AJA Brief - THE AsiaN

Inaugural cartoon festival wants serious art collectors

Gov’t, illustrators seek alternative funding Though more and more people are collecting artwork as an investment, only few consider cartoons an acceptable purchase. In Korea, events dedicated to presenting works of cartoonists are rare aside from the annual Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. This lack of interest and endorsement…

Society

Beijing struggles to reduce carbon emissions

With 350 million tonnes of coal burned a year in pan-Beijing area, it is difficult for Beijing to fulfill its goal of reducing air pollution, officials and political advisors have said ahead of China’s pending legislative sessions. Meng Wei, head of the Chinese Institute of Environmental Sciences and a longtime…

West Asia

Famous Storytelling Cafe in Syria

70-year-old storyteller Abou shady (2nd R) plays with a child at Al-Nawfara cafe in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 25, 2012. Al-Nawfara, “The Fountain” in Arabic, is a charming cafe next to the eastern gate of the Umayyad Mosque and the entrance of Al-Qaymariya area in Damascus old city. It is one…

East Asia