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France’s anti-fraud unit said on Saturday it had reported Asian e-commerce giant Shein for selling what it described as “sex dolls with a childlike appearance”.The DGCCRF watchdog said in a statement that the “description and categorisation” of the items on Shein’s website “make it difficult to doubt the child pornography nature of the content”.Shortly after the statement, Shein announced that the dolls in question had been withdrawn from its platform and that it had launched an internal inquiry.On its website, the Le Parisien daily published a photo of one of the dolls sold on the platform, accompanied by an explicitly sexual caption.The dolls measure around 80 centimetres (30 inches) in height. In the photo, it was pictured holding a teddy bear.”Imagine a child randomly clicking on and coming across these products while browsing the site looking for a doll,” DGCCRF official Alice Vilcot-Dutarte was quoted as saying by Le Parisien.The news comes in the wake of Shein’s announcement in October that it intended to set up shop in a prestigious department store in central Paris — its first physical outlet.Its outlet is due to open on Wednesday at BHV Marais, an iconic building that has stood across from Paris City Hall since 1856.That decision provoked outrage among other clients of the upmarket store, BHV Marais, with some top fashion brands pulling their products from its shelves.- Three fines in France -Shein, which was originally founded in China, has faced consistent criticism over working conditions at its factories and the environmental impact of its ultra-fast fashion business model. Yet the company, now headquartered in Singapore, has seen its share value skyrocket while overtaking many traditional fixtures of high street shopping in recent years.The DGCCRF warned that “the dissemination, via an electronic communications network, of child pornography is punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 euros ($116,000)”.It said it had reported the case to French prosecutors and to Arcom, France’s online and broadcasting regulator.France has already fined Shein three times in 2025 for a total of 191 million euros.Those were imposed for failing to comply with online cookie legislation, false advertising, misleading information and not declaring the presence of plastic microfibres in its products.The European Commission is also investigating Shein over risks linked to illegal products, while EU lawmakers have approved legislation aimed at curbing the environmental impact of fast fashion.

China said on Saturday it will exempt some Nexperia chips from an export ban that was imposed over a row with Dutch officials and has alarmed European businesses.Anxiety over chip shortages began when the Netherlands invoked a Cold War-era law in late September to effectively take control of Nexperia, whose parent company Wingtech is backed by the Chinese government.China, in response, banned any re-exports of Nexperia chips to Europe and accused the United States of meddling in Dutch legal procedures to remove Nexperia’s Chinese CEO.Beijing blamed what it said on Saturday was “the Dutch government’s improper intervention in the internal affairs of enterprises” for leading to “the current chaos in the global supply chain”.”We will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria,” a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement, without offering specifics.The resumption of some Nexperia shipments was part of a trade deal agreed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump after talks in South Korea on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified sources.Chinese and European Union officials were also to discuss Nexperia while meeting in Brussels, EU spokesman Olof Gill had said.Those talks on Friday were “a welcome opportunity for both sides to update on… the introduction and implementation of export controls”, Gill said in a statement on Saturday.The discussions covered “controls on rare earth elements introduced or proposed by China, as well as an update on controls and developments on the EU side”, he said.The statement did not mention Nexperia specifically.Separately, Berlin welcomed Beijing’s move as a “positive sign” on Saturday.”The latest reports from China are positive initial signs of an easing of tensions,” an economy ministry spokesman told AFP.He stressed that “a final assessment” of the implications of Beijing’s announcement was not yet possible.- Automaker anxiety -Nexperia produces relatively simple technologies such as diodes, voltage regulators and transistors that are nonetheless crucial as vehicles increasingly rely on electronics.Its chips are mainly found in cars but also in a wide range of industrial components, as well as consumer and mobile electronics such as refrigerators.The company makes them in Europe before sending them to China for finishing and then re-exporting them back to European clients.European carmakers and parts suppliers had warned of shortages of chips supplied by Nexperia that would force stoppages at production lines in Europe.The chipmaker supplies 49 percent of the electronic components used in the European automotive industry, according to German financial daily Handelsblatt.The European auto lobby ACEA warned last month that production would be seriously hit.Nexperia’s chips, while widely used, are not “unique” in terms of technology and therefore “easily substitutable”, French parts maker OPmobility said.However, suppliers must get the new products approved by automakers, which takes time.Beijing suggested on Saturday that some shipments would resume.Companies experiencing difficulties could contact the commerce ministry or local authorities, the Chinese spokesperson said.