Q: What is the relationship between art and finance? The relationship between finance and art has always gone both directions. In a practical sense, artists have long depended on patrons, especially in order to produce large works. And the patrons used their public displays of wealth to move up the social pecking order. You could even say that the relationship is older than our species. There’s a 250,000-year-old hand…
Q: Where are art and technology coming together in interesting ways right now? The thing that excites me the most is how artists will unlock digital tools as part of their physical practices. A paintbrush is a tool. A hammer and chisel, those are tools. AI is a tool. What artists are really good at is figuring out how to use things in new and unexpected ways—not just following…
Q: How important has the master plan you developed in the ’90s been to the museum? We adopted our master plan in 1993, and we are still working on it. In fact, we’re now in our last major project, which is our new air and space center. If I go back to 1992, the year before we adopted the master plan, we knew we wanted to do air and…
Collection No. 10 Every cultural institution has a mission that goes beyond the bottom line—enriching a community, preserving human achievement, delivering joy. But that mission also depends on business considerations—assembling financial and human capital, connecting with customers, considering long-term sustainability. We talked with leaders in the arts about the large and small strategic choices that their institutions must make to survive and succeed. Published July 16, 2025 Creating the Bilbao…
Originally founded with funding from the Department of Education and philanthropy, the Isaac Physics platform and STEM SMART programme run by the University of Cambridge have proven results in improving A-level students’ grades and boosting their success in securing a place to study STEM subjects at research-intensive universities. The future of this pioneering STEM provision, which is freely available to anyone, wherever they are in the world, has now been made significantly more secure…
Rebecca, a managing partner of a law firm in New York, was faced with an executive order from the White House to explain her firm’s diversity policies or risk losing government contracts. She was torn. Should she bring it to a partner vote, make the call herself or resign in protest? Driven by loyalty to her people, she chose to stay and fight.Her daily mindfulness practice helped her stay centred…
We all want a workplace where people feel seen, heard, and valued. But building that kind of culture takes more than good intentions and inspirational posters. It demands a clear-eyed look at how people behave, how leaders lead, and how the organization itself either supports or hinders inclusivity and respect. At Civility Partners, we know that a great workplace culture doesn’t evolve by accident. It requires structure, consistency, and alignment…
For generations, automotive OEMs sought to distinguish themselves in the marketplace through the styling, quality, and performance of their cars. Another front, software development, is now a top priority. As cars have become more reliant on software to enable required systems and functions as well as to create a distinctive customer experience, conventional OEMs have struggled to keep up with development speed, quality, and cost—mainly due to their legacy setup.…
Chronic inflammation-related diseases have been estimated to cause over half of all deaths worldwide, so unlocking the processes behind these diseases is crucial to saving lives through developing better prevention and treatments.The MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology will receive up to £50 million over 14 years, leveraging the combined strength of teams at The University of Oxford and The University of Manchester in immunology, big data, and environmental science.The ‘exposome’ describes…
A certain number of Western international political theorists, as well as a number of brilliant intellectuals in Russia, have long been advocating the idea that the proliferation of nuclear weapons may not be a danger, but a beneficial factor. In the most general terms, their arguments can be reduced to the fact that the presence of these weapons is a powerful deterrent to the emergence of military conflicts and generally…
Construction is one of the world’s largest industries, accounting for 13 percent of global GDP. Yet it also struggles with low productivity growth and performance while facing urgent needs for more skilled labor, steadier supply chains, simpler regulations, and predictable commodity and equipment pricing. These would be challenging at any time but are particularly significant today as investment surges amid infrastructure renewal, the energy transition, and increased demand for data…
After the tariff frenzy of the first quarter of this year, we’ve sailed into the doldrums. Not that the tariffs have gone away, or the threat of new ones has subsided, or there is a solid prospect of a non-tariff settlement discernible in the horizon, but that the pace of movement, of change, and of threats has slowed down. We can take a sigh of relief for this minor, if…
Once in a great while, a technological innovation comes along that changes the world, and businesses have to adjust—or potentially decline into irrelevance. The Industrial Revolution’s steam engine and the mechanization of production allowed for a shift from largely agrarian to urban lifestyles. The birth of the internet brought us enhanced real-time communication, e-commerce, cloud computing, and more. Now, it’s AI’s turn. This powerful technology is rapidly transforming workflows, driving…
