Politics
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Africa/Middle East
Syrian first lady Adma Al-Assad's outfits; wine-tasting classes for poor South Africans.
Europe
Turkish Military Academy, rebranding Italy and Angela Merkel's official transport of choice.
Failing states
Europe is home to three nations that should be successes but instead are failing badly. Over the following pages, we look at their problems – from corruption to constitutional meltdown.
Paper back
Colombian newspaper ‘El Espectador’ has survived financial woes, falling sales and a cartel vendetta. Monocle meets its director as part of our series on firms keeping high-quality print publishing alive.
Shifting sands
After President Niyazov’s death, his successor promised to open Turkmenistan up. But the gas-rich nation is still an enigma. Monocle entered the country to see what, if anything, has changed.
Summer of the siege
Two years after the war with Israel, another battle raged in Lebanon. As bullets flew, our correspondent recorded the rollercoaster of events from Beirut, where mojitos were still served amidst the crisis.
Turkmenistan
When Turkmenistan's President Niyazov died in 2006, it was the end of an eccentric personality cult. His successor promised to open the state up but today the gas-rich nation is still an enigma. Foreign…
Europe
Finns aren't what they used to be - the rise of the Nordic suburbs; fighting crime in Stockholm and hitting new lows on the Milanese high street.
Oceania
Sydneys' refit, a change of fortune for New Zealand's "arsehole of the world", and Perth "does a Dubai with its waterfront.
City editor
Soviet planning and modern speculators have left many Russian cities at crisis point. But property billionaire Sergey Gordeev plans to turn impoverished Perm into a beacon of urban innovation. Is this a new revolution?