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted Xi Jinping for their first meeting on Saturday as the Chinese head of state took centre stage and reforged old ties at an Asian summit from which US leader Donald Trump was largely absent.The talks on the sidelines of the APEC gathering came on the final day of Xi’s first trip to South Korea in more than a decade and a day after his meeting with Canada’s premier reset damaged ties.Trump flew to South Korea for the summit but promptly jetted home on Thursday after sealing a trade war pause with Xi, the pair agreeing to dial down a dispute that has roiled markets and disrupted global supply chains.His departure left the Chinese leader to take centre stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he framed Beijing as a responsible power against the chaos unleashed by the United States on the international order.Lee welcomed Xi at a grand opening ceremony complete with soldiers wearing traditional garb.The visit was the Chinese leader’s first since 2014 and comes after years of strained ties over everything from trade to cultural disputes.Lee told Xi he had “long looked forward to meeting you in person” and framed his trip as a reset in relations.”As our two countries move from a vertical structure of economic cooperation to a more horizontal and mutually beneficial one, we must work together to build a relationship that delivers shared prosperity,” Lee told Xi, whose vast economy represents South Korea’s largest trading partner.Xi, in turn, described China and South Korea as “important neighbours that cannot be moved and also partners that cannot be separated”.He told Lee that the two countries should “respect each other’s societal differences and development paths… (and) resolve contradictions and disagreements through friendly consultation”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.- Rekindle ties -Lee also pitched China as a partner in Seoul’s efforts to rekindle frayed ties with North Korea, with which it remains technically at war.Stressing the need for “stability” in the region, Lee noted “recent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea” — an apparent reference to leader Kim Jong Un’s recent attendance at a major military parade in Beijing.Those meetings, Lee said, “are helping to create conditions for renewed engagement with Pyongyang”.”I hope that South Korea and China will strengthen strategic communication… and work together to resume dialogue with the North,” Lee told Xi.Ahead of their meeting, Pyongyang had dismissed Seoul’s hopes for denuclearisation as a “pipedream” which “can never be realized even if it talks about it a thousand times”.South Korea’s national security advisor Wi Sung-lac said Xi reaffirmed to Lee that China “would continue efforts to help resolve issues and promote peace and stability on the Korean peninsula”.During Xi’s visit Seoul said South Korea and China had renewed their 70 trillion won ($49 billion) currency swap agreement for another five years, and hoped the deal would “help stabilise the financial and foreign exchange markets of both countries”.The two countries also signed several MOUs, including on a joint response to voice phishing and online scams, Seoul said.- Passing the baton -Lee earlier passed the APEC baton to Xi, who will host next year’s summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.With the US president absent, Xi has used APEC to reach out to countries with which Beijing has had frosty relations.He met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the event on Friday, the first formal talks between the two countries’ leaders since 2017.Xi told the Liberal leader he was determined to work together to get relations back on the “right track” and invited Carney to visit China.Carney described the meeting as a “turning point” in ties between Ottawa and Beijing.Canada’s relations with China are among the worst of any Western nation.However, they could find common ground because they are both at the sharp end of Trump’s tariff onslaught, even after Xi and the US leader’s deal on Thursday to dial back tensions.Carney said on Saturday he had apologised to Trump over an anti-tariff ad featuring former US leader Ronald Reagan that sent the president into a rage, leading him to cancel trade talks and slap additional 10 percent tariffs on Canada.Trade talks would restart when the United States was “ready”, Carney said.And, he said, he had accepted Xi’s invitation to visit “in the new year”.Xi also sat down on Friday with Japan’s new premier Sanae Takaichi, long seen as a China hawk.She told Xi she wanted a “strategic and mutually beneficial relationship”.

