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HSBC to pull out of Australian retail banking market
HSBC will exit Australian retail banking, closing all 19 branches over the next 18 months and selling its mortgage and personal-loan portfolio to Blackstone. The move ends the London-based bank’s decades-long consumer presence in Australia, reflecting the difficulty foreign banks face competing in a market dominated by major local lenders. The sale, subject to regulatory…
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“I spend more time writing emails than playing guitar these days. That really bums me out. I’m trying to bring the joy back into creation”: Elder’s Through Zero is a bid to balance conflict and resolution
Elder’s seventh album, Through Zero, is presented as a renewed creative statement from the psych-rock band after frontman Nick DiSalvo experienced burnout following 2022’s Innate Passage. DiSalvo says the pressures of administration had displaced the pleasure of making music, and the record seeks to restore that sense of joy while exploring balance between conflict and…
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‘I was so self-assured in my early 20s. Then my frontal lobe hit’: Rachel Chinouriri, every pop star’s favourite UK pop star
Rachel Chinouriri reflects on overcoming severe performance anxiety as her career gathers momentum, following a period in which she felt intense pressure to prove herself in the music industry. The Croydon singer-songwriter says early experiences of panic and embarrassment taught her that the worst outcomes she feared rarely happened, helping her become more secure in…
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‘It makes your heart sing’: can a pioneering project show that rewilding really works? – podcast
The podcast examines a pioneering rewilding project on a Lincolnshire farm, where its aristocratic owner aims to demonstrate that restoring nature can also be financially viable. It matters because intensive farming has severely depleted England’s ancient woodlands and freshwater wetlands, raising questions about how land can support both food production and wildlife. Written by Patrick…
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Sony lifts profit outlook as film revenue declines
Sony has raised its full-year operating-income forecast by 8%, expecting stronger profitability from PlayStation, despite a 13% fall in Sony Pictures’ quarterly revenue. The results underline how growth in gaming and music is offsetting weaker television-production deliveries and theatrical revenue within the film and television business. Sony Pictures generated $1.978 billion in revenue in the…
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Spider-Man credits scene signals Holland’s MCU return in space
The post-credits scene of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” indicates that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and may next appear in space. This matters because it potentially connects the character to Marvel’s forthcoming Avengers films, despite Holland not being officially listed for “Avengers: Doomsday”. The film reportedly introduces Sadie Sink as…
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The “most special” album Jack White was ever a part of: “It was a monumental moment”
Jack White described The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams as among the most special projects he had joined, calling his contribution a monumental and personally fulfilling experience. The album mattered to him because it connected him directly with Hank Williams’s unfinished work and Nashville’s musical history, which White has long admired. Released in 2011, the…
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Kingdom Hearts Collection Switch 2 Local Box Art Reportedly Updated
Square Enix has updated the local Switch 2 box art for the forthcoming physical Kingdom Hearts Collection after criticism of its previous visual design and allegations that it used generative AI. The company says the artwork was made by its development team without generative AI, and that the problems were caused by human error; it…
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Netflix’s New 8-Part Western Is One of the Biggest Hits on Streaming
Netflix’s eight-part reboot of Little House on the Prairie has become a strong early streaming performer, attracting 6.4 million views in its first three days. The family-oriented Western revisits the Ingalls family’s move to Kansas and aims to offer a broader, more nuanced portrayal of pioneer life than earlier adaptations. The series follows Charles and…
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‘Stuart Fails To Save The Universe’ Stars On Stuart’s Bold Move In Episode 2 As His Relationship With Denise Takes Off… What About Gary?
Episode 2 of HBO Max’s *Stuart Fails To Save the Universe* sees Stuart search for Denise after the group is transported into an alternate reality. He finds her married to Gary in a society controlled by an AI that shocks people for expressing negative emotions, prompting Stuart to declare his love and urge her to…