“Brooklyn and Nicola were under the impression they were being gifted their first dance by Marc Anthony,” a source told E! News in May. Instead, the singer announced, “‘Please welcome to the stage the most beautiful woman in the room—Victoria Beckham.’ Brooklyn wasn’t quite sure what to do and was put in an awkward situation.”
Moreover, the source continued, “Nicola left the room crying. She eventually came back and was able to collect herself to celebrate the rest of her wedding.”
The incident wasn’t so disastrous on the groom’s side of the family as to prevent Davidfrom being a best man at Marc’s wedding in January 2023, when he married fourth wife Nadia Ferreira. But it’s understandable if the bride had a harder time getting over it.
Brooklyn and Nicola “have made good faith efforts over the years” to have a relationship with his family, the source said, but at this time things aren’t good.
Probably apropos of nothing, though possibly not, Brooklyn called Nicola his “whole world” in a May 24 Instagram post, writing, “I always choose you baby x you’re the most amazing person I know xx me and you forever baby.”
It is one of the largest bombardments of the capital since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion
At least 14 people have been killed overnight and dozens more wounded in Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, officials say.
It was one of the largest bombardments of the capital since the beginning of the full-scale invasion more than three years ago.
Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said a total of 440 drones and 32 missiles had been launched at the country.
Meanwhile, Russian air defence units intercepted and destroyed 147 Ukrainian drones overnight, Moscow’s defence ministry said.
The strikes on Kyiv lasted more than nine hours – sending residents fleeing to underground shelters from before midnight until after sunrise.
Officials said a ballistic missile hit a nine-storey apartment building in one district, with a total of 27 districts of the city coming under fire.
“Waking up in utter nightmare: people trapped under rubble and full buildings collapsed,” Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko wrote on X.
Klymenko said rescue teams were still working to free people.
Loud explosions rocked the city, along with the rattle of the machine guns used by mobile Ukrainian air defence units to shoot down drones.
More sirens later in the morning disrupted rescue operations in the city, hampering emergency workers searching the rubble for survivors.
Russia has intensified its air attacks against Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, with a tactic of sending large waves of drones and decoys designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences.
Kyiv was hit by a barrage of strikes overnight into Tuesday
President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s most recent wave of strikes “pure terrorism”.
He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of carrying out the large scale strikes “solely because he can afford to continue this war”.
“It is bad when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to this,” he said, adding: “It is the terrorists who should feel the pain, not normal, peaceful people.”
Drone strikes also hit the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, killing one person and injuring at least 10 others, Klymenko said.
Zelenksy had been hoping to speak with the US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday but Trump cut short his stay amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
The news will come as a blow to Zelensky and his administration, which had been hoping to secure US support at the conference for Ukraine’s strategic and military goals.
US aircraft, warships headed to Middle East amid Israel-Iran conflict
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that he has directed “the deployment of additional capabilities” to the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region.
“Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,” Hegseth said in a post on social platform X.
He did not name the additional capabilities, though earlier on Monday, a U.S. official confirmed to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, that the U.S. military has moved a large number of refueling tanker aircraft to Europe.
The move is intended to “provide options” to Trump amid the escalating tensions, the official added.
A Defense official also confirmed to The Hill that Hegseth directed the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group be sent to the Middle East “to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel.”
Multiple outlets have reported that the action was a pre-planned deployment that had been expedited. The vessel is able to hold some 5,000 personnel and more than 60 aircraft, including fighter jets.
U.S. European Command also deployed two destroyers to the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Friday. The vessels can help defend against guided missile strikes.
The shifted U.S. military assets and personnel comes as the conflict between Israel and Iran has entered its fourth day, with both sides intensifying their assaults following Israel’s initial strike on Tehran on Friday.
Israel and Iran have taken part in tit-for-tat attacks, open warfare that Israeli officials have said could last “weeks, not days” and threatens to spark a wider war in the Middle East.