Bangladesh’s dock workers escalated a strike on Saturday at the country’s biggest port, Chattogram, protesting plans by the interim government to lease operating licences to a foreign company.The walkout, which began in small numbers in October, has now grown to around 200 workers at the port — Bangladesh’s main trade gateway and a vital hub in the global garment supply chain.”Foreign expert operators would increase the foreign investment and enhance the efficiency,” Chattogram Port Authority chairman S. M. Moniruzzaman told AFP.Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter, relies heavily on Chattogram port — formerly known as Chittagong and strategically located on the Bay of Bengal — for most of its imports and exports.According to state-run news agency BSS, UAE-based DP World has expressed interest in operating the port’s New Mooring Container Terminal, and Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk in the Laldia Container Terminal on the city’s outskirts.In October, Mohammed Yousuf, senior secretary at the Ministry of Shipping, said that “agreements are expected to be signed by December” with Bangladesh’s interim administration.The interim administration, which took over after the government of Sheikh Hasina was toppled in a mass uprising in August 2024, will be replaced after elections in February.The port move has sparked anger among some.”We don’t know if the new authority will hire us or restructure the entire system,” striking docker Nur Uddin, 55, told AFP on Saturday. “Do they even have the mandate? They are an interim government,” said Iliyas Bhuiyan, 56, another dockworker.But supporters say foreign expertise could modernise operations.”We need a globally reputed operator to increase the port’s capacity,” said Kabir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA).”It will enhance cargo handling, boost revenue, and strengthen the country’s reputation.”But critics argue that leasing the facilities undermines control.”It makes no sense to lease the terminals that we developed and have been operating for the past 40 years,” said Azam J. Chowdhury, chairman of the Bangladesh Ocean Going Ship Owners’ Association (BOGSOA).

China’s decision to impose export controls on rare earths was a “mistake” and drew attention to Beijing’s ability to use them as a coercive tool, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview published Saturday.Beijing announced new controls in October on exports of technologies related to rare earths, crucial for manufacturing in defence, automobile, consumer electronics and other industries.The restrictions were a major sticking point in trade negotiations between Beijing and Washington, and China said it would halt them after presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump met this week.In an interview with the Financial Times, Bessent said: “China has alerted everyone to the danger. They’ve made a real mistake.””It’s one thing to put the gun on the table. It’s another thing to fire shots in the air,” Bessent said.Xi and Trump met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the South Korea this week.Following the talks, China said it would suspend certain export restrictions, including on rare-earth materials, for one year.The controls had rattled markets and snarled supply chains in the strategic sector, a key source of international leverage for Beijing.Bessent told the FT that China would not be able to pull the same move again, saying: “We have offsetting measures.””I think the Chinese leadership were slightly alarmed by the global backlash to their export controls,” he said.

China said Saturday it will exempt some Nexperia chips from an export ban that has alarmed European businesses, days after trade talks between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.Anxiety over chip shortages began when Dutch officials invoked a Cold War-era law in late September to effectively take control of Nexperia, whose parent company Wingtech is backed by the Chinese government.China in response banned any re-exports of Nexperia chips to Europe and accused the United States of meddling in Dutch legal procedures to remove Nexperia’s Chinese CEO.”We will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria,” a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.The resumption of some Nexperia shipments was part of a trade deal agreed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump after talks in South Korea on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported citing unnamed sources.Chinese and European Union officials were also to discuss Nexperia while meeting in Brussels the same day, EU spokesman Olof Gill had said.Nexperia produces relatively simple technologies such as diodes, voltage regulators and transistors that are nonetheless crucial, as vehicles increasingly rely on electronics.The chips are mainly found in cars but also in a wide range of industrial components as well as consumer and mobile electronics like refrigerators.The company makes them in Europe before sending them to China for finishing and then re-exporting them back to European clients.- Automaker anxiety -European carmakers and parts suppliers had warned of chip shortages supplied by Nexperia that would force stoppages at production lines in Europe.The chipmaker supplies 49 percent of the electronic components used in the European automotive industry, according to German financial daily Handelsblatt.The European auto lobby ACEA warned last month that production would be seriously hit.”Without these chips, European automotive suppliers cannot build the parts and components needed to supply vehicle manufacturers and this therefore threatens production stoppages,” the group said.Nexperia’s chips, while widely used, are not “unique” in terms of technology and therefore “easily substitutable”, French parts maker OPmobility said.But suppliers must get the new products approved by automakers, which takes time.Beijing suggested on Saturday some shipments would resume.Companies who were experiencing difficulties could contact the ministry or local commerce authorities, the Chinese ministry spokesperson said.

