Latest news with #Sharad
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How Should Brands Think About Cross-Border E-Commerce Amidst Uncertainty?
Cross-border e-commerce is likely to face heavy impacts from the changing global trade landscape, particularly as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff strategy remains in flux. Data from FlavorCloud, which helps optimize cross-border shipping and returns, shows that apparel's cross-border conversion rates dropped by 5 percentage points—from 13 percent in February to 8 percent in March, when Trump started introducing, and in some cases soft-launching, what would end up being, in some cases, double or triple-digit duty rates. More from Sourcing Journal Can Tech Plug the Gaps Between Immigration Policies and Reshoring Aspirations? Federal Appeals Court Grants Trump Temporary Relief on Tariff Ruling April Air Cargo Demand Climbs 5.8% as De Minimis Reform Drives Pre-Deadline Surge Right now, the tariffs Trump set forth on 'Liberation Day' are on pause for most countries. Rathna Sharad, CEO and founder of FlavorCloud, said she anticipates that, once that pause is up—barring any further court intervention for overreaching, that is—Trump will introduce lower tariff rates on most countries. 'At the end of 90 days, I expect [rates] to be something more reasonable. We may have seen the worst of [it]. The 145 [percent tariff on China] was enormous, and it has impacted pretty much every single brand in a lot of ways,' Sharad said. Nonetheless, she advised that companies hoping to continue building out their cross-border business stop to consider their sourcing patterns, as so many companies have been since Trump began his second term. If prices on goods increase because of country of origin, and sending goods internationally is already more expensive, that could see companies passing a higher portion of the cost on to their international customers. Sharad said the smartest companies had already started building out a multi-sourcing strategy. 'It's not easy to implement alternative sourcing within a month or two. It takes a while to do that, but what is really important is that those that have made inroads [by] already thinking about multiple suppliers—or that were considering alternative sourcing options before—were able to make that switch relatively easily,' Sharad said. Fashion and apparel, as a category, has already been struggling when it comes to growth for cross-border e-commerce; FlavorCloud's data shows that, while other categories—like beauty, health and wellness, have seen rapid growth between 2024 and 2025, apparel and fashion has seen a 3.3 percent decrease. That pales in comparison to health and wellness' 201.2 percent increase and beauty's 46.6 percent uptick. Sharad said that slump could be attributable to two main factors: longevity in the cross-border market and price fluctuation. '[Apparel] has grown over the years pretty significantly, whereas these other categories are still brand new for cross border, so they're emerging,' she said, noting that apparel has also seen 'more significant price point and margin issues' than other sectors growing rapidly. For apparel companies, Asia, Africa and Latin America could be opportunity zones for further sales; in each region, apparel ranked the number one cross-border category in 2024. The report suggests that, while apparel is a top category in many markets, its stronghold varies by location based on pricing and delivery, which FlavorCloud contends should vary by region. Sharad said the company helps its clients determine those exact considerations, which she expects will only become more important as final—or semi-final—tariff rates come from world leaders. For apparel in particular, getting the mix right on products could help foster loyalty, which seems to be top of mind for many brands and retailers amidst uncertain economic times. Sharad said that, like domestic customers, international customers expect fast delivery, free or low-cost shipping and easy returns to stay truly connected to a specific brand. To be able to deliver on those considerations is likely to help retention rates, she said. 'They're coming back because they love the products, because they're not getting those products locally,' Sharad said. As she thinks about what's coming down the pike, she said unreliability continues to loom—so diversifying sourcing strategies would be a wise move to help make pricing most palatable for customers, and for brands themselves. 'Moving to multiple sourcing partners is an important thing for brands to invest in in the long term, because you don't know when the tariff implication is going to hit you. The one thing we know for sure is that the U.S. is front and center, and tariffs are the household name right now, simply because of the pace with which the changes came and…the magnitude of it,' Sharad said.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Witness in murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh complains of receiving threat call ahead of court appearance