Israel last week moved forward with its strikes after accusing Iran of being on the verge of building a nuclear bomb.
Since then, the two sides have traded large scale missile attacks back and forth in what has become the deadliest confrontation between the countries, with at least 24 people killed in Israel and more than 220 killed in Iran.
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced a resolution Monday seeking to prevent the U.S. from getting involved in a military conflict with Iran without congressional approval. The resolution reaffirms existing law, directing the president to end any use of the U.S. armed forces “for hostilities” against Iran “unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.” The …
The Trump administration on Monday denied reporting by The Guardian that said new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals could refuse care to veterans based on factors like marital status and political affiliation due to an executive order by President Trump. The Guardian earlier Monday published a report saying VA hospitals are implementing new rules in response to Trump’s executive order in January, which would …
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday didn’t rule out targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just hours after reports emerged that President Trump nixed a plan by Israel to take out Khamenei. “It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” Netanyahu told ABC News’s Jonathan Karl when asked about the reports that Trump rejected …
President Trump will depart the G7 summit on Monday night, a day earlier than planned, because of the growing conflict in the Middle East.
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In Other News
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
Suspect in Minnesota lawmaker shootings in custody after two-day manhunt
The man suspected of shooting two Minnesota state lawmakers over the weekend, killing one of them, has been taken into custody after a massive search. Law enforcement apprehended Vance Boelter on Sunday night after a two-day search, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced at a press conference shortly …
The Center for Strategic and International Studieswill host its 15th Annual South China Sea Conference with Adm. Stephen “Web” Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, at 9 a.m.
A Senate Appropriations subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Proposed budget estimates for FY2026 for military construction and family housing,” at 10:30 a.m.
The Center for Strategic and International Studiesalso will have a virtual discussion of new report: “The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover,” at 11 a.m.
Cato Institutewill hold a briefing on “NATO 2025 Summit: Rebalancing the Transatlantic Relationship,” at 12 p.m.
The Association of the U.S. Armywill discuss “Modernizing Army Personnel Management and Readiness,” at 12 p.m.
Atlantic Councilwill have a conversation on “Drone, defense, and diplomacy: Negotiations and the battlefield in Ukraine,” at 1 p.m.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
Supreme Court ruling gives extra payouts to some combat-wounded vets (Military Times)
US bolsters Trump’s Middle East military options by moving refueling aircraft, officials say (Reuters)
The Army parade was marked by quiet crowds, Trump-linked sponsors. But soldiers kept politics at bay. (Military.com)
President Trump will depart the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Monday night, a day earlier than planned, because of the growing conflict in the Middle … Read more
Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) on Monday released the Senate’s long-awaited version of President Trump’s tax agenda, which would … Read more
Opinions in The Hill
Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
American Express (AXP) is planning to refresh its and later this year in a move meant to make the more appealing to the company’s fast-growing cohort of Gen Z consumers, Howard Grosfield, Group President, U.S. Consumer Services at American Express, told Yahoo Finance.
He declined to give full details of the refresh but said it was aimed at building loyalty to the cards by adding benefits highly valued by cardmembers.
“You’re going to see us double down on all the wonderful benefits that our card members love on travel, business, and dining,” Grosfield said, adding that the number of Gen Z cardholders grew 40% year over year in the first quarter of 2025.
HIghlights of the refresh include:
New premium airport lounges: American Express plans to open three new Centurion Lounges in Newark, Salt Lake City, and Tokyo in the coming year, bringing the total number of global Centurion Lounges to 32.
Expanded dining benefits: Amex’s 2024 acquisition of reservation platform Tock will add 7,000 new dining experiences to its existing 20,000+ Resy offerings, including a sizable portfolio of wineries. The expansion will give cardholders priority access to more tables in partner establishments.
The company confirmed that a refresh is planned for the but didn’t share details, except to say benefits would remain focused on helping businesses grow.