The G7 announced two dozen new projects Friday aimed at reducing China’s dominance of critical mineral supply chains, as Canada’s energy minister vowed the alliance was “serious” about reforming the global market. The deals, announced as Group of Seven energy ministers concluded a meeting in Toronto, involve a range of metals essential to high-tech products, including the rare earth materials where China has built outsized control.The initial steps taken by the newly launched G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance “sends the world a very clear message,” Canada’s Energy Minister Tim Hodgson told reporters.”We are serious about reducing market concentration and dependencies,” he said, referencing China. Ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States met in Toronto after US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping reached a deal that will see Beijing suspend certain rare earth export restrictions for at least one year.Rare earths are needed to make the magnets used in a range of sophisticated products, and the prospect of China limiting exports had rattled markets.China has overwhelming dominance in the processing of rare earths, and Hodgson conceded that broadening supply chains would take time. He said the goal was building systems that stretch from “from mine to magnet.””That doesn’t exist in the West today…It will take time,” he said. The 26 projects announced include partnerships across the G7 and its allies, but the United States has not initially signed on to a specific arrangement. – Non-market tactics -By US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who attended the meeting, had earlier told reporters that Trump’s administration was in full alignment with G7 allies on countering China’s market influence. There was “no disagreement within the group,” Wright said. He also said the G7 will have to use “non-market” tactics to counter China’s position.”China, frankly, just used non-market practices to squish the rest of the world out of manufacturing those products, so it got strategic leverage. Everybody sees that now,” Wright told reporters.”We need to establish our own ability to mine, process, refine, and create the products that come out of rare earth elements,” Wright said.”We’re going to have to intervene and use some non-market forces.”Repeating a widely shared accusation made against Beijing, Wright said China had used its rare earth stockpiles to manipulate global prices.”As soon as you start to invest, someone floods the market and crushes the prices. (China has) chilled investments,” he said.

Wall Street stocks rebounded on Friday as investors welcomed strong earnings reports by Amazon and Apple.But Europe and Asian stock markets mostly fell at the end of a fluctuating week as traders reacted to company earnings, central bank decisions and a tentative US-China trade truce.Wall Street had ended lower on Thursday, with bloated AI spending by Meta reviving worries among investors. But US stocks rebounded Friday, boosted by Amazon reporting better-than-expected earnings that were driven by surging demand for its cloud computing services. Shares of Amazon finished up 9.6 percent.Apple also posted quarterly sales that beat estimates, powered by iPhone and services revenue, while Netflix shares jumped after it announced a 10-for-one stock split.”Investors remain bullish thanks to strong gains across tech and semiconductor stocks driven by optimism over the future of artificial intelligence,” said David Morrison, senior market analyst at financial services provider Trade Nation.Investor confidence in artificial intelligence lifted markets at the start of the week, pushing Nvidia to become the first firm with a $5 trillion market value and sending several stock markets to record highs.Sentiment was further boosted by a detente in the US-China trade war which has shaken global markets, although momentum faded as the two sides stopped short of producing a signed agreement.While the Fed on Wednesday cut interest rates as expected, Chairman Jerome Powell’s follow-up comments that another reduction by the end of the year was not guaranteed dampened sentiment as investors had been expecting another cut at the US central bank meeting in December.The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan held their rates steady Thursday.The ECB’s stance was reinforced by data Friday showing inflation eased closer to the central bank’s two-percent target in October. European stocks ended the day lower.In Asia, Tokyo’s main benchmark gained more than two percent on Friday while Seoul added half a percent, with both reaching record closes.Japan’s climb came despite a plunge in Nissan shares after the auto giant said it expected to suffer an operating loss in its current fiscal year ending in March.- Key figures at around 2010 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 47,562.87 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 6,840.20 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 23,724.96 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4 percent at 9,717.25 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.4 percent at 8,121.07 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.7 at 23,958.30 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.1 percent at 52,411.34 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 25,906.65 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,954.79 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1527 from $1.1565 on ThursdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3139 from $1.3151Dollar/yen: DOWN at 154.11 yen from 154.13 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.74 from 87.94 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.7 percent at $60.98 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $65.07 per barrelburs-jmb/iv

