Perhaps unfairly lumped in with Russia, India and China, Brazil has natural assets – sunny disposition, carnival attitude – that are peculiarly unquantifiable. And as Monocle’s trip to the country discovered, the next 10 years might be its best.

A fast-expanding embassy network and a clever use of its culture mean Brazil is making friends all around the world. Is this just an attempt to secure a seat on the UN Security Council or an emerging nation trying to change the world order?

Having fought with most of its neighbours, Eritrea has few friends. And offers of help from the West are turned away as the president believes aid does more harm than good. But meanwhile people starve and flee abroad.

The Mojave desert receives more sunlight than anywhere else in the US, so plans for it to become a solar-power ‘Saudi Arabia’ seem spot on. But while many recession-hit locals are in full support, others are casting a shadow over the proposals.

There’s now a more reliable and affordable way to get between Russia’s far-flung regional capitals – a zippy Swiss Air taxi.

Museum culture has altered radically in recent years. Here we spotlight the most exciting venues and ask what makes an ideal 21st-century museum.

As national coaches from Brazil to South Korea plot World Cup tactics, so too do the world’s journalists. Monocle visits Durban and Johannesburg to see how 18,000-plus writers, pundits and photographers will be accommodated.

Since resigning as design editors-in-chief at Taschen, husband and wife Peter and Charlotte Fiell have been plotting their own publishing empire. After two years of hard work, they are ready to make their splash. But don’t expect their books to be all chairs, chairs, chairs.

Deadlines mean nothing to Japanese font-maker Morisawa. The firm will take up to four years and spend €800,000 to get a typeface right. This meticulousness has led its fonts to become as celebrated as Helvetica and adorn everything from signs to computer screens.

How a Finnish IT firm is using the heat from its computer servers, how the French are falling in love with barges and why the British government is wondering about the time.

We look at the motorcade of South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, the looming elections in the Philippines and Sri Lanka's "First Family".

We run the rule over Brazilian president Lula's wardrobe, and the US 10-year census gets a marketing makeover - and the ad industry gets all excited.

Israel's glut of lawyers, the South Africans taking a stand against cheap imported clothes, and preparations for elections in the Central African Republic.

Lawn bowls undergoes a youth revolution in Australia, and New Zealand finally dumps a confusing traffic law.

Beijing and Delhi announce their defence budgets almost simultaneously, Egypt vies to build its own fighter aircraft and Israel unveils its text message air-raid warning system.

Brunei prepares to cash in on the global halal food market, the world's largest wind turbine arrives, and an Italian ice cream maker goes green.

A new look for an old newspaper brings some cheer to the Balkans.

Monocle has a chat with the chairman of auction house Bonham's Asia division, and we review the new Bill Hicks biopic and the third album from Paris-based tango tearaways Gotan Project.

Bonhams, one of the world’s oldest art auction houses, has opened its doors in Japan with the launch of a new Tokyo office. Colin Sheaf, chairman of Bonhams Asia, explains why.

A cot made from sustainable Brazilian wood, a colourful nursery in Finland and a bank that's breaking the mould in Denmark

Beams opens a new store in Japan, the owners of Opening Ceremony show us their favourite pieces and we talk to the founders of the Tenet pop-up concept in the US.

He made serious literature popular and if he liked a new book the nation ran out and bought it. He even made a televised spelling test appointment viewing. The talk-show host and TV producer Bernard Pivot is a peculiarly French hero.

Email looked to have made obsolete the process of transporting data by pneumatic tubes, but logistics firm Swisslog saw a potential growth market: healthcare. Now, every new hospital has a network to carry drugs and samples.

Every spring, the world’s watchmakers and horology enthusiasts descend on Basel for the industry’s key fair, where the latest innovations in timekeeping are unveiled. We went along to gauge the mood and pick our favourite launches.

Tangier, a crossroad of cultures and long a draw for artists and writers in search of a dose of naughtiness, is the setting for our North African sojourn in linen and cotton jackets and hard-working loafers.

Curate your wardrobe with simple spring masterpieces. We pick the showstoppers at the 21_21 Design Sight museum in Tokyo Midtown.

On this month’s shopping list: some nifty business card holders, a Paul Smith for Stelton kitchenware collection and a pair of rockabilly worker boots.

Sankara Hotel & Spa is a new eco-friendly island hideaway surrounded by ancient forests and mountains off the coast of Kyushu. It offers detached villas and a cultural blend of Balinese design and impeccable Japanese hospitality.

This issue we’re excited about the openings of cosy hotels in Japan and Taipei, a Thai island retreat, a Swedish eco-lodge and a unique retail store in Antwerp. We also profile an airline, Susi Air, in Java.

Susi Air, based in Pangandaran, West Java, was founded by a husband and wife team and came into its own after the 2004 tsunami.

In a part of South Korea that is so remote it doesn’t even make it on to the map, 84-year-old Lee Bong-ju has been busy reviving the tradition of making beautiful, unique Korean bronzeware.

Over the last few years, boutiques, architectural practices, bars and an arts centre have been set up in this Armenian neighbourhood but for many residents, old and new, the charm of Mar Mikhael lies in its authenticity and sense of community.

Guido Martinetti is one half of the chilled duo behind Grom ice cream (and one of our ‘new heroes’ featured in issue 29). When he is not on the road checking on suppliers, he can be found around Piazza Carlo Felice in his native Turin, where he eats, drinks and shops for fresh pasta and wine.

Record-breaking adventurer Bertrand Piccard comes from a long line of high-fliers. For his ‘last meal’, he would share a charbonnade in his favourite restaurant, Auberge de la Poste, in the village of Les Diablerets.

The first winter military world games took place in March in Valle D'Aosta, Italy, giving armed forces of the world a chance to bond with each other and to promote peace through sport. Monocle was there, cheering our favourite teams from the sidelines.

In our drive to extend our remit, Monocle has been constantly remixing itself – much of it prompted by public demand. Our adventures behind the mic are now coming to fruition and we will soon be launching an ambitious global audio project for your listening pleasure, writes Tyler Brûlé.