Gen Z cardholders aren’t balking at the hefty $695 annual fee, American Express has found. Gen Z developed a subscription-based mindset over years of paying fees for music and entertainment platforms, American Express CFO Christophe Le Caillec said at the June 2025 Morgan Stanley U.S. Financials Conference. He believes younger cardmembers due to the experience they get from being Amex customers.
While the future Platinum update is intended to appeal to Gen Z — the oldest of whom are in their late 20s — Grosfield believes there’s a built-in progression through Amex’s product portfolio as Gen Z ages. Grosfield pointed to Amex’s 98% retention rate, adding, “We acquire them once, and we get 20 more years of lifetime to deal with them.”
The company hopes that claiming a share of Gen Z’s wallet early in their adult lives will make these young cardholders more likely to turn to Amex products as their financial needs evolve: “We have various suites of products that we can offer them, including personal loans, pay over time, and installment-like lending … as they expand their income and become more successful … we get to grow with them. That’s a significant increase in the tremendous amount of lifetime value that they can deliver to us.”
Rewards rate
5x points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 per calendar year)
5x points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
1x points on all other purchases
Benefits
Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel (requires a minimum two-night stay)
Get up to $199 back per calendar year on your CLEAR Plus membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your card (CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues)
Enjoy up to $200 in Uber savings annually on rides in the U.S. — that’s $15 in Uber Cash for rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December (you must have the latest version of the Uber App downloaded and your eligible American Express Platinum Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account; Amex benefit may only be used in United States)
While the has a high annual fee, its many perks and benefits can far offset the yearly cost. We especially like how many of the benefits apply to everyday living, such as using the digital entertainment credit to help cover the costs of your streaming services. However, it’s not always easy to use every available benefit, which could cut into the value you get from this card.
Annual fee
$695
Welcome offer
Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $20,000 in the first 3 months — plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel® in the first 3 months
Rewards rate
5x Membership Rewards points on flights, prepaid hotels, short-term rentals, and prepaid flight + hotel packages on AmexTravel.com
1.5x points on eligible purchases at U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers; electronic goods retailers; software and cloud system providers; shipping providers; and on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else (on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year)
1x points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases
Benefits
Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by one qualifying airline to your card
Complimentary access to The American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes more than 1,400 airport lounges in 140 countries
Earn over $1,000 in annual statement credits on select business purchases, including tech, recruiting, and wireless in the first year of membership. Enrollment required.
The shares some of the personal version’s best features, such as extensive airport lounge access, while providing additional benefits for business owners. The annual fee is high, but you can get more than enough value from the card’s credits and benefits to offset the cost.
Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to the Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
When Daniel Ek isn’t busy running Spotify or building his new AI-driven health tech enterprise, he’s making massive bets on the future of European warfare, seemingly.
The billionaire, who primarily lives in Stockholm, just led a €600 million investment in Helsing, a four-year-old, Munich-based defense tech company that is now valued at €12 billion, according to the Financial Times. The deal makes it one of Europe’s most valuable privately held companies; it also highlights Europe’s scramble to build its own military muscle as the world grows messier and the U.S. turns inward.
The numbers help tell the story. Helsing raised $450 million just shy of a year ago; now, it’s back with this even bigger round led by Ek’s investment firm Prima Materia. It’s part of a broader defense tech boom that’s seeing money flood into companies like the U.S. giant Anduril, which just raised $2.5 billion led by Founders Fund, and European drone makers Quantum Systems and Tekever. (In recent weeks, they announced €160 million and €70 million, respectively, in rounds that put them both into so-called unicorn territory.)
TechCrunch has reached out to Helsing for more details about how it plans to use the new funding.
As for what, exactly, Helsing does, Wired said last year to think of it as turning modern warfare into something that looks more like a video game, except with very real consequences.
The company’s main product takes massive amounts of data from military sensors, radars, and weapons systems, then uses AI to create intuitive, real-time visualizations of what’s happening on the battlefield. Instead of soldiers making life-or-death decisions based on phone calls and hand-drawn maps, everyone is seeing the same information, whether from a frontline trench or a command center miles away.