Wall Street stocks moved higher on Friday as investors welcomed strong earnings reports by Amazon and Apple.But Europe and Asian stock markets mostly fell at the end of a fluctuating week as traders reacted to company earnings, central bank decisions and a tentative US-China trade truce.Wall Street had ended lower on Thursday, with bloated AI spending by Meta reviving worries among investors. But after trading ended sentiment was boosted by Amazon reporting better-than-expected earnings driven by surging demand for its cloud computing services.Apple also posted quarterly sales that beat estimates, powered by iPhone and services revenue.The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jump 1.5 percent at the open of trading on Friday in New York as Amazon shares soared more than 11 percent.”Investors remain bullish thanks to strong gains across tech and semiconductor stocks driven by optimism over the future of artificial intelligence,” said David Morrison, senior market analyst at financial services provider Trade Nation.While Wall Street’s main indices gave up some of their gains as the day wore on, Amazon shares were still up over 10 percent in early afternoon trading.Shares in Apple were 0.6 percent higher.Shares in AI chipmaker Nvidia gained 2.1 percent after it said on Friday it will supply 260,000 of its most cutting-edge chips to South Korea.Investor confidence in artificial intelligence lifted markets at the start of the week, pushing Nvidia to become the first firm with a $5 trillion market value and sending several stock markets to record highs.Sentiment was further boosted by a detente in the US-China trade war that has shaken global markets, though momentum faded as the two sides stopped short of producing a signed agreement.While the Fed on Wednesday cut interest rates as expected, Powell’s follow-up comments that another reduction by the end of the year was not guaranteed dampened sentiment as investors had been expecting another cut at the US central bank meeting in December.The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan held their rates steady Thursday.The ECB’s stance was reinforced by data Friday showing inflation eased closer to the central bank’s two-percent target in October. European stocks ended the day lower.In Asia, Tokyo’s main benchmark gained more than two percent on Friday while Seoul added half a percent, with both reaching record closes.Japan’s climb came despite a plunge in Nissan shares after the auto giant said it expected to suffer an operating loss in its current fiscal year ending in March.- Key figures at around 1630 GMT -New York – Dow: FLAT at 47,532.45 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.3 percent at 6,840.17New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 23,736.34 London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0. percent at 9, (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0. percent at 8, (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0. at 24, (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.1 percent at 52,411.34 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 25,906.65 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,954.79 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1537 from $1.1564 on ThursdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3135 from $1.3142Dollar/yen: UP at 154.13 yen from 154.06 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.83 from 87.98 penceWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $60.57 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at $64.32 per barrelburs-rl/st

G7 countries will have to use “non-market” tactics to curb China’s dominance in rare earth production, the US energy secretary said Friday, calling the effort a “strategic necessity.”Energy ministers from the Group of Seven meeting in Toronto this week are working on a coordinated effort to diversify supply chains of the materials vital to high-tech products, where China has built outsized control.”China, frankly, just used non-market practices to squish the rest of the world out of manufacturing those products, so it got strategic leverage. Everybody sees that now,” US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters.”We need to establish our own ability to mine, process, refine, and create the products that come out of rare earth elements,” Wright said.”We’re going to have to intervene and use some non-market forces.”Repeating a widely shared accusation made against Beijing, Wright said China had used its rare earth stockpiles to manipulate global prices.”As soon as you start to invest, someone floods the market and crushes the prices. (China has) chilled investments,” he said.Wright did not specify what type of non-market practices President Donald Trump’s administration would support.But experts have called on the G7 and its allies to back policies that favor suppliers which bypass Chinese-controlled firms and use public subsidies to support new initiatives that could broaden the market. Energy ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States are meeting in Toronto after Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping reached a deal that will see Beijing suspend certain rare earth export restrictions for at least one year.Rare earths are needed to make a range of sophisticated products, and the prospect of China limiting exports had rattled markets.Trump’s tariffs have strained relations within the G7, but Wright said there was “no disagreement within the group” on the need to diversify rare earth supply chains.Canada’s Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, who is hosting the meeting which ends on Friday, said the G7 is aiming to launch a new alliance to upend the global supply of critical minerals, including rare earths.The alliance would mobilize private investment and advance other policies to expand critical mineral production that bypasses China.