Affairs Report: The inside scoop - the newsstand

Print media might be faced with some serious challenges but it's time to stop calling its relevance into question - that goes for newspapers too.

Affairs Report: Horn of plenty - Djibouti

It is a tiny Muslim nation in one of the world's most politically hostile regions. And yet the US army has been welcomed in Djibouti.

Affairs Report: Clean and serene - Vaduz

Liechtenstein's population is under 35,000 people, yet it is the registered home of 70,000 companies and 15 boutique banks.

Europe Briefing: Pardon my Spanish - Spain

The most popular dictionary in Spain has just had a "lifting" to bring it up-to-date with the immense changes that have taken place in the country over the past decade.

Europe Briefing: Next Brit thing - Bulgaria

The British trend for buying Bulgarian holiday homes has spawned unexpected offspring: Britons heading there to stay.

Europe Briefing: My morning media menu - Beppe Grillo, Italy

The Italian comedian and blogger tells us his morning media menu.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Throw the book at him - Mali

In July, President Sarkozy described Africa as being "in the margin of history, immobile".

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Short hall - Ethiopia

Smart venues built for one-off events can become white elephants, gathering dust as city officials struggle to find a use for them. In Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, they have no such problems.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: My morning media menu - Esther Passaris, Kenya

Esther Passaris, the founder of Adopt-a-Light and one of East Africa’s most prominent businesswomen, gives us her morning media menu.

Style Leaders: Monarch of the glam - Jordan

In our regular series on decoding power dressing in the world of politics, we look at the attitude - and accessories - of Queen Rania of Jordan.

Asia Briefing: Stars in their eyes - Japan

Although shrouded in secrecy, this much is known about Michelin's first-ever Tokyo guide, due to hit Japanese bookstores on 22 November: it will say that in terms of three-star restaurants, Tokyo is second only to Paris.

Asia Briefing: It is rocket science - Taiwan

Taiwan is developing its surface-to-surface missile programme.

Oceania Briefing: Liquid investment - Australia

Sean Hegarty's 3,000-litre water-collecting device in the front yard of his Melbourne home advertises his water credentials to passers-by.

Americas Briefing: Bog standards - Colombia

As residents head to the polls in the hardest-fought mayoral election in decades, there's concern that Bogota's revival may be losing steam.

Asia Briefing: My morning media menu - Kashiwa Sato, Tokyo, Japan

Award-winning art director Kashiwa Sato gives us his morning media menu.

Oceania Briefing: Sent to try us - New Zealand

Heaven has shifted hemispheres. At least, that's the way it looks from New Zealand, where religious fanaticism begins and ends on the rugby field.

Americas Briefing: My morning media menu - Noah Feldman, Cambridge, MA

Noah Feldman, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Cambridge, MA, gives us his morning media menu.

Americas Briefing: 2008 US presidential election watch - Cuban heal, USA

How Cubans became an election issue.

Asia Briefing: Route canal work - Korea

Even its biggest fans would struggle to argue that Seoul is one of the world's most attractive capitals, but there are plans to further beautify the city.

Oceania Briefing: My morning media menu - Verity Firth, Sydney, Australia

Verity Firth, State parliamentarian; Minister for Women and for Science and Medical Research, gives us her morning media menu.

Americas Briefing: Out of the ashes - Chile

Last year a fire in Santiago gutted the Edificio Diego Portales, the landmark building designed by Juan Echeñique and Miguel Lawner and completed in 1972.

Affairs Report: High energy - Murmansk

Following the break-up of the USSR, Murmansk and its strategic naval base went into decline. But the promise of Arctic riches is reviving the city once again.

Q&A: The verdict - Paris

On 6 November it will be six months since Nicolas Sarkozy was elected French President. We asked one of France's most celebrated commentators to rate his performance both at home and abroad.

Business Report: Life's a beach - Tauranga

Renowned as a New Zealand playground, the Bay of Plenty is enjoying a commercial makeover thanks to its thriving port, excellent transport links and booming population of entrepreneurs.

Brands Explained: Track record - London

On 14 November the first Eurostar train should pull out from the new €1.15bn St Pancras International station headed for Paris.

Business Briefing: Season's eatings - Italy

The Eataly food emporium in Turin is further proof that gourmets are spoilt for choice in Italy.

Perfect Company: Air to a fortune - Lunderskov

Denmark is a pioneer in wind energy: some days the entire country is powered by it. Now LM Glasfiber, Danish maker of vast turbine blades, is helping convert the rest of the world.

Business Briefing: Dab hands - India

Every lunchtime in Mumbai, 200,000 office workers have their cooked lunches collected from their homes and delivered to their desks by the city's 5,000 traditional dabbawallahs.

Fairplay: Step ahead - Milan

September's footwear fair in Milan drew a record 46,300 visitors. Yet while Italy exported 250 million pairs of shoes in 2006, output has fallen 30 per cent in the past five years in the face of competition from Asia's producers.

Business Report: Yo smushi - Copenhagen

Danish design hardly needs encouragement but Rud Christiansen's The Royal Cafe places the country's High Modernism in its proper regal and culinary context.

Business Briefing: Blade stunner - France

Hermès continues to reinvent itself by coming up with fresh ideas, such as an Hermès helicopter.

Q&A: Hard cell - Shenzhen

While the West prevaricates over ethical issues about stem cell research, Chinese companies are powering ahead in a bid to find treatments for numerous life-threatening conditions.