A panchnama witness involved in the identification of a house in the Belagavi region of Karnataka that was allegedly used to finalise the conspiracy to kill the journalist Gauri Lankesh has complained of receiving a threat ahead of his visit to a special court in Bengaluru to testify in the trial of 17 persons arrested for the September 5, 2017, murder of the journalist. The witness who ran a business in Belagavi had rented the house, which had been used by members of a right-wing crime syndicate involved in the murder of Gauri Lankesh. He was made a panchnama witness when three accused persons in the case – Sharad (Kalaskar), Ganesh (Miskin), and Amit (Baddi) – identified the house. The 55-year-old witness, who was summoned to the witness box last week, complained to the state public prosecutor (SPP) of receiving a threatening phone call ahead of his visit, and based on the complaint, the SPP filed a memo in the special court during the trial on May 28. 'Learned Spl. P.P. has filed a memo along with a requisition of CW (court witness)… Copy of the requisition is served on learned counsel for the accused,' the court noted. 'Despite the threats, the witness stuck to his statement in court,' a prosecution source said. During the trial, the witness said that he had rented a house in Belagavi, and police officials brought two suspects in the murder case – Ganesh (Miskin) and Amit (Baddi) – to the house in August 2018. In September 2018, they brought a third accused identified as Sharad (Kalaskar). A fourth accused was also brought, but the witness claimed to have forgotten his name. In the court, the witness identified Amit (Baddi), Shrikant (Pangarkar), and Sharad (Kalaskar) among the accused persons who were brought to the house where the alleged conspiracy occurred, but said he could not identify the fourth person due to the passage of time. During the trial of the murder case last week, one of the prosecution witnesses turned hostile. The witness had earlier given a detailed statement to a magistrate about his participation in multiple training camps for the use of guns and explosives conducted by a Hindutva syndicate, which is implicated in the murder of Gauri Lankesh. The 37-year-old prosecution witness, who is involved in grassroots politics in the Belagavi region of Karnataka, was declared hostile by the state special public prosecutor on Wednesday after he denied all the statements he had earlier made before a magistrate in September 2018 under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. The witness who had identified several persons arrested for the murder of Gauri Lankesh as participants in the training camps also rejected the Test Identification Parade he had participated in at the Bengaluru prison in November 2018 and claimed that he had identified the accused persons under police duress. During a cross-examination in the court after being declared hostile by the prosecution, the witness denied the charge that he was deviating from his earlier statements due to pressure from the accused persons – most of whom were granted bail last year. Gauri Lankesh died after four bullets were fired at her by a man now identified by the SIT as Parashuram Waghmore, a former activist of the right-wing Sri Rama Sene outfit. A forensic analysis of the four empty cartridges and the four bullets fired to kill Lankesh showed that the markings on the bullets and cartridges were the same as markings found on bullets and cartridges seized from the site of the killing of Kannada scholar and researcher M M Kalburgi in the northern Karnataka town of Dharwad on August 30, 2015. Findings from the comparison of ballistic evidence from the Lankesh and Kalburgi cases also revealed that the 7.65 mm country-made gun used in the two murders in Karnataka had also been used in the shooting of the Leftist thinker Govind Pansare, 81, in Maharashtra's Kolhapur on February 16, 2015. The ballistic evidence indicated that one of the two guns used in the Pansare murder was used to kill the rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, 69, in Pune on August 20, 2013. The Karnataka Special Investigation Team (SIT) has named 17 people from right-wing fringe outfits for the conspiracy and murder of Gauri Lankesh. The accused have been charged with murder and involvement in an organised crime activity under the Karnataka Control of Organized Crimes Act, (KCOCA) 2000. 'The members of this organisation targeted persons whom they identified to be inimical to their belief and ideology. The members strictly followed the guidelines and principles mentioned in 'Kshatra Dharma Sadhana', a book published by Sanatan Sanstha,' the SIT said after it filed a 9,235-page chargesheet on November 23, 2018.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
UP RO/ARO exam paper leak: Medical store worker paid Rs 1 lakh for leaked paper, confesses after arrest
