#making this post according to indian new year time

[roomunderthestairsdeluxe]

happy louis performing in india year to all those who celebrate

[specialagentartemis]

Feel like dropping the rant about how "pre-written records = prehistory" is not a good way of conceptualizing history? It's not my area at all so I'm fascinated.

Hah absolutely

It’s a mix of semantics, and word connotations, and the way history gets presented, and tbh legacies of racism.

So. Part of it comes from the distinctions between the academic field and practice of history, and the academic field and practice of archaeology. The practice of history means analyzing the past through written texts and records; the practice of archaeology means analyzing the past through the material remains left behind. This is fine. It refers to the way you approach information about the past and what tools and theories you use to do so. I have no problem with this part!

Of course, it starts to get more complicated when you also have classicists (who study ancient Greek and Roman history primarily through texts but also incorporate some aspects of archaeology) and Assyriologists (ditto but for Mesopotamia), which have their roots in old-school European practices of formal education. There’s also historical archaeology, which is primarily archaeology but incorporates written records of the time and place for a fuller picture, or uses archaeology to complicate or fill gaps in the records. Historical archaeology is a practice that can be applied to any place and time with historical records, but primarily it refers to archaeology of the Americas post-European colonialism.

These refer to the ways we study the past. Where I start to disagree is when these terms get applied to the past itself.

Historians study history through written texts, so there is often a delineation where history = the presence of written texts, and prehistory = before that. And I have problems with that delineation of time.

For one thing, the connotations of the terms. History, in common use, is important, it’s everything that built the world we live in and led to where we are now. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. While prehistory conjures images of dinosaurs, or cavemen. It implies that the things that happened in it aren’t as important as the things that happened once history proper started. It also feels very, very old—it feels weird to call, say, the Inca empire prehistoric, when the Inca Empire is younger than Oxford University and the first Inca emperor was crowned in Peru after the Norman Invasion of England in 1066—something nobody calls prehistoric.

Because that brings up a more objective issue with splitting time into “history” and “prehistory”: writing was invented at different times in different places, and used to different extents. Writing was first invented in Mesopotamia in the Early Bronze Age, about 5,000 years ago. It was probably independently invented in Egypt shortly afterward, and was independently invented in China 3400 years ago, and in Central America about 2500 years ago. Writing spread across Asia, India, North Africa, Europe, and Mexico/Guatemala; it was not used in North America, South America, southern Africa, Australia, most parts of Polynesia, Micronesia, Australia, or New Zealand at all until European contact. According to the written records definition, this means history starts in very different times in these different places. Not only does this unbalance what we think of as “history” a lot, it ends up discounting or minimizing these people’s own ways of reckoning history, making their history start when Europeans arrived.

This is an incredibly dismissive way to consider whole continents’ worth of people and cultures! It turns them into a “people without history,” and implies that whatever they were doing before Europeans (or Chinese, Indians, or North Africans depending on the region, but mostly Europeans) doesn’t really matter to what happened since. If anything happened at all in that “time before history”; a common perspective of both early colonists and modern pop-history in places like the American West or Australia is that the people there have been living the exact same way for thousands of years, unchanging since the Stone Age. Only upon contact with Europeans did anything change and “history” start. This is hugely dismissive of these people’s autonomy and their past. (You’ll notice it’s a lot of people who suffer from racism who are denied the title of “history”!) It’s also just not true.

I’m an archaeologist who studies the US Southwest/Mexican Northwest region; I focus on Arizona and New Mexico in the 1000s–1400s AD. And one of the things that opened my mind so much in studying the US southwest was just how much things changed from decade to decade and century to century in the past, the same way they did anywhere else in history at this time. There was no written history in this part of the world, but what we do have is very precise tree-ring dates. Using tree rings, we can date when this or that building was built down to the precise year. And because it’s a desert, things preserve well for a long time, so we have lots of ancient tree-ring dates. Because of this, we can see how art styles, architectural styles, settlement patterns, family organization, farming practices, religion, politics, and cultural interactions changed over the past four thousand years. And we can see that they did change, and sometimes they changed slowly and sometimes they changed rapidly. People did things. They had new ideas, they formed new political organizations and adopted new religions, they came together and broke apart, they developed new art styles and new technologies, elite lineages controlled the social order until their power fractured, people moved into new places and adapted their old practices to what they found there, or developed new ones… and because of tree-rings and desert preservation, archaeologists can see it in ways we can’t in cooler and wetter environments. This is history. This is people doing things, shaping the physical and social landscape for the centuries that followed.

And of course, Pueblo and Diné and Apache and O’odham people of the Southwest have their own oral histories that overlap with these archaeological studies. This is true in many, many places that did not traditionally use writing. They can’t be discounted just because they weren’t written down.

So to me, history = writing and prehistory = before writing is a false dichotomy that’s unhelpful at best and racist at worst. To me, history starts when people become socially organized enough that they care about what happened before, what happened where, and why it’s important, and what it means. Every culture has history, whether they wrote it down or not. Studying it may not always be suited to the skillset of historians, but that doesn’t mean it’s not history.

[mariacallous]

JD Vance agreed with the notion that raising grandchildren was “the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female,” an unearthed 2020 podcast shows.

Vance also seemed to concur when the host suggested that having grandparents help raise children was a “weird, unadvertised feature of marrying an Indian woman.”

It's the latest in comments from the Republican nominee for vice presdident about women and "traditional" roles that have drawn ire. Vance has faced intense criticism in recent weeks for previous sexist comments, including his remarks about "cat ladies."

Now, his appearance on ThePortal podcast with host Eric Weinstein in April 2020 has been thrust back into the limelight Vance spoke about his wife’s Indian family, noting that they emigrated to the US about a year before his wife, Usha Vance, was born. He said at the time, her parents were “devoted” to Usha and their grandchild as well as to “future grandchildren.”

The couple has three children, born in 2017, 2020 and in 2021.

“You can sort of see the effect it has on him to be around them like they spoil him,” he said of his first child. “There's sort of all the classic stuff that grandparents do to grandchildren, but it makes him a much better human being to have exposure to his grandparents.”

He added: “And the evidence on this is like super clear.”

“That’s the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female in theory,” Weinstein said at the time.

“Yes,” Vance agreed.

“When your child was born, did your in-laws, and particularly your mother-in-law, show up in some huge way?” Weinstein asked Vance.

“She lived with us for a year,” former President Donald Trump’s running mate noted.

“I didn't know the answer to that. So that's a weird, unadvertised feature of marrying an Indian woman,” Weinstein responded.

“It’s in some ways, the most transgressive thing I've ever done against sort of the hyper-neo-liberal approach to work and family,” Vance said. “My wife had this baby seven weeks before she started the clerkship, [she’s] still not sleeping any more than an hour and a half in a given interval. And her mom just took a sabbatical. She's a biology professor in California, just took a sabbatical for a year and came and lived with us and took care of our kid for a year.”

He added that it was “painfully economically inefficient.”

“Why didn't she just keep her job, give us part of the wages to pay somebody else to do it?” he asked. “That is the thing that the hyper-liberalized economics wants you to do. The economic logic of always prioritizing paid wage labor over other forms of contributing to a society is to me ... a consequence of a sort of fundamental liberalism that is ultimately gonna unwind and collapse upon itself.”

“It's the abandonment of a sort of Aristotelian virtue politics for a hyper-market-oriented way of thinking about what's good and what's desirable,” he added. “If people are paying for it and it contributes to GDP and it makes the economic consumption numbers rise, then it's good, and if it doesn't, it's bad ... that's sort of the root of our political problem.”

The Director of Rapid Response for Kamala Harris, Ammar Moussa, wrote on X: “I’m sorry - who is out here just out here talking about the ‘postmenopausal female’ and their role in society?”

Democratic Illinois Congressman Sean Casten added: “Are you a post-menopausal woman? Did you quit your job to look after your grandkids? Because if you didn’t, you are not meeting your ‘whole purpose’ according to JD Vance.”

Vance has faced criticism for a number of unearthed comments from his past, most notably telling Fox News host Tucker Carlson in 2021 that the US was being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.”

“It’s just a basic fact — you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC [Alexandria Ocasio Cortez] — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children,” he said. “And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?”

Harris has two stepchildren and Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, adopted twins in August 2021.

idk, pretty sure the intent is fairly clear *and* we can put election-swaying weight to it!

Also, it's fucking weird to talk like this about people!

[kmomof4]

A Scoundrel... Or a Gentleman? Ch. 2

We are back with a new chapter!! Y'all!!!!! I am BLOWN AWAY by your enthusiasm for this fic!!!! Thank you all so very VERY much!!!! I hope you enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think!!!

Thank you again to @jrob64 for her beta services and to @hollyethecurious and @winterbaby89 for listening to me whine. And I can't forget @motherkatereloyshipper for her beautiful artwork she did for the fic!!! Thank you all, ladies!!!

Chapter summary: Four years after Liam's death and Killian runs away to India, Emma and Killian both arrive in London for the new social season.

Words: Approx 7800 of approx 59,5k

Rating: M (smut in later chs)

Tags: Regency Romance, Inspired by Francesca Bridgerton's Story, Smut in Later Chs.

On ao3 Current ch / From the beginning

On Tumblr Prologue

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @the-darkdragonfly @jennjenn615 @donteattheappleshook @undercaffinatednightmare @pirateherokillian @cocohook38 @qualitycoffeethings @booksteaandtoomuchtv @superchocovian @motherkatereloyshipper @snowbellewells @pirateprincessofpizza @djlbg @lfh1226-linda @xarandomdreamx @tiganasummertree @bluewildcatfanatic @anmylica @laianely @resident-of-storybrooke @exhaustedpirate @gingerchangeling @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @captainswan-kellie @soniccat @beckettj @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @thisonesatellite @jonesfandomfanatic @elfiola @zaharadessert @ilovemesomekillianjones @mie779 @kymbersmith-90

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

4yrs. later

It had been too long. Killian knew that. Four years in India. But, according to the letters his mother religiously sent, everything was fine back home. Emma excelled in the running of the earldom, so there was nothing to feel guilty about for staying away so long. 

But he couldn’t stay away forever. When he’d come to India four years before - oh, hell, let’s be honest. When he’d run away to India four years before - it was with no more purpose than to get away from Emma. He couldn’t be near her. With her complete ignorance of his feelings for her, it wasn’t necessarily better for him to put eight thousand miles between them, but it was certainly easier. But once he arrived, to his great surprise, he found another purpose. He could see now why Liam had taken his seat in Parliament so seriously. When he arrived four years ago, he’d only had a name of a Royal Navy buddy who’d moved to Madras three years earlier. But within a month, he’d been appointed to a governmental post and was making decisions that actually mattered. It had given him a new purpose and a new outlook on life. Of course, it did nothing to curb his rakish tendencies, but over the years it had given him a sense of balance. It had given him time to actually make something of himself. And now… now that he was used to being addressed as Kilmartin - without looking over his shoulder for his beloved brother - it was time to actually return home and take up the duties of the earl.

He’d have to face her, of course. Maybe four years was enough time away from her that his heart could handle the rigors of being in close proximity with the one he loved. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he no longer loved her. He was quite sure he’d love her until the day he departed this earth. But maybe now - with the grief no longer so raw - maybe now he could be Emma’s friend, as she so ardently desired in those dark days after Liam’s death. 

Either way, he was glad it would be March when he disembarked. Too early for Emma to have arrived in London for the season. Because honestly, there was truly nothing more frightening - not war, not an Indian tiger - than facing Emma Nolan Jones.

Decision made, he instructed a quite relieved Smee to book them passage on the Princess Amelia. He was going home.

~*~*~

Emma wanted a baby.

It wasn’t a new desire, but it had rather snuck up on her and it was only now that she could actually say it… out loud… to herself. Or not exactly say it, but at least think it… out loud… to herself. In a manner of speaking. Pun not intended.

It had begun innocently enough. A pang in her heart when she read a missive from her sister-in-law Mary Margaret, married to her eldest brother David, telling her all about their son, Leo’s latest escapades. He was nearly three and already giving them fits.

Then when her elder sister, Regina, descended upon Kilmartin Estate in Scotland with her brood of three - Richard age eight, Roland age five, and little Rebekah only eighteen months - she’d been amazed at how the Locksley children transformed Kilmartin. There was noise, and laughter, that had been sorely lacking for years. Likely since Liam and Killian were boys.

When they left, it was quiet. Not peaceful. Just silent. 

