Society
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Expo 21: Trading places
Syria is moving away from staunch socialist principles. President Bashar al Assad has created a new merchant class and forged business links with Turkey, with Aleppo benefiting most from the city’s trade revival.
Show the world
May Arida, a national icon of Lebanon, has kept the Baalbek International Festival alive through wars and threats. Our new series introduces people who rise above politics to become symbols of a country’s strengths.
Muna Abu Sulayman
While in Dubai, 34-year-old TV host Muna Abu Sulayman met with Monocle for her ‘last meal’. The Saudi citizen and philanthropist chose Saladicious, a restaurant in the Jumeirah district.
Oceania
What Australian PM Kevin Rudd uses to get around, the PE teacher crusading for a revival of Maori sports, and the new city in the Aussie outback.
Little big bucks
Native American tribes in the US and Canada have become powerful business and political forces, learning how to get Washington and Ottawa on their side. Monocle meets the chiefs leading this renaissance.
Africa/Middle East
Is a fitness centre in Iraq entrepreneurial folly or a viable business? For Ibrahim Abdullatif, there is no doubt: he believes Iraqi Kurdistan is the place to invest, opening a gym in Dohuk.
Expo 22: Ship wrecked
Viking Line’s ferries ply the route between Helsinki and Stockholm. The 48-hour round trip is used for one chief purpose: the intensive sale and consumption of tax-free alcohol on the Baltic booze cruise.
Americas
Monocle's view from Washington column discovers White House technology is far from trailblazing. Plus, a crack-down on cattle rustling in Brazil, eco wrangles in El Salvador, and urban chicken farming.
Asia
North Korea's election (no great surprises expected), Malaysia's big river clean-up, and mixed feelings over Tokyo's plans to spruce up the Kabukicho district
Good buy to Berlin
Stray off Berlin Mitte’s well-trodden tourist route to find the charming Gipsstrasse. Full of independent shops, ateliers, galleries and cafés, it should be a template for the rest of the capital.