But what started as an AI software company has grown much more ambitious. Helsing is now building its own strike drones and aircraft and said it’s working on a fleet of unmanned mini submarines in order to irmprove naval surveillance.
The timing isn’t coincidental. As American investor Eric Slesinger told TechCrunch this spring, “European governments waited way too long to rethink what the arrangement on their own security meant.” The wake-up call came with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which made it clear that Europe couldn’t rely on American protection alone. The U.S. election late last year of President Donald Trump — who is far more interested in advancing American interests — has since put a much finer point on things.
Now European leaders are talking about spending big on defense while achieving strategic autonomy, meaning their ability to handle their own security. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently summed up the movement in a separate interview with TechCrunch: “We’re going to spend a lot of money on defense as Europe. The defense landscape is changing, which is no longer just going to be about planes, tanks—this is all going to be much more digitally and AI driven.”
A couple of years ago, that realization was the impetus for the NATO Innovation Fund, the world’s first multi-sovereign venture capital fund backed by 24 NATO allies. But the capital pool is just one of several signs that Europe has grown serious about building its own defense tech ecosystem rather than relying on the U.S. for protection.
Ek, who first invested in Helsing back in 2021, before the outbreak of the Ukraine war, has perhaps seen for a while where thing are heading. As he said in a press release about Monday’s funding: “As Europe rapidly strengthens its defense capabilities in response to evolving geopolitical challenges, there is an urgent need for investments in advanced technologies that ensure its strategic autonomy.”
Other investors in Helsing’s new round include earlier backers Lightspeed Ventures, Accel, Plural, General Catalyst and Saab, and new investors BDT & MSD Partners. The company has now raised €1.37 billion altogether.
OMAHA, Neb. — Arkansas’ Gage Wood pitched the third no-hitter in Men’s College World Series history and first in 65 years Monday, striking out a record 19 and never letting Murray State come close to getting a hit in the Razorbacks’ 3-0 victory.
Wood joined Jim Ehrler of Texas in 1950 and Jim Wixson of Oklahoma State in 1960 as the only pitchers to throw MCWS no-hitters, and his defense was never really challenged as he dominated a Racers team that was making its first Omaha appearance.
The junior right-hander, who set the MCWS record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game, was subdued in the aftermath.
“The only special thing was I didn’t want to go home. That’s it,” he said. “We’re not going home. We get to play tomorrow night. But it’s pretty cool.”
Arkansas (49-14) plays another elimination game Tuesday night against the loser of UCLA-LSU, which was suspended Monday night and will resume Tuesday morning.
Murray State (44-17), only the fourth No. 4 regional seed since 1999 to reach Omaha, went 0-2 in its first appearance.
Wood’s bid for a perfect game ended in the eighth when his 2-2 breaking ball hit Dom Decker in his back foot.
“When I hit the guy in the foot, I knew I screwed up,” said Wood, who got a foul out and consecutive strikeouts to end the inning, then looked skyward and gave a primal scream and did a couple of high steps as he headed to the dugout.
The Arkansas faithful behind the first-base dugout did a brief “Woo Pig Sooie!” chant as Wood warmed up for the ninth.
Wood (4-1) hit pinch hitter Nico Bermeo in the back of his left elbow with a fastball to start the ninth. Bermeo initially was awarded first base, but Arkansas challenged the call, arguing Bermeo moved his elbow into the pitch. The call was overturned and Bermeo was out.
Wood struck out Connor Cunningham and Jonathan Hogart to finish the game. He was mobbed by teammates, with the celebration moving from behind the mound to the area between second and third base.
“Gage was just executing pitch after pitch, getting ahead in the count and elevating his fastball in and out. What a great job,” coach Dave Van Horn said. “The few plays we had to make behind him — maybe nine, eight? — just glad we made all those plays.”