And Emma was changed.

Now, when she saw a nursemaid pushing a pram, her heart ached. If she saw a rabbit cross a path, she missed a small someone beside her to point it out to. When she visited her family in London, and all her nieces and nephews finally left for the evening, she lay in her bed and realized that if she didn’t do something to change it, her life never would change. She’d live this life and eventually die. 

Alone. 

Not unhappy - her life was far too full and enjoyable for that - but alone. In the four years that Liam and Killian had been gone, she’d grown into her role as Countess Kilmartin, the sole caretaker of the holdings and land. Killian had never married after leaving for India, so she had retained all her duties as Countess. He’d left instructions for her to run the earldom as she saw fit and hadn’t interfered since. It was a precious gift that Killian had given her. She realized that now, even if it took her a long time to forgive him for leaving her in the first place. It gave her a purpose. A goal. A reason to stop staring at the ceiling. 

She had friends and a wonderful family, both the Nolan and Jones sides, but the only thing missing, the one thing that would make her truly happy, was a baby. Which meant, of course, that she’d have to remarry. 

Emma sighed as she considered it. It seemed a bit strange to imagine herself married to anyone but Liam. Potentially bearing a child that wouldn’t look like him. But if she wanted a baby, there was really no way around it. Even four years later, her wardrobe still consisted mostly of the grays and lavenders of half-mourning. She was going to need a whole new wardrobe for the approaching season if she was going to put herself on the marriage mart. She’d buy green, to match her eyes. She’d buy blue, pink, and yellow, her favorite color. She might even buy - she shivered in anticipation just thinking about it - red.

The decision was made. She’d go down to London a month early and prepare to find herself a husband.

And that was that.

~*~*~

It was absolutely frigid. And it was entirely her fault. She’d forgotten to send notice that she’d be arriving early for the London season, so when she arrived at Kilmartin House, she found only the skeleton crew of staff and the stores of coal and candles perilously low.

She’d been assured that all would be rectified on the morrow, once the housekeeper and butler made a mad dash to Bond St, but for now, she shivered under the blankets on her bed. The housekeeper had offered to collect all the coal she could find for Emma’s bedchamber, but Countess or no, she wasn’t so high and mighty that she’d condemn the staff to a freezing night just so she could be comfortable. And anyway, the room was so large, it was always difficult to heat properly unless the rest of the house was warm as well.

The library. The library was small enough and with the door closed, a fire in the grate would keep the room quite cozy indeed. Plus there was a small settee she could lay on. She climbed out of bed and wrapped her robe around herself before peeking out into the quiet hallway. 

She tiptoed down the hall and then the stairs, the heavy wool socks she wore slipping on the polished surface. She opened the door to the library and stifled a scream. A man stood in front of a cheery fire, warming his hands. Her head darted left and right, searching for anything she might use as a weapon when the man turned. Emma gasped.

“Killian?”

~*~*~

He hadn’t known she was in London. He hadn’t even considered she might be in London. Dammit, what was she doing in London? Not that it would have made any difference in whether he came back or not, but he at least might have been prepared. Prepared to be the charming and irredeemable rake she knew him to be.

But no. Here he was just gaping at her, trying desperately not to notice she wore nothing more than a sheer red gown and night robe, where he could just see the outline of the curve of her… don’t look, Don’t Look, DON’T LOOK…

“Killian?” she asked again.

“Emma,” he greeted, because he had to say something, “what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” she asked, her whisper a bit more strident this time. “What are you doing here? I’m not the one supposed to be in India.”

Killian shrugged as casually as he could manage it and turned back to the fire. “Thought it was time to come home, was all.”

“Couldn’t you have written? Informing us you were coming?”

He raised an eyebrow sardonically before he replied. “To you?” It was a direct hit and he knew it. He only felt a little dismayed at her hard swallow of guilt. He’d written to her a few times after he left for India, but when it became clear that she wasn’t going to reply, he maintained his correspondence through his mother.

“To anyone.” Her whisper was hushed now and Killian brushed aside the guilt her quiet accusation engendered. “We could have had the house ready for you.”

He shrugged again. “It’s ready enough.”

“Someone could have been here to meet you.”

He couldn’t help the smirk that lifted the corner of his lips. “You’re here.”

She huffed indignantly. “You still could have written. It’s only courteous.”

“Emma,” he said, exasperated. “Do you have any idea how long it takes a letter to get here from India?”

“Five months,” she answered, promptly. “Four, with favorable winds.”

“By the time I decided to come, it wouldn’t have done any good. The letter would have gone out on the same ship I was on.” He paused for a moment. “And does it really matter?”

Now it was Emma’s turn to shrug. “I suppose not.” She smiled gently at him and that damned place behind his ear itched. “It is good to have you back. Your mother will be thrilled.” He turned back to the fire, the better to hide the grim smile on his face.

“Yes,” he murmured, “I’m sure she will be.”

“As am I-I,” she stammered, “of course.”

She didn’t really sound as if she meant her words, but he decided to be a gentleman and not point it out. 

“Are you cold?” he asked, instead.

“No,” she said quickly. Perhaps too quickly.

“You’re lying.”

She shrugged and looked sheepish. “Maybe?”

“For heaven's sake, Emma. If you’re cold, come warm yourself by the fire. I won’t bite.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, in a move to put him firmly back on the solid ground of their relationship four years ago. “Unless you ask me to.”

Emma rolled her eyes as she approached and Killian’s smile became more genuine. After a few moments of companionable silence, Emma spoke.

“You look well.”

“As do you.”

“It’s been a long time.”

He sighed before replying. “It has. Four years.”

He sounded sad to her ears. Regretful almost. Perhaps he was sorry he’d stayed away so long. Perhaps he’d missed her… home, rather. But she couldn’t ask him. Not now. Not here. Not with this tension between them. When they’d parted badly four years ago, they’d both been wounded animals, lashing out at those closest to them, but she had hoped that seeing him again would be easier than this. She’d certainly imagined it enough times. He couldn’t stay away forever. She’d always known there would come a day when he returned, and the reality of what she was experiencing now was the furthest from what she expected when he did. She wanted nothing more than her best friend back.

“So what are your plans?” she asked.

“Beyond getting warm?” he muttered.

She couldn’t help the small smile that touched her lips. “It is indeed chilly for this time of year.”

“I came home because I couldn’t stand the blasted heat anymore,” he said. “And here I am about to perish from the cold.”

“But it will be spring soon,” she tried to placate him.

“Ah, yes,” he replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Where the winds will merely be frigid instead of icy.”

She turned to look at him then. The light from the fire danced across his visage, creating shadows that made his features difficult to decipher. But this close to him, she could see that he had changed, however subtly. He was deeply tanned, of course, scandalously so, and the hair at his temples had just a touch of silver. But beyond that, he held himself differently. The smooth, effortless grace with which he moved was gone and now he seemed rigid. Tight. Like he was preparing himself for a blow.

The corner of her lips twisted into a smirk. “I suppose so. But Miss Blue has assured me the house will be restocked tomorrow. I only just arrived this evening as well, after failing to give notice.”

They were quiet for a few more moments. “So what are you doing here?” he asked again.

She turned to him, surprised. But then realized she’d never answered his initial question.

“I live here.”

“But you don’t usually come down until April.” Her jaw dropped and he realized he’d need to explain how he knew that information. “Mother’s letters were remarkably detailed.”

“I see.” She moved closer to the fire and Killian sighed in agitation. She really didn’t need to be standing so close to him.

“Soooo?” he repeated.

She turned to him again, shocked to see how very close they were now standing. She pulled her robe more closely around herself and took a step away. She wasn’t ready to share her true reasons for coming to London early. Goodness, she’d only just recently admitted them to herself. But he was waiting and she couldn’t just let the question linger between them.

“I felt like it,” she said with a shrug, and with as much haughtiness as she could muster. 

Killian nodded. He was glad she’d stepped away from him, however small the step might be. She was now out of his reach, and that was a very good thing. She was going to have to be the one to establish their boundaries, because there was no way he’d be up to the task. 

They were silent for a few more minutes in front of the grate before he excused himself and adjourned to his bedchamber.

Once he was cocooned in more blankets than he’d ever remembered needing before, sleep was elusive. She was different, he realized. Not in her appearance. She hadn’t changed at all. She was still his beautiful Emma with eyes as green as the jungles of India, porcelain skin, and golden hair that seemed to capture what little sunshine England saw in a year. But inside, she was changed. Killian had always prided himself on being able to read Emma like an open book, and what he saw in her now terrified him.

There was an air of availability surrounding her, as if she had truly moved on from his brother. And the only thing keeping him from reaching out right now and touching her was the physical distance between them and his own conscience.

Four years was obviously not enough time away from Emma for his heart to handle being this close to her again. And he had no idea what he was to do with that knowledge. He closed his eyes and willed sleep to come.

~*~*~

The next morning, when Killian finally arose, the house was fully back in order, as befit the home of an earl. There was a fire in every grate and a splendid proper English breakfast was prepared - coddled eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, toast with butter and marmalade, as well as his personal favorite, boiled mackerel. Even if it did make him realize he missed the yogurts and dosas of his Indian morning meal. 

Emma was nowhere to be seen and he realized why when he opened the folded note handed to him by Smee as he sat down to eat. Concerned about the wagging tongues of the ton, Emma had removed herself to her mother’s house at 5 Bruton St, until such time as Alice Jones arrived from Scotland. She did invite him to visit her there, as there was much for them to discuss.

As soon as he finished his quite excellent breakfast, he walked to the dowager viscountess’ house. It felt good to reacquaint himself with the rhythm of London - the sights of the city, the smells of roasted nuts and soot in the air, the sounds of his boots on the street, the shouts of the flower sellers, the clip clop of horses hooves. It was strange, but no more strange than when he’d first arrived in India. It all wove together in a symphony that was uniquely London. It was going to take some getting used to. 

He caught a glimpse of himself in the window of a shop along the way. The tan he now sported would take weeks to fade. Maybe months. His mother would be positively scandalized. The thought made a cheeky smirk bloom across his face. He was quite sure he’d never outgrow the enjoyment of scandalizing his mother.

He arrived at Number 5 and climbed the steps to the front door. He was obviously expected because he hadn’t even the chance to rap on the door before it swung open. The dowager viscountess was already in her receiving room, pouring herself tea when he entered the room.

“Killian!” she exclaimed, rising from her chair beneath the window. “How wonderful to see you in London again!”

She greeted him with all the affection she would shower on a wayward son, which, given her very wide definition of “family”, was not at all unexpected. She considered Liam a son, and since he was his brother and such a frequent companion to Liam and Emma, Killian was automatically invited to anything they were invited to. Which, of course, was everything. He took her outstretched hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles.

“Lady Nolan,” he murmured.

She smiled as if she knew all the secrets in the world, and couldn’t wait to share them. “No one does that the way you do,” she said, approvingly.

“One must always take care to practice one’s maneuvers,” he replied, rakish smirk set upon his lips. 

“And I can’t tell you how we ladies of a certain age appreciate you doing so.”

His grin widened. “A certain age being… one and thirty?”

Lady Nolan was the sort of woman who only grew lovelier with age, but the smile she graced him with now made her positively radiant. “You are always welcome in this house, Killian Jones.” His smile turned genuine as he took his seat. “Oh, dear,” she continued, “I do apologize. I suppose I should call you Kilmartin now.”

“Killian is just fine,” he assured her.

“I know it's been four years, but since I haven’t seen you…”

“You may call me anything you wish.” It was strange, and not exactly pleasant, to hear his title on Lady Nolan’s lips. He’d finally become used to it down in India, but here, it was rather unnerving. He didn’t mean to interrupt her, but he truly didn’t want to hear his title coming out of her mouth. 

If she was aware of his discomfort with the conversation, she gave no indication. “Well, if you are to be so accommodating, then I must be as well. Please call me Ruth.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly…” he began. And he meant it. This was Lady Nolan, and he could never call her by her Christian name.

“I insist, Killian,” she said, “and I’m sure you’re aware that I almost always get my way.”

He sighed, very much aware of the veracity of that statement. “I don’t know that I could kiss the hand of a Ruth. It seems scandalously intimate.”

“Don’t you dare stop,” she said, her eyes twinkling.

“Tongues will wag,” he tried again.

“I’m certain my reputation could withstand it.”

“Ah, but could mine?” he asked.

“You are a scoundrel,” she laughed.

He sat back in his chair, a smile on his face. “It serves me well.”

