in Iraq

MIDDLE EAST

A Kingdom in Crisis (Middle East | Saudi Arabia)

Al-Qaeda steps up attacks on Westerners — and its campaign to bring down the House of Saud. The threat has never been greater

LATIN AMERICA

The New Druglords (Latin America | Columbia)

Colombia's paramilitaries take over the drug trade

BRIEFING

The Unusual Suspect (Notebook | War On Terror)

Has the mastermind of the Madrid bombs been captured in Milan?

Biz Watch (Notebook)

Here Comes iTunes; France's Real Power Brokers; Disney Woes;

World Watch (Notebook)

G-8 fall-out; Kurds back Iraq Plan; eBay weirder sales;