Africa/Middle East Briefing: Getting over it

Thanks to the Chinese, Angola has just opened its biggest bridge.

Asia Briefing: Mouse trap

The Chinese government is about to help you decide if you are addicted to the internet.

Asia Briefing: Banker politicians

Having been a banker is not generally something to shout about these days.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Learning curve

The tiny Indian Ocean Republic of Seychelles, the smallest state in Africa, has opened its first-ever university this autumn in an effort to stop the brain drain from the archipelago.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: Train times

Israel is to spend $13bn (€9bn) in the next decade to build a rail network that will run the full length of the country, from the southern coastal town of Eilat to the Sea of Galilee in the north.

Africa/Middle East Briefing: All dried out

The massive decline in levels of the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers because of drought has added to political mismanagement and conflict that have been catastrophic for Iraq's once thriving agriculture.

Asia Briefing: Just for show

Weddings in Delhi will soon be forced indoors as city authorities aim to protect parks from damage.

Defence Briefing: Making a killing?

London's Defence Systems & Equipment International (DSEi) exhibition is the largest arms fair in Europe, as befits the UK's post as one of the biggest defence exporters in the world.

Defence Briefing: Ship shaping up

The Russian Federation Navy is looking to recapitalise its amphibious forces and in late August approached Dutch and French shipyards for up to four new ships.

Defence Briefing: Ship shaping up

The Russian Federation Navy is looking to recapitalise its amphibious forces and in late August approached Dutch and French shipyards for up to four new ships.

Asia Briefing: Coral dilemma

Japan may have found a new way to claim fresh waters for fishing and oil and gas.

Oceania Briefing: Sun diallers

Are Australians the new South Koreans?

Oceania Briefing: Tipping point

As global delegates prepare to attend COP15, the climate change conference being held in Denmark in December, Pacific Island leaders are hoping for swift action.

Affairs Report: Small is beautiful

In Germany, small- and medium-sized firms make up the backbone of the economy, while elsewhere steps are being taken to ease the start-up process.

Affairs Report: Barriers and barrios

Melilla, in Morocco, is one of two Spanish colonies left on the African continent.

National icon: Mrs Dynamite

Opener: Changing the world

This issue's theme is small businesses and why it's the time to start one.

: Life on the edge

This remote north-eastern corner of Russia is an inhospitable land of fire, ice and earthquakes but the stunning scenery, hot springs and huge reserves of salmon suggest a seismic shift in fortunes could be about to happen.

Q&A: Happy now?

The nation that had no TV until 10 years ago and is famous for using its Gross National Happiness index as a measure of success rather than GDP, has been a democracy for just over a year.

Europe Briefing: Leader ship

Eighty per cent of Greenland is covered in ice, and with only 70km of asphalt in the capital Nuuk, there is no road network to speak of.

Americas Briefing: View from Washington

With the COP15 climate conference looming, ambassadors are becoming lobbyists. They should tread very carefully.

Americas Briefing: What a state

State on the up: North Dakota.

Americas Briefing: Still waiting

The government has been making a lot of noise about its plans to build a high-speed rail link between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo before the 2014 football World Cup.

Europe Briefing: Islam slam

Switzerland prides itself on its plurality - it is famously a nation of four official languages.

: Here comes the braid

Bringing feminine aggression and glamour into a political life filled with dull middle-aged men, controversial prime minister Yulia ­Tymoshenko delights as many Ukrainians as she horrifies.

Europe Briefing: All grown up

Decorative gardens are going vertical (see issue 27) and, if one Swedish entrepreneur has his way, so are vegetables.

Business Briefing: Taste of home

There is a corner of Kandahar that is forever Canada - the Tim Hortons coffee shop on the main US airbase.

Business Report: Blue-sky thinking

Viking Air, a small parts manufacturer from British Columbia, had never even thought about building aeroplanes.

Business Briefing: Savings with soul

The financial meltdown has kick-started much soul-searching among banks, and a small savings institution in Pamplona, northern Spain, is proving that an ethical alternative it calls "civic banking" really works.

Business Briefing: Arabian bytes

The rocky crags of Jordan may be better known for Petra and the Dead Sea than they are for technology start-ups, but Amman, Jordan's capital, is on the edge of a tech boom as the internet takes off in the Middle East.

Why it works: Bean there done that

Nespresso, part of the Nestlé Group, invented those clever capsules to make a tasty, mess-free cup of coffee in 1986.Nespresso, part of the Nestlé Group, invented those clever capsules to make a tasty, mess-free cup of coffee in 1986. Today, the company i

Business Report: The living is easy

Sweden's second city is fertile soil for small businesses thanks to its history of maritime adventure, the population's can-do attitude and its intimate size, which helps keep the co-operative spirit alive and well.