“Would you care for tea?” she asked, motioning to the pot she’d just been about to pour when he arrived. “Mine has gone cold, I’m sure, but I’ll gladly ring for more.”

“I’d love some.”

She pulled the rope, summoning the butler. “I’m sure you’re spoiled for it now, after four years of tea in India.”

“There’s nothing quite like English tea,” he assured her.

“The quality of the water, do you think?” she asked.

“The quality of the woman pouring,” he replied, a soft smile on his lips.

She laughed, delightedly. “Oh, my lord, you need a wife. Immediately.”

“Oh, really? And why is that?”

“Because you are clearly a danger to every unmarried woman in England.”

“I do hope you are including yourself in that number,” he said, eyebrows waggling.

“Are you flirting with my mother?” a new voice asked.

Killian looked up to see Emma standing in the doorway, looking exquisite in a lavender morning dress, trimmed with remarkably intricate lace that, if he had to guess, probably came from the finest lace maker in France. She was trying to look stern, but the twisting of the corner of her lips belied her countenance. Killian rose and took the hand she offered him, brushing his lips across her knuckles, the same way he’d done with her mother a few minutes earlier.

“Emma,” he began, “I have traveled all over the world, and I can truly say there are very few women with whom I’d rather flirt than your mother.”

“You are expected for dinner this evening, Killian Jones,” Ruth interjected. “And I will not take ‘no’ for an answer.”

He chuckled as he resumed his seat. “I’d be delighted.”

Emma sat across from the pair. “You’re incorrigible,” she murmured.

Killian flashed her a grin. This was good. They were falling right back into their respective roles. He as the dashing and charming rapscallion, she as the proper lady pretending to scold him. Exactly the way it’d been before Liam died. The night before, he’d been surprised to see her and hadn’t had time to make sure his public persona was firmly in place. And it was of utmost importance that it was in place around Emma, because he could never allow her to see what simmered just below the surface.

“What plans do you have now that you’ve returned?” Ruth asked as a maid arrived with the tea tray.

“My goodness, that was quick,” Killian commented, as Emma prepared his tea. She remembered how he took it - milk, no sugar - and for some reason that pleased him immensely. He took it from her hands and then addressed Ruth’s question. “I’m not sure, actually. I’ve been gone so long, I imagine it will take some time to fully understand what is expected of me in my new role.”

“I’m sure Emma will be invaluable to you in that quarter,” Ruth assured him. Killian’s eyes cut to Emma, who was now pouring her own tea and studiously avoiding his gaze. “No one knows Kilmartin like Emma does,” she continued, pride in every word.

“Of course,” Emma murmured, still not looking at him. “I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can.”

Killian took a sip of his tea before speaking. “I owe you a debt I could never repay, Emma.” She turned her head sharply toward him, her mouth slightly open in surprise. “For four years you’ve not only been the countess, but the earl as well. In everything but name. I’d never have been able to stay away for so long if the earldom had not been in such capable hands.”

Emma blushed at his praise, which surprised him greatly. In all the years he’d known her, he could count on one hand the number of times her cheeks had turned pink.

“Thank you,” she murmured, before taking a sip of her tea. “It was no difficulty, I assure you.”

“Perhaps, but it is truly appreciated all the same.” He took another sip and sat back as the ladies directed the conversation. 

Soon, Killian found himself telling the ladies about his time in India - his experiences, the atmosphere, the food he ate, the job he had. He left out his romantic exploits, the marauders, and malaria, deciding they weren’t suitable for tea time conversation. He enjoyed himself immensely and realized that yes, it was good to be home.

~*~*~

An hour later, Emma found herself on Killian’s arm as they strolled through Hyde Park. The sun had come out and she’d declared that they simply must take advantage of the lovely weather. Killian, ever the gentleman, offered to accompany her.

“It’s just like old times, isn’t it?” she asked.

“What?” he replied. “Walking through Hyde Park with me, or how you cleverly arranged for me to accompany you?”

A satisfied smirk touched her lips. “Why, both, of course.” They continued to walk in silence for a few moments. “I hope you understand my reasons for leaving ,” she said quietly. “I didn’t want to. I really do enjoy being my own woman and mistress of the house, and moving back under my mother’s roof with Ruby in residence as well, just makes me feel a child again.”

“Would you like me to take up residence elsewhere?” he asked.

“Oh, heavens, no! You’re the earl! Kilmartin House is yours,” she asserted. “Besides, Alice will be here any day, I’m sure. She said she’d be a week behind me, but we both know a week means four days, at most. And as soon as she is here, I’ll move back in.” 

“I’m sure you will survive,” he chuckled.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Of course I will,” she agreed. “It’s just it makes me feel like I’m in my debut season, with all its rules and expectations.”

Killian shrugged. “Well, not all of them, obviously. If that were true, you wouldn’t be out walking with me.”

“True,” she allowed. She subtly bumped his shoulder, an amused smirk on her face. “Especially with you.”

“Now, what’s that supposed to mean?” He almost sounded indignant, and Emma had to quickly disguise her laugh as a cough.

She cut her eyes over to him, to see his jaw clenched and the small muscle jumping in irritation. Did her statement really bother him so much?

“Come now, Killian,” she tried to appease him. “You didn’t really think your reputation would suddenly become whiter than snow just because you were gone for so long, did you?”

“Emma…”

“Killian, you are a legend. Women still talk about you.”

He looked absolutely shocked at her words, with no small amount of dismay also circulating in his cerulean gaze.

“Not to you, I hope.”

“Oh, to me above all others,” she informed him, haughtily. “I’m the closest family you have here in London and they all want to know when you will be returning. Which, of course, now that you have… let the feeding frenzy begin!” She couldn’t help it, she was feeling quite pleased with herself for apparently striking terror into the heart of her dearest friend. He’d always been known as a dashing rapscallion without a care in the world, and now that he’d arrived home and seemed ready to take up his duties, his rank would undoubtedly make him the catch of the season. 

“Yes, you will have to marry,” she continued, thoroughly enjoying his apparent discomfort, “You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

Killian sputtered indignantly. “I’m two and thirty!”

“Exactly!” she exclaimed. “But as the earl, you need to marry and beget an heir. The mamas will be falling all over themselves trying to introduce you to their whiney and insipid daughters.”

“I feel very afraid.” His resigned but somehow completely expressionless face made her giggle.

“Oh, you should be,” she assured him. “You’re quite fortunate that I told my mother this morning before you arrived that she was not to push Ruby on you. Because she’d do it. In a heartbeat. Not that Ruby is whiney and insipid, but…” she trailed away meaningfully.

“Heaven forbid if any Nolan female was anything less than witty and engaging.” She shot him a look, not entirely sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

“Hmmmmm,” she mused. “I believe I shall introduce you to…”

“Emma Nolan Jones,” he interrupted, bringing them to a stop near the Serpentine and turning to face her. “You are not to play matchmaker for me. Is that understood?” She opened her mouth to respond but he spoke again before she could get a word out. “And don’t you say that someone has to. I am a grown man and can handle myself when it comes to all that.”

Really, he thought with amusement, she hadn’t changed a bit. Always wanting to manage the people around her. She was quite the open book to him, and that hadn’t changed either.

“Killiannn,” she began, drawing out the final sound so she sounded like a petulant teen rather than the grown woman she was.

“I have been back in town for less than one day. One day,” he repeated, as he led them to a small bench next to the path. “It doesn’t matter that the sun is out, I am cold, I am tired, and not a single thing has been unpacked from my journey. Please give me at least a week before you start planning my wedding.”

“A week then,” she said slyly as she took her seat, looking far too pleased with herself.

“Emma,” he said, warning lacing his tone.

“Oh, very well,” she conceded. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Once you attend your first society function and the mamas are circling like sharks before coming in for the kill, you’ll be begging for my help.”

He shuddered at the image, and the knowledge that she was probably quite correct.

“I’m sure I will,” he placated, with a patronizing smile on his face he knew she’d detest. “And when it happens, I promise that I shall be duly prostrate with apologies and will beseech almighty God that according to your tender mercies, you will not leave me to the sharks of the ton.”

She laughed then and his smile turned genuine. He could always make her laugh, and it brought him far more joy and comfort at the moment than he should have allowed it to.

“It’s good to have you back, Killian.”

“It’s good to be back.” He said the words without thinking, automatically, but as soon as they left his lips, he realized he meant them. It was good to be back. It might be difficult, yes, but it wasn’t any more than what it had been before he left. Her smile was soft and genuine, none of the sly mischievousness that was such a part of her. She really was glad to have him back and that did more to warm his heart than any of their interactions so far. 

She turned toward the Serpentine and focused her attention there, nodding her head absently. He looked in the same direction and couldn’t see anything that might have attracted and held her attention like that. He only saw a rather sour faced nursemaid pushing a pram. 

“What are you looking at?” he asked. She didn’t speak, but continued to nod absently. He wasn’t even sure she realized she was doing it. “Emma?”

She turned to him suddenly, her green eyes bright. “I want a baby.”

“I beg your pardon?” If she had suddenly announced that she planned to run away to America, he could not have been more surprised.

“A baby,” she repeated. “Lots of women want to have children,” she insisted. “Is it truly a surprise that I would as well?”

“W-well,” he stammered, quite at a loss of what to say in response. “I- I don’t suppose so…”

“I’m not getting any younger, either,” she continued. “Why, my mother was on her third child when she was my age.”

“Yes,” he interjected, finally pulling himself together enough to reply to her babbling, “but your mother was also married.”

“Well, of course she was,” she replied. “Why do you think I came down to London early? I’m looking for a husband.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he knew his face reflected that utter and complete surprise.

“Do you have a particular gentleman in mind?”

“Not at the moment, no,” she allowed with a shrug of her shoulders, “but I’d imagine someone suitable would present themselves relatively quickly…” She trailed off and her face looked a bit pensive. He was still reeling from her pronouncement or he might have realized she was as shocked as he was that she’d actually said the words out loud.

“And that’s if I can even conceive in the first place,” she said softly, almost too softly to hear. “It took me two years with Liam, and look how I mucked that up.”

That got his attention. “Emma,” he said fiercely, facing her, “You cannot blame yourself for the miscarriage.”

“Can you imagine,” she said, a watery laugh bursting from her lips that she was helpless to keep inside, “marrying so that I might have a baby and then being unable to actually have one?”

“It happens all the time,” he said softly.

“I know!” she exclaimed. “But it’s my choice. I don’t have to remarry. I’d be able to remain independent, I am well provided for, I wouldn’t have to leave Kilmartin…” but her heart would have this ache for the rest of her life. And she wasn’t sure she could survive that. But was it worth marrying someone simply for the chance of being a mother? Because she certainly wouldn’t be marrying for love. She loved Liam with everything that was in her. One simply did not find two loves like that in a lifetime.

She sighed, and it sounded utterly forlorn to her ears. She was going to marry for a baby. And there was no guarantee she would get one.

“Emma?” 

She didn’t look at him, but sat staring straight ahead, furiously blinking away the tears in her eyes. Killian held out his handkerchief, but she didn’t take it. If she did, the dam would break. There’d be no stopping it.

“I must move on,” she asserted. “Liam has been gone for four years, and I…” She turned to him then and the words stopped. They simply disintegrated. She was caught completely unawares, the kind of shock that makes it hard to breathe.

Of course she knew what Killian looked like. Of course she knew he was handsome. Of course she knew among all the men of her acquaintance, there was no more perfect specimen of manhood than Killian Jones. Her brothers were all handsome men, but even they didn’t compare to Killian. His eyes were the color of a perfect summer sky, the scruff along his jaw had flecks of ginger among the black that matched his hair. His lips were full and lush, and her own dropped open with a small gasp.

“I must go,” she said, leaping up suddenly, hoping and praying that he didn’t notice the breathiness in her voice that was so apparent to her. “I forgot about an appointment with the modiste.”

“Of course,” he agreed, rising with her.

“All of my clothing is in half-mourning colors.” She knew she was rambling, but she had to say something to make the lie convincing. 

Killian frowned in distaste and if she hadn’t been so agitated, it might have made her laugh. “Get blue. And green to match your eyes,” he suggested.

“Yes, yes,” she said, still a bit off balance as she took his offered arm and allowed him to lead her back to Number Five. She had to maintain appearances. She couldn’t possibly allow him to guess what had just transpired on the banks of the Serpentine in her heart and mind.

For when Emma looked at Killian just then, for the very first time, she saw a man. And it scared the very devil out of her.

