COVER
The Guys from Gucci
They turned a tired, debt-ridden firm into a $8 billion powerhouse. Now they're battling mighty LVMH for luxury-goods supremacy
With Family Like This...
The strange tale of the Gucci dynasty
In the Bag
Gucci's acquisitions over the past few years have created a heavy-hitting stable of haute labels
EUROPE
Bad Air over Kyoto
Bush's torpedoing of the 1997 global warming pact puts a chill on Europe's relations with the U.S.
Farmers' Tales
Human victims of the foot-and-mouth epidemic watch helplessly as it destroys businesses, ruins lives and turns neighbor against neighbor
Tu-be or Not Tu-be
London's Underground falters as politicians feud
Triangle of Death
Three factories pollute a Romanian town, stunting the health and lives of its children
BUSINESS
Things Are Getting Ugly
Three blue aliens with a butt-kicking attitude hope to invade children's hearts — and parents' wallets
Whole Latte Shakin'
Can Starbucks convert Continental Europe's café society? It's ready to try
South African Invasion
Companies take advantage of the post-sanctions era to expand their business throughout the continent
ARTS
My Lunch With Fabrice
French actor Fabrice Luchini is seducing the country
Sex in the City
A blockbuster exhibition in Paris of the erotic art of Pablo Picasso is provocative and titillating but ultimately unsatisfying
Sing It Loud and Proud
After two decades of silence, Iran's Googoosh makes a triumphant return to the world stage
A Clear View from Delft
A new book explores the work of Vermeer, an enigma among 17th century Dutch artists
Astérix Sure Has Gaul
And a girlfriend in the latest comic installment
The World and Its Wonders
A new guide to the earth contains all you ever wanted to know about the planet — and lots more
All in the Mind
A new look at the strange world of synaesthesia
AFRICA
Africa's Lost Souls
Letter from Luanda: What can be done for millions of rootless, desperate and dying Angolans?
MIDDLE EAST
Saddam In a Box
The Amman summit showed that Arabs love Iraq — but not its troublesome leader
WORLD WATCH
World Watch
A weekly roundup of news events worldwide