Second-hand clothing platform Vinted is under investigation in France after some user accounts were found to be directing visitors to pornographic content.

France’s Children’s Rights Commissioner Sarah El-Haïry said she had asked watchdog Arcom to examine the allegations first reported in French media.

Vinted, which has 23 million users in France, has no age-verification procedure – meaning children and teenagers could have been exposed to pornographic material without having to show proof they were over 18.

In a statement, the Lithuania-based company said it had a “zero-tolerance policy regarding unsolicited communications of a sexual nature or the promotion of sexual services”.

“All inappropriate and illegal content is removed, and where necessary we take measures against users, including blocking them definitively from our site,” it was cited as saying by the AFP news agency.

Vinted is taking the situation “very seriously”, it added.

Reports first surfaced after some sellers showing photographs of swimwear or lingerie were found to be luring viewers to their personal pages on adult platforms such as OnlyFans.

“Predators have been using the sale of ordinary items of clothing to direct people to porn sites,” El-Haïry said.

France has recently issued warnings to other global e-commerce platforms, including Shein – headquartered in Singapore – after products including childlike sex dolls appeared in their marketing listings.

French officials say the case against Shein forms part of a wider investigation into other major e-commerce platforms accused of allowing illicit products to be sold online.

Paris prosecutors are examining whether Shein, AliExpress, Temu and Wish breached laws relating to violent, pornographic or “undignified” content accessible to minors.

Shein and AliExpress are also being investigated specifically over the alleged dissemination of child-related pornographic material. The cases have been referred to the Paris Office des Mineurs, which handles offences involving the protection of children.

Shein has already banned the sale of all sex dolls on its platform worldwide and says it is permanently blocking seller accounts linked to the items.

The French consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, said descriptions of the dolls left “little doubt as to their child-pornography nature”.

India is set to benefit modestly from the United States’ decision to withdraw reciprocal tariffs on a set of agricultural products, including tea, coffee and spices, the commerce ministry said on Monday, PTI reported. The tariff exemptions, announced through a White House Executive Order on November 12, took effect the next day.The move rolls back duties imposed under the April 2 reciprocal tariff regime and covers a wide range of items — coffee, tea, tropical fruits, fruit juices, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, beef and certain fertilisers. Officials said the change creates a level playing field for Indian exporters in categories where the country ships over USD 1 billion worth of goods each year, including spices, tea, coffee, fruits, nuts, processed foods, essential oils and edible roots.“Now our exports will have a level playing field,” Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain told reporters.However, independent assessments suggest the boost for India could be limited. Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) co-founder Ajay Srivastava noted that India has little presence in several of the largest exempted lines such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, melons, bananas and most fresh fruits and juices.He said India may see marginal gains in spices and niche horticulture, but the larger beneficiaries of the US move will likely be Latin American, African and ASEAN exporters unless India strengthens cold-chain capacity, scales up production and broadens its agricultural export basket.

New Delhi: The Central government on Monday announced a 26 percent hike in advertisement rates for print media and introduced a premium for colour advertisements, aiming to strengthen the sector amid rising costs and growing competition from digital platforms.

As per the revised structure, black-and-white advertisement rates for newspapers with a circulation of one lakh copies have been increased from Rs 47.40 to Rs 59.68 per sq. cm. The government has also accepted the committee’s recommendations on offering premium rates for colour ads and preferential placement, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry noted that higher government ad rates will provide crucial revenue support to newspapers, helping them sustain operations, maintain quality journalism, and promote local news coverage at a time when input costs—particularly newsprint—have surged.

Strengthening financial stability, the statement added, will enable print media organisations to invest in better content and continue serving the public interest effectively.

The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), the nodal agency for government publicity across media platforms, last revised print advertisement rates in January 2019 based on the recommendations of the 8th Rate Structure Committee, with the rates valid for three years.

To review the structure afresh, the 9th Rate Structure Committee, chaired by AS&FA (I&B), was set up on November 11, 2021. Between November 2021 and August 2023, the committee engaged with major associations representing small, medium and large newspapers—including the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), All India Small Newspapers Association (AISNA), and Small-Medium-Big Newspapers Society (SMBNS).

The panel examined key cost factors such as WPI inflation in newsprint, imported newsprint prices, wage costs, general inflation trends, and other production-related expenses before submitting its recommendations on September 23, 2023.

According to the government, the upward revision of advertisement rates brings print media compensation closer to market realities and acknowledges its continued relevance in a diversified media ecosystem. The move, it added, will help improve the reach and effectiveness of government communication efforts across the country.