~*~*~

Emma was never one to sit still, a firm believer in staying busy, that the best course of action was more action. So as soon as she arrived home from her walk with Killian, she found her mother and informed her of her intention to visit the modiste. Immediately. Might as well make truth of her lie as quickly as possible.

Ruth was delighted to join her, of course. She couldn’t hide her joy at the prospect of seeing Emma out of the grays and lavenders of half-mourning. Normally, Emma would have resented shopping with her mother - she was perfectly capable of choosing her own wardrobe after all - but for some reason, the presence of her mother was strangely comforting today.

Emma looked out the window of the carriage as it rolled along towards the exclusive shops of Bond Street.

“Mother?” she asked, before she even realized she intended to speak.

“Yes, dear?”

“Why did you never remarry?”

Surprise colored Ruth’s face, her mouth falling open slightly, her eyes turning suspiciously bright. “That is the first time any of you have asked me that.” Her awe-infused words took Emma aback.

“None of us?” she asked incredulously. “Are you sure?” It seemed impossible. Emma believed her mother, but she couldn’t believe that not one of her five older siblings had ever thought to ask their mother the same question.

“Oh, yes,” she replied. “I’m quite certain. I would have remembered.”

“Yes, of course,” Emma murmured.

Ruth cleared her throat gently. “I don’t know how much you remember - you were very young - but when your father died, it was quite sudden. None of us expected it.” A sad chuckle broke from her lips before she continued. “A bee sting.” Even all these years later, Ruth still sounded surprised when she said the words. “Who would have thought such a strong, vital man would be brought down by something so small. So insignificant.” She paused and pulled out a white handkerchief, holding it close to her mouth as she cleared her throat. “Anyway, it was such a shock.” Then she turned soft and achingly wise eyes on her youngest daughter. “I expect you know better than anyone.”

Emma couldn’t speak and nodded slowly instead.

Ruth took a deep breath, obviously eager to move on from this aspect of the conversation. “Anyway, after Robert was gone, I was just so… stunned. There was no other word for it. I felt as if I was walking in a haze. Barely aware of anything going on around me. I’m not at all certain how I managed that first year. Or even the ones immediately thereafter, for that matter. I couldn’t possibly think of remarriage.”

“I know,” Emma replied, softly. Because, she did.

“And after that… I’m not quite sure why.” She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Perhaps I never found someone I wanted to share my life with. Maybe I just loved your father too much. But, you also have to remember, I was in a very different stage of life than you are. I was older, and the mother of six. Your father left our affairs in very good order. I knew we’d never want for anything.”

“Liam left Kilmartin in very good order,” she murmured.

“Of course, he did,” Ruth replied, quickly, reaching over to pat Emma’s hand reassuringly. “I didn’t mean to imply…”

“Of course not.”

“But you do not have children, Emma,” she continued, gently, “and quite a lot of years ahead of you to spend alone, if you do not remarry.”

“I know, I know,” she breathed, a sense of urgency lending a tone of near panic to her words. “It’s just… it’s just…” she repeated.

“It’s just, what, Emma?” her mother asked.

“I don’t… I don’t know…” The words loomed large in her heart and mind and Emma struggled to give them voice. Ruth remained silent, giving her time to bring her racing thoughts and feelings under control. She looked down and spoke to her hands, her words no louder than a whisper. “I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong. If I’m dishonoring Liam. Dishonoring our marriage.”

“There’s nothing wrong with remarrying, if that’s what you want to do, Emma,” Ruth counseled her. “Liam would want you to be happy. What makes you think you’d be dishonoring him or your marriage by remarrying?”

Emma looked up into her mother’s eyes, searching for something, she wasn’t sure what. Perhaps approval, perhaps love, because there was something supremely comforting about looking for something she knew beyond any doubt she’d immediately find.

“I- I know that I’ll never find anything like what I had with Liam,” she stammered. “You don’t find a love like that twice in a lifetime. I’ve accepted that. But, it feels wrong to marry for anything less.”

“I see,” Ruth replied. “Yes, it’s true, you’ll never find anyone like Liam. But,” she continued, “you might find someone who fits you in a different way. Rather like a puzzle piece you didn’t know you were missing.”

Emma looked sharply at her mother. “What did you say?”

“Just now?” she asked. “I said you might find someone who fits you a different way from Liam. Like a puzzle piece you didn’t know was missing.”

Emma was suddenly back to the night Liam died when she and Killian had taken an evening stroll. She remembered thinking that if Liam understood her like no other, then Killian completed her, like a puzzle piece she didn’t know was missing. Was there any possible way that Ruth could have guessed her earlier epiphany about Killian? Emma scrutinized her mother closely, trying hard not to draw her attention from where she sat looking out the window. She had no clue her words had affected Emma so much, so it would behoove her to redirect the conversation.

“I want a baby,” Emma burst out. “That’s why I want to remarry.”

Ruth turned soft eyes on her. “I thought you might.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Why didn’t you ask why I never remarried?” Ruth’s face was utterly serene. No accusation or condemnation in her countenance. Emma shouldn’t have been surprised at the perceptiveness of her mother.

“If you had been either Regina or Ruby, I would have,” Ruth finally answered her question. “But you…” Her smile was soft and nostalgic now, “You were always different. Even as a child you held yourself apart. You needed your independence.”

Emma reached for her mother’s hand and squeezed. “I love you, you know that?”

“Well, I did suspect.”

“Mother!”

Ruth laughed. “Of course I knew it. How could you not love me?” She made a grand sweeping gesture toward herself, her eyes twinkling merrily. “With as wonderful as I clearly am!” They both giggled at the outrageously playful statement. “But truly,” her mother continued once their mutual mirth was under control. “Yes, I know you love me. As I love you. Very, very much.”

Emma’s chagrin showed on her face. “I haven’t told you. Recently anyway.”

“Well, you have been a bit occupied for a while.”

Emma looked down and covered the giggle that wanted to escape with a light cough. “May I ask you another question?”

“Of course, my dear.”

“If I don’t find someone… like the puzzle piece,” she took a gasping breath, “but I did find someone I rather liked, and married him… would that be alright?”

Ruth was silent for a long moment before she answered. “That is something that only you can answer, my love.” The look on her face was full of compassion and Emma felt the tears burning her eyes. “I would never say no, of course. Most of the gentry have marriages exactly like that, and they are perfectly content. But I would hope that my children wouldn’t have that situation as their fate. I would not call it dishonoring exactly to Liam, or to your marriage, but life is too short to settle for a marriage that doesn’t make you deliriously happy. Too short to settle for anything less than a relationship that would complete you. Yes, it will be different than Liam, but I believe you can find it.”

How did she know? How did she know the exact words to say that would bring Killian right back to the front of her mind? Yes, in many ways Killian did complete her, but could she love him? Love him the way she’d loved Liam? It truly didn’t seem possible, but in light of her mother’s words and her own thoughts over the years, perhaps it was worth considering. Even if she wasn’t sure she could live with herself afterward.

~*~*~

After Killian arrived back at Kilmartin House, he shut himself in his room, took off his boots, loosened his cravat, and moved to the window. He looked down to the street to see a nurse holding the hand of a small child. He had no experience with children whatsoever and was quite at a loss to guess the age of the child, but it wasn’t hard to guess that they might be on their way to Hyde Park. He grimaced.

Emma wanted a baby.

He didn’t know why he was surprised. She was a woman. And didn’t all women want to have children? And while he didn’t really think that Emma would pine away for Liam forever, it had never occurred to him that she might desire to remarry, either.

Liam and Emma were always a unit. And while Liam’s death did make it easier to think of one without the other, it was quite different to think of one of them with another.

Then there was the small matter of his skin crawling, his usual reaction to the thought of Emma with another man.

He shuddered. Or was that a shiver? Damn, he hoped it wasn't a shiver.

He supposed he’d have to get used to the idea. Emma wanted a baby. And to have a baby, she’d need a husband. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. If only she’d taken care of that last year. Then it would be over and done with by now. But as it was, he was going to have to watch.

Bloody hell.

He shivered again. Damn. Maybe he was just cold. It was March, after all, and a bloody chilly one, even with a fire in the grate. He pulled his cravat off on account of it feeling suddenly tight. He felt awful. Hot and cold at the same time, and off balance as well. He sat down for a few minutes, but then gave up all pretense of being well, stripped off his clothing and climbed into bed. 

It was going to be a long night.

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing! Next chapter will be up on Wednesday.

[psatalk]

Bambrew’s range of eco-friendly packaging alternatives

Bambrew, an Indian startup specializing in sustainable packaging, is making strides in the fight against single-use plastics by offering a range of 'eco-friendly' alternatives, says Vaibhav Anant, founder & CEO. The company provides packaging solutions made from renewable, biodegradable materials such as bamboo, seaweed, banana fiber, and agro-waste. According to Anant, these materials are fully compostable and serve as viable alternatives for businesses seeking to reduce their environmental footprint.

“Our solutions are governed by four core principles of sustainability—eco-friendliness, functionality, cost-efficiency, and scalability. These guiding principles enable us to deliver packaging options that are not only environmentally responsible but also commercially viable for businesses of all sizes,” Anant says.

Bambrew offers a range of packaging alternatives, including mailer bags, flexible pouches, rigid boxes, and custom solutions, all designed to meet the functional needs of various sectors while remaining scalable. It has developed solutions for industries such as FMCG, CPG, fresh fruits and vegetables (F&V), food and beverages (F&B), and e-commerce and retail packaging.

Notable clients include Amazon, Nykaa, Hindustan Unilever, Mahindra Logistics, and Tata 1mg.

Material-Agnostic Company

Anant explains that Bambrew is a material-agnostic company, meaning it develops solutions using various materials, all adhering to the four core principles of sustainability as mentioned earlier.

Bambrew prioritizes sustainability not only in its products but throughout the entire product development lifecycle, from sourcing and compounding to conversion processes, says Anant. The company works closely with raw material providers and maintains complete control over production with the latest technology machines for in-house manufacturing. It also operates tech-assisted warehousing and logistics to ensure timely delivery to customers.

“By reducing our reliance on fossil fuels through the use of biofuels and solar energy, we are significantly lowering our carbon footprint. Equally important is the well-being of our workers, and we are committed to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We adhere to an 8-hour shift structure and offer a range of benefits to ensure a supportive and positive work environment, with a strong emphasis on mental health,” Anant states.

The company has its manufacturing facility in Bangalore and collaborates with several contract manufacturing units across India to expand its reach and capabilities.

Rapid Growth

According to Anant, the company has made big progress over the last 12 months, with growth exceeding 8x.

“This momentum has been incredibly encouraging, and we’re excited to continue building on it in the years to come. As the demand for sustainable solutions grows, we’re committed to scaling responsibly and staying focused on our mission,” he says.

New Offerings

Bambrew is actively working towards the continuous development of advanced meta-materials. It has been extensively researching materials such as Biophil, a home-compostable bioplastic alternative, while also exploring other renewable resources. These materials are designed to offer high performance while being environmentally friendly.

In August of this year, the company introduced a new category of rigid boxes that utilize Kappa boards produced from post-consumer recycled fibers. The product features components like non-animal-based glue, recycled paper cladding, plastic-free Biophil lamination, and plant-based inks. Each element of this product is designed to meet Bambrew's environmental goals and contribute to a fully sustainable manufacturing cycle.

“Additionally, we are actively developing alternative solutions for pharmaceutical packaging, as well as advanced barrier films for food packaging within the FMCG sector. While these are only a few examples, all our efforts are directed towards the broader aim of pushing the envelope of what’s possible within the realm of sustainability and delivering solutions that meet the highest standards of quality while supporting a greener, more sustainable transition into the future,” Anant concludes.

[foxnangelseo]

Apple To Invest More In India

As per undisclosed sources familiar with the matter, Apple Inc. is reportedly revamping the management of its international businesses to place a larger emphasis on India, reflecting the country's growing importance in the company's overall strategy. This move marks a significant milestone as India is set to become its own sales region at Apple for the first time, signaling the surging demand for Apple's products in the region. As a result, India is expected to gain greater prominence and visibility within the company.

