Affairs Report: Top of the world - High North

Monocle continues its tour of the High North with a stop in Greenland and reflects on a lost opportunity by the Canadians.

Affairs Report: The big thaw - Greenland

In the second part of our series looking at the scramble for resources and power in the Arctic, Monocle travels to Greenland.

Affairs Report: Power dressing - Russia

Aware of its PR failings, the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency has launched a hunt to find the nuclear industry’s most beautiful employee. But can Miss Atom overturn her industry’s ugly reputation?

Europe Briefing: Reds hawk - France

The PCF (Le Parti communiste français), the last remaining European communist party worthy of the name, is down to hawking its heirlooms.

Asia Briefing: Longest-serving leaders: Asia - King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Our short series on the world's longest-serving leaders continues with Asia, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who has reigned since 1946.

Affairs Report: Final frontier - Nizhny Pyanj

The Tajik-Afghan border is one of the most dangerous in the world because of its central role in the heroin trade and potential as a smuggling route for WMDs. Can it ever be tamed?

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Longest-serving leaders: Africa/Middle East - Omar Bongo, Gabon

Our short series on the world's longest-serving leaders continues with Africa/Middle East, and Omar Bongo, Gabon, who has been in power since 1967.

Americas Briefing: Longest-serving leaders: Americas - Fidel Castro, Cuba

Our short series on the world's longest-serving leaders continues with the Americas, and Fidel Castro, who has been in power in Cuba since 1959.

Europe Briefing: Political tastes - Belgium

Steadily eating its way to popular affection since publication at the end of last year, Le Goût des Belges is a vision of a country united by nothing but its tastes at the dining table.

Oceania Briefing: Talking about Kevin - Australia

We need to talk about Kevin. Not that he's done anything yet. He's still the new boy on the block. But people are getting restless.

Asia Briefing: Art-imitating strife - China

Chinese contemporary artist Yue Minjun may command millions for his paintings overseas but at home he is dogged by a growing trade in cheap copies of his work.

Europe Briefing: Keep of the grass - Oslo

Is donating 100 sculptures to Oslo a wonderful gift or just a way of imposing bad taste on the public?

Americas Briefing: Capital punishment - Bolivia

Bolivia's two main cities La Paz and Sucre each want to be the country's sole seat of government, setting up a showdown at a critical time.

Europe Briefing: Longest-serving leaders: Europe - Alexander Lukashenko

The continent's longest-serving head of government, Alexander Lukashenko, appears to have designs on a reign of similar length to Queen Elizabeth II.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Cleopatra's needles - Cairo

In a region where outward declarations of love or individuality are unbecoming, women have found another way of striking out - tattoos.

Q&A: Not for hire - Alaska

Alaska's youngest governor, Sarah Palin, is taking US politics by storm.

Asia Briefing: Just the ticket - Vietnam

Vietnam is finalising a €17.5bn plan for high-speed trains for the Hanoi-Saigon run, which could cut the journey time from 33 hours to 10.

Europe Briefing: Water mess - Baltic Sea

Some scientists claim it is already too late to remove blue-green algae from the Baltic Sea, but Finn Kari Homanen disagrees.

Americas Briefing: Mod converts - USA

Once the province of couriers and Jean-Paul Belmondo wannabes, scooters are experiencing a surge of popularity in the US.

Oceania Briefing: Milking it - New Zealand

Soaring prices for "white gold", or milk, are returning dreamy profits to dairy farmers around the world but especially in New Zealand.

Style Leaders: Cape of good hope - Afghanistan

In our regular series decoding the power dressing of the political elite, we examine the style and substance of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Europe Briefing: Carte blanche - France

The Institut Géographique National in Paris has created (with government support) Géoportail, a rival to Google Maps.

Americas Briefing: Korea opportunity - USA

Korean is establishing itself as one of the key secondary languages in the US, a fact reflected in the booming US-based Korean-language media.

Oceania Briefing: Longest-serving leaders: Oceania - John Howard, Australia

Our short series on the world's longest-serving leaders continues with Oceania and John Howard, Australia, who has been In power since 1996.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Price gulf - Dubai

The most expensive city in the Middle East after Tel Aviv and one of the 50 most expensive places to live in the world, Dubai isn't getting cheaper any time soon.

Business Report: Surfing safari - Rwanda

Rwanda's capital Kigali is fast becoming East Africa's communications hub. Foreign investment and a culture of anti-corruption are behind the boom.

Business Briefing: Tsarbucks - Russia

Starbucks opened its first café in Russia in September, after a decade of trying.

Business Briefing: Chain gang - Japan

Next year, two of Japan's most prestigious department stores, Isetan and Mitsukoshi, will merge to create the country's biggest department store chain.

Business Briefing: Dough lane - Denmark

Steen Skallebæk's bakery in Haderslev, Denmark, is a hit.

Brands Explained: Studio twenty-four - Doha

Al Jazeera English is the first English-language 24-hour news and current affairs channel from the Middle East.

