Affairs Report: Accidental empire - Solomon Islands & Papua New Guinea

Not since the Second World War have the islands of the Pacific been fought over so hotly. But as Australia pours in aid, some accuse Canberra of meddling.

Affairs Report: Build me Hong Kong - South Korea

Do South Korea's plans to build new cities to rival Hong Kong and Singapore add up?

Europe Briefing: Game of the name - Sweden

Immigrants to Sweden are now changing their names to get around discrimination.

Europe Briefing: Something fishy - Russia

Muscovites are grappling with chopsticks and trying to develop a taste for wasabi as sushi becomes the city's most fashionable meal.

Europe Briefing: Letter from Tallinn - Estonia

In 1991, impoverished Estonia broke free from the old Soviet Union. Today it is Europe's fastest-growing economy. But can it last?

Americas Briefing: Green gold - Brazil

Brazil is already the world leader when it comes to producing ethanol from sugar cane, but the country's ambitious biodiesel programme is only just beginning to capture the outside world's attention.

Style Leaders: Loud and proud - Argentina

In the third of our series decoding power dressing, we look at the style of Argentina's First Lady and potential presidential candidate, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Mugabe's millionaires - Zimbabwe

Most Zimbabweans live with food shortages and power cuts, but for shady dealers and friends of the President, the country is booming.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: All change - Congo & Chad

Across Africa, in countries that would still be classed as "least developed", street moneychangers offer the best rate of return. But soon they may have competition - the ATM.

Oceania Briefing: Make or break - Australia

The break off Queensland's Gold Coast is worth about AU$20m (€12m) a year.

Oceania Briefing: Happy for a fight - Vanuatu

The South Pacific nation of Vanuatu was under a state of emergency in March following a tribal clash between Ambrym and Tannese islanders in the capital Port Vila.

Asia Briefing: Wheel of fortune - Singapore

Singapore's plans to rebrand itself as Asia's capital of fun are finally moving off the drawing board with the Singapore Flyer, a 42-storey-tall ferris wheel.

Asia Briefing: Winner takes all - South Korea

South Korea's sports tsars are currently scrabbling to bring home three major international sporting events.

Affairs Report: Two wheels good - Groningen

The small Dutch city of Groningen is now seen as a living manifesto for how to get people in the saddle.

Q&A: 'It's fear that will unite us' - Singapore

Interview with George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

Business Report: Into Africa - Tangier

With the opening of a new port this summer, Tangier is set to become a key business centre.

Business Briefing: Express delivery - Russia

All hail the launch of Russia's first budget carrier, Sky Express.

Business Briefing: Middle eats - Lebanon

Lebanese entrepreneurs are heading abroad, but rather than exile, expansion is on their mind.

Business Briefing: Is it a car, is it a plane? - USA

A small start-up outside Boston is preparing to build the first prototype of its Transition vehicle – a light sport plane that can fold up its wings to become a car.

Brands Explained: Race to the Finnish - Helsinki

What do you need to run a great ambulance service? In our series looking at the brands that make our lives work, we visited the City of Helsinki Rescue Department to find out.

Q&A: Back to his routes - Mombasa

Titus Naikuni, the visionary CEO of Kenya Airways, is revolutionising the skies over Africa.

Fairplay: What a scoop - Rimini

Monocle despatched a team to Rimini to cover Sigep, one of the biggest ice cream trade conventions in the world.

Perfect Company: Feeling flush - Kitakyushu

Japanese toilet manufacturer TOTO is now out to win over the European market.

Business Report: Wheeler dealer - Taiwan

Giant is the world's largest bicycle firm, and continues to push prices for specialist models ever higher.

Culture Report: Lights, camera, acción - Buenos Aires

Since the Argentinian economic meltdown in 2002, low wages, skilled professionals and excellent production facilities have seen filmmakers flock to Buenos Aires.

Culture Briefing: Monocle music - I'm a lover, not a fighter

This month's music round-up includes Martín Buscaglia, Eleni Mandell, Becky Stark and Loney, Dear.

Culture Briefing: Taken for a ride? - What it costs to say "on your bike"

Monocle's favourite ad campaigns aimed at promoting the health and spiritual benefits of cycling are both pithy - but from polar opposite price points:

For the record: And an Other thing - New York, USA

Other Music's carefully curated selection of the rare, the weird and the wonderful mopped up Tower's overspill.

Well Stacked: Shelf stackers - Melbourne, Australia

"Greville Street is the most insubstantial bookshop in Melbourne," says Jurate Sasnaitis, who has been artfully stacking shelves in her locally celebrated store for 16 years.

On the shelf: Paper curator - Lisbon, Portugal

Until Tema opened 13 years ago, buying an international publication in Portugal - with the exception of Time, Newsweek and Paris Match - was no easy task.

My Working Life: Turning rapanese - Tokyo

Verbal, aka Ryu Yong Gi, is half of m-flo, one of Japan's biggest hip-hop acts.

Design Report: Luxurious relaunch - Saxony

Can Dresden become as synonymous with luxury shopping as Paris and Milan?

Design Briefing: Levitating living - Japanese residence with a difference

Hideyuki Nakayama's striking new house appears to hover above the gound.

Design Briefing: Sound investment - Making music is a beautiful thing

Graf's latest product is this tube amplifier that was designed with Komatsu Sound Lab.

Design Briefing: Bench test - Serpentine seating in Norway

In Norway the park bench is getting a new look thanks to the Via.

Design Briefing: Teak a break - A Bauhaus-inspired sun-lounger

The Bolero Liegesessel chair-cum-lounger has become one of Garpa's bestsellers.

Design Briefing: Nautical boys - Sailor shorts by Lost Dessau & Co

This season Lost Dessau's collection is awash with the nautical theme and Monocle particularly loves this pair of shorts.

Design Briefing: Cool for cats - Men's Bigi looks to Manchester

Men’s Bigi’s brand-new rainwear range has been designed in collaboration with British heritage label Raincheetah.

Design Briefing: Bob does the job - Daniel & Bob hook up with Beams

Beams has collaborated with Daniel & Bob to create this stylish cream canvas version of the "Jasmine" bag.

Design Briefing: Anchor news - Der Sammler's eclectic creations

"Sammler" means "collector" in German and Kenji Teramoto, the mastermind behind this menswear label, is just that.

Design Briefing: Monarch of the glen - Glenroyal's handcrafted leather bags

Using only the finest quality pit-tanned hides, each piece of leather is cut by hand, and no two Glenroyal bags are the same.

Design Briefing: Rei of light - New Comme store in Hong Kong

Rei Kawakubo has finally opened a stand-alone Comme des Garçons store in Hong Kong.

Design Briefing: Scissor sisters - Family-run Swedish label Dagmar

Established two years ago by Swedish sisters Kristina Tjäder, Karin Söderlind and Sofia Malm, Dagmar epitomises old-time glamour.

Design Report: Take your seats - Milan

The Milan Furniture Fair, or simply "Salone", has become one of the biggest industrial design events in the world.

Design Report: World spokesmen - best bikes

There are a clutch of bike companies - the Nordic Nippon alliance - quietly tinkering away in their workshops and producing the highest quality two-wheelers in the world. Here we profile five of the finest.

Residence: Shore thing - Brazil

A beachfront retreat for an Arab family, 90 minutes north of São Paulo, designed by SP-based architect Isay Weinfeld.

Men's Fashion: He gets around - Amsterdam

Menswear fashion story for issue 03, May 2007

Women's Fashion: Cruise control - Amalfi

Women's fashion story for issue 03, May 2007

Fashion: Stockists, issue 03

Stockists details for issue 03 of Monocle magazine.