LUCKNOW: A year after the sensational leak of the UPPSC Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) Preliminary Examination 2023 paper, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested a key accused on Friday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The accused confessed to paying Rs 1 lakh in hopes of securing a govt job. The accused, Kumar Abhinandan, a medical store worker from Lucknow, admitted during interrogation that he was lured into the racket by a doctor who promised him leaked papers for Rs 15 lakh. The RO/ARO Prelims, held on February 11, 2024, was cancelled after its question paper surfaced on social media hours before the exam. STF teams were tasked with investigating the leak, and Abhinandan, who was on the run since then, was finally caught near Manocha Bakery under Thakurganj police station limits on May 29. According to his confession, Abhinandan was helping run his father's medical store in Mal and operated a pharmaceutical distribution firm named Alaya Distributors in Vibhutikhand. During business interactions, he befriended Dr. Sharad Kumar Singh, a PGI-based medical professional, who claimed connections with a network capable of leaking competitive exam papers, said Additional SP, STF, Lal Pratap Singh. 'Sharad told me he could get me a leaked copy of the RO/ARO paper if I arranged Rs 15 lakh. He assured me that if the plan failed, my money would be returned,' Abhinandan told STF. Tempted by the offer, he paid Rs 1 lakh in cash and handed over sensitive personal documents, including his academic mark sheets and a blank cheque as 'security'. Abhinandan further revealed that he was instructed to travel to Bhopal on February 9, 2024. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now There, at Hotel Kamal Palace, he met co-accused Subhash Prakash and Vivek Upadhyay, who, along with several other aspirants, were given the leaked question paper and its solved answers. 'On exam day, the same questions appeared. I knew then the leak was real,' he admitted. But when news broke that Subhash and Vivek were arrested by STF, Abhinandan panicked. 'I deleted everything from my phone and went into hiding,' he confessed. His arrest adds to a growing list of accused in the scam, including Sharad, Subhash, Vivek, and several others now behind bars. Abhinandan was booked under multiple sections of the IPC, the Uttar Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, and the IT Act. The case is registered under FIR No. 74/2024 at Civil Lines Police Station, Prayagraj. According to STF officials, the investigation is ongoing, and more arrests may follow as the network behind the paper leak is further exposed.
India Today
15-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
Expert tips to build the perfect skincare routine for Indian skin
In a country where skincare often takes a backseat to internal health, the launch of the Dermafique Indian Skin Health Report marks a turning point. India today spoke with Dr. Jaishree Sharad, a leading dermatologist with over 26 years of experience, who notes that Indians are finally waking up to the importance of understanding their skin. 'People used to think skin didn't matter,' she says, 'but courtesy of social media, even if for the wrong reasons, the awareness has begun.'advertisementINDIAN SKIN: UNIQUELY COMPLEX, UNIQUELY BEAUTIFULThe report, based on a survey of 800 women across North, South, East, and West India (aged 20–40), reveals crucial insights: Indian skin is significantly different from Caucasian skin. It has five times larger pores, four times denser pore distribution, and produces 50% more melanin. This makes it more prone to tanning, pigmentation, and acne, yet slower to show signs of aging like wrinkles, thanks to higher collagen FIRST SIGN OF AGING ISN'T A WRINKLE"One of the most common misconceptions," says Dr. Sharad, is that ageing only starts when lines appear. 'Indian skin doesn't show fine lines as early as Caucasian skin does, so people assume they're not ageing. "But hyperpigmentation is our first visible sign of ageing.' Whether it's melasma, sun spots, or post-acne marks, these pigmentation issues are more than just cosmetic—they're cellular signs of skin Sharad strongly advises against blindly following skincare trends from the West or Korea. 'We are not Korean. "Our skin, diet, and climate are not Korean,' she emphasises. Many Indian consumers fall into the trap of using products that work for their favourite influencer or friend, ignoring their skin type, climate, and biological myth? That oily skin doesn't need moisturiser. 'Oiliness and hydration are not the same,' says Dr. Sharad. Indian skin has fewer natural moisturising factors (NMFs) and a weaker skin barrier, which means even oily skin can be dehydrated. She recommends moisturisers with ceramides and hyaluronic acid, and stresses that sunscreen is non-negotiable—even on rainy days or indoors. UVA rays penetrate clouds and glass. Blue light from your laptop and phone can cause pigmentation too.'THE DAMAGE TO DIY SKINCARE AND SCRUBBING HABITSIndians often rely on traditional home remedies, scrubs, loofahs, and pumice stones that can damage the skin's barrier, leading to irritation and pigmentation. 