A Swiss city in the Rhine’s shadow
Galleries have been shrinking and business models have been under sustained pressure at Art Basel this month, while major players have been narrowing investments and reshaping portfolios across regions. SoftBank has reduced deal activity in Latin America; Pace has cut artists and staff; recruitment firm Hays has sold operations; and community art projects and private collectors are adapting their approaches.
Two early‑season heatwaves have broken June temperature records across western Europe, pushing many locations above 40°C, triggering red alerts, disrupting transport and power, and causing dozens of deaths in France and other countries. Scientists have said human‑caused warming has made this event far more likely and night‑time temperatures have remained unusually high.
Canada will send an act to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, making it the first new participant since Australia in 2015. The European Broadcasting Union says CBC/Radio-Canada will join as a full member, with selection details to be announced later this year. The move expands Eurovision beyond Europe, reflecting the contest’s global audience and Canadian talent.
The UK has sealed a 5.2 billion-pound services trade deal with Switzerland, scrapping roaming charges and putting a 90-day services mobility provision on a permanent footing. E-gates will speed border checks for UK travellers, while pharmaceutical protections are maintained. The agreement is described as a landmark for UK services and follows a string of deals with key partners.
A body of studies is showing that a blood marker called p-tau217 can forecast an elevated risk of cognitive impairment in healthy older adults years before symptoms appear. The evidence is not yet clinical-ready, but it is guiding trials that aim to slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease and is being tested in Scotland’s primary care setting.
Mohamed Salah has signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Trabzonspor after leaving Liverpool. The 34-year-old has agreed to earn €17m a season plus a 20% share of merchandise revenue; the club has scheduled a public signing ceremony at Papara Park as supporters greeted him on arrival in Turkey.
Crypto firms are increasingly using AI agents to access wallets, stablecoins, and payment networks. Major players are expanding integration between AI agents and programmable money, with Circle rolling out Arc blockchain infrastructure and USDC, while traditional firms eye stablecoins as rails for machine-to-machine commerce. Market volatility remains a backdrop as institutions test these tools.