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Las Vegas' love life is getting down in the dumps

Fewer than 92,000 couples married in or around Sin City last year. The last time the city of drive-through wedding chapels married fewer people, was 1993.

Wedding industry workers hoped Valentine's Day would provide some much needed sizzle, but they weren't betting on it. The holiday fell on a week day, when fewer lovers could travel to take advantage of the opportunity.

The love recession is a real heartache for Vegas.

Seoul airport shows lacquerware

Traditional mother-of-pearl inlays are the heart of a Korea House exhibition that continues through Feb 28 at Seoul's Incheon International Airport. The bowls, boxes, furniture and other decorative works were created by members of the Korea National Lacquer Culture Academy and other acclaimed artists.

"The Mystery of the Millenia" exhibition features a tradition that peaked during the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BC-AD 668) of Korea, but show organizers say archaeological discoveries of such lacquerware show that the art form dates back to the third century BC.

The display is on the second floor of the airport's passenger terminal, where Korea House has two traditional craftworks galleries with changing exhibitions.

Samba zie Deutsche?

In February each year, residents of north German towns shed their inhibitions and take to the streets, dancing to wild samba beats. If you thought that the samba was a South American specialty - think again! Locals revel in the beats of the catchy music, all dressed up in masks and plumes. Like any good German festival, event organizers promise plenty of beer-drinking and merry-making.

In step with India's dance history

Classical Indian dance returns to its roots - to the temples where it was conceptualized, defined and immortalized in stone - when the city of Kharjuraho launches its annual dance festival on Feb 25. The exquisite 1,000 year-old temples of Khajuraho serve as the idyllic backdrop to an art genre with an equally impressive pedigree. The week-long festival takes place at the open-air auditorium in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to the Sun God and the Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Mellifluous strains of the flute and the tanpura set the mood as mridangam and the tabla beat out the rhythms echoed by the dancers - and time stops. Khajuraho has daily domestic flights to and from Agra, Varanasi and Kathmandu.

Scarecrows shake their rags in France's spring folk festival

Visitors to the community of Moringhem in northern France will be able to admire scarecrows in gardens, open spaces, hidden corners and even on