Q&A: Safety net - Helsinki

An epidemic is threatening 1.2 billion people. Let's be grateful for people like Kimmo Alkio, CEO and president of F-Secure, who aims to stamp out the modern-day blight of spam email.

Fairplay: Timber land - Lucerne

Lumberjacks are finding themselves at the forefront of the climate change debate as 'biomass' (that's burning wood chips to you and me) becomes a buzzword for the environmental movement.

Business Report: Sun bloc - Albania

Albania has one major asset that outsiders want: its largely undeveloped coastline. Buy now and you could be king of the sandcastles by next summer.

Perfect Company: Mussel men - Jutland

Environmentally aware Danish fishermen are growing molluscs on lines and selling their fresh produce to people willing to shell out for a gourmet delicacy.

Culture Report: Motor mouths - Germany

As the music industry is forced to evolve in the face of digitalisation and online sales, one radio station stands out.

Culture Briefing: Monocle music

Aural tricks and treats for October.

Culture Briefing: Prince of pop art - New York

Richard Prince straddles the art world and the Atlantic this October.

Culture Briefing: Monocle books - The best autumn leafing

Monocle presents the best autumn leafing.

Culture Briefing: Fresh and wild - Los Angeles

For 20 years, book designer Lorraine Wild has helped define the visual culture of Los Angeles.

Culture Report: Battle of Flanders - Belgium

Christian Van Thillo's company, De Persgroep, is kept honest by his country, a fussy, fragmented place that expects its own home-grown sophisticated, bilingual, regionally-focussed media.

Culture Briefing: Fine vintage - Porto

"This is one of the first literary cafés in Porto," boasts Antero Braga, a veteran of the book industry for 38 years.

Culture Briefing: Gloss leader - Milan

In a business dominated by local weeklies, Prestinari's newsstand is different.

My Working Life: African stations - Nairobi

Salim Amin is determined to launch A24, the first pan-African news channel.

Design Report: Buried treasure - Osaka

Tadao Ando, one of the most respected architects in the world, is wondering if it's simply time architects stopped creating new buildings.

Design Briefing: Cool wool - Superdiesel's hairy hats

Clever abbreviations are what Anders Aakre, self-confessed geek and owner of hat label Superdiesel, does best. Well, that and knitting hats from ecological wool.

Design Briefing: Cover stars - Maglia Francesco's beautiful brollies

Maglia umbrellas are handmade, the handles are smartly crafted from the finest wood, colours, and patterns and sizes can be mixed and matched.

Design Briefing: Roll with it - Transforming totes from Calabrese

Calabrese makes this practical and stylish handcrafted roll-bag.

Design Briefing: Zippy little number - Chloé's punky and pretty jodphurs

One season into his tenure, Paulo Melim Andersson is taking good hold of the reins at Chloé.

Design Briefing: Feel the tweed - Hackett takes the high road

Hackett's new collection embodies the timeless chic of both the British holiday and smart city living.

Design Briefing: French fancy - Kitsuné's covetable new collection

Kitsuné started life as a record label, with a ready-to-wear collection and by-appointment store added to the mix in 2004.

Design Briefing: Sole savers - Science meets shoes at Harrys

The inner soles of these black cap-toe "Bertie" shoes are lined with Technogel, a patented technology developed by its staff for maximum comfort when on the go.

Design Briefing: Great Danes - Copenhagen fights back

The Danish Fashion Institute registered its highest figures yet for August's Copenhagen Fashion Week (CFW).

Design Briefing: Fab hag - A farmhouse that's far from decrepit

This modernist homestead is makes a life of mucking out pigs seem almost glamorous.

Design Briefing: A bit on the side - Articolo's stable of tables

Bringing the spotlight back on the side table is Articolo, a new internet retailer based in New York.

Design Briefing: Study in style - Inspiring university buildings

Giving uninspired students every reason to hit the books is the soon-to-open Hawke Building at Adelaide's University of South Australia.

Design Briefing: Green house - Eco by Riko

Slovenian construction firm Riko is a pioneer in the growing market for eco-homes.

The Firm: Clay pride - Galicia

Spain's northwestern coast is guarding a design secret, one that Monocle has decided to share.

Design Report: Viva Riva - Sardinia & Sarnico

Riva may be one of the most respected brands afloat but as recently as 1999 it was sinking. Now with new owners at the helm, the brand is hoping to become the Riviera's runabout of choice.

Residence: Luxe living - Luxembourg

When Nicolas Graas revamped Hermès Luxembourg, he ended up living above the shop.

Fashion: Autumn term - Tokyo

For English-speaking gaijin who max out their cards at Beams, Isetan and Restir, there are two ways to pull themselves out of debt. Monocle opts for the classier route.

Fashion: Take a hike - Austria

Keen to maintain that late summer glow, Monocle made for the mountains of Austria.

Fashion: Stockists, issue 07

Stockists details for issue 07 of Monocle magazine.