National Australia Bank has recorded a strong lift in its cash profit to $7.7bn, while flagging that strong competition for mortgage customers has started to depress margins. The cash result, up 8.8%, was booked during a 12-month period of fast-rising interest rates that has helped the wider ba…

Nigel Farage is to launch a legal battle with NatWest over the closure of his accounts at its private bank subsidiary Coutts. The debanking scandal ultimately led to the resignation of Alison Rose, the chief executive of NatWest, in July and the departure of Peter Flavel, the chief executive of C…

The Cyprus police force is investigating how an oligarch attempted to transfer a £1bn stake in a public company on the day he was placed under EU sanctions, government insiders have told the Guardian. News of the involvement of the financial crime squad came as the Cypriot government and the Eu…

It brings me absolutely no joy to report that “The Marvels” is terrible, and the worst film yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Thor: The Dark World” was merely a forgettable drag. “Eternals” was an overlong slog but always gorgeous to watch. “Thor: Love & Thunder” was disjointed tonally…