We asked 25 leading thinkers, authors, taxi drivers and monarchs to look at the world just over the horizon.

When a flood devastates Uganda or an earthquake strikes Pakistan, Germany’s THW gets some of the first aid workers on the ground.

Some are rogues, others rebels without a cause and some are just pundits past their sell-by dates but all of them are welcome to make a swift exit from the stage in 2010.

In the spirit of hope that accompanies the dawn of a new decade, Monocle presents our 10-point agenda for change in 2010. From a return to dignity in the skies to a progressive plan for education.

In the first of a series on World Cup players, nations and managers, Monocle looks at South African Matthew Booth.

To encourage more women onto trains and into the workforce, India’s new railways minister, Mamata Banerjee, has launched women-only trains, with female ticket inspectors and guards.

From Israel’s new museum district to Poland’s secret economic hotspot via Armenia’s favourite mountain, Monocle runs the rule over five places you should keep an eye on in 2010.

After much public debate, Bogotá's mayor has announced plans for a metro-style system for the capital's seven million residents.

Japan’s bullet train network will nudge further north in 2010: an extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen line between Hachinohe station and Aomori on the northern tip of the main island Honshu is earmarked for completion in December.

You might think Copenhagen has already cracked it when it comes to cycle culture. But no.

Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections are supposed to take place in 2010.

With Myanmar’s 2010 elections fast approaching, the junta that rules the country formerly known as Burma has so far ignored diplomatic pressure to release the opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from her 14-year house arrest.

In 2010, Juba, in southern Sudan, may take the spotlight away from the troubled Darfur region.

The European Union is likely to kick off a new round of expansion next year with several Balkan nations next in line for membership.

Sending a parcel is more pleasure than stress in Japan thanks to the punctual and efficient national delivery services of Yamato Holdings.

An oddly fast-paced race is on to boost the global snail supply.

If the Boeing 787 Dreamliner finally takes to the skies in December as promised after two years of delays, one firm that can breathe a sigh of relief is Toray Industries.

Europe's leading manufacturer of pistols and rifles, Germany's Heckler & Koch, expects 2009 to have been the most successful year in its 60-year history.

From tailor-made coffee to a well-known British supermarket brand, these examples of good retail and service go further than the average store, thanks to bold ambition, piece- by-piece quality and a passion for pleasing customers.

How come some nations' banks glided through the global banking crisis unscathed?

It builds one new coal power plant every week, and is the largest emitter of carbon emissions in the world.

dentifying a gap in a market is the easy part; creating a pioneering company to

Slow media might sound like a contradiction in terms but here we celebrate three media companies playing the long game, sticking to their guns and using their individuality to their advantage.

Monocle has sorted out your culture fixes for the next year, with a round-up of the best exhibitions, gigs, books, films and music releases to look forward to.

While trends come and go in the art world, gallery owners Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers have been nurturing artists for 26 years.

The world is going electric in a bid to combat environmental change and energy dependency. For once this Christmas, batteries are included.

There’s nothing clunky about these brass bottle-openers.

Eighty-five-year-old Swiss architect Leo Hafner has had a significant impact on his home canton of Zug.

How do you keep the spirit of a design great alive?

Sam Parker and Ryan Huber opened Context in ­December 2005, bringing the best denim brands to the good people of Madison, Wisconsin.

Comme des Garçons has launched a female counterpart to its hugely successful shirt collection.

Defunct US outerwear brand Mighty Mac is being revived for 2010 by Japanese firm 35 Summers.

Kickstarting heritage brands is going to be quite the thing during 2010.

Last month, the boys at British clothing brand Albam opened their second London store, in Old Spitalfield’s Market in the East End.

Trust a Danish-Swedish collaboration to produce some high quality accessories for the winter.

Founded in 2008, Monaco-based brand Pratoni draws its inspiration from nostalgic 1950s images of the French Riviera, where the Swedish sibling design duo Karl and Hanna Nyholm spent most of their lives.

In last year’s Forecast issue, we talent-spotted Woolrich head designer Daiki Suzuki.

British horse-rug and quilted jacket brand Lavenham was set up in 1969, named after the idyllic Suffolk village it originated in.

This traditional weatherboard-clad workers’ cottage in Queensland was extended by architects Owen & Vokes, who preserved the home’s authenticity and accentuated the views.

Along with clean hospitals and punctual buses, our cities should have a cosy feel to them. Let’s hear it for warm street lighting, pristine parks and cobbled back alleys.

As much as we love flying out of Tokyo’s Haneda, Monocle opts for the slow train to Hokkaido for the holidays the 19.03 from Ueno to Sapporo.

As much as we love flying out of Tokyo’s Haneda, Monocle opts for the slow train to Hokkaido for the holidays the 19.03 from Ueno to Sapporo.