Business Report: Float market

The yachting industry has suffered some knocks and Cannes boat fair was 14 per cent down in attendance this year, but there are signs it's on course for a recovery.

Business Report: Going logo

In a city known for flashy advertising, financial services brand Hyundai Card chose the opening of a new subway line to launch a campaign based on subtlety and simplicity, and the Zen-like hoardings have entranced passers-by.

Culture Report: How to be a band in 2010

Rock stars are now essentially CEOs of their own small (and big businesses).

Culture Report: Air Rescue

Twenty years ago, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was a busy place as the Iron Curtain was pulled back.

Media Briefing: Handelsblatt o1

Germany's leading financial daily the Handelsblatt hits newsstands on 2 November a lot fatter, healthier-looking and smarter.

Media Briefing: Handelsblatt 02

Media spotlight: a newspaper of the future?

Media Briefing: Faith Academy

What do you get when you put 12 atheists in a room with a Christian priest, a Buddhist monk, a Jewish rabbi and a Muslim imam?

Media Briefing: Drawing Talent

Some of the most talented animation artists in the world now work in Jerusalem's Animation Lab, among them one of the scriptwriters for Pocahontas, Philip LaZebnik, and The Lion King animator Alex Williams.

Well Stacked: Travel Reading

"Either my sister or I go to the US, London, Asia and Brazil every month to source new books," says globe-trotting bookshop owner Alexandre Thumerelle with energetic vim.

Art Market: Popular Culture

Split into two sections, this sale will appeal to any film buffs still floating around London after

Art Market: Q&A: Joe La Placa — Co-founder AVA

Set up last year, All Visual Arts (AVA) is an art partnership established by hedge-fund CEO Mike Platt and dealer/editor/ gallerist Joe La Placa.

My Working Life: In her element

Artist Teresita Fernández, who was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2005, makes pieces that reflect the landscape as she sees it.

Culture Briefing: Books

The inaugural project of publisher and record label Black Maps is filled with mystical animals, ice-cold old ladies and sad-faced dog waiters.

Culture Briefing: Music

Monocle Music

Culture Briefing: Art

Monocle art.

Culture Briefing: Film

Monocle films

Culture Briefing: How did we behave before TV and cinema arrived?

Fiction on screen has taught us everything, from how to love to how to fight.

Design Report: With more interest

In a radical shift from its traditional brand identity, Sugamo Shinkin Bank has adopted an innovative and colourful design for its new Niiza branch.

Design Report: Turning the tables

Carl Malmsten was one of Sweden's greatest furniture designers and thanks to his grandson, Jerk Malmsten, his legacy continues.

Fashion Briefing: Here and now

Opened this summer in London’s Shoreditch, Present is the new retail concept from Eddie Prendergast and Steve Davies.

Fashion Briefing: Sneaker Peek

Volta, the new shoe brand from Milanese design team Twentyfourseven, aims to bridge the gap between Church's and Tricker's with its smart leather sneakers.

Fashion Briefing: Cap it all

Silas Adler set up the Danish clothing brand Soulland when he was just 17.

Fashion Briefing: Motor shoe

They may be responsible for the frilly boots Kate Moss has been stomping around in for years, but the guys at US heritage brand Minnetonka Moccasin have been producing traditional native American footwear since 1946.

Fashion Briefing: Great feet

Fashion Briefing: Eyes for you

This year the German eyewear brand has launched stores in Vienna and Paris to accompany its Berlin flagship which opened in 2007.

Fashion Briefing: Get Clerical

Derbyshire-based brand John Smedley has released its first range of tailored shirts as part of its autumn menswear collection.

Fashion Briefing: Rugged good looks

Fashion Briefing: Hot shot

Set up in Tokyo almost a decade ago, Haversack was named after the utilitarian bags handed out to US infantry in the early 20th century.

Q&A: Q&A. Mauro

Mauro Bianucci trained as an architect in his native Argentina, before moving to New York to work as a retail architect in 2000.

Briefing Architecture: Shedding Light

Brisbane-based architecture start-up Richards & Spence transformed a collection of run-down sheds (scheduled for demolition) into sleek new retail space for Brickworks South, a ­shopping collective in Southport, Queensland.

Briefing Architecture: Happy place

Residents in Keelung, Taipei's port city, now have more space to play thanks to a new plaza designed by Spanish architect Vicente Guallart.

Briefing Architecture: Shelf help

Vitsoe is expanding its reach with its first US shop, on Bond Street in New York.

Design Briefing: Bang on

This elegant, oval-shaped Suovo box (ideal for storage or laundry) is made by Villa, a third-generation family-run homeware firm based in Milan.

Women's Fashion: ...And relax

There’s no need to rush your Sabado in Madrid.

Men's Fashion: Pleasure wear. Tokyo

In Tokyo a day off work is a rare treat and whether you spend it walking in the park or working your way through your magazine stash, you'll need the perfect attire.