Business Report: In the fast lane - Tokyo

In July the world woke up to how rich Japan's Fast Retailing Co had become when it tried to buy Barneys. Now the group is set on making its Uniqlo brand a powerful - and very Japanese - global brand.

Culture Report: Printed matters - Frankfurt

The expectations of the modern reader prompted a complete redesign of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Monocle gained exclusive access to the relaunch.

Culture Report: The next best thing - Rotterdam

In the Netherlands' crowded and sophisticated newspaper market, a new launch might seem foolhardy, but this Dutch daily has found an untapped market with its wit, analysis and opinion.

Culture Report: Paper tigers - The world

Monocle asks the experts what the future holds for newspapers and looks at three innovative and thriving titles.

For the record: Beats working - Sydney

Kulak's record shop, TITLE, in Sydney's inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, continues to defy convention.

Well Stacked: Strip joint - Rome

After embarking on a year's "passionate discovery of comic-strip culture", Bougault opened l'Aventure in Rome.

Culture Report: Censor sensibility - Beijng

Hung Huang wants to forge a uniquely modern Chinese culture, in a country where the censors still hold sway.

Culture Briefing: Monocle music - Frontier music: Breaks for the border

Aural tricks and treats for October.

Culture Briefing: Art nouveau - Paris's artiest arrondissement

The 19ème is becoming Paris's latest artist enclave and gallery quartier.

Culture Briefing: No place like Heima - Sigur Ros' post-rockumentary

In August 2006, Iceland's biggest band, Sigur Rós, closed their 13-month world tour with a two-week mini-tour of their homeland or Heima.

Culture Briefing: Monocle books - A retro reads retrospective

Books for November 2007.

My Working Life: Art beat - New York

Monocle visits Jon Kessler, a veteran New York-based mixed-media artist, teacher and musician.

Design Report: Relaxed fit - Milan

Slowear successfully disregards "fashion" in favour of quality, provenance and longevity, housing four of our favourite Italian clothing companies under one umbrella brand.

Design Briefing: Caring and sharing? - American Apparel set to go public

What to do when your small, independent fashion brand goes global? That was the dilemma that American Apparel faced last year.

Design Briefing: Rain supreme - Designworks drafts in star designer

When braving the autumn winds this month, Designworks has a little something to take your mind off the misery.

Design Briefing: Back to the future - CP Company gives a design lesson

Since the mid-1970s, Italian brand CP Company has generated a decent range of menswear staples, and has collected over 40,000 items of clothing dating back to the 19th century as a research tool at its HQ.

Design Briefing: Personal services - Tom Ford stores offer bespoke tailoring

Hidden behind a velvet curtain and wearing charcoal waistcoats and white shirts, the in-house tailors at Tom Ford's new Madison Avenue store are surely the best-dressed in Manhattan.

Design Briefing: Well-heeled - Literary shoemaker Ducker & Son

"We are purveyors of the highest standard of footwear possible," says Bob Avery, owner of Oxford-based shoe shop Ducker & Son.

Design Briefing: Top gear - Adidas teams up with Porsche

Adidas pioneered the trend of marrying a fashion house with a sports label. Adidas's latest collaboration is with Porsche Design.

Design Briefing: Shady characters - Cartier eyewear causes a ruckus

You might think a pink-gold Santos is desirable, but Cartier eyewear is also revered.

Design Briefing: Step right up - Alessandro Oteri's bespoke footwear

If you too can't bear wearing flip-flops to the beach, Alessandro Oteri's couture footwear should suffice.

Design Briefing: Easy as APC - Revamp for French firm's Tokyo base

Paris label APC has dedicated fans the world over, but it seems to have found its natural home in Japan, where shoppers lap up the brand's sharply functional style.

Design Briefing: Q&A - Seijiro Hiramoto, Tokyo

Japanese men's fashion is set go global thanks to new Tokyo-based online store Arica.

Design Briefing: Choc block - A museum for Nestlé by Rojkind

Mexican architect Michel Rojkind has designed Mexico's first "chocolate museum".

Design Report: Continental shelf - Vitsœ collaborates in Australia

Vitsœ, manufacturer of iconic shelving and furniture by German designer Dieter Rams, is boosting its international presence with its first design shop in Sydney.

Design Briefing: Nordic news - A Swedish chain is reborn

The Nordic convenience chain Pressbyrån is getting a makeover in a bid to add some personality.

Design Briefing: Q&A - Scott Fellows, New York

Based in New York, BassamFellows design furniture, fashion and architecture. Monocle spoke with its co-founder.

Design Briefing: Møller light - Revamp of Århus's concert hall

In the symphonic hall extension at Musikhuset in Århus, Denmark, acoustics are fine-tuned with adjustable panelling designed by Kvadrat in collaboration with Art Andersen.

The Firm: Vinyl frontier - Ulricehamn

The Eklund family has made the world's most desirable vinyl flooring for over half a century. But now their seasonal collections are winning praise from the worlds of fashion, architecture and design.

Fashion: Great taste - Turin

Porta Palazzo is a Monocle favourite for its passionate vendors, quality produce and elegant locals.

Design Report: Mode in Japan - Tokyo

Maybe it is the inclement weather - a raging typhoon that nearly brings Tokyo to a halt - but there is a distinct drinks-party atmosphere at the For Stockists gift show.

Fashion: Film buff - Tokyo

With an interior by Kata Inc, this United Cinemas is the place to go when you're ready for your close-up.

Residence: Palace Coup - Milan

In central Milan it makes more sense to renovate than trade up.

Fashion: Stockists, issue 08

Stockists details for issue 08 of Monocle magazine.