As Sweden ends compulsory national service, Finland carries on. We consider the way forward for conscription in modern social democracies as a way to recruit citizens, not just soldiers.

Colombian president Álvaro Uribe’s Me and My Motorcade. Plus, the US prepares to launch its first national tourism organisation, Uruguay gears up for its presidential elections and São Paulo’s drivers get a brief respite from traffic jams.

Colombian president Álvaro Uribe’s Me and My Motorcade. Plus, the US prepares to launch its first national tourism organisation, Uruguay gears up for its presidential elections and São Paulo’s drivers get a brief respite from traffic jams.

Bujumbura has got all the substance required to turn Burundi’s backwater capital into an African success story and the country’s upcoming elections are a chance to create lasting peace after 15 years of civil war. But corruption could still derail the dream.

The Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov and his nightclub-bouncer style, why the French are busy making babies and the Italians are busy doing nothing.

Iraq tries to lure tourists with its unique attractions, including the option of a romantic night in Saddam Hussein’s palace. In Lebanon, a Jewish landmark gets restored and in Botswana, the presidential elections get under way (although the job is probably already in the bag).

South Korea employs a German-born TV celebrity to give the country an image overhaul, in Shanghai everyone starts “digging for China” and in Japan, scientists have pioneered a less gory method of conducting autopsies.

Why did the Samoan cross the road? (It’s all in the name of regional harmony), Australia and New Zealand drop their guards and rock’n’roll rescues aboriginal languages.

The Indian Navy celebrates the launch of its first domestically developed nuclear submarine but damning criticism of a major procurement programme rains on its parade. Meanwhile, the arms race in the Korean peninsula hots up and France deploys new hardware in Afghanistan.

Everyone loves a good, bad and ugly anti-hero and Canadian ice hockey commentator Don Cherry is just that. At 75, he still enrages and entertains in equal measure with his signature brand of tough talk and strong opinions.

Chile’s first female president, Michelle Bachelet, was tortured as a student under Pinochet’s rule and lived in exile for nearly five years. As her term comes to an end, Monocle talks to the popular leader about male chauvinism and how she dodged the global financial crisis.

Chile’s first female president, Michelle Bachelet, was tortured as a student under Pinochet’s rule and lived in exile for nearly five years. As her term comes to an end, Monocle talks to the popular leader about male chauvinism and how she dodged the global financial crisis.

As capital of the vast, sparse Australian Northern Territory, Darwin has been given plenty of room to emerge as a dynamic port town. This gateway to Asia is excited about its future – be it in property, pearls, or crocodiles.

With wild sturgeon disappearing from the Caspian Sea, sustainable caviar production from farms is taking over. At Desietra in Germany even the much sought-after Beluga caviar can now be produced. And it’s winning over the fussiest chefs.

Why the Russians just Yandex it, how a row is brewing in Australia over books and the new approach to wealth management for Saudi businesswomen

The afterlife of a battleship (make mine a megayacht please), why Nigeria’s best brains are heading home and South Korea’s peculiar porn problem

While newspapers and broadcasters pull the plug on budgets for investigative journalism and documentary, Monocle meets Norway’s documentary filmmakers leading the charge to protect films that ask, answer and entertain.

Alfred Sirleaf’s ‘Daily Talk’ newspaper reaches thousands of Liberians every day but only ever produces one copy. How does he do it? By writing the day’s biggest stories on a large blackboard beside

All the latest in Books, Film, Music and Art.

Sennheiser is a company of obsessives that have spent decades perfecting headphone and microphone technology to produce the most authentic sound. This nerdish persistence has paid off, as the loyalty of its customer base proves.

LA’s police force is trying to improve its image by creating friendlier buildings, including a glistening new HQ. We also visit an ‘eco’ police station in Victoria, Australia, and look at how forces around the world are presenting a more human face.

Paris-based architects Ciguë were tasked with turning an apartment from a design disaster into a space suitable for three firms to work in. They went one step further and made the bespoke furniture too.

An elegant summerhouse by Norwegian firm JVA, Pukeberg’s handcrafted glass from Sweden’s Kingdom of Glass district and a sleek stool collection by Melbourne’s Yellow-Diva. Plus a catch-up with Kengo Kuma about his latest projects.

All the latest in global fashion.

There are several striking elements to the new Marunouchi Park Building in Tokyo, from its soaring office tower to the perfect replica of a 19th-century red brick building. But the most intriguing of all is its garden, which turns the idea of having green space on its head.

There’s no better way to spend a sunny autumn afternoon than a few sociable sets of tennis on London’s Parliament Hill Fields. We get kitted out for the perfect match, both on and off the court.

In this month’s rundown of vital life improvements, we have whisky stones to cool your single malt, detergents with a twist and a back-to-basics cookbook.

We at Monocle like simple things done well. That’s why this month we focus on the essentials – a perfectly brewed coffee, sharply curated retail, and two blissful hotels – one whose build adheres to a traditional local love of limestone.

On the French Atlantic coast, shun the beach in favour of a tree-lined avenue and a delightful covered market, perfect for that most Gallic of pastimes: people-watching.

For the gourmet and the gadget-lover, we’ve rounded up a host of unusual and staple items for your kitchen drawer from our culinary capers across the globe.

Specialising in washugyu, Japan Premium Beef is seeking to re-educate New Yorkers about steak.

Lake views, affordable loft apartments and fantastic brunch mean nowhere currently offers more opportunity in the land of opportunity than the south side of Obama’s town.