This month, our editor in chief wants to open your eyes to a little hotel in South Tyrol that’s setting the benchmark in hospitality for its efforts in the community. But first, we’ve an exercise for you to be getting on with.

We question the rise of the ‘instant library’ and skip the hangover with a tee-total cocktail. First up, getting in an upmarket lather, the capes and capers of Brazilian politics and why Ibiza is so Italian.

When in Paris, the visionary designer heads for the tranquil – but suitably colourful – setting of her local bistro.

Life in the city can take its toll but there are ways to avoid getting your feathers ruffled. We sharpen our pencils and head to a life-drawing class where the models are birds of prey, bats or even wolves.

Getting an accurate idea of turnout at protest marches is vital to our understanding of the public mood. We meet the people with the clickers.

The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode’s executive president is helping to drive French fashion forever forward by focusing on education – as well as Paris Fashion Week, of course.

Chicago is now home to Barack Obama’s new political fighters. As the midterms approach, we head to the city to see how his legacy is shaping politics today.

Is it game over for stores, malls and high streets? Not according to these developers and place-makers who believe they have the formula that makes bricks-and-mortar retail work.

Our guide to everything you need to watch, listen and read this autumn.

Meet the architects and businesses who are creating housing that’s affordable, sustainable and a pleasure to live in.

For decades the Belice Valley was a byword for bureaucratic bungling in the face of disaster. Now, 50 years after a devastating earthquake struck the region, the bold aesthetic legacy that bloomed in its wake is finally getting the attention it deserves.

LA’s diners serve a healthy dollop of nostalgia but their architecture has modern relevance.

Long a refuge for passing idle hours in the sun, Bali is now proving a lively launch-pad for a new crop of drinks businesses. We meet the entrepreneurs.

We’re having children later in life, which (hopefully) means our bank balances are more handsome. The outcome: a lot of money to spend on our kids. And that’s why Le Bon Marché is going all out to lure the smartest big spenders.

Tunisia’s tumult battered its fashion factories. But the country’s designers have cut (and sewn) a new direction that’s selling from Paris to Japan.

Woolrich prides itself on its US heritage but the firm’s Japan division isn’t hiding in the shadows. The outdoor offshoot is using cutting-edge fabric and sharp design to reach new customers – whether they’re scaling a mountain or just demanding peak performance from their clothes.

We speak to the CEO of the International Watch Company keeping the 150-year-old brand timely, how the company’s new production facility is more than just a workplace and why too much exclusivity doesn’t help anyone.

Ami is the non-fashion brand – that’s super fashion. Its easy Parisian style has won over men and now it’s tackling the women’s market.

The Argentine capital’s energy helps keep its citizens creative in the face of the country’s latest economic challenges.

Katrin Jakobsdottir is a rare thing: a scandal-free, left-wing prime minister who believes in compromise. She takes a break to spread the word about Iceland’s economic success.

He’s created a luxury behemoth from scratch and is determined to stay independent, outspoken and successful. Tom Ford talks sex, retail and trackpants.

Germany’s immigration policy could get a lot more relaxed, while Canada struggles with controversial statues and economic woes beleaguer Turkey’s president.

Has Iran found a way to circumvent sanctions when it comes to fighter jets? Plus, New Zealand’s pilots get a boost, the UK’s arms exports are taking off and Sri Lanka is becoming a focal point for defence in Asia.

We meet Denmark’s ambassador to Silicon Valley and find out how Lithuania brands itself abroad.

Toronto’s mayoral race is heating up, Zürich’s mayor tells us what her city is doing right and one of Venice’s bridges gets a revamp.

LinkedIn for Spanish seniors, a Greek start-up reviving dead leaves and a San Francisco neighbourhood gets a new brand.

The new designs making our towns and cities more exciting.

A tour of Turku, Finland, a Dublin coffee shop and our favourite new London local.

A hard-won peace, falling crime and growing foreign investment are reasons to be optimistic about Colombia – but the age-old problems of inequality, corruption and coca production refuse to go away.

As a 30-year veteran of the music industry, Rob Stringer is intent that past mistakes are not repeated. The Sony Music CEO has no problem with dissenting voices in the workplace but is vocal about one thing: everyone needs to be in tune with the creative side of the business.

Retailer Manufactum’s HQ suits the company, with its anti-throwaway ethos, perfectly.

Osaka’s Hanshin Tigers are the best-supported team in Japanese baseball despite not having won the league since 1985. And we don’t use the term ‘best-supported’ lightly: the romance of the sleeping giant draws fans from across the land. On game day we found a technicolour pageant of partisanship.

There’s more to the City of Angels than dive joints and cocktail clubs. The 1933 Group is safeguarding the future of Los Angeles’ bar scene by preserving its past, all while calling attention to the city’s forgotten architectural gems.

Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon talks about his life and legacy over a traditional Korean lunch.

Our global review of the industry leaves no stone unturned – we’re not only interested in the cut of the cloth but the material gains made behind the scenes.

Killer heels, once status symbols, are now conspicuously absent from fashion-show front rows (and runways). How did they become out of step with the modern world?

This month we round up some fine spots for weekend jaunts, whether it’s a seaside stay in Japan, a reborn Massachusetts motel or a woodland retreat an hour from Paris. And for diehard urbanites there’s an electrifying Copenhagen hotel and a collection of upscale apartments in Prague.

Top-flight trainers and upbeat tunes to get you up and out, and tasteful homeware, thrilling reads and film tips if you want to cosy up at home as the evenings draw in.

New Zealand’s most populous city is having a bit of a makeover. And now a spate of new boutiques and restaurants are adding to its charm.

Hibiya Central Market is the soul of the shopping mall, where you can wander and linger among kiosks, perfectly edited fashion stores and unpretentious restaurants with a touch of old-school Tokyo.

Where to sleep, eat and shop this month.