The University of Oxford has received a £6.25 million gift to expand its outreach work with socio-economically disadvantaged students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The gift will help to fund three major outreach projects taking place at the University from October 2025. These include a new programme providing GCSE mathematics mentoring to students who show promise for the subject, and an innovative ‘online school’ that gives 14-19-year-olds…
On Dec. 6, 2024, following more than 25 years of negotiations, the European Union (EU) and Mercosur (comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) finalized their trade agreement. The two massive common markets aim to create one of the world’s largest free trade areas, encompassing over 700 million people and nearly 25 per cent of the global GDP. (If you haven’t already, take a look at our earlier publication summarizing the key…
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) transformations are often large and complex investments that can cost millions of dollars and take many years to complete. They are also notoriously difficult to manage, and it is not uncommon for companies to run into delays and cost increases. METRO AG, a multinational food wholesaler based in Düsseldorf, Germany, was facing significant problems with its ERP transformation. In this interview, McKinsey’s Florian Bauer speaks with…
Findings of the IMPORT LOW trial, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, showed that limiting radiation to only the tumour area is just as effective as treating the whole breast, therefore reducing radiation exposure.At the 10-year follow-up mark, the team showed that recurrence rates for the less aggressive technique – known as partial breast radiotherapy – were 3 per cent, the…
Business leaders have come to a stark revelation: The gap between their companies’ tech workers and their nontech colleagues must shrink. The emergence of digital technologies, especially the rapid rise of AI over the past two years, comes with immense promise to unleash growth and productivity. But companies will not see those benefits if their employees are not up to speed. Achieving the full benefits of digital and AI technologies…
Quick Hits On May 28, 2025, the Ontario government introduced Bill 30, titled the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025, building on the six prior Working for Workers Acts. Bill 30 introduces a new unpaid leave for employees receiving group termination notices, would extend the maximum length of layoffs, and would require job posting platforms to implement systems to report fraudulent job postings. Proposed amendments under Bill 30 also include…
In a development with major implications for the commercial leasing sector, the Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to appeal in Canada Life Assurance Company v. Aphria Inc. (Canada Life). At the heart of the case is a question that affects every commercial lease in the country: When a tenant walks away from a lease, and the landlord refuses to accept that repudiation, is the landlord required to mitigate…
It has been described as “the biggest and most economically significant bilateral trade deal the UK has done since leaving the EU.” On May 6, 2025, the United Kingdom and India signed the historic UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which both governments estimate will increase bilateral trade by $34 billion a year. This comes on top of a near doubling of the existing trading relationship between the two countries from…
On June 25, 2025, the Québec government adopted the final version of the regulation related to the right-to-repair provisions introduced by Bill 29: An Act to protect consumers from planned obsolescence and promote the durability, repair and maintenance of goods (the Regulation). This Regulation provides the long-awaited details on how manufacturers and merchants must comply with Québec’s new consumer protection rules. Starting Oct. 5, 2025, all manufacturers and merchants selling…
Earlier observations of this star, called MP Mus, suggested that it was all alone without any planets in orbit around it, surrounded by a featureless cloud of gas and dust.However, a second look at MP Mus, using a combination of results from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, suggests that the star is not alone after all. The international team of astronomers, led…
14 July 2025By Ulrich Bindseil*TARGET Services are the backbone of Europe’s financial market infrastructure. Like a spine, they have to be both strong and supple. Strong enough to process large volumes and values while maintaining high levels of performance, and supple and flexible enough to respond to changing needs, technologies and geopolitical conditions.Free flow of central bank money, securities and collateralTARGET Services comprise T2, TARGET2-Securities (T2S), TARGET Instant Payment Settlement…
On July 10, 2025, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion titled “Peace Through Strength: the Middle East Funnel”, dedicated to the role of the US in the crisis in the Middle East, the situation in Iran and non-proliferation issues. The moderator was Timofei Bordachev, Programme Director of the Valdai Club and Professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Alexander Maryasov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the…
On July 3, 2025, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) refused leave to appeal in a dispute between Steelhead LNG and Arc Resources. Thus, it remains settled law that plans or a drawing do not infringe claims to an apparatus, system, or method. At the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA), and in the Federal Court (FC) below, Steelhead argued that Arc had “used” their invention, thereby infringing their patent by…
In Kakkar v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, 2025 ONSC 3776, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed a putative class proceeding on the basis of delay pursuant to section 29.1 of the Ontario Class Proceedings Act (the CPA). The plaintiff, Anupam Kakkar, commenced the action in May 2016 against the Crown, Crown Works Ottawa, and City of Ottawa, alleging class-wide issues relating to child support orders…