'I'm not against scrubs,' Dr. Sharad explains, 'but your skin is. Friction stimulates melanin production.' Harsh exfoliation often backfires, especially on Indian skin that's already more reactive due to melanin skincare is holistic. Dr. Sharad advocates for a routine that includes balanced nutrition, reduced sugar intake, less caffeine, and stress management. All of these reduce free radicals in the body that otherwise break down collagen and damage the skin. 'People think black coffee makes your skin glow. It dehydrates you.'advertisementWhat sets the Dermafique products apart, according to Dr. Vijay from ITC, is their India-first approach—formulated, tested, and proven in Indian climatic conditions on Indian skin types. 'Every product is dermatologically tested,' he says, 'and remains effective from the first to the last day of its shelf life.'EMBRACE INDIAN SKIN, DON'T FIGHT ITDr. Sharad's parting message is clear: 'Let's stop chasing Korean facials or Western skincare ideals. Let's understand our own skin, nourish it, protect it, and most importantly, embrace it.' The Indian Skin Health Report is not just a study—it's a wake-up call for the nation to take skin health seriously, the right way.
India Today
06-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
India's skincare revolution: Science-backed, skin-specific solutions
India's skincare industry is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by a rising demand for personalised, science-backed solutions. As environmental stressors like pollution, humidity, and climate change intensify—and as consumers become more informed—the need for skincare tailored specifically to Indian skin has never been more urgent. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, the renowned celebrity dermatologist offered deep insights into how this change is unfolding across the country. INDIAN SKIN IS BIOLOGICALLY DISTINCT According to Dr Sharad, Indian skin is biologically different from Caucasian or East Asian skin types. With naturally higher melanin levels, Indian skin is more prone to hyperpigmentation and uneven tone. 'We must stop importing a one-size-fits-all solution from the West,' she asserted. She stressed the need for formulations that understand and respond to Indian skin's unique physiology. Dr Jaishree Sharad, at the launch of the ITC Dermafique Indian Skin Health Report, said that the growing awareness amongst Indian consumers is prompting a vital evolution within the industry. India's tropical climate, high humidity, and escalating pollution levels pose unique challenges for skin health. 'Urban consumers in India face both environmental damage and lifestyle-induced stress on their skin, and this should directly influence product development,' Dr Sharad explained. Localised skincare isn't just a trend—it's a necessity. EDUCATED CONSUMERS NEED EXPERT GUIDANCE While there's been a notable rise in consumer awareness, Dr Sharad noted a gap in scientific education. 'People are reading labels and experimenting with ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, but many are still influenced by beauty trends rather than skin science,' she said. 'People need guidance—not just from influencers but from trained professionals who understand skin at a clinical level.' Dr Sharad lauded brands that are beginning to invest in dermatological research rooted in Indian realities. 'Clinical studies conducted in Indian weather, on Indian skin, are the future,' she emphasised. She called for more use of indigenous ingredients, localised trials, and collaborative efforts with dermatologists to develop effective, trustworthy products. From teen acne to adult skin barrier repair, the dermatologist highlighted personalisation as the future of skincare. 'Skincare has moved beyond vanity—it is about preventive care, wellness, and long-term skin health,' she said. Products must not only target cosmetic outcomes but also focus on sustained skin resilience. SKINCARE IS NOW A HEALTHCARE CONVERSATION With the rise of wellness culture, the line between dermatology and healthcare is fading. Dr Sharad believes skin should be viewed and treated as an organ, just like the heart or lungs. 'It's time we see skin as an organ, not a canvas. "Brands that focus on health, sustainability, and trust will lead the next decade,' she concluded. Recognising this shift, Dermafique has launched a skincare range formulated specifically for Indian skin. Merging scientific rigour with localised research, the brand addresses concerns like pigmentation, sensitivity, and pollution damage. Its alignment with dermatological research and Indian-specific trials positions it at the forefront of this new skincare era.
