Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Apr 24, 2026 09:23 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Nicola Bishop

Senior Lecturer in English/Film and Television, Manchester Metropolitan University

I am a Senior Lecturer in English and Film and Television specialising in landscape/place writing and programmes. Other publications look at national identity and rambling in Edwardian fiction, new nature writing, history on television, and class in the works of Agatha Christie.

My research to date has focused on an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the lower-middle-class clerk. I am particularly interested in the fictional representations of clerks in literature from the late-Victorian period until the present day. I also write about the influence of the English landscape on the constructions of lower-middle-class masculinities, as well as the impact that the growth of suburbia had on this particular identity. As part of this fascination with the clerk and other office workers, I have become involved in discussions of middlebrow fiction and the role that intellectual snobbery plays on the understanding of various forms of writing.

More recently, I have begun to indulge a life-long enjoyment of detective fiction by examining the place of the clerk within the works of Agatha Christie. I am also beginning new research projects on 'landscape programming' within contemporary television, and 'new nature writing' - exploring the commonalities between them as well as the relationship between current and past representations of place.

Gillette ad isn't anti-men, it's anti-toxic masculinity – and this should be welcomed

Jan 20, 2019 06:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

Gillettes new ad The best men can be, which plays on the razor brands long-held motto, The best a man can get is powerful and emotional, a carefully-spun narrative about the role models young boys see in their daily...

James Bond needs a new attitude, not a new actor

May 14, 2017 16:25 pm UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment

As someone who has recently taken to reading Ian Flemings books, I am drawn into the debate surrounding Joanna Lumleys comments about actor Idris Elba not being the James Bond that Fleming created. Film writer Caspar...

Economy

Dollar Weakens Amid Middle East Tensions and Anticipated Central Bank Decisions

The U.S. dollar softened on Friday as reports of potential peace talks between the United States and Iran lifted market sentiment, though it still remained on track for its first weekly gain in nearly a month. Ongoing...

Iran-Pakistan Diplomacy and Strait of Hormuz Tensions Push Oil Prices Above $100

Pakistani officials have confirmed that Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to visit Islamabad by the weekend, according to a report by The Associated Press. The high-level diplomatic trip, which may begin as...

Gold Prices Rise Slightly but Head for Weekly Loss Amid Oil Surge and Inflation Fears

Gold prices edged higher on Friday but remained on track for a weekly decline as rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran fueled concerns over inflation and prolonged high interest...

Indonesia Fiscal Deficit Outlook: Fitch Signals Flexibility Amid Middle East War Risks

Indonesia may have limited room to exceed its legal fiscal deficit ceiling of 3% of GDP without facing an immediate credit rating downgrade, according to Fitch Ratings. The agency suggests that any breach would need to be...

Japan Inflation Rises in March Amid Energy Price Surge and Middle East Tensions

Japans consumer price index (CPI) inflation increased more than expected in March, driven largely by rising energy costs linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The latest government data shows that headline...

Politics

Judge Orders Release of Family After Longest ICE Detention Under Trump Administration

A woman and her five children were released from U.S. immigration detention after more than 10 months, marking the longest known family detention during President Donald Trumps administration. The release came Thursday...

US and EU Strengthen Critical Minerals Partnership to Reduce China Dependence

The United States and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation on critical minerals, marking a strategic move to secure global supply chains and reduce...

U.S. Army Soldier Charged in $400K Insider Betting Scheme on Maduro Capture

A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier has been charged by the Justice Department for allegedly using classified information to profit from bets on the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. According to federal...

Trump Administration Launches Civil Rights Probe into NYC Education Department Over Pro-Palestinian Educators

The Trump administration has initiated a civil rights investigation into the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), focusing on alleged discrimination linked to a pro-Palestinian educators group. The U.S....

Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Extended as U.S. Pushes for Peace Talks

The Lebanon-Israel ceasefire has been extended for three more weeks following high-level negotiations hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The meeting brought together Israels ambassador to Washington,...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

DeepSeek Launches V4 AI Models with Enhanced Reasoning and 1M Token Context Window

DeepSeek has unveiled preview versions of its latest open-source artificial intelligence models, marking a significant step forward in AI performance and reasoning capabilities. The new releases, DeepSeek-V4-Pro and...

Amazon Stock Rises as Meta Expands AWS Partnership for AI Infrastructure

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) shares climbed around 2% শুক্রবার morning after Meta revealed a major expansion of its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), signaling strong momentum in the growing artificial intelligence...

Intel Stock Surges as AI Chip Demand Drives Strong Q2 Forecast

Intel Corp delivered a bullish outlook for the second quarter of 2026, signaling a strong turnaround fueled by rising demand for AI data center chips. The company projected earnings per share (EPS) of $0.20, significantly...

Microsoft Commits $18 Billion to Expand AI and Cloud Infrastructure in Australia

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has unveiled a major investment plan worth A$25 billion (approximately $18 billion) in Australia, signaling a significant push to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing...

Elon Musk Signals Intel 14A Chips for Tesla’s Terafab AI Semiconductor Venture

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk revealed new details about the companys ambitious semiconductor plans, confirming that the Terafab joint venture intends to leverage Intels advanced 14A chip manufacturing process....