Wood went to three-ball counts just twice, and 83 of his 119 pitches were strikes.
The closest Murray State came to breaking up Wood’s no-hitter was Carson Garner’s hot grounder that pulled first baseman Reese Robinett to his left. Robinett snagged the ball and touched the bag for the last out of the seventh inning.
Wood showed early signs that this could be a special day. He had excellent command of his signature four-seam fastball, breaking ball and changeup. Of his first 20 fastballs, 19 were strikes, and he fanned nine of the first 12 batters he faced — seven in a row from the third to fifth innings.
Wood has gone from closer as a freshman to middle reliever as a sophomore to weekend starter as a junior. He injured his right shoulder throwing a warmup pitch in his Feb. 23 start against Michigan and didn’t return until April 18 against Texas A&M, a total of 54 days.
He threw a career-long six innings and struck out a career-high 13 against Creighton in a June 1 regional game against Creighton, then went 3⅓ innings in a super regional win over Tennessee on June 8.
Wood now joins Ehrler and Wixson in MCWS lore. Ehrler’s no-hitter came in Texas’ 7-0 win over Tufts on June 19, 1950, and Wixson’s came in a 7-0 victory over North Carolina on June 15, 1960.
Asked what he did with the game ball, Wood said, “I gave it to my dad and said happy late Father’s Day.”
The Razorbacks broke open the game after Murray State’s Graham Kelham relieved Isaac Silva to start the seventh. SEC player of the year Wehiwa Aloy doubled in a run, and another scored when right fielder Dustin Mercer tried to make a shoestring catch on Logan Maxwell’s shallow fly and the ball got under his glove.
Silva kept his team close in his six innings, with Charles Davalan’s third-inning RBI single producing the only run against him.
Silva allowed six hits, walked two and struck out seven. He repeatedly got out of trouble, holding the Razorbacks to 2-for-10 hitting with runners in scoring position and stranding two runners in the third, fifth and sixth.
The Modern Familyalum, who portrayed Jesse Tyler-Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet’s on-screen daughter Lily on the Emmy-winning TV show, celebrated Pride month by living her truth and coming out as bisexual.
In a June 16 Instagram video, the 18-year-old lip-synced to an audio clip from a scene of the ABC series that featured herself, Jesse (who portrayed Mitch), Eric (Cam) and Sofía Vergara’s Gloria.
“You are Vietnamese,” Gloria said, to which Lily responds, “No, I’m not. I’m gay, I’m gay.”
Ever the foot-in-the-mouth father, Mitch said, “Honey, no you are not gay. You are just confused. Oh my god, what is wrong with me?”
Atop the video of Aubrey mouthing the scene and smiling along, she wrote, “People keep joking so much abt me being gay when I literally am (I’m bi).”
She extended her announcement to all of her followers celebrating the LGBTQ+ community this month, too, writing in the caption, “Happy pride month to all and to all a goodnight hehehe.”
Jalen Williams scored 40 points for Oklahoma City Thunder as they held off an Indiana Pacers comeback to win 120-109 and take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.
The Pacers reduced an 18-point deficit from the second quarter to two points in the fourth quarter before Williams, whose tally was a career best in a play-off game, and team-mate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped guide the Thunder to victory.
NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander provided 31 points along with 10 assists as home side Oklahoma moved one win away from securing the NBA title in the best-of-seven series.
“My team-mates instil a lot of confidence in me to go out and be me,” Williams said. “And [coach] Mark [Daigneault] has done a good job of telling me to just be myself.
“I don’t got to be anything more and that’s given me a lot of confidence.”
The Pacers had overcome a 15-point deficit in game one to win but could not repeat the feat in game five.
“Tonight was the exact same game as game one, to be honest,” Williams said. “Learning through these finals is what makes this team good and we were able to do that.”
Game six will take place in Indianapolis on Thursday at 20:30 local time (Friday, 01:00 BST), with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton insisting he will be ready for the contest.
