Democrats punch back in US elections – and see hope for 2026

If 2024 was a dumpster fire for Democrats, then 2025 might be the firehose. Tuesday’s US elections weren’t just wins, say analysts, they offer a way forward against Donald Trump’s Republicans.Abigail Spanberger flipped Virginia’s governorship with a double-digit win, fellow moderate Mikie Sherrill took New Jersey by storm and Zohran Mamdani turned New York City into a progressive playground.These were not isolated victories, say Washington-watchers, but full-throated endorsements of a new Democratic vibe centered on the middle class.”These two candidates, in particular — in Virginia and New Jersey — showed the Democrats how to mobilize their base, how to get out the vote,” said Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University.”That is what Donald Trump has been better at nationally than the Democrats, and this is a path forward for them.”- Middle-class mojo -Democrats have long been criticized for not speaking the language of ordinary voters, but Tuesday showed a shift to kitchen-table issues as Spanberger and Sherrill talked rent, groceries and gas prices.The Democrats showed they were listening, political commentators noted, with middle-income voters swinging back to the Democrats like it was 2008.”What really stood out was not any kind of sweeping ideological shift,” said veteran election strategist Mike Fahey.”Instead, I would characterize it as a return to candidates who speak to the kinds of everyday concerns that most of us can relate to, as opposed to the kind of partisan identity drumming that we saw way too much of in 2020.”That shift also helped patch up another frayed relationship: the one with Latino voters. After drifting toward Trump in 2024, Latinos showed tentative signs of coming back.Independents, meanwhile, swung hard. In Virginia and New Jersey, they broke for Democrats by double-digit margins turning toss-ups into blowouts.Add to that the youth vote — especially in New York, where Mamdani’s grassroots campaign lit up college campuses and TikTok feeds — and you have a coalition that looks suspiciously like Barack Obama’s.Above all, Tuesdays elections confirmed that the House of Representatives is in play.With California voting in a new electoral map and momentum in swing districts, Democratic leaders were voicing confidence in the wake of election night that could make up the seats they need to flip the chamber in next year’s midterms.The Senate is a tougher nut, but party strategists are optimistic that they can keep the focus on affordability and avoid internal conflict.- Candidate chemistry -Spanberger and Sherrill are moderates with national security cred and fresh energy. Mamdani is an articulate firebrand with an everyman touch.The messaging wasn’t so much “Save Democracy” as “Save My Paycheck,” as Democrats cleaned up by focusing on cost of living and talked about trash pickups, and not just Trump.”It’s clearer than ever that affordability needs to be the centerpiece of the Democrats’ message going into the midterms,” political communications expert Andrew Koneschusky told AFP.”The affordability message cuts across demographics and highlights a major vulnerability for Republicans. Trump campaigned on bringing prices down and he hasn’t done that.”Off-year elections historically favor the party out of power, turnout is lower and the electorate skews older and whiter.But for election-watchers, this year felt different. Voters weren’t just venting — they were choosing relatable candidates. One big takeaway, says Koneschusky, is that Democrats need candidates who reflect their electorates rather than taking a “one-size-fits-all” approach.”In some cases, that may mean fielding progressive candidates. In other cases, it may mean moderate or centrist candidates,” he said.”There’s a lot of talk right now about whether Democrats should shift more to the left or more to the center. The answer is both. It depends on their constituents.”