13 July 2025By Miles ParkerJuly 2025 began with yet another heatwave across Europe. ECB research finds such events can substantially reduce economic activity in affected regions and increase food prices. With global warming, future heatwaves are likely to have more pronounced economic effects.With a hot and sticky start to July in Frankfurt, sleep has been difficult. My daughter has been a bit grumpy. As have I. Those are just the…
A certificate of pending litigation (CPL) is a powerful tool in the litigator’s arsenal. It is often used in claims for specific performance and constructive trusts (both remedial and substantive) as a means to freeze title and prevent the owner from dealing with the property, as they otherwise might have. CPLs are available when the plaintiff claims an interest in land, and they are generally not available when the claim…
This interview is part of the Leading Asia series, which features in-depth conversations with the region’s most influential leaders on what it takes to lead in Asia today. In this Leading Asia interview, Avinash Goyal, a senior partner at McKinsey, talks to Rajesh Rathi, the chairman and managing director of Sudarshan Chemical Industries Limited. With over 50 years in operation and a presence in more than 85 countries, the business…
Quick Hits The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law on July 4, 2025, introducing significant changes to immigration policy, including new and increased fees for humanitarian-based applications and employment authorizations. The legislation imposes a new “visa integrity fee” and raises other travel-related fees, impacting visa applicants and frequent travelers. The OBBBA also allocates substantial funding for border security and enforcement, including increased resources for border infrastructure,…
In Pepa v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2025 SCC 21, the Supreme Court of Canada held that the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada had unreasonably interpreted its jurisdiction under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001, c. 27 (IRPA) when it held that an individual who entered Canada under a valid permanent resident visa could lose their right to appeal an exclusion…
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. What themes should chief procurement officers (CPOs) focus on to unlock new value sources in a volatile era? Tarandeep Ahuja: We are seeing procurement leaders focus on five key themes to drive sustainable competitive advantage in their organizations today: First, a full adoption of digital and AI, both as a source of identifying new opportunities and also generating efficiencies across the supply…
Addressing the climate transition requires a new way of thinking. On the one hand, if the goal is net-zero emissions by 2050, the world is well short of meeting it. The United Nations has noted that there are big gaps between the targets that countries have committed to and the actions being taken to meet them. At the same time, there are real concerns that taking effective action could raise…
Quick Hits On June 10, 2025, the Pittsburgh City Council passed an ordinance amending the Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act, effective January 1, 2026, which includes changes such as employees accruing one hour of paid sick time for every thirty hours worked. Employers with fifteen or more employees must now provide at least seventy-two hours of paid sick time each year, while those with fewer than fifteen employees must provide…
The defense landscape in Europe is evolving fast, with active conflicts and novel hybrid threats affecting countries’ critical infrastructure and economies. Innovation will be a key enabler for Europe’s defense industrial base as the region seeks ways to scale the defense industry, drive more capabilities, and better collaborate to ensure its industrial competitiveness. Having joined Saab in 1985, and having recently been elected as president and chairman of the Aerospace,…
This commentary originally appeared in Fortune. The views expressed are the authors’ own. In the last week alone, Meta has poached more than a dozen top AI researchers from peer companies, giving each one immediate cash bonuses worth up to $100 million in a frantic effort to keep up with the AI arms race after falling behind market leaders such as OpenAI and Anthropic. But perhaps Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg…
Wild chimpanzees show reduced participation and performance in their tool-use behaviours as they grow older, according to the long-term video observations used in the new study. This provides solid evidence that old age leads to gradual withdrawal from tool use, and is a contributing factor to lower efficiency in chimps' stone tool selection and use.The findings also indicate that chimpanzees mirror human beings in how the aging process affects their…
The US goal is not a direct military clash, but the gradual drawing of Beijing into a protracted proxy conflict in which Washington will have the advantage in terms of time, resources and political conditions, Andrey Sushentsov writes. Tensions in relations between the US and China are steadily growing. Their rivalry extends to the economic, technological, military-political and ideological spheres. The Taiwan issue remains the central node of this confrontation.…
Quick Hits On June 14, 2025, the Maryland Department of Labor reissued proposed regulations for the Maryland Economic Stabilization Act, requiring employers to provide notice of mass layoffs or reductions in force. Maryland’s Economic Stabilization Act mandates sixty days’ written notice for mass reductions in operations, applying to employers with at least fifty employees and triggered by significant workforce reductions. The public has until July 14, 2025, to comment on…