Haliburton scored just four points in 34 minutes of action in game five, with Indiana coach Rick Carlisle saying the player was “not 100%”.
He added: “It’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game.
“We were concerned at half-time. He insisted on playing.”
Haliburton said: “It’s the Finals, man. I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete, help my team-mates any way I can.
“I was not great tonight by any means, but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play. It is what it is. Got to be ready to go for game six.”
President Trump took a shot at pundit Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host and one of his most reliable allies in the media, over the commentator’s criticism of the president’s posture toward Iran.
“Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website Monday evening.
Trump’s attack on the longtime cable news host-turned-podcast and multimedia personality came just hours after reporters asked him about Carlson’s urging that the U.S. stay out of a quickly escalating war between Israel and Iran.
“I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen,” the president said during a meeting with the British prime minister at the Group of Seven summit, an even he left early on Monday due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Carlson was a leading host at Fox for years, hosting a prime-time show that was a favorite program of the president and many of his followers.
After being fired by Fox in 2022, Carlson launched his own media company and digital show, hosting the president for his first episode and accompanying him along the 2024 campaign trail.
Carlson remains a large supporter of much of Trump’s agenda, but in recent days he has cautioned the president against allowing the U.S. to become involved in another war in the Middle East.
The pundit last week said Trump was “complicit” in Israel’s all-out war with Iran and called out “warmongers” whom he says were urging Trump to “direct U.S. military involvement in a war.”
Trump late Monday urged people to flee the city of Tehran as more Israeli military strikes are expected in the area in the coming days.
(Reuters) -Gucci owner Kering is reported to be close to appointing Renault’s ex-boss Luca de Meo as its new CEO.
According to sources, current Kering chief Francois-Henri Pinault, whose family controls the heavily indebted luxury conglomerate and who has been leading it for 20 years, is mulling splitting the roles of CEO and chairman.
The following is a timeline of major events in the French luxury fashion group’s history.
1962 – Francois Pinault founds Etablissements Pinault, a timber trading company based in Rennes that will transform into Kering.
March 1999 – The firm, now called PPR, begins its transformation into a luxury group by acquiring a 42% stake in the fashion group Gucci for about $3 billion.
July 2001 – The group buys the Balenciaga fashion house, which soon becomes a celebrity-favoured strategic brand within the PPR-owned Gucci Group.
March 2005 – Francois-Henri Pinault, the founder’s son, replaces Serge Weinberg as chairman and CEO of the group and begins to sell off non-core activities to fund further acquisition in the fashion sector.
November 2011 – The group announces the acquisition of Italian luxury house Brioni, famous for designing James Bond’s suits, in a bid to strengthen its high-end menswear profile.
December 2012 – The conglomerate makes its first-ever acquisition in China by purchasing a majority stake in fine jewellery company Qeelin.
March 2013 – The firm changes its name to Kering to herald its exit from mass market retail brands.
April 2013 – The firm takes over jewellery brands including Italy’s Pomellato and DoDo.
November 2022 – The group confirms the departure of Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele, ending a more than 20-year tenure over “different perspectives”.
July 2023 – Kering buys a 30% stake in Italian fashion brand Valentino for 1.7 billion euros ($1.97 billion) in an attempt to revitalise struggling Gucci, which is wrestling with a fading post-pandemic fashion boom.
It also strikes a deal to buy high-end French fragrance label Creed, for which it reportedly pays 3.5 billion euros.
September 2023 – Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri leaves the post after eight years, as Kering reshuffles its top ranks in a bid to restore momentum at its star label.
October 2024 – The firm highlights major headwinds to profits at Gucci, hampered by weak demand in China.
February 2025 – Gucci design chief Sabato De Sarno leaves the label after less than two years in the job as the brand strives to attract wealthier shoppers and reverse its weak sales.
March 2025 – Kering fails to reassure investors with its appointment of in-house talent Demna as artistic director at Gucci, losing $3 billion in stock value in a single day.
