Soft state syndrome: Precursor to state failure In his novel Hard Times published in 1854, renowned English novelist and social critic Charles Dickens paints a vivid portrayal of a fictional Victorian industrial metropolis called Coketown. In the novel, Coketown is described as a town with weak governance, and a segment of its elite society is depicted as morally and financially corrupt. Opinion 21 Aug, 2023
Impression of books Yukio Mishima’s story of harakiri fascinated me. I read his seminal work The Temple of the Golden Pavillion when I was a teenager. Blogs 03 Jun, 2022
'Tenet' launches with $53M in overseas gambit at box office NEW YORK: The first wave of big new movies released since the beginning of the pandemic, including Christopher Nolan's mind-bending thriller "Tenet" and the long-delayed "X-Men" spinoff "The New Mutants," arrived in theatres over the weekend, testing... Travel Abroad 31 Aug, 2020
Paperback pioneer Betty Ballantine dead at 99 NEW YORK: Betty Ballantine, half of a groundbreaking husband-and-wife publishing team that helped invent the modern paperback and vastly expand the market for science fiction and other genres through such blockbusters as “The Hobbit” and... Art & Culture 14 Feb, 2019
Ban the �hyack-thoo�: A la �MaPaSe� & honking The same way ‘some’ people clean up their homes thoroughly but throw the trash out on the street, some people spit to clean their mouth but do not care for where they are spitting "Hyack, thoo!” You skirt around the freshly expectorated gob... 06 Nov, 2018
The three words Dumbledore, the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, often says in the Harry Potter series that love is the most powerful weapon on earth. But sometimes, there are emotions stronger than love. And sometimes, three words can... 18 Jan, 2017
Letters: Gasping for fresh air Walking in the alleys and suburbs of the capital I experienced Kathmandu life much as Charles Dickens put in his 1850s work Little Dorrit: “Miles of close wells and pits of houses, where the inhabitants gasped for air, stretched far away towards... 28 Mar, 2016
Story behind my dream Whenever the word ‘dream’ or any of its synonyms strikes my mind, it refreshes all those memories from my past where I used to enjoy the most believing myself to be the king of my achievements. Although it was my imaginary world I used to believe... 24 Feb, 2016
An intense love story Kathmandu Fitoor, a story of love and obsession, has the power to grab your attention with its interesting storyline, grand setting and heart touching performances of the actors. Begum Hazrat (Tabu), daughter of the wealthiest family in... Travel Abroad 13 Feb, 2016
Playing Tabu�s daughter was hard, says Katrina MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif, who will be seen playing Tabu’s daughter in the film Fitoor— an adaptation of Charles Dickens classic novel Great Expectations— says the hardest thing for her in the film was to pretend that Tabu is her... Travel Abroad 06 Jan, 2016
Churchill refused to pay his tailor�s bills London, December 3 Refusal to pay the bills of one’s tailor was famously almost a point of honour among English gentlemen in past centuries and Winston Churchill was no exception, newly released archives show. Britain’s World War II leader... Women 04 Dec, 2015
Becoming Mr Bean The rubber faced comedian-actor Rowan Atkinson aka Mr Bean was born Rowan Sebastian Atkinson on January 6, 1955 in Consett, England. His parents were Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and Ella May. He has two elder brothers, Rodney...