Foot: Dembélé, Hakimi et Mendes, une nouvelle hécatombe de blessures pour le PSG

Les blessures n’en finissent pas de gâcher la saison du PSG qui va devoir pendant plusieurs semaines jouer sans ses latéraux Achraf Hakimi (entorse d’une cheville) et Nuno Mendes (entorse d’un genou), ainsi qu’Ousmane Dembélé (lésion à un mollet).Le club parisien, peu gêné l’année dernière par les pépins physiques, n’arrive décidément pas à vider son infirmerie cette saison.Au complet mardi avant le choc face au Bayern, hormis Désiré Doué, le PSG a perdu trois nouveaux joueurs mardi soir, reléguant la défaite (2-1) au second plan.Après la blessure à une cuisse de Doué mercredi dernier, Luis Enrique et son staff vont devoir faire sans trois titulaires et cadres de son équipe: Hakimi, Mendes et Dembélé.L’annonce d’une blessure de Nuno Mendes est une surprise, puisqu’aucun fait de jeu ne l’avait mise en lumière. Le latéral portugais, jusque-là épargné, a été victime d’une “entorse au genou gauche” et “restera en soins ces prochaines semaines”, selon le PSG.Pour Ousmane Dembélé, le sourire de la cérémonie du Ballon d’Or en septembre a laissé place à la mine sombre de mardi au Parc des Princes.La raison n’en était pas son but refusé par l’arbitrage vidéo, mais de mauvaises sensations.”Victime d’une lésion du mollet gauche, il restera en soins ces prochaines semaines”, a annoncé mercredi le club, après sa blessure à l’ischio-jambier droit le 5 septembre qui l’a déjà éloigné des terrains six semaines. Il est donc forfait pour le rassemblement des Bleus la semaine prochaine.- Absence de spécialiste  -Jusque-là imperméable aux soucis physiques, Hakimi a lui été victime d’un coup du sort: un tacle mal maîtrisé de Luis Diaz, qui a pris en tenaille sa cheville gauche.Le Marocain, en larmes mardi, “souffre d’une entorse sévère de la cheville gauche, qui entraînera une indisponibilité de plusieurs semaines”, indique le PSG. L’inquiétude est grande au Maroc, qui tremble pour son meilleur joueur à l’approche de la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations, le 21 décembre, qu’il accueille.Mercredi, son bourreau involontaire a souhaité à Hakimi “un retour rapide sur le terrain”.Cette indisponibilité va forcément mettre en lumière l’absence d’un véritable spécialiste pour le remplacer au poste de latéral droit. Le PSG, qui a décidé de ne pas recruter cet été, va devoir une nouvelle fois composer et se pencher sur le sujet lors du mercato hivernal.- Mea culpa de Luis Enrique -Des possibilités se dégagent tout de même pour suppléer Hakimi: Warren Zaïre-Emery l’a déjà souvent remplacé mais le joueur revient bien ces derniers matches à son poste naturel, dans l’entre-jeu. L’aligner dans le couloir pourrait lui faire perdre de nouveau ses repères. L’autre milieu Joao Neves peut aussi dépanner, comme le défenseur central Marquinhos.Il y a aussi l’option “titi” avec David Boly, 16 ans et arrière droit.Luis Enrique dispose en revanche de solutions de remplacement convenables – mais forcément imparfaites – pour remplacer Nuno Mendes: Lucas Hernandez, qui enchaîne les bonnes rentrées ces dernières semaines, ou Lucas Beraldo.  Plus largement mardi, le PSG est apparu émoussé, dépassé physiquement et mentalement contre le Bayern, une machine parfaitement huilée qui vient de gagner son 16e match d’affilée, même réduit à 10 la moitié du match.”On a beaucoup de joueurs pas à 100%, moi y compris”, a confié Marquinhos, fautif sur le second but. Il évoque ceux de retour de blessure comme Joao Neves et Fabian Ruiz, ou ceux qui ont eu des pépins à divers niveaux comme Khvicha Kvaratskhelia et Bradley Barcola. Ça “commence à tirer” au niveau de la fatigue, ont avoué mardi soir les deux derniers.Luis Enrique a fait son mea culpa pour avoir souhaité aligner son équipe-type: “Quand tu récupères des blessés, ils ne sont pas en forme, pas à 100%. C’est quelque chose qu’il faut que je gère mieux. Même avec mon expérience, il faut que je m’améliore beaucoup là-dessus”.

