Fans still remember intrepid reporter
WASHINGTON: As the world grapples with the consequences of fake news, a Belgian icon and timeless hero of many a journalist, Tintin, celebrates his 90th birthday today.
It was on January 10, 1929 when the first of the adventures of the intrepid international journalist were published in Le Petit Vingtieme newspaper supplement in Brussels.
Created by Belgian artist Hergé, the adventures of the fictional character - with his customary blue sweater, rolled pants and flipped copper hair - took him and his faithful dog Snowy across the world, building an image of journalists as do-gooders.
The comic-book hero serves as reminder of an era when reporters were portrayed as seekers of the truth, holding those in power to account, instead of being depicted as the “enemy of the people”, as US President Donald Trump has called them, accusing them of spreading fake news.
With more than 250 million copies of Tintin comics sold worldwide, Moulinsart, the exclusive manager of Hergé’s estate, also known as Hergé Foundation, has decided to mark the 90th birthday of the character with a year-long celebration, starting with the young journalist’s expedition in the former Belgian colony of Congo.
Moulinsart announced on Thursday that a digital edition of Tintin in the Congo re-masterised in colour will be released via the application Les Aventures de Tintin.
The comic is probably one of the most controversial works of Hergé, regularly attacked for racism - including in court for its depiction of the natives of the Congo, and banned in the libraries of several countries.
Coincidentally on Thursday, the Democratic Republic of Congo announced the firstever win by an opposition presidential candidate. NEWDELHI: A deal between the US and Pakistan on Afghanistan cannot be equated with peace in the war-torn country and true stability can only be ushered in through an intra-afghan dialogue, former president Hamid Karzai said on Thursday.
Karzai also said a peace process in Afghanistan can succeed only if it has the backing of all countries in the region, including India, which should do a “lot more” and be part of all the processes to establish peace and stability.
The Afghans have welcomed the American move to appoint Zalmay Khalilzad as special representative for Afghan reconciliation because he is an Afghan, but four conditions must be met for this process to succeed, he said.
“We have to differentiate between peace and a deal