What does 2010 hold? Monocle’s biggest issue to date looks at who should be in the spotlight, who should take a bow, and which companies are the ones to watch – all with a healthy dose of optimism.

Welcome to Monocle’s annual round-up of 20 people who we think deserve a bigger stage. We cover diverse professions from shoe designers to politicians because we believe it’s not only the grand scale that matters, but the little life-affirming things too.

Welcome to Monocle’s annual round-up of 20 people who we think deserve a bigger stage. We cover diverse professions from shoe designers to politicians because we believe it’s not only the grand scale that matters, but the little life-affirming things too.

Welcome to Monocle’s annual round-up of 20 people who we think deserve a bigger stage. We cover diverse professions from shoe designers to politicians because we believe it’s not only the grand scale that matters, but the little life-affirming things too.

What you can learn on an Indian train; the future of commuting; Japan pushes further, faster and Bogotá goes Underground.

Where will things kick off in 2010? Will anyone manage to make a new country in the new year? Or oust a tyrant? Or even manage to join the EU?

We asked 25 leading thinkers, authors, taxi drivers and monarchs to look at the world just over the horizon. From the joys of national dress to the need for a new religion, this is what they saw.

When a flood devastates Uganda or an earthquake strikes Pakistan, Germany’s THW gets some of the first aid workers on the ground. Mostly volunteers, they are part of Germany’s soft power arsenal.

An idea that can change, or at least improve, people’s lives doesn’t have to be a grand, large-scale project. From cosy slippers to a sauna in the company HQ, it’s oftenmthe little things that matter.

In the first of a series on World Cup players, nations and managers, Monocle looks at South African Matthew Booth. He’s an unlikely poster boy for the tournament but his tough tackling and marriage to a top black fashion designer mean he has the popularity and power to unite the nation.

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.

It builds one new coal power plant every week, and is the largest emitter of carbon emissions in the world. But as world leaders gather for Copenhagen’s climate change conference, China is also the nation that could save the planet.

How come some nations’ banks glided through the global banking crisis unscathed? Do we even need money? But what if it’s forged? Three writers deposit their accounts.

Thanks to its excellent universities, international transport links and super bright, skilled workforce, this former mining city in Germany’s Ruhr valley has been transformed into a hive for hi-tech firms.

Identifying a gap in a market is the easy part; creating a pioneering company to plug that gap requires a bit more skill. We present five firms that have found their niche and done the hard work too.

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. These are our retailers and people to watch in 2010.

How Bulgaria became a world leader in snail production, the material difference of the new Boeing 787 and the German gunmakers tapping into the US market.

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. Their old fashioned approach has paid off and they are the ones to watch in 2010.

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

A Monocle guide to the most interesting architecture going up in the next year, including a Chilean winery and a healthcare centre in Copenhagen. Plus, one of Finland's greatest furniture designers, Ilmari Tapiovaara, enjoys a revival.

US outerwear label Mighty Mac and Californian shoe brand SeaVees are being resurrected for 2010. Plus, retailer Context branches out in Wisconsin, Comme des Carçons launches a women's shirt range, and Ralph Lauren teams up with Incotex to produce a new line of Polo slacks.

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.

There’s nothing that irritates architects more than the word ‘cosy’. We believe they should rethink their view. Whether it’s a grand urban master plan or simple apartment block, the vast majority of us are looking for intimacy, good lighting and sensible scale.

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.

We have scoured the globe to bring you a category of gifts for each of the 12 days of Christmas.

Our editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé takes a look back at what’s been happening at Monocle over the last eventful, and often surprising, year. But far from kicking back and going into hibernation, there’s a host of new things we’re working on for the next year.

Some live in danger and need armoured protection. Some deal with deep poverty and ongoing provincial wars. Others have ‘noodle’ meetings, tend to high society and take power naps and weekly fasts. from Nagasaki to washington, Monocle chronicles how a diverse group of presidents and mayors manage.