The decision to focus on India could be a strategic move by Apple, given that India is one of the fastest-growing smartphone markets in the world. By prioritizing India, Apple may be seeking to gain a larger market share in the region, which could help the company offset slowing growth in other markets. The company's recent launch of an online store in India is further evidence of its commitment to expanding its presence in the country. Last quarter, despite a 5% dip in total sales, Apple achieved record revenue in India. The tech giant has set up an online store to cater to the region and plans to open its first retail stores there later this year. During the last earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted the company's significant emphasis on the Indian market and compared its current state to its early years in China. He mentioned how Apple is leveraging its learnings from China to scale in India. China is Apple's largest sales region after the Americas and Europe, generating around $75 billion in revenue per year. Apart from boosting Apple's sales, India is also becoming increasingly critical to the company's product development. Key suppliers are shifting to the region, and Apple is partnering with manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (also known as Foxconn) to establish new iPhone production facilities in India, according to Bloomberg News. Apple has been expanding its focus on the Indian market in recent years, and the company has been making efforts to improve its sales operations in the country. In 2020, Apple launched an online store in India, which allowed the company to sell its products directly to consumers in the country for the first time. This move was seen as a significant step for Apple, as India is one of the world's fastest-growing smartphone markets. If Apple is restructuring its international sales operations to put a more significant focus on India, it suggests that the company sees significant growth potential in the Indian market. Apple may be looking to increase its market share in India by focusing on pricing, localizing products and services, and building relationships with key partners in the country. It remains to be seen how Apple's restructuring will affect the company's operations in other regions. However, this move is undoubtedly a positive sign for India's tech industry, as it shows that major global players are taking note of the country's potential as a growth market.

Fox&Angel is an open strategy consulting ecosystem, put together by a top-line core team of industry experts, studded with illustrious success stories, learnings, and growth. Committed to curate bespoke business & strategy solutions for each of your challenges, we literally handpick consultants from across the globe and industries who fit the role best and help you on your path to success. 

This post was originally published on: Foxnangel

[gerrydefault]

You are spreading misinformation too I think, Imane Khelif was NEVER banned from the Olympics, for the IOC her testosterone levels have always been in the norm, at Tokyo she lost in the quarterfinals against a cis woman that ALSO had normal levels of testosterone (and lost very badly too, 5-0). She WAS banned from the world championship, and even then, she was not banned for her testosterone levels, but for "arbitrary reasons". Now, if you followed boxe, you would know how much of a bad reputation the IBA (a racist and bigoted association) has. (You can read their statements here: https://www.iba.sport/news/statement-made-by-the-international-boxing-association-regarding-athletes-disqualifications-in-world-boxing-championships-2023/ and here IOC response to the fact https://x.com/iocmedia/status/1819068761787244959?t=-PUHH5YmhoGFK2jFdpsRYw&s=19).

Andrey (and I was a big fan of his) spread transphobic rethoric AND misinformation, using transphobic talking points (men enter women spaces saying they're trans and make them unsafe, trans-inclusivity could lead to pedophilia) contributing to the hate campaign towards a WOMAN who did NOTHING WRONG. A hate campaign that could become VERY dangerous for her real fast, considering the extremely homophobic and transphobic country she lives and practices in. There is no excuse and I hope he, at the least, acknowledges the misinformation he spread.

nice to see another boxe fan I guess, I am 99% sure I am not spreading misinformation hopefully

I remember the whole tokyo accident and the following allegations from the indian times, covering the fact and claiming the allegations about testosterone (they posted this article yesterday with basically also the old info attached)

“Khelif is a renowned boxer who earned a silver medal at the 2022 world championship of the IBA. The same organisation banned her from last year's women's world boxing championship in New Delhi, India, due to alleged excessive testosterone levels.

She was surprisingly banned a few hours ahead of her scheduled gold medal battle against Yang Liu of China. However, Yang Liu's bronze medal was also taken away after she failed to meet IBA's eligibility test, which prevents athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in the women's category”

and I will had this part too:

“The disqualification, in Khelif's opinion, was a plot to stop an Algerian boxer from winning. According to the IOC, Khelif was disqualified because of high testosterone levels.”

I do unfortunately know about the immense racism going around this field, and reading the link you provided me it’s even worst for the most part, however the fact that her testosterone levels are higher doesn’t mean she can’t lose against a woman with hormonal balance if this is what you are trying to say about the (5-0) loss, both Yang and Khelif took the test again for this year olympics and the testosterone levels where the same always higher than normal

“Lin Yu-ting and Khelif were allowed to compete this year because IOC's regulations allow the admission of athletes with gender diversity and DSDs (differences of sexual development)”

(to be honest a girl wrote me that Khelif was taking supplements or medications to lower her hormonal issue but frankly I couldn’t find not a singular proof of that so I guess it’s not real or ??)

I already uncovered the andrey situation in another anon ask, and how the majority tends to believe media (because supposedly they should provide us with the truth) and the whole please let’s keep in mind he is russian thing, about you saying he is spreading transphobia??? it might be me but I don’t see it??? maybe you are talking about the “a woman should not compete against a man who think he is a woman” sort of thing to which I understand your logic and how you might feel about it, however I guess it was just the heat of the movement because his main focus truly was to talk about violence and how he can’t stand that, also let me clarify I am not saying that he is a trans rights supporter or stuff like this, he is probably not and like a lot of things very neutral about it, I know that it will sound like a mantra but guys…. he is russian in russia people with lgbtq+ community are considered criminals, you have to think he grow up with that sort of upbringing should never forget that people there are not free to think the way western people are, and he is self aware of it and never spoke about certain topics until yesterday were his main focus wasn’t the””” trans woman””” herself but the supposed injustice Angela Carini went through , it has been years of me listening to his interviews and he just can’t stop yapping about peace and justice, it’s just his thing. the only transphofian here is Carini herself but this is another story.

(he probably will not acknowledge that until all the medias gonna start saying something about it because as I said before he doesn’t search for stuff) however I don’t think he is transphobic that just wasn’t the main point in his statement.

(also I tend to use newspaper such as hindustan times, Ansa, Gazette ecc for both university and writing works because they are a-political and the most of them are independent so I am pretty sure about the info given by them ofc nobody is 100 but the universal truth is yet to be found)

[alphaman99]

Texas Jack Omohundro

Will Rogers, who died on this day in 1935, was the very definition of American.

Born to a Cherokee Nation family in Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), Rogers joked that though his ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, they "met the boat".

Dog Iron Ranch, the property of Will's father Clement Vann Rogers, had as many as 10,000 Texas longhorns, and Will, the youngest of eight children, grew up in the saddle. An avid reader and good student, Will quickly decided that the saddle was more comfortable than the school desk, and, after dropping out of school in the 10th grade, worked his father's ranch full time.

When he was 22 years old, Will and a friend set off from Oklahoma to Argentina, sure that their cowboy skills would serve them well as gauchos on the Argentine Pampas. They bought a ranch and worked for five months before running out of money. Unwilling to return home and face his father's disappointment, Will boarded a boat to South Africa, where he got a job as a rancher at Mooi River Station.

Soon, a Wild West Circus passed through the area and Will Rogers went to see the show, intent on asking for a job handling the show's livestock. Rogers would later tell a reporter for the New York Times:

"Texas Jack had a little Wild West aggregation that visited the camps and did a tremendous business. I did some roping and riding, and Jack, who was one of the smartest showmen I ever knew, took a great interest in me. It was he who gave me the idea for my original stage act with my pony. I learned a lot about show business from him. He could do a bum act with a rope that an ordinary man couldn't get away with, and make the audience think it was great, so I used to study him by the hour, and from him, I learned the great secret of the show business—knowing when to get off. It's the fellow who knows when to quit that the audience wants more of."

This Texas Jack was not John B. Omohundro. Actually, no one, not even the man himself, knew this Texas Jack's real name. He was born sometime between 1863 and 1867, and his parents had been killed when their wagon train headed west was ambushed, reportedly by a Comanche raiding party. The child had been taken captive, along with two young girls from another family's wagon, but was rescued by the cowboy Texas Jack Omohundro, who delivered the children to a Kansas orphanage, selling the Comanche ponies to provide funding for the children's education. The boy grew up not knowing his name or the names of his parents, only knowing that the man who rescued him was called Texas Jack. After Omohundro's 1880 death, this young man showed up at the Omohundro home in Palmyra, Virginia, asking for the family's blessing to use his rescuer's name as he set off on his own venture into show business.

Initially called Texas Jack Junior, by the time he had established himself as a performer in America and Europe he dropped the "Junior" entirely. By the time Will Rogers asked for a job in Ladysmith, South Africa, his show was billed as Texas Jack's Wild West Circus. According to Rogers, he asked the circus owner if he was really from Texas, if he was related to the famous Texas Jack from the dime novels, and if he had any jobs wrangling horses for the show. Jack Jr. asked the young man if he could put together a rope trick act. The young man said he believed he could and Jack Jr. hired him on the spot, suggesting the young performer adopt the nickname “The Cherokee Kid”. Performing the same lasso act that Texas Jack Omohundro introduced to the world thirty years earlier, this was Will Rogers’ first job in show business.

Will Rogers died in a plane crash with aviation pioneer Wiley Post in Alaska on August 15th, 1935. Before his death, the State of Oklahoma commissioned a statue of him to place in the United States Capital's National Statuary Hall collection. Rogers agreed on the condition that his statue face the House Chamber so that Rogers could "keep an eye on Congress." Since the statue's installation in 1939, each President of the United States of America has rubbed the Will Rogers statue's left foot for good luck before stepping into the House Chamber to deliver the State of the Union address.

[Pictured from left to right: Texas Jack Junior, Lyle Marr (TJ Jr's wife), Clarence Welby Cooke, and Will Rogers.]

[vague-humanoid]

ISLETA PUEBLO, N.M. (Reuters) - As Detective Kathleen Lucero drives along a dirt road towards the Manzano mountains east of her New Mexico Native American village, she recalls the time earlier in her career when an elder told his family he was heading this way to water his cows. He didn’t come back.

It was back in 2009 when Lucero was a patrol officer, learning how to stop her people becoming part of the U.S. epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women and relatives (MMIWR).

She filed a report on the elder. Her police chief told her that was not enough. Following that advice, she started networking with outside police agencies.

“We got a hit,” said Lucero, a member of a traditional Isleta family, whose mother disowned her for a week when she decided to join the pueblo’s police 17 years ago because she wanted to become an "advocate" for her people.

Nine hours after going missing on the Isleta Pueblo just south of Albuquerque, the elder was found over 400 miles away by an Oklahoma traffic cop after his car ran out of gas, Lucero said. He was showing early signs of dementia.

That case was an early lesson that Lucero took to heart.

These days, as Isleta Pueblo’s chief criminal investigator, Lucero does not judge a victim for doing drugs, or running away. She doesn’t wait for them to show up. She starts investigating, posting their name and photo on social media, calling law enforcement contacts, maybe even television stations. Since 2015 she has handled eight such cases, with seven people found alive and one still missing.

“I believe that somebody knows somebody, and it keeps networking,” said Lucero.

Her prioritization of missing people, backed by Isleta police chief Victor Rodriguez, is not the norm amongst U.S. and tribal law enforcement where a jurisdictional maze and lack of resources contribute to an estimated 4,200 indigenous cases remaining unsolved, according to over a dozen law enforcement officials and policymakers Reuters spoke to.

These gaps have led Native American police Reuters met with to take matters into their own hands, some forming their own missing units. Still, they remain a minority amongst tribes, most of which lack the funds and staff to make missing members a priority, according to law enforcement and lawyers.

Driven by decades of Native American activism, data showing the scale of the crisis, and the appointment of the United States' first ever Native American cabinet secretary Deb Haaland, the issue of missing indigenous people entered the U.S. mainstream in the last five years.

State taskforces, federal and local investigative units and data initiatives have sprung up, with tribal and federal law enforcement reporting improved coordination.

Even federal law enforcement officials admit that Native American police are severely underfunded by the federal government, which provides public safety to tribes through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). On many reservations and pueblos that leads to low staffing, substandard investigations or no investigations of missing cases.