Vifs débats autour des droits de douane de Trump à la Cour suprême

Des juges de la Cour suprême ont mis en doute mercredi la légalité des droits de douane mis en place par le président Donald Trump dans une affaire susceptible d’ébranler un pilier de sa politique économique et diplomatique.L’audience se tient tout juste un an après l’élection qui a permis au républicain de retrouver la Maison Blanche, d’où il a lancé une offensive protectionniste sans précédent, à coups de droits de douane.Ces taxes sur les produits importés génèrent des milliards de dollars de recettes et ont permis d’arracher aux partenaires des Etats-Unis des promesses d’investissements et des conditions plus favorables pour les exportateurs américains.Le gouvernement ne veut surtout pas voir cet édifice s’effondrer et presse les neuf juges de la Cour suprême – six conservateurs et trois progressistes – de les maintenir.La décision de la Cour peut ne pas être rendue avant plusieurs mois, ou à l’inverse être rendue assez rapidement.Au nom de l’exécutif, le conseiller juridique John Sauer a déroulé ses arguments à toute allure.Il a notamment soutenu qu’annuler les droits de douane “nous exposerait à des représailles commerciales impitoyables” de la part des autres pays et “ferait basculer les États-Unis de la puissance à l’échec, avec des conséquences catastrophiques pour l’économie et la sécurité nationale”.Plusieurs juges ont fait part de leur scepticisme, notant que la loi d’urgence (IEEPA) invoquée par le gouvernement ne mentionne pas le pouvoir d’imposer des droits de douane, seulement celui de “réguler les importations et exportations”. “La taxation relève du pouvoir législatif (…) les droits de douane sont des taxes”, a ainsi déclaré la juge progressiste Sonia Sotomayor.Le texte IEEPA “est utilisé pour imposer des droits de douane quel que soit le produit, le pays d’origine, en choisissant le montant et la durée”, a glissé le juge conservateur John Roberts, constatant que cela semblait conférer une “autorité majeure” au président.Avant que le dossier n’arrive entre les mains de la Cour suprême, plusieurs juridictions fédérales ont déclaré illégaux les droits de douane concernés – distincts de ceux frappant des secteurs précis, comme l’automobile ou l’acier. Les surtaxes sont néanmoins restées en vigueur en attendant que la plus haute juridiction du pays tranche.- Le gouvernement fait front -Donald Trump a affirmé mardi que le maintien de ces droits de douane était une “question DE VIE OU DE MORT pour notre pays”.”Sinon, nous serons quasiment sans défense contre les autres pays qui profitent de nous depuis des années”, a-t-il affirmé sur son réseau Truth Social.Il a dépêché des responsables de premier plan dans la salle d’audience.Le ministre des Finances Scott Bessent et le représentant au commerce (rattaché à la Maison Blanche) Jamieson Greer devaient ainsi être présents. Donald Trump décrit depuis des mois les droits de douane – “un des plus beaux mots du dictionnaire” selon lui – comme un couteau suisse.Il se targue de pouvoir ainsi réindustrialiser le pays, réduire son déficit commercial chronique, négocier en position de force avec les autres pays, mais aussi – en imposant des taxes contre le Mexique, le Canada et la Chine – juguler la crise du fentanyl, un puissant opiacé qui tue par overdose des dizaines de milliers d’Américains chaque année.Le président républicain a invoqué la loi d’urgence économique IEEPA de 1977 pour décréter plusieurs salves de droits de douane. Il les a ensuite fait évoluer au fil des négociations ou brouilles avec les autres pays.Des entrepreneurs de taille modeste et des Etats démocrates ont porté le dossier devant la justice, estimant que le président ne pouvait pas empiéter ainsi sur les prérogatives du Congrès pour imposer des taxes qui affectent la vie des entreprises comme des consommateurs américains. “Ces dernières années, la Cour a été réticente à infirmer des décisions présidentielles de cette ampleur”, soulignent les analystes d’ING dans une note mercredi.Ils considèrent toutefois que le sort des droits de douane est difficile à prédire car leur maintien “modifierait l’équilibre des pouvoirs entre le Congrès et le président, renforçant encore davantage l’exécutif”.

