Papers' World Cup swansong

We thought it was all over - it is now.

With a final swansong, Monday's UK papers pay a final tribute to the World Cup.

The Sun is one of many to extol the virtues of the international contest, saying there is "nothing like it to bring people together, nothing that can shake the emotions, nothing that can take you to such highs and lows within the space of a few hours".

There is widespread agreement that the event has been a success for the co-hosts, Japan and South Korea.

Both countries discovered in themselves a capacity for public celebration, the Independent asserts - adding that the Korean supporters brought peaceful mass gatherings to a country that had previously seen such crowds, only at times of political and industrial unrest.

The victorious Brazilians need no such lessons in public displays of emotion.

"Brazil goes nuts," is the headline in the Daily Express - while the Financial Times reports that Sunday's celebrations made Brazil's carnival look like a dress rehearsal.

The Daily Mirror welcomes Brazil's win, saying no other country plays the "beautiful game" better.

For all England's emotive language about football coming home, it feels as if the World Cup trophy is returning to its rightful place, the Mirror's chief sports reporter writes - adding that the "heart" of the game is pounding to the beat of the samba once again.

The Times has its own quirky take on the proceedings, suggesting that a country's currency can influence its style of football.

France, Argentina, Portugal and Italy - nations with fixed exchange rates - all departed early, the paper says.

In a final between Eurozone Germany and free-floating Brazil, the "Samba Boys" were always going to have the edge.

Economic tests

The Independent embarks on a more serious debate about the single currency.

It reports that a study, by a team at South Bank University, has concluded that Britain has already passed the Chancellor's five economic tests for entry to the euro.

But the report's author admits there is bound to be a political element in any decision to join the single currency.

Tensions

As the row over the new International Criminal Court continues, the Financial Times and the Daily Mail note that the issue has led to growing diplomatic tensions between Britain and the United States.

The Daily Telegraph rushes to defend Washington.

In an editorial, it says international judges are not necessarily impartial.

There have been attempts to indict Ariel Sharon, but not Yasser Arafat - the paper says. George Bush is quite right to stand up for the principle of national democracy - we only wish our government had half as much sense.

Moving up

The Guardian leads with a warning by the Nationwide Building Society that house prices could rise by almost a fifth this year.

It says analysts have torn up forecasts that the housing market will cool in the second part of the year, because of a surging demand for properties.

The Mail says fears are growing that the current rate of growth is unsustainable, and could end in an 1980s-style property crash.

Pickled PM?

Finally, the Times reports that Tony Blair and his spin doctors are being uncharacteristically reluctant to promote the prime minister's image.

The Labour MP, Tony Banks, tells the paper Number Ten has rejected repeated requests that Mr Blair sit for a formal portrait - although his two predecessors both did so.

It would not be an act of vanity - the Commons arts committee just needs a portrait for its collection, says Mr Banks.

The Times steps into the breach, speculating on how works by leading artists might turn out.

Would Lucian Freud represent Mr Blair as one of his warts-and-all nudes, the paper asks.

Would Tracey Emin extract him from her unmade bed - and would Damien Hirst, renowned for his animals preserved in Formaldehyde, pickle the Prime Minister for posterity?