[eclipse89]

hypotheses on astrology

long post

from the beginning of our history, humanity has been fascinated with the unknown. with things operating beyond the basic physicality of our reality. we used to call it gods, or magic, which were in fact large parts of real life back then.

and then slowly, we started explaining them. we got smarter, more curious, more persistent. not all of the explanations were right of course, but they got less and less wrong over time.

what used to be magic, became explained by primitive science. unknowns became known- more than that, they became grounded aspects of physical reality. no longer were the huge unexplainable voids that popped up whenever something different or new happened, we simply rationalized what was happening and fit it nicely into whatever current model of reality or physics we had like a missing puzzle piece.

enter religion.

i think it’s inherent to the human experience, to crave some form of escapism. to delude ourselves into thinking that this basic, physical reality can't be all there is. because if it was, we'd know everything. curiousity would be obsolete. obviously this is far from the case currently, i'll get to why that is later.

but for a time, religion filled that void well. it gave us a common story to believe in, a community, plus a nice bit of escapism in the stories of heaven and hell, angels and demons, (or their relative equivalents in other religions), etc. and science of course, kept tracking on alongside it- albeit, while contradicting and attacking eachother once in a while, but still doing it’s job and explaining those last straggler unknowns that always seemed to pop up.

the thing about science though, to do experiments and to figure out those unknowns, you have to be able to y’know. experiment on them. naturally, the most physically accessible and common stuff is what got figured out first (plants, animals, rocks, you get the idea) while things like weather phenomena took a while to understand due to their transient and unpredictable nature.

astronomy has always been in an odd spot in that, because without some technology (telescopes, say) there are a very limited number of things you can figure out scientifically. it’s nearly impossible to actually understand and totally make sense of what you’re seeing, beyond very surface-level observations (admittedly, very useful observations in terms of navigating and such) without it.

astrology started as simply a way to make sense of, and give meaning to, what astronomy was seeing. which made a lot of sense back then, considering that science and logic was not enough to figure out what was happening up there.

until the advent of the telescope, and of modern astronomy, space was one of the largest remaining unknowns of the human world.

astrology, was sort of a way to explain that unknown- but not really. it explained it in the same way that saying ‘’zeus is angry’’ explains a thunderstorm. which for some people, or most people, was a sufficient explanation.

in 1543, Copernicus proposed heliocentrism.

in 1609, Galileo first built his telescope.

in 1687, Newton stated the three laws of motion.

by the 1700‘s, space had been explained. the void had been filled (or so we thought, at least). astrology had become a relic, it had become mostly obsolete.

yet somehow,

‘’A 2005 Gallup poll and a 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center reported that 25% of US adults believe in astrology, while a 2018 Pew survey found a figure of 29%.’’

 and

‘’Indian politics have also been influenced by astrology. In 2001, Indian scientists and politicians debated and critiqued a proposal to use state money to fund research into astrology’‘

and

‘’In Japan, strong belief in astrology has led to dramatic changes in the fertility rate and the number of abortions in the years of Fire Horse.‘‘

think about it. if i asked you what your horoscope is, the majority of you would know which month/period corresponds to which sign. in fact, according to a YouGov poll, 90% of Americans select a sign when asked.

so, what happened?

how did something that was essentially dead, become insanely prevalent in cultures all across the globe? debatably, you could even say equally or close to as prevalent as the actual science that killed it.

my hypothesis, is that is was caused by two things. one moreso than the other, but both contribute to it i believe. 

the first, lesser thing, would be this: increasingly throughout the past few decades or more, religion has been becoming less popular than ever. not just in america, but across most of the world, religion is on the decline. check any study, all the data points are there.

as i said earlier, religion was the greatest provider of a good unknown, of divine escapism- of a controlling force, a reason for the things that happen.

religion is declining, but we haven’t lost that primal desire for something beyond us. and to a degree, astrology does provide this. not quite as much as religion of course, but for the right people it also does the trick. if you believe that something not under our control- something beyond humanity, controls or at least influences us and our decisions and our personalities and everything that happens in our lives, doesn’t that sound familiar?

i can’t conclusively prove that there’s a link here. maybe someone else did, somewhere- i wouldn’t be surprised if so, but i can’t. all i can prove is that it’s possible, which it very much is.

my second possibility is to do with astronomy:

know how earlier, i said that we had unknowns? voids, where we had no information or data about a phenomenon and had to either leave it as an unknown or just come up with the most logical explanation we can think of (and with no data, this goes exactly as you’d expect)

these voids don’t exist universally. there are experts on obscure topics, in their minds the void is small, while for the rest of us the void is incomprehensible. we trust in experts on things like this, we know there are people out there getting rid of these voids even though we personally still perceive them. 

astronomy was, in ancient times, something done by almost everyone. it was, firstly, beautiful- in many cases, one and the same with a religious experience. and secondly, it was necessary. navigation by stars was something almost everyone could directly benefit from knowing how to do.

throughout time the practice was alienated (pun unintended) from the public by multiple different things. the oldest things would probably settling, agriculture, etc, that made it less beneficial to learn to navigate by the stars.

another large one would be religion, as i said previously science and religion of course conflicted at many times and religion often won. religion also had closer ties to the ruling powers in most cases, giving it greater sway than individual scientists.

at this point capital s Science still continued; astronomy still did continue formally, but by the times where the large discoveries occurred and we figured out that ‘’space’’ knowledge void, the general public largely did not have any knowledge regarding astronomy. by the time the real technological innovation hit in the past couple centuries, astronomy has been relegated to the experts.

the reason i would consider this a bad thing, and the reason it ties into astrology, is because astronomy isn’t some very obscure topic that only a couple experts should even be considering.

by and large, for the general public and apart from those few experts, we’ve reversed the filling of a knowledge void.

a person from ancient times, would most likely know more about astronomy than the average person today- or at the very least, would definitely have more experience with it.

and now that there’s this huge unknown again, the alternatives that can explain it in a satisfying way are looking all the more appealing.

i propose mainly, that this knowledge loss in astronomy, has led to a high in the popularity and prevalence of astrology with the general public in the last few decades.

astrology isn’t based on any science whatsoever. we know this. even people that believe in astrology, know this. because that isn’t the point of it. science is what explains the unexplainable; of course something that’s trying to hold on to that last little thread of an unknown in our world, isn’t going to be remotely related to its antithesis.

to refute astrology using logic or science is absolute folly, because it isn’t even attempting to say that it adheres to the rules of either of those.

refute astrology by learning astronomy.

refute astrology by teaching others astronomy.

refute astrology by, little by little, filling that knowledge void we created. a fire dies without oxygen. 

[mariacallous]

Today, OpenAI released its first threat report, detailing how actors from Russia, Iran, China, and Israel have attempted to use its technology for foreign influence operations across the globe. The report named five different networks that OpenAI identified and shut down between 2023 and 2024. In the report, OpenAI reveals that established networks like Russia’s Doppleganger and China’s Spamoflauge are experimenting with how to use generative AI to automate their operations. They're also not very good at it.

And while it’s a modest relief that these actors haven’t mastered generative AI to become unstoppable forces for disinformation, it’s clear that they’re experimenting, and that alone should be worrying.

The OpenAI report reveals that influence campaigns are running up against the limits of generative AI, which doesn’t reliably produce good copy or code. It struggles with idioms—which make language sound more reliably human and personal—and also sometimes with basic grammar (so much so that OpenAI named one network “Bad Grammar.”) The Bad Grammar network was so sloppy that it once revealed its true identity: “As an AI language model, I am here to assist and provide the desired comment,” it posted.

One network used ChatGPT to debug code that would allow it to automate posts on Telegram, a chat app that has long been a favorite of extremists and influence networks. This worked well sometimes, but other times it led to the same account posting as two separate characters, giving away the game.

In other cases, ChatGPT was used to create code and content for websites and social media. Spamoflauge, for instance, used ChatGPT to debug code to create a WordPress website that published stories attacking members of the Chinese diaspora who were critical of the country’s government.

According to the report, the AI-generated content didn’t manage to break out from the influence networks themselves into the mainstream, even when shared on widely used platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram. This was the case for campaigns run by an Israeli company seemingly working on a for-hire basis and posting content that ranged from anti-Qatar to anti-BJP, the Hindu-nationalist party currently in control of the Indian government.

Taken altogether, the report paints a picture of several relatively ineffective campaigns with crude propaganda, seemingly allaying fears that many experts have had about the potential for this new technology to spread mis- and disinformation, particularly during a crucial election year.

But influence campaigns on social media often innovate over time to avoid detection, learning the platforms and their tools, sometimes better than the employees of the platforms themselves. While these initial campaigns may be small or ineffective, they appear to be still in the experimental stage, says Jessica Walton, a researcher with the CyberPeace Institute who has studied Doppleganger’s use of generative AI.

In her research, the network would use real-seeming Facebook profiles to post articles, often around divisive political topics. “The actual articles are written by generative AI,” she says. “And mostly what they’re trying to do is see what will fly, what Meta’s algorithms will and won’t be able to catch.”

In other words, expect them only to get better from here.

[cleverhottubmiracle]

🇨🇳 China’s president meets with founders of Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan. President Xi Jinping invited leaders of 31 of the country’s largest tech companies to a high-profile summit last week, signalling warmer relations with the sector. China’s economic slowdown appears to have softened of the government’s stance on big tech following a regulatory crackdown on the sector starting in 2020. Jack Ma, the founder and former chairman of e-commerce giant Tmall’s parent company Alibaba Group, retreated from public life that year following the suspension of the IPO of his fintech firm Ant Group by the Chinese authorities. Also attending the carefully choreographed event, which saw Xi bring Ma back in from the cold, were WeChat owner Tencent’s boss Pony Ma and Meituan’s Wang Xing among others. Among those notably absent were Baidu’s Robin Li and JD.com’s Richard Liu, prompting the two companies’ shares to fall last week. [BBC, Financial Times]🇸🇦 Saudi Fashion Commission initiates recycling of pilgrims’ clothing. The Saudi ministry of culture’s dedicated fashion industry body has launched the Sustainable Ihram Initiative which aims to recycle the special garments worn by people on either of the Islamic pilgrimages. The project is a collaboration between the Saudi Investment Recycling Company, Tadweem, Turkish fabric giant Sanko and textile-to-textile recycling technology company Re&Up. More than 18.5 million international pilgrims came to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj and umrah in 2024, according to local media, to travel to Makkah, which Muslims consider to be the most holy city in the religion. [Kohan Textile Journal, BoF]🇨🇳 Chinese jeweller Laopu Gold sees shares surge to record high. The Beijing-based, Hong Kong-listed traditionally crafted gold jewellery brand saw shares rise as much as 10 percent on Friday, making it one of the best performers on the Hong Kong bourse, following a positive net profit alert posted by the company of 1.4-1.5 billion yuan (a median value of around $206.77 million) for 2024, marking a year-over-year rise of 236-260 percent. The company, which was founded by Xu Gaoming in 2009 as a goldware shop before being established as a brand in 2016 has expanded its mono-brand footprint to 38 stores nationwide. Its value on the stock market has increase over tenfold in less than a year since its IPO. [Reuters]🇻🇳 US firms forecast Vietnam factory layoffs if Trump imposes tariffs. According to a survey of more than 100 American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam manufacturer members, which include multinational giants such as Nike and Intel, nearly two-thirds foresee layoffs if US President Donald Trump introduces reciprocal tariffs on the Southeast Asian nation. Manufacturers in Vietnam had largely remained upbeat after Trump’s announcements of tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada but now the mood has changed with analysts suggesting Vietnam could become a target of new duties due to its trade surplus with the US. [Reuters]🇨🇱 Fashion e-commerce major Dafiti ceases operations in Chile. The Global Fashion Group-owned e-tailer is withdrawing from Chile, leaving Dafiti to focus on the Brazil and Colombia markets following an earlier exit from Argentina. GFG, a Luxembourg-registered firm headquartered between Singapore and London, has recorded declining net merchandise value in recent quarters. GFG owns Latin America-focused Dafiti, Southeast Asia-focused Zalora and Australia and New Zealand region-focused platform The Iconic. [Modaes]🇮🇳 Deep and Mohit Bajaj buy back Sirona from India’s Good Glamm Group. The founders of the Indian feminine hygiene brand spent an estimated 150 crore rupees ($17.2 million) on buying back the brand they founded in 2014 and sold to the content-to-commerce group in 2022 for 450 crore rupees ($53.5 million). The sale follows financial challenges, executive departures, salary delays and layoffs at the group founded and led by Darpan Sanghvi which started as DTC makeup brand MyGlamm before acquiring a stable of beauty, personal care and media brands. [Economic Times]🇨🇳 Court lifts controls on Armani over Chinese factories’ labour practices. An Italian court has ended early special administration imposed on a unit of the Armani fashion group over labour practices of its Chinese-owned subcontractors because the company had taken all the necessary corrective action. Giorgio Armani Operations, the industrial arm of the Armani group, was placed under court administration for a year in April after an investigation found it had subcontracted work in Italy to Chinese-owned companies that exploited workers. [BoF]🇮🇳 India’s jewellery and gem body GJEPC taps Kirit Bhansali as chairman. The country’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has promoted Bhansali from vice chairman to the top spot, replacing Vipul Shah. Bhansali is a partner at Mumbai-based diamond firm Smital Gems and chairman of the India Jewellery Park Mumbai. “We will strive to achieve the ambitious export target of $100 billion by 2047, aligning with our honourable prime minister’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Narendra Modi’s plan for an “advanced India”). [Times of India]🌏 Birkenstock sales jump on high-end clog boom, Asia expansion. The German shoe company’s sales rose 19 percent to €362 million ($378 million) in the three months through December from a year earlier, with momentum especially strong in Asia and for closed-toed footwear. That exceeded analysts’ average estimate of €356 million. [BoF]🇪🇬 Investors pump $3 million into two new Egyptian textile factories. Walid Gamal El-Din, chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ), has entered into agreements for two new textile manufacturing projects in the ready-made factories area of the country’s Sokhna Industrial Zone, developed by the Main Development Company. The projects create capacity for velvet and knitted fabrics. [Fibre2Fashion]🇰🇷 L’Oréal’s VC arm invests in Korean perfume brand Borntostandout. The French beauty group’s venture capital arm BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) has participated in a Series A fundraising round led by American venture firm Touch Capital in the Seoul-based luxury fragrance brand which was founded in 2022 by Jun Lim. [Cosmetics Design Europe]🇰🇷 Roger Vivier taps South Korean singer Yeji as brand ambassador. The French luxury shoemaker has partnered with Hwang Ye-ji, the lead singer of K-pop girl group Itzy. Known mononymously as Yeji and commanding over 5 million Instagram followers, the musician is about to embark on a solo career. [BoF Inbox] Source link

