Republicans and Democrats alike need a significant deficit-reduction package. It is increasingly elusive. President Barack Obama and his congressional allies face a sputtering economic recovery that signals an inhospitable election environment next year, a bad situation getting worse. They need an infusion of confidence that most analysts say a serious debt deal would achieve. Republicans need to

Remember those dark days after the 2008 financial collapse, when Congress vowed it would get tough with the banks? Well, that resolve seems to be dwindling. A move to undo some of the reforms legislators were touting just months ago was barely stopped last week.The issue at hand this time was debit cards. Currently, when you make a purchase with a debit card, the retailer has to pay a so-called sw

Algerian art is continuously evolving thanks to the contribution of successive Algerian civilizations.It is a blend of religion, the spoken language, literature and music.To view a small glimpse into a tradition that dates back thousands of years, the Algerian Embassy set up a small, all be it, rich art exhibition.Running until June 16, the exhibition showcases paintings on ceramics, traditional a

Korean-American comedian Danny Cho is performing a short tour of Korea starting Friday. Cho has performed with Dave Chapelle, Tim Allen and Dane Cook among others, and is a regular at the Comedy and Laugh Factory in L.A.He will perform at Roofer’s Bar in Itaewon, Seoul on Friday. The other dates are at Waegook Cook in Gumi, South Gyeongsang Province on June 24 and HQ Bar in Busan on June 25.Ticket

The Itaewon Global Village Center is organizing a kids’ trip to the Seoul Grand Park zoo on Thursday. Children will have a get the chance to touch and play with some of their favorite animals, such as monkeys, hedgehogs, rabbits, turtles, goats, and snakes. There will also be the chance to enter the lion and tiger house to see them close up and learn about what makes them special.The trip runs fro

The Transportation Administration Department of the Yongsan District Office has arranged free bicycle repair services in two locations in the Itaewon area this month.The June 21 service will be in front of the administration office of Chunghwa Apartments, five minutes walk south of Itaewon Station along the road opposite the Hamilton Hotel. The June 28 service is at the Itaewon-2-dong Community Ce

Gwangju International Center is running a tour to Hwasun on Saturday.The tour will visit Hwasun Dolmen Site, before moving on to enjoy a lunch of duck stew in a traditional “yellow earth” house.In the afternoon, the tour will move on to Unju-sa, a temple famous for its statues, including its reclining Buddha statue. The last stop is Dorae Maeul, where you can look around a traditional village and

The Itaewon Global Village Center will organize a ceramic-making class at the National Museum of Korea on Friday.Participants will make celadon, a distinctive jade-green pottery that Korea is famous for.After making the pottery, anyone who is interested can also enjoy a brief English guided tour introducing highlights of the museum from 12 p.m. to 12:40 p.m.The pottery made needs to be fired after