Swedish retail, diplomacy and media: not the most obvious of bedfellows but linked by their prominence in our latest issue. Monocle editor Andrew Tuck explains – starting with those super Swedes.

The UN Security Council is the iconic roundtable heart of diplomacy that decides when to act on some of the globe’s most pressing issues. But is the historic body still fit for purpose? We paid a visit to its HQ to find out.

A new kind of politicking and activism has sprung up in Istanbul since it became home to Syria’s official opposition. Monocle meets the diplomats and advocates forging ahead for change in uncertain territory.

Rebranding the Canary Islands, charting the Latvian elections and an interview with a new Athens councillor.

On the South America election trail, exploring Canada's oil sands and Oregon's modern-day milkmen.

Profiling India's most style-conscious leader, Burma's capital rethink and the Indonesians keeping the rain away.

A revolution of the culinary kind in Cairo and why Tunisia might be set to reform

Australia's self-sufficient satellite strategy, the Norfolk Island cannabis row and the world's first shark sanctuary.

Tension mounts in the South China Sea and why the US "peace dividend" might need redefinition.

The creative agency reinvigorating Singapore's retail scene and Canada's digital leap forward.

Amazon flexes its on-demand muscle and we take time out with artist Jonathan Ellery

Modular homeware and centrepiece ceramics and Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza shows his curves in China.

A fishmonger keeping New York cuisine afloat, Copenhagen’s top table and how to create the perfect Tuscan pasta sauce: we serve up the flavours of the month from the world of food.

Taiwan’s tussle with China for Pacific island allies may have calmed but that hasn’t stopped the push for soft power in the region. Monocle visits Taipei’s embassy hub to discover there’s more than money at the heart of good relations.

France’s artistic reach in the US is in the hands of charismatic cultural counsellor Antonin Baudry. As part of a busy calendar the diplomat and author is building a bookshop in France’s New York embassy; we popped in to have a word.

In the first of a new series that will be examining cities through their media make-up, we look at the varied and self-effacing Austrian capital.

An ambitious new generation of Greek architects is on the rise, demonstrating a unique approach to design. Forced by the nation’s economic malaise to raise their game, they are taking their skills around the world.

Brooklyn is a firm fixture in lighting design and draws the best young talent around. Monocle tours this cluster of industry, taking in Bec Brittain, Rosie Li and Rich Brilliant Willing.

Running a successful business in the arts comes naturally to London gallery owner Stephen Friedman, who credits his success to his marketing background and having a good eye. Here he reveals all about the art of running a gallery.

The distinct portraiture of American painter and sculptor Eric Fischl helped define US art during the 1970s and 1980s by defying concepts, fads and fashions. Here he talks about a new series inspired by art fairs and his approach to work.

Built as a hunting lodge in the 1930s and seized by the SS during the Second World War, Villa St Martin in Alsace has a colourful history. Now an idyllic family home, its Bauhaus and art deco architectural styles

Spanish architect Carlos Ferrater’s Menorcan idyll may be a family home but its counterintuitive design means it also makes for a productive workspace.

This month’s picks include smart shoes from Frankfurt, tasteful tableware from Tokyo and some notable stationery from a Parisian printer. We’ve also sounded approval for some headphones, picked up something for the kitchen and uncovered a grooming solution for pampered pooches.

From high-concept fitness shops to aircraft food done well, here’s how to add gloss to your global travels.

With Fastjet’s punctuality, customer service and destination choice revolutionising the aviation industry in Tanzania, its population’s travel options are finally on the up.

For nearly 200 years a small community in Aveiro in Portugal has created handmade porcelain that interprets the nation’s heritage.

A creative buzz and outward-looking development projects are adding verve to the waterside district of Kalamaja.

Introducing Sunday’s Grocery, the unique shop and deli serving everything from Japanese whisky to made-to-order takeaway sandwiches.

TV cook and business magnate Martha Stewart is queen of the kitchen in the US. For her perfect meal she mixes American comfort food with sushi from a Japanese master.

Forged in the wake of war, Unesco stands tall as a bastion of peace and principle. Monocle visited its modernist headquarters in Paris to discover an institution dedicated to optimism despite brutal funding cuts and a fraught political climate.

Editor in Chief Tyler Brûlé on exciting times for Monocle: our new Tokyo bureau, a global book tour and the company's groundbreaking partnership with Nikkei Inc.