US Supreme Court debates legality of Trump’s tariffs

US Supreme Court justices questioned the legality behind a wide swath of Donald Trump’s tariffs on Wednesday, as they began hearing a landmark case that could uphold — or upend — the president’s economic agenda.Billions of dollars in customs revenue and a key lever in Trump’s trade wars are at stake, while the conservative-dominated court once again grapples with the Republican’s attempts to expand presidential power.The high court’s nine justices are considering Trump’s citing of emergency powers to impose so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly every US trade partner, as well as levies targeting Mexico, Canada and China over their alleged roles in illicit drug flows.Opponents argue that such broad tariffs are not permitted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the law Trump cited in rolling out the levies.An important issue before the court is whether the “major questions doctrine” applies. Under the doctrine, Congress has to give clear authorization for policies with significant economic or political consequences. Solicitor General John Sauer, who is arguing on behalf of the Trump administration, fielded questions from several justices on the doctrine and said it did not apply given the president’s inherent, broad range of authorities.He added that one would expect Congress to confer major powers on the president to address foreign international crises.Sauer also made a case that the issue here is not the power to tax but rather, to regulate foreign commerce. The power to impose tariffs, he said, is a “core application” of such authorities.The court’s decision, which could take months to arrive, does not concern sector-specific tariffs Trump separately imposed, including on steel, aluminum and automobiles.Since returning to the White House, Trump has brought the average effective tariff rate to its highest since the 1930s. A lower court ruled in May that he had exceeded his authority, prompting the Supreme Court case.Trump has hyped the case as “one of the most important” in US history and warned of calamity if his tariffs are overturned.- ‘Ringside seat’ -The president floated the provocative idea of attending Wednesday’s court hearing himself but ultimately decided against it, saying he did “not want to distract” from the decision’s importance.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent however told Fox News he planned to “have a ringside seat,” while US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was at the court as well, his office confirmed.When Bessent was asked if his presence could be seen as an intimidation attempt, he said: “I am there to emphasize that this is an economic emergency.””In recent years, the court has been reluctant to overrule presidential decisions of this magnitude,” ING analysts said in a note Wednesday.But they said this case is hard to predict, as “upholding Trump’s tariffs would shift the balance of power from Congress to the President, further enhancing his executive power.”Trump’s administration argues that under the IEEPA, the president can “regulate” trade by unilaterally setting import tax rates.But challengers note the words “tariff” or “tax” do not appear in the statute, and that the US Constitution explicitly grants Congress the power to establish levies.Businesses, lawmakers and former US officials have filed around 40 legal briefs against the president’s global tariffs, while only a few briefs supported his actions.Although Trump’s tariffs have not sparked widespread inflation, companies and particularly small firms say they bear the brunt of higher import costs.Lawyers note that if the top court finds Trump’s global tariffs illegal, the government can tap other laws to impose up to 15 percent tariffs for 150 days, while pursuing pathways for more lasting duties.Countries that have already struck tariff deals with Trump may therefore prefer not to reopen negotiations.

Wall Street stocks rise after positive jobs data

Wall Street stocks pushed higher on Wednesday after better-than-expected jobs data soothed concerns about the US economy.However Asia’s main markets fell sharply, as did Wall Street’s tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index on Tuesday, on fears of an AI bubble following a rally that has propelled valuations to record highs.US private sector employment jumped 42,000 in October, ADP said, rebounding from a loss of 29,000 jobs in September, nearly double the amount forecasted by economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.The ADP figures are likely to attract renewed attention as it is one of the few economic indicators released in recent weeks and will feed into investors’ perceptions of whether the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again in December.Wall Street’s main indices opened broadly flat, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both pushed higher in morning trading.”Once more the wall of buying has come in to take advantage of this latest dip,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at investing and trading platform IG.Global stock markets have soared this year as an eye-watering flood of cash piled into companies linked to artificial intelligence, including US tech titans Nvidia, Amazon and Apple as well as Asian firms Samsung and Alibaba.But despite recent strong earnings, traders have questioned the wisdom of chasing ever-higher prices, with cash mostly funnelled into a handful of big-name companies.However this year’s rally to record high prices has seen investors swarming in to buy any dips in share prices.On Wednesday, shares in the so-called Magnificent Seven tech stocks turned in mixed performances. Microsoft shed one percent, with Amazon and Apple hit by smaller dips.However, shares in AI chipmaker Nvidia, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and Facebook-parent Meta all rose more than one percent.”In early trading during the US session the US tech sector does not look like it is on the cusp of bursting,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, downplaying concerns about a bubble.While high stock valuations are a concern for some companies, she noted that Amazon, Meta and Nvidia have price to earnings ratios lower than their 10-year averages.Investors look to a company’s share price compared to its earnings per share to gauge a stock’s value, with high price to earnings ratios an indication a stock is overvalued.Sentiment was hit also by the US government shutdown, which Wednesday became the longest ever, topping the 35-day record set during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. His administration warned of holiday air-travel chaos and threatened Americans’ benefits in a bid to force a resolution.A total 1.4 million federal workers, from air-traffic controllers to park wardens, are on enforced leave or working without pay. “As well as valuation fears, the US is grappling with a nation in shutdown,” noted Emma Wall, chief investment strategist at Hargreaves Lansdown.”The US is nearing peak travel period, with Thanksgiving later this month. Listed airlines are likely to see share prices fall should flights be cancelled en masse.”But the US jobs data and a survey showing a return to growth in the services sector in October helped dispel concerns the government shutdown was having a large impact on the economy.- Key figures at around 1630 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.1 at 47,135.39 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.5 percent at 6,804.07New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 23,534.32London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 9,777.08 Paris – CAC 40: UP less than 0.1 percent at 8,074.23Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.4 percent at 24,049.74Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.5 percent at 50,212.27 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.1 percent at 25,935.41 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,969.25 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.178 from $1.1479 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3040 from $1.3019Dollar/yen: UP at 154.25 yen from 153.66 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 88.03 pence from 88.17 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $64.50 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $60.62 per barrelburs-rl/tw