[norajworld]

🇨🇳 China’s president meets with founders of Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan. President Xi Jinping invited leaders of 31 of the country’s largest tech companies to a high-profile summit last week, signalling warmer relations with the sector. China’s economic slowdown appears to have softened of the government’s stance on big tech following a regulatory crackdown on the sector starting in 2020. Jack Ma, the founder and former chairman of e-commerce giant Tmall’s parent company Alibaba Group, retreated from public life that year following the suspension of the IPO of his fintech firm Ant Group by the Chinese authorities. Also attending the carefully choreographed event, which saw Xi bring Ma back in from the cold, were WeChat owner Tencent’s boss Pony Ma and Meituan’s Wang Xing among others. Among those notably absent were Baidu’s Robin Li and JD.com’s Richard Liu, prompting the two companies’ shares to fall last week. [BBC, Financial Times]🇸🇦 Saudi Fashion Commission initiates recycling of pilgrims’ clothing. The Saudi ministry of culture’s dedicated fashion industry body has launched the Sustainable Ihram Initiative which aims to recycle the special garments worn by people on either of the Islamic pilgrimages. The project is a collaboration between the Saudi Investment Recycling Company, Tadweem, Turkish fabric giant Sanko and textile-to-textile recycling technology company Re&Up. More than 18.5 million international pilgrims came to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj and umrah in 2024, according to local media, to travel to Makkah, which Muslims consider to be the most holy city in the religion. [Kohan Textile Journal, BoF]🇨🇳 Chinese jeweller Laopu Gold sees shares surge to record high. The Beijing-based, Hong Kong-listed traditionally crafted gold jewellery brand saw shares rise as much as 10 percent on Friday, making it one of the best performers on the Hong Kong bourse, following a positive net profit alert posted by the company of 1.4-1.5 billion yuan (a median value of around $206.77 million) for 2024, marking a year-over-year rise of 236-260 percent. The company, which was founded by Xu Gaoming in 2009 as a goldware shop before being established as a brand in 2016 has expanded its mono-brand footprint to 38 stores nationwide. Its value on the stock market has increase over tenfold in less than a year since its IPO. [Reuters]🇻🇳 US firms forecast Vietnam factory layoffs if Trump imposes tariffs. According to a survey of more than 100 American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam manufacturer members, which include multinational giants such as Nike and Intel, nearly two-thirds foresee layoffs if US President Donald Trump introduces reciprocal tariffs on the Southeast Asian nation. Manufacturers in Vietnam had largely remained upbeat after Trump’s announcements of tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada but now the mood has changed with analysts suggesting Vietnam could become a target of new duties due to its trade surplus with the US. [Reuters]🇨🇱 Fashion e-commerce major Dafiti ceases operations in Chile. The Global Fashion Group-owned e-tailer is withdrawing from Chile, leaving Dafiti to focus on the Brazil and Colombia markets following an earlier exit from Argentina. GFG, a Luxembourg-registered firm headquartered between Singapore and London, has recorded declining net merchandise value in recent quarters. GFG owns Latin America-focused Dafiti, Southeast Asia-focused Zalora and Australia and New Zealand region-focused platform The Iconic. [Modaes]🇮🇳 Deep and Mohit Bajaj buy back Sirona from India’s Good Glamm Group. The founders of the Indian feminine hygiene brand spent an estimated 150 crore rupees ($17.2 million) on buying back the brand they founded in 2014 and sold to the content-to-commerce group in 2022 for 450 crore rupees ($53.5 million). The sale follows financial challenges, executive departures, salary delays and layoffs at the group founded and led by Darpan Sanghvi which started as DTC makeup brand MyGlamm before acquiring a stable of beauty, personal care and media brands. [Economic Times]🇨🇳 Court lifts controls on Armani over Chinese factories’ labour practices. An Italian court has ended early special administration imposed on a unit of the Armani fashion group over labour practices of its Chinese-owned subcontractors because the company had taken all the necessary corrective action. Giorgio Armani Operations, the industrial arm of the Armani group, was placed under court administration for a year in April after an investigation found it had subcontracted work in Italy to Chinese-owned companies that exploited workers. [BoF]🇮🇳 India’s jewellery and gem body GJEPC taps Kirit Bhansali as chairman. The country’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has promoted Bhansali from vice chairman to the top spot, replacing Vipul Shah. Bhansali is a partner at Mumbai-based diamond firm Smital Gems and chairman of the India Jewellery Park Mumbai. “We will strive to achieve the ambitious export target of $100 billion by 2047, aligning with our honourable prime minister’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Narendra Modi’s plan for an “advanced India”). [Times of India]🌏 Birkenstock sales jump on high-end clog boom, Asia expansion. The German shoe company’s sales rose 19 percent to €362 million ($378 million) in the three months through December from a year earlier, with momentum especially strong in Asia and for closed-toed footwear. That exceeded analysts’ average estimate of €356 million. [BoF]🇪🇬 Investors pump $3 million into two new Egyptian textile factories. Walid Gamal El-Din, chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ), has entered into agreements for two new textile manufacturing projects in the ready-made factories area of the country’s Sokhna Industrial Zone, developed by the Main Development Company. The projects create capacity for velvet and knitted fabrics. [Fibre2Fashion]🇰🇷 L’Oréal’s VC arm invests in Korean perfume brand Borntostandout. The French beauty group’s venture capital arm BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) has participated in a Series A fundraising round led by American venture firm Touch Capital in the Seoul-based luxury fragrance brand which was founded in 2022 by Jun Lim. [Cosmetics Design Europe]🇰🇷 Roger Vivier taps South Korean singer Yeji as brand ambassador. The French luxury shoemaker has partnered with Hwang Ye-ji, the lead singer of K-pop girl group Itzy. Known mononymously as Yeji and commanding over 5 million Instagram followers, the musician is about to embark on a solo career. [BoF Inbox] Source link

[ellajme0]

🇨🇳 China’s president meets with founders of Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan. President Xi Jinping invited leaders of 31 of the country’s largest tech companies to a high-profile summit last week, signalling warmer relations with the sector. China’s economic slowdown appears to have softened of the government’s stance on big tech following a regulatory crackdown on the sector starting in 2020. Jack Ma, the founder and former chairman of e-commerce giant Tmall’s parent company Alibaba Group, retreated from public life that year following the suspension of the IPO of his fintech firm Ant Group by the Chinese authorities. Also attending the carefully choreographed event, which saw Xi bring Ma back in from the cold, were WeChat owner Tencent’s boss Pony Ma and Meituan’s Wang Xing among others. Among those notably absent were Baidu’s Robin Li and JD.com’s Richard Liu, prompting the two companies’ shares to fall last week. [BBC, Financial Times]🇸🇦 Saudi Fashion Commission initiates recycling of pilgrims’ clothing. The Saudi ministry of culture’s dedicated fashion industry body has launched the Sustainable Ihram Initiative which aims to recycle the special garments worn by people on either of the Islamic pilgrimages. The project is a collaboration between the Saudi Investment Recycling Company, Tadweem, Turkish fabric giant Sanko and textile-to-textile recycling technology company Re&Up. More than 18.5 million international pilgrims came to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj and umrah in 2024, according to local media, to travel to Makkah, which Muslims consider to be the most holy city in the religion. [Kohan Textile Journal, BoF]🇨🇳 Chinese jeweller Laopu Gold sees shares surge to record high. The Beijing-based, Hong Kong-listed traditionally crafted gold jewellery brand saw shares rise as much as 10 percent on Friday, making it one of the best performers on the Hong Kong bourse, following a positive net profit alert posted by the company of 1.4-1.5 billion yuan (a median value of around $206.77 million) for 2024, marking a year-over-year rise of 236-260 percent. The company, which was founded by Xu Gaoming in 2009 as a goldware shop before being established as a brand in 2016 has expanded its mono-brand footprint to 38 stores nationwide. Its value on the stock market has increase over tenfold in less than a year since its IPO. [Reuters]🇻🇳 US firms forecast Vietnam factory layoffs if Trump imposes tariffs. According to a survey of more than 100 American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam manufacturer members, which include multinational giants such as Nike and Intel, nearly two-thirds foresee layoffs if US President Donald Trump introduces reciprocal tariffs on the Southeast Asian nation. Manufacturers in Vietnam had largely remained upbeat after Trump’s announcements of tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada but now the mood has changed with analysts suggesting Vietnam could become a target of new duties due to its trade surplus with the US. [Reuters]🇨🇱 Fashion e-commerce major Dafiti ceases operations in Chile. The Global Fashion Group-owned e-tailer is withdrawing from Chile, leaving Dafiti to focus on the Brazil and Colombia markets following an earlier exit from Argentina. GFG, a Luxembourg-registered firm headquartered between Singapore and London, has recorded declining net merchandise value in recent quarters. GFG owns Latin America-focused Dafiti, Southeast Asia-focused Zalora and Australia and New Zealand region-focused platform The Iconic. [Modaes]🇮🇳 Deep and Mohit Bajaj buy back Sirona from India’s Good Glamm Group. The founders of the Indian feminine hygiene brand spent an estimated 150 crore rupees ($17.2 million) on buying back the brand they founded in 2014 and sold to the content-to-commerce group in 2022 for 450 crore rupees ($53.5 million). The sale follows financial challenges, executive departures, salary delays and layoffs at the group founded and led by Darpan Sanghvi which started as DTC makeup brand MyGlamm before acquiring a stable of beauty, personal care and media brands. [Economic Times]🇨🇳 Court lifts controls on Armani over Chinese factories’ labour practices. An Italian court has ended early special administration imposed on a unit of the Armani fashion group over labour practices of its Chinese-owned subcontractors because the company had taken all the necessary corrective action. Giorgio Armani Operations, the industrial arm of the Armani group, was placed under court administration for a year in April after an investigation found it had subcontracted work in Italy to Chinese-owned companies that exploited workers. [BoF]🇮🇳 India’s jewellery and gem body GJEPC taps Kirit Bhansali as chairman. The country’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has promoted Bhansali from vice chairman to the top spot, replacing Vipul Shah. Bhansali is a partner at Mumbai-based diamond firm Smital Gems and chairman of the India Jewellery Park Mumbai. “We will strive to achieve the ambitious export target of $100 billion by 2047, aligning with our honourable prime minister’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Narendra Modi’s plan for an “advanced India”). [Times of India]🌏 Birkenstock sales jump on high-end clog boom, Asia expansion. The German shoe company’s sales rose 19 percent to €362 million ($378 million) in the three months through December from a year earlier, with momentum especially strong in Asia and for closed-toed footwear. That exceeded analysts’ average estimate of €356 million. [BoF]🇪🇬 Investors pump $3 million into two new Egyptian textile factories. Walid Gamal El-Din, chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ), has entered into agreements for two new textile manufacturing projects in the ready-made factories area of the country’s Sokhna Industrial Zone, developed by the Main Development Company. The projects create capacity for velvet and knitted fabrics. [Fibre2Fashion]🇰🇷 L’Oréal’s VC arm invests in Korean perfume brand Borntostandout. The French beauty group’s venture capital arm BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) has participated in a Series A fundraising round led by American venture firm Touch Capital in the Seoul-based luxury fragrance brand which was founded in 2022 by Jun Lim. [Cosmetics Design Europe]🇰🇷 Roger Vivier taps South Korean singer Yeji as brand ambassador. The French luxury shoemaker has partnered with Hwang Ye-ji, the lead singer of K-pop girl group Itzy. Known mononymously as Yeji and commanding over 5 million Instagram followers, the musician is about to embark on a solo career. [BoF Inbox] Source link

[chilimili212]

🇨🇳 China’s president meets with founders of Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan. President Xi Jinping invited leaders of 31 of the country’s largest tech companies to a high-profile summit last week, signalling warmer relations with the sector. China’s economic slowdown appears to have softened of the government’s stance on big tech following a regulatory crackdown on the sector starting in 2020. Jack Ma, the founder and former chairman of e-commerce giant Tmall’s parent company Alibaba Group, retreated from public life that year following the suspension of the IPO of his fintech firm Ant Group by the Chinese authorities. Also attending the carefully choreographed event, which saw Xi bring Ma back in from the cold, were WeChat owner Tencent’s boss Pony Ma and Meituan’s Wang Xing among others. Among those notably absent were Baidu’s Robin Li and JD.com’s Richard Liu, prompting the two companies’ shares to fall last week. [BBC, Financial Times]🇸🇦 Saudi Fashion Commission initiates recycling of pilgrims’ clothing. The Saudi ministry of culture’s dedicated fashion industry body has launched the Sustainable Ihram Initiative which aims to recycle the special garments worn by people on either of the Islamic pilgrimages. The project is a collaboration between the Saudi Investment Recycling Company, Tadweem, Turkish fabric giant Sanko and textile-to-textile recycling technology company Re&Up. More than 18.5 million international pilgrims came to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj and umrah in 2024, according to local media, to travel to Makkah, which Muslims consider to be the most holy city in the religion. [Kohan Textile Journal, BoF]🇨🇳 Chinese jeweller Laopu Gold sees shares surge to record high. The Beijing-based, Hong Kong-listed traditionally crafted gold jewellery brand saw shares rise as much as 10 percent on Friday, making it one of the best performers on the Hong Kong bourse, following a positive net profit alert posted by the company of 1.4-1.5 billion yuan (a median value of around $206.77 million) for 2024, marking a year-over-year rise of 236-260 percent. The company, which was founded by Xu Gaoming in 2009 as a goldware shop before being established as a brand in 2016 has expanded its mono-brand footprint to 38 stores nationwide. Its value on the stock market has increase over tenfold in less than a year since its IPO. [Reuters]🇻🇳 US firms forecast Vietnam factory layoffs if Trump imposes tariffs. According to a survey of more than 100 American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam manufacturer members, which include multinational giants such as Nike and Intel, nearly two-thirds foresee layoffs if US President Donald Trump introduces reciprocal tariffs on the Southeast Asian nation. Manufacturers in Vietnam had largely remained upbeat after Trump’s announcements of tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada but now the mood has changed with analysts suggesting Vietnam could become a target of new duties due to its trade surplus with the US. [Reuters]🇨🇱 Fashion e-commerce major Dafiti ceases operations in Chile. The Global Fashion Group-owned e-tailer is withdrawing from Chile, leaving Dafiti to focus on the Brazil and Colombia markets following an earlier exit from Argentina. GFG, a Luxembourg-registered firm headquartered between Singapore and London, has recorded declining net merchandise value in recent quarters. GFG owns Latin America-focused Dafiti, Southeast Asia-focused Zalora and Australia and New Zealand region-focused platform The Iconic. [Modaes]🇮🇳 Deep and Mohit Bajaj buy back Sirona from India’s Good Glamm Group. The founders of the Indian feminine hygiene brand spent an estimated 150 crore rupees ($17.2 million) on buying back the brand they founded in 2014 and sold to the content-to-commerce group in 2022 for 450 crore rupees ($53.5 million). The sale follows financial challenges, executive departures, salary delays and layoffs at the group founded and led by Darpan Sanghvi which started as DTC makeup brand MyGlamm before acquiring a stable of beauty, personal care and media brands. [Economic Times]🇨🇳 Court lifts controls on Armani over Chinese factories’ labour practices. An Italian court has ended early special administration imposed on a unit of the Armani fashion group over labour practices of its Chinese-owned subcontractors because the company had taken all the necessary corrective action. Giorgio Armani Operations, the industrial arm of the Armani group, was placed under court administration for a year in April after an investigation found it had subcontracted work in Italy to Chinese-owned companies that exploited workers. [BoF]🇮🇳 India’s jewellery and gem body GJEPC taps Kirit Bhansali as chairman. The country’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has promoted Bhansali from vice chairman to the top spot, replacing Vipul Shah. Bhansali is a partner at Mumbai-based diamond firm Smital Gems and chairman of the India Jewellery Park Mumbai. “We will strive to achieve the ambitious export target of $100 billion by 2047, aligning with our honourable prime minister’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Narendra Modi’s plan for an “advanced India”). [Times of India]🌏 Birkenstock sales jump on high-end clog boom, Asia expansion. The German shoe company’s sales rose 19 percent to €362 million ($378 million) in the three months through December from a year earlier, with momentum especially strong in Asia and for closed-toed footwear. That exceeded analysts’ average estimate of €356 million. [BoF]🇪🇬 Investors pump $3 million into two new Egyptian textile factories. Walid Gamal El-Din, chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ), has entered into agreements for two new textile manufacturing projects in the ready-made factories area of the country’s Sokhna Industrial Zone, developed by the Main Development Company. The projects create capacity for velvet and knitted fabrics. [Fibre2Fashion]🇰🇷 L’Oréal’s VC arm invests in Korean perfume brand Borntostandout. The French beauty group’s venture capital arm BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) has participated in a Series A fundraising round led by American venture firm Touch Capital in the Seoul-based luxury fragrance brand which was founded in 2022 by Jun Lim. [Cosmetics Design Europe]🇰🇷 Roger Vivier taps South Korean singer Yeji as brand ambassador. The French luxury shoemaker has partnered with Hwang Ye-ji, the lead singer of K-pop girl group Itzy. Known mononymously as Yeji and commanding over 5 million Instagram followers, the musician is about to embark on a solo career. [BoF Inbox] Source link

[oliviajoyice21]

🇨🇳 China’s president meets with founders of Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan. President Xi Jinping invited leaders of 31 of the country’s largest tech companies to a high-profile summit last week, signalling warmer relations with the sector. China’s economic slowdown appears to have softened of the government’s stance on big tech following a regulatory crackdown on the sector starting in 2020. Jack Ma, the founder and former chairman of e-commerce giant Tmall’s parent company Alibaba Group, retreated from public life that year following the suspension of the IPO of his fintech firm Ant Group by the Chinese authorities. Also attending the carefully choreographed event, which saw Xi bring Ma back in from the cold, were WeChat owner Tencent’s boss Pony Ma and Meituan’s Wang Xing among others. Among those notably absent were Baidu’s Robin Li and JD.com’s Richard Liu, prompting the two companies’ shares to fall last week. [BBC, Financial Times]🇸🇦 Saudi Fashion Commission initiates recycling of pilgrims’ clothing. The Saudi ministry of culture’s dedicated fashion industry body has launched the Sustainable Ihram Initiative which aims to recycle the special garments worn by people on either of the Islamic pilgrimages. The project is a collaboration between the Saudi Investment Recycling Company, Tadweem, Turkish fabric giant Sanko and textile-to-textile recycling technology company Re&Up. More than 18.5 million international pilgrims came to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj and umrah in 2024, according to local media, to travel to Makkah, which Muslims consider to be the most holy city in the religion. [Kohan Textile Journal, BoF]🇨🇳 Chinese jeweller Laopu Gold sees shares surge to record high. The Beijing-based, Hong Kong-listed traditionally crafted gold jewellery brand saw shares rise as much as 10 percent on Friday, making it one of the best performers on the Hong Kong bourse, following a positive net profit alert posted by the company of 1.4-1.5 billion yuan (a median value of around $206.77 million) for 2024, marking a year-over-year rise of 236-260 percent. The company, which was founded by Xu Gaoming in 2009 as a goldware shop before being established as a brand in 2016 has expanded its mono-brand footprint to 38 stores nationwide. Its value on the stock market has increase over tenfold in less than a year since its IPO. [Reuters]🇻🇳 US firms forecast Vietnam factory layoffs if Trump imposes tariffs. According to a survey of more than 100 American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam manufacturer members, which include multinational giants such as Nike and Intel, nearly two-thirds foresee layoffs if US President Donald Trump introduces reciprocal tariffs on the Southeast Asian nation. Manufacturers in Vietnam had largely remained upbeat after Trump’s announcements of tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada but now the mood has changed with analysts suggesting Vietnam could become a target of new duties due to its trade surplus with the US. [Reuters]🇨🇱 Fashion e-commerce major Dafiti ceases operations in Chile. The Global Fashion Group-owned e-tailer is withdrawing from Chile, leaving Dafiti to focus on the Brazil and Colombia markets following an earlier exit from Argentina. GFG, a Luxembourg-registered firm headquartered between Singapore and London, has recorded declining net merchandise value in recent quarters. GFG owns Latin America-focused Dafiti, Southeast Asia-focused Zalora and Australia and New Zealand region-focused platform The Iconic. [Modaes]🇮🇳 Deep and Mohit Bajaj buy back Sirona from India’s Good Glamm Group. The founders of the Indian feminine hygiene brand spent an estimated 150 crore rupees ($17.2 million) on buying back the brand they founded in 2014 and sold to the content-to-commerce group in 2022 for 450 crore rupees ($53.5 million). The sale follows financial challenges, executive departures, salary delays and layoffs at the group founded and led by Darpan Sanghvi which started as DTC makeup brand MyGlamm before acquiring a stable of beauty, personal care and media brands. [Economic Times]🇨🇳 Court lifts controls on Armani over Chinese factories’ labour practices. An Italian court has ended early special administration imposed on a unit of the Armani fashion group over labour practices of its Chinese-owned subcontractors because the company had taken all the necessary corrective action. Giorgio Armani Operations, the industrial arm of the Armani group, was placed under court administration for a year in April after an investigation found it had subcontracted work in Italy to Chinese-owned companies that exploited workers. [BoF]🇮🇳 India’s jewellery and gem body GJEPC taps Kirit Bhansali as chairman. The country’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has promoted Bhansali from vice chairman to the top spot, replacing Vipul Shah. Bhansali is a partner at Mumbai-based diamond firm Smital Gems and chairman of the India Jewellery Park Mumbai. “We will strive to achieve the ambitious export target of $100 billion by 2047, aligning with our honourable prime minister’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Narendra Modi’s plan for an “advanced India”). [Times of India]🌏 Birkenstock sales jump on high-end clog boom, Asia expansion. The German shoe company’s sales rose 19 percent to €362 million ($378 million) in the three months through December from a year earlier, with momentum especially strong in Asia and for closed-toed footwear. That exceeded analysts’ average estimate of €356 million. [BoF]🇪🇬 Investors pump $3 million into two new Egyptian textile factories. Walid Gamal El-Din, chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ), has entered into agreements for two new textile manufacturing projects in the ready-made factories area of the country’s Sokhna Industrial Zone, developed by the Main Development Company. The projects create capacity for velvet and knitted fabrics. [Fibre2Fashion]🇰🇷 L’Oréal’s VC arm invests in Korean perfume brand Borntostandout. The French beauty group’s venture capital arm BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) has participated in a Series A fundraising round led by American venture firm Touch Capital in the Seoul-based luxury fragrance brand which was founded in 2022 by Jun Lim. [Cosmetics Design Europe]🇰🇷 Roger Vivier taps South Korean singer Yeji as brand ambassador. The French luxury shoemaker has partnered with Hwang Ye-ji, the lead singer of K-pop girl group Itzy. Known mononymously as Yeji and commanding over 5 million Instagram followers, the musician is about to embark on a solo career. [BoF Inbox] Source link