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Senator in Australia suspended for wearing burka in parliament

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An Australian senator has been suspended for a week after wearing a burka in parliament to push for a ban on the Muslim garment.

Pauline Hanson was condemned by fellow senators – and later formally censured – for the stunt on Monday, with one colleague accusing her of “blatant racism”.

The Queensland senator, of the anti-immigration One Nation party, was seeking to introduce a bill that would outlaw full face coverings in public – a policy she has long campaigned for.

It is the second time she has worn the garment – which covers the face and body – in parliament, and said her actions were in protest at the senate rejecting her bill.

Shortly after other lawmakers blocked her from introducing the bill on Monday, she returned wearing a black burka.

“This is a racist senator, displaying blatant racism,” said Mehreen Faruqi, a Muslim Greens senator whom the Federal Court last year found was a victim of racial discrimination by Hanson – a judgement the latter is currently appealing.

Fatima Payman, an independent senator from the state of Western Australia, called the stunt “disgraceful”.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who serves as leader of the government in the senate, on Tuesday moved a motion to censure Hanson, claiming she “has been parading prejudice as protest for decades”.

The motion, which passed 55 votes to five, states that Hanson’s actions were “intended to vilify and mock people on the basis of their religion” and were “disrespectful to Muslim Australians”.

Wong earlier argued Hanson was “not worthy of a member of the Australian senate”.

In a post on Facebook, Hanson wrote: “If they don’t want me wearing it – ban the burka.”

She previously wore a burka to parliament in 2017, also calling for a national ban at the time.

In 2016, Hanson was criticised for her maiden speech to the Australian senate, in which she said the country was in danger of being “swamped by Muslims”.

It echoed her controversial first speech to the House of Representatives, made in 1996, in which she warned that the country was in danger of being “swamped by Asians”.

Syfe CEO emphasizes the importance of trust for fintech founders to unlock sector’s full potential

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The fintech industry moved into the modern era from something deeper than just better technology. The Global Financial Crisis of 2008 triggered a crisis of trust. For millions of consumers and businesses, the crisis revealed a need for greater transparency. A new generation of financial services companies–fintechs–stepped into the gap promoting not just efficiency and lower costs, but transparency and accessibility as well.

This approach has delivered real results: The International Monetary Fund finds that digital finance not only increases financial inclusion, but is also associated with higher GDP growth and, in turn, helps create a more equitable global financial system.

The fintech industry has now matured, as shown by successful industry forums like the Singapore Fintech Festival and Hong Kong Fintech Week. The question has changed: It’s no longer whether fintech can disrupt; it’s whether fintech can build enough trust to manage and move the world’s money, and achieve the sector’s full potential? 

I believe we’re at a crucial inflection point. Fintech’s potential—business, social and economic—depends entirely on earning people’s trust to bring more of them, and their finances, into the system. 

Now is the greatest opportunity

Fintech is in the middle of a turbo-charged era: AI-driven efficiencies and personalization, instant decentralized settlements, and a fully digital wealth management experience, all unthinkable a decade ago, are now on the way. 

Basic trust has already been established. One example: across age groups, new technologies have significantly reduced the need for physical cash, if not made it near-nonexistent, in many economies. 

Yet it’s a substantial leap to go from trusting a platform to make a simple payment to trusting it to manage your retirement savings. As technologies grow more powerful and personal, trust is increasingly the gatekeeper to further adoption. The greater responsibility raises the bar for trust in complex financial systems and puts pressure on companies to demonstrate transparency. 

As algorithms and technology become more sophisticated, customers must understand exactly how decisions are made, where their money is held, and how their data is used. If fintechs cannot bridge the gap between these rapid advancements and clear, jargon-free information and education, mass adoption will falter. 

The limitation won’t be the technology itself, but the lack of public trust, which ultimately constrains the industry’s potential to improve financial health and inclusion. 

After all, a crisis of confidence can erase decades of work in mere days—just think back to 2023 and the Silicon Valley Bank crisis. Trust has to be consciously engineered into every platform layer.

Engineering trust into the business model

In an industry where relationships with users are largely digital, trust must be engineered through design. This requires modern fintech platforms to be built on three non-negotiable pillars:

First, fintechs must continue to open up access to their services. Platforms must lower traditional barriers to entry—high minimums, complex processes, early redemption fees and the like—to ensure that no one is excluded from wealth creation. 

Second, platforms must offer their users guidance. Financial confidence comes from clarity, not endless choice. Platforms must combine digital simplicity with human reassurance and expertise when needed. 

At Syfe, we’ve tried to put human expertise front and center, such as by offering discretionary management by our in-house experts on Managed Portfolios, but scaling it with technology for maximum reach. The personalized stock updates, powered by AI, are a good example of that process in action. 

Fintechs also need to build financial literacy, which remains a significant challenge even in advanced markets. Take Singapore: A Fidelity International found that just 22% of its residents felt confident about their ability to invest money. Education and jargon-free information are essential ingredients to empower people to build a better financial future.

Finally, fintech platforms must be affordable. It sends a clear signal: That they succeed only when their customers do. In an industry where hidden fees can erode confidence, cost efficiency ensures that technology can scale access without exploiting customers. 

Putting trust at the center of a business is the only sustainable growth strategy, and not just a moral stance. Customers who feel empowered and secure are more likely to recommend a service to others, stay through market volatility, and continue to adopt new products.

The imperative over the next decade is clear. If fintech is to fulfil its promise of democratizing access to better financial outcomes, it must make trust the organizing principle of its business. This requires investment, patience, and the courage to trade short-term disruption for long-term credibility. Trust will be the hardest metric to win, but it’ll be the one that will matter most.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

Fortune just hosted the Fortune Innovation Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where business leaders and policymakers from around the region debated and discussed strategies for a world marked by AI, protectionism, and geopolitical tensions. Check out our mainstrage sessions here and oureditorial coverage here!

Jamaican Reggae Legend Jimmy Cliff Passes Away

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new video loaded: Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican Reggae Icon, Is Dead

transcript

transcript

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican Reggae Icon, Is Dead

Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican reggae singer who helped popularize the genre around the world with songs like “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “The Harder They Come,” has died. He was 81.

Music is like air that we breathe. And once it’s there, everybody breathes it. The industry, to me, is the first time I came out of my mother’s womb. And I say [screaming] — and I started making my sound and I never stopped. Music can highlight awareness. And from that awareness, people can take some kind of action to better the situation. I think that’s the role music has played through the ages. And I think it’s the role that it is playing now. And I think that is the role that it can play.

Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican reggae singer who helped popularize the genre around the world with songs like “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “The Harder They Come,” has died. He was 81.

By Chevaz Clarke

November 24, 2025

One of Suno’s newest investors will catch the attention of the music industry…

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Suno, one of the AI music generation platforms facing legal battles with copyright holders, announced last Wednesday (November 19) that it had raised $250 million in a Series C funding round that valued the company at a jaw-dropping $2.45 billion.

The lead investor was Menlo Ventures, a long-running venture capital fund that helped fund numerous known tech brands like Roku and Hotmail (before it was acquired by Microsoft), and more recently turned its focus on AI companies like Anthropic.

But another, less-mentioned, investor could be of more interest to the music business – because of what its involvement means for the music industry’s relationship with AI.

That investor is Hallwood Media, the music company founded in 2020 by Neil Jacobson, the former President of Universal Music Group’s Geffen Records.

In an Instagram post published over the weekend, Danny Jacobson, Hallwood’s Head of A&R, wrote: “Meet Hallwood Media Ventures (HMV). And if you’re not familiar with SUNO, please meet one of the most important companies in music (and the fastest growing tool/workstation for Songwriters, Producers and Artists). We’re proud to have participated through their recent Series C round.”

In addition to Managing Partners Todd Lowen and Neil Jacobson, Hallwood Media Ventures, the company’s investment arm, is led by a few other UMG alumni, including Universal’s ex-CFO Chuck Ciongoli and ex-EVP Mike Biggane, who also served as Spotify’s Head of Global Curation.

Another team member listed on Hallwood Media Ventures’ website, who’ll be familiar to many in the music industry, is Paul Hourican, formerly Global Head of Music Operations at TikTok.

Simply put, Hallwood is staffed by some very well-connected music insiders – and the company is all in on AI-generated music. Earlier this year, it established itself as a trailblazer in the legitimization of AI music within the industry when it signed Imoliver to a record contract.