‘Hostage diplomacy’: longstanding Iran tactic presenting dilemma for West

Iran since the Islamic revolution has employed the tactic of arresting Westerners in a bid to extract concessions from its foes, in a strategy of “hostage diplomacy” that has long presented Europe and the United States with a dilemma, observers say.Iranian authorities this week released two French nationals, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, from jail in Tehran after more than three years. They had been convicted on charges of espionage but their families said they were innocent tourists unwittingly caught up in a wider game being played out between Tehran and the West.France described the pair, as well as several other French nationals detained in Iran who were recently released, as “state hostages”. Over the last years, dozens of Europeans and Americans have been detained in similar circumstances.The strategy has long antecedents, going back to the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran in November 1979 by Islamist radicals in the wake of the revolution, which saw dozens of Americans held for 444 days into early 1981. “Iran has pursued hostage diplomacy since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979,” said Jason Brodsky, policy director of US-based think tank United Against Nuclear Iran. “It uses hostages as pawns to extract concessions that it could not otherwise achieve from the United States and its allies,” he added.The Islamic republic denies it has any strategy of hostage taking and all foreigners jailed are convicted after due legal process.- ‘Not the only ones’ -Such concessions include unfreezing assets or the release of Iranian nationals convicted in the United States, Europe and elsewhere on charges such as sanctions violations, assassination plots, or terrorism, he said.”What the Iranian regime is practising is state-sponsored hostage taking, also known as hostage diplomacy,” added Daren Nair, a security consultant who has for years campaigned for detainees’ releases worldwide.”And the Iranian regime are not the only ones to do that. The Venezuelans do it, the Russians do it, the Chinese do it,” he added.For Clement Therme, an academic at France’s Universite de Montpellier Paul-Valery, who closely follows the issue, the policy is “a pillar of Iranian foreign policy”.”Over time, there are arrests and releases, during periods of rapprochement and tension. But it’s the intensity that varies, and the practice continues.”The release of Kohler and Paris, who have yet to be allowed to return to France, came after France freed on bail Iranian woman Mahdieh Esfandiari, detained in Paris on charges of spreading terror propaganda. Tehran had explicitly linked the two cases, although the French foreign ministry has declined to comment on any deal.- ‘Piecemeal manner’ -The release of Western nationals detained in similar circumstances over the last years was often timed with Tehran receiving something in return after painstaking and ultra-secret diplomacy.The cases of several British citizens, including dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, were linked to a payment owed by the UK to Iran for tanks ordered by the ousted shah that were never delivered. That debt was eventually settled and Zaghari-Ratcliffe and two other Britons were released in 2022.In 2023, five Americans held in Iran, including the US-Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi who had been imprisoned for eight years, were released in a scheme that saw $6 billion of Iranian assets unfrozen in South Korea.The release of British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert by Iran in 2020 came after Thailand freed three Iranian men jailed over a 2012 bomb plot. But despite the recent releases, others remain held by Tehran, including Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, sentenced to death in 2017 on espionage charges his family vehemently rejects.British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman have been held in Iran since January on espionage charges after Iranian authorities seized the pair while they were on a round-the-world motorbike trip.Brodsky said Europe and the United States should consider imposing a wholesale ban on travel to Iran by their nationals. But he acknowledged too that Washington and its allies had treated “this problem in a piecemeal manner” for too long.”The US government should be working collectively with its allies to impose a range of multinational penalties on the Islamic Republic the moment any hostage from these countries is taken by the Iranian regime — this includes sanctions and diplomatic isolation,” he said.

France moves to suspend Shein website as first store opens in Paris

Shein opened its first physical store worldwide in Paris under the eye of riot police, as the French government said it was suspending the Asian e-commerce giant’s online platform following outrage over its sale of childlike sex dolls.Hundreds of shoppers streamed into Shein’s permanent physical store on the sixth floor of the BHV department store, a landmark that has stood across from Paris City Hall since 1856.Police patrolled the street and put up barriers, keeping nearby protesters from approaching the waiting shoppers. Soon after the launch of the shop, the French government said it was suspending the Shein digital platform until the company complied with French legislation.Despite an uproar in the couture capital over the Asian brand’s fast fashion business model and its environmental impact, the first shoppers queued for hours outside the luxury department store.Some of the crowd — ranging from older couples to mothers with young kids and trendy 20-somethings — said they arrived out of curiosity, while others pointed to the brand’s affordability.”Times have changed, generations have changed,” Mohamed Joullanar, a 30-year-old who already buys from Shein online, told AFP.”I’d never thought of going to BHV before,” the Moroccan masters student told AFP. “I always heard it was expensive, luxury products. But now, thanks to Shein, I’m here.”Hammani Souhaila bought a 16.49-euro ($18.93) T-shirt for her 17-year-old daughter at the store but expressed regret that the Shein items sold at BHV were “more expensive than online”.- ‘Crimes against children’ -Nearby children’s rights activists staged a protest.”We protect Shein and the culture of crimes against children while survivors of childhood sexual violence with their signs are pushed aside,” protester Caroline Di Ruzza from Mouv’Enfants, an association for the protection of children, told AFP.Leftist political groups gave speeches and distributed flyers, including one denouncing “suspected forced labour” and “pollution”, and urging passersby to sign a petition against Shein’s presence in the Paris store.Shein, which was founded in China in 2012 but is now based in Singapore, has faced criticism over working conditions at its factories and the environmental impact of its ultra-fast fashion business model, among other concerns.Its arrival in France has been opposed by politicians, unions and top fashion brands.Just days before the planned opening, a new controversy erupted over the sale of childlike sex dolls on Shein’s platform. The discovery triggered a new political outcry and the opening of a judicial investigation against Shein, and also rival online retailers AliExpress, Temu and Wish, over the sale of the sex dolls.But the queues still formed despite the uproar. “The dolls didn’t stop me from coming,” said Fatima Mriouch, a 48-year-old education worker.  On Wednesday, the government said it was moving to suspend the Shein website in France “for the time necessary for the platform to demonstrate to the public authorities that all of its content is finally in compliance with our laws”.The retailer said it wanted dialogue with the French authorities, and separately said it was suspending products from third-party sellers in France.- Man arrested over childlike doll -In a new development, prosecutors said a man was arrested in southern France after ordering a childlike sex doll from China.The parcel did not come from Shein, prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon told AFP.The man, who was taken into custody, had previously been convicted of sexual assault and “admitted to having ordered the doll for sexual purposes”, prosecutors said.Shein has already pledged to “fully cooperate” with French authorities over the probe into the retailer, and announced it was imposing a ban on all sex dolls.Frederic Merlin, the 34-year-old director of the SGM company that operates BHV, has said he considered pulling the plug on the partnership with Shein but later changed his mind.Merlin, who expressed hope that Shein will help increase footfall at the department store, made an appearance at the entrance shortly before the official opening. Shein is also scheduled to open five shops in other French cities, including Dijon, Grenoble and Reims.ole-hrc-sw-as/sjw/phz