Affairs
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Pray & display
Poland is one of Catholicism’s European bastions, where the religious market thrives. Trade fair SacroExpo is a kitsch celebration of everything from souped-up confessional boxes to huge church bells.
Buena Vista golf club
Cuba hopes to revive its economy by opening up to tourism, approving a string of new golf resorts. But how can the country develop without diluting its character? Monocle has the story.
Yes we cram
As South Korea’s economy grows, so does its education system. The fight for an early leg-up begins in the ‘hagwon’, an expensive crammer school where hours are long and competition fierce.
Rocket man
Having dreamt of space travel since childhood, Koichi Wakata is a seasoned astronaut and a household name in Japan. Now he is preparing for his biggest trip yet.
Last resort
The southern isle of Hainan is China’s newest tourism hub, thanks to a €381bn revamp. But with new hotels, airports and rail links, could this be a front for covert military operations?
Defence
The latest military shenanigans, including China's reassurances to the US and a Korean-led jet project.
Diplomacy
The husband-and-wife double act at the Swiss embassy in Bangkok, plus the latest from the Sudan and US.
Two is company
In the latest in our ambassadors series, Monocle talks to the husband-and-wife team trying out the ultimate diplomatic job share scheme in the Thai capital.
Oceania
Australian PM Julia Gillard finds fashion and New Zealand discovers its very own species of white shark.
Africa/Middle
A pan-Middle Eastern science venture, a Lebanese brain drain and an oil boost from Namibia.