Why is that a big deal? Because Imoliver isn’t an artist – or at least not the way most people would think of a music artist. He is the most-streamed “music designer” (to use Hallwood’s term) on Suno’s AI platform, who  “uses the AI-powered platform to develop his lush sonic landscapes.”

“It’s a sign the industry is ready to embrace new ideas and new ways of creating,” Imoliver said. “This isn’t about replacing artists, it’s about expanding what’s possible.”

Perhaps more alarming to traditional artists is what Neil Jacobson had to say about the deal.

“Imoliver represents the future of our medium,” Jacobson declared.

“Imoliver represents the future of our medium.”

Neil Jacobson, Hallwood Media

Those who fear AI is a threat to the music industry can take some heart in the fact that Imoliver  – now a verified artist on Spotify – has so far struggled to wow audiences in the broader music world like he did on Suno’s platform.

His label debut single, Stone, has clocked around 13,500 plays in the month it’s been out – far short of the 3 million-plus plays it clocked on the Suno platform.

But another Hallwood-signed act, the AI-generated Xania Monet, recently became the first “AI-powered artist” to chart on one of Billboard’s airplay charts.

Both the Xania Monet avatar and her music are AI inventions, the work of Telisha “Nikki” Jones, who fed a poem she wrote into – you guessed it – Suno, and out came How Was I Supposed To Know?, which went viral on TikTok before it hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart. It even reached No. 20 on the Hot R&B Songs chart, though it fell out of that chart in its second week.

Xania Monet now has 1.4 million monthly listeners in Spotify, where How Was I Supposed To Know? has cracked 7 million streams.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Jones explained that she used Suno to put her poem to music because her singing voice, in her estimation, isn’t up to the task.

“I grew up singing in church, but I can’t do vocals as powerful as what I created with Xania,” she said.

On the back of her chart success, Jones scored a reported multi-million-dollar record deal. Who with?

Hallwood Media.

The reaction from some corners of music and media was swift and unequivocal.

In a post on TikTok, singer Kehlani declared that “no one will ever be able to justify AI to me… I’m sorry, I don’t respect it.” The Guardian, meanwhile, described Xania Monet as “the latest digital nightmare to emerge from a hellscape of AI content production.”

There’s also the fact that Suno is facing multiple copyright infringement lawsuits over its alleged use of copyrighted music to train its AI models.

If the copyright holders are right about that (and they almost certainly are, given that Suno has pretty much admitted to using copyrighted music without authorization), then these Hallwood-signed artists have created music using a technology that ripped off other artists, without credit, permission, or payment.


Meanwhile, AI music is beginning to break into the wider music scene.

As MBW reported earlier this year, some AI “artists” are generating big numbers on streaming services. Country act Aventhis, with songs created by Suno and Riffusion, has around 1.3 million listeners on Spotify, while The Devil Inside has around 250,000 – down from 700,000 earlier this year.

And there are plenty of others. In an article published at the end of last month, Billboard counted six AI artists to have broken onto its charts in the just prior few months.

But the question remains: How large is the market for AI music? Hallwood is clearly betting that it’s large enough to justify seven-figure record deals – and an investment in a legally questionable business model.

Yet on a recent earnings call, UMG Executive Vice-President and Chief Digital Officer Michael Nash said the company’s research showed a limited appetite for AI-generated artists among listeners.

“The readout was 50% of music consumers are very interested in AI in relationship to the music,” Nash said.

“But that’s in relationship to their music experience. The thing that ranks the lowest is artist simulation, what we would call ‘fake artists’. And you’re seeing there’s a lack of traction around that other than the occasional novelty phenomenon that may capture some headlines.

“That’s not what fans are interested in.”

“You’re seeing there’s a lack of traction around [AI artists] other than the occasional novelty phenomenon that may capture some headlines. That’s not what fans are interested in.”

Michael Nash, Universal Music Group

It may turn out to be that AI-generated artists are just a “novelty phenomenon,” but one thing that appears to be here to stay is the licensing of AI music generators.

In recent weeks, Udio settled its copyright lawsuits with both UMG and Warner Music Group, with both companies striking licensing deals with the AI company for a platform set to launch in 2026. Udio’s UMG announcement mentioned that Udio will become a “walled garden,” with its music shareable only on the platform.

Given the recent investments and signings by Hallwood, it seems Suno isn’t headed in the same direction.

From one perspective, the recent licensing deals between major record companies and AI platforms are a sign that AI developers are growing up, and finally deciding to do things the legitimate way. But from another perspective, we are witnessing the legitimization of AI-generated music, and its induction into the music industry proper.

Concerns of human artists about AI aren’t likely to go away anytime soon.Music Business Worldwide

Trump orders Muslim Brotherhood branches to be designated as ‘terrorist’ groups in new blacklist | Latest updates on Muslim Brotherhood

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White House cites groups’ alleged support for Hamas, accusing them of waging campaign against US interests and allies.

Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has ordered his aides to start a process to label the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as “terrorist” organisations, citing their alleged support for the Palestinian group Hamas.

Trump issued the decree on Monday as Washington intensified its crackdown on Israel’s foes in the region.

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The decree accused Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Jordan of providing “material support” to Hamas and the Lebanese branch of the group – known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiya – of siding with Hamas and Hezbollah in their war with Israel.

It also claimed that an Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader “called for violent attacks against United States partners and interests” during Israel’s war on Gaza. But it was not clear what the White House was referring to. The Muslim Brotherhood has been banned in Egypt and mostly driven underground.

“President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood’s transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against US interests and allies in the Middle East,” the White House said.

Trump’s order directs the secretary of state and the treasury secretary to consult with the US intelligence chief and produce a report on the designation within 30 days.

A formal “foreign terrorist organisation” label would then officially apply to the Muslim Brotherhood branches within 45 days after the report.

The process is usually a formality, and the designation may come sooner. The decree also opens the door to blacklisting other Muslim Brotherhood branches.

The White House is also pushing to label the groups as “designated global terrorists”.

The designations would make it illegal to provide material support to the group. It would also mostly ban their current and former members from entering the US, and enable economic sanctions to choke their revenue streams.

Longstanding demand of right-wing activists

Established in 1928 by Egyptian Muslim scholar Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood has offshoots and branches across the Middle East in the shape of political parties and social organisations.

Across the Middle East, Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated parties take part in elections and say they are committed to peaceful political participation.

But the group has been outlawed by several countries across the region.

Blacklisting the Muslim Brotherhood has been a longstanding demand for right-wing activists in the US.

But critics say that the move could further enable authoritarianism and the crackdown on free political expression in the Middle East.

The decree could also be used to target Muslim American activists on allegations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or contributions to charities affiliated with the group.

Right-wing groups have long pushed to outlaw Muslim American groups with unfounded accusations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the designation should not have an impact on Muslim American advocacy groups and charities.

“The American Muslim organisations are solid,” Awad told Al Jazeera. “They are based in the US. The relief organisations serve millions of people abroad. I hope that this will not impact their work.”

But he noted that anti-Muslim activists have been trying to promote “the conspiracy theory that every Muslim organisation in the US is a front to the Muslim Brotherhood”.

Recently, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated both the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as “foreign terrorist organisations and transnational criminal organisations”.

CAIR has sued the governor’s office in response.

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Latest Ukraine Talks End with Volodymyr Zelensky Warning Against Giving Territory to Russia

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Getty Images Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky looks out during a press conference. His face is stern. He is wearing a black jacket and shirt. The Ukrainian flag - in blue and yellow - is displayed on the wall behind him.Getty Images

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed “important steps” made at talks with the US in Geneva on ending the war with Russia but warned the “main problem” remained Vladimir Putin’s demand for legal recognition of Russian-occupied territory.

US and Ukrainian officials met on Sunday to discuss a 28-point peace plan drafted by American and Russian officials in October, which caused consternation in Kyiv and among its European allies.

It appears the Europeans drafted counter-proposals after rejecting parts of the plan which favoured Russia’s war aims.

It is thought that Zelensky and US President Donald Trump will meet to discuss the more contentious points but no timeline was given.

The question of territorial integrity in particular is a key point of divergence between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky has repeatedly said Moscow should not be rewarded for its aggression with land it seized by force, and that doing so would create a dangerous precedent.

Following the end of the talks in Geneva, Trump suggested on social media that “something good just may be happening” but with the caveat: “Don’t believe it until you see it.”

Russian representatives did not take part in the meeting in Switzerland and the Kremlin said it had not received any information on the outcome of the discussions. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted Moscow was aware that “adjustments” had been made to the plan that had initially been welcomed by Putin.

That 28-point peace plan was drafted by US and Russian officials in October and presented to Ukraine last week. Several of its elements seemed heavily geared towards Moscow’s longstanding demands.

Comments by Trump which suggested Ukraine had until Thursday to accept the deal or face serious cuts in US support contributed to creating a sense of urgency across Europe and talks between Ukraine and US officials were hastily convened.

By Sunday evening US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a “tremendous” amount of progress had been made at the talks. “I honestly believe we’ll get there,” he said.

But some European leaders have been more cautious. “I am not sure if we are closer to peace,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said discussions would be a “lengthy, long-lasting process” and that he did not expect any breakthroughs this week.

Europeans were left scrambling for a seat at the table last week, after they were seemingly caught unawares when the US draft peace plan was presented.

A counter-proposal – reportedly drafted by Britain, France and Germany – excluded any recognition of Russian-held regions, raised Ukraine’s allowed army size and left the door open to Ukraine joining Nato.

Rubio said he was not aware of the plan and on Monday Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov rubbished it as “completely unconstructive”.

Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has consistently demanded full Ukrainian withdrawal from the whole of the eastern Donbas, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The 28-point plan presented last week would have Ukrainian forces withdraw from the part of Donetsk they currently control. That area would become a neutral demilitarised buffer zone “internationally recognised as territory belonging to the Russian Federation”.

A map showing the proposed demilitarised zone

This arrangement too would be difficult to accept for Ukraine. Kyiv and its European partners are wary of any settlement which jeopardises the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty – and Zelensky has repeatedly warned that giving up the Donbas would leave Ukraine vulnerable to Russian attacks in the future.

Another key Russian demand is for Ukraine to never become part of Nato. But Kyiv sees membership of the alliance as the only way to protect itself from future attacks – and joining Nato is enshrined in the Ukrainian constitution.

Despite last week’s frenzied diplomacy the next steps in the process are unclear.

The expectation is that Zelensky will soon personally speak to Trump, after which a new draft peace plan will be eventually presented to Moscow. There were no plans for a meeting this week between Russian and US negotiators, the Kremlin said.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there was still work to do for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine. A virtual “coalition of the willing” meeting will take place on Tuesday to discuss developments, he added.

Memo shows Trump administration orders review of refugees admitted during Biden era

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Trump administration orders review of Biden-era refugees, memo shows

Sugar Ray Leonard admits defeat to fierce rival: “You truly earned the victory”

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Despite his remarkable achievements, Sugar Ray Leonard still harbours regrets about one fight in particular where the result could have quite easily swung in favour of his opponent.

Throughout his decorated career, Leonard suffered just three defeats – against Roberto Duran, Terry Norris and Héctor Camacho – in all of his 40 professional outings.

The first of which came in 1980, back when the American neglected his typically crafty tactics, and instead decided to go toe-to-toe with his more rugged opponent.

As a result, Duran emerged from their first encounter with a unanimous decision victory through 15 rounds, before capitulating in their immediate rematch at 147lbs.

That time around, Leonard had implemented a more calculated gameplan, and in doing so was able to reclaim his WBC title with an emphatic eighth-round stoppage victory.

As for his defeats to Norris and Camacho, which both arrived at the end of his career, ‘Sugar’ was never able to exact his revenge.

The one fight that seems to have left a stone in his shoe, however, is his rematch with Thomas Hearns, which saw Leonard come away with a highly controversial draw in 1989.

Leonard had stopped his rival in the 14th round of their thrilling encounter in 1981, but up at a catchweight of 164lbs and nearly a decade later, he was simply not quite so effective.

Many thought that Hearns, the natural super-middleweight, had done enough to claim a points decision, and even Leonard himself has admitted to Harvard Business Review that he should have suffered a fourth professional defeat.

“I regret the ones I lost: Héctor Camacho, Terry Norris, the second fight with Tommy Hearns (which I won on [one] scorecard, but which he really won as far as I’m concerned).

“Looking back, I do have regrets, but I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t gone through it.”

Many fans in attendance were furious with the outcome, with Leonard’s honesty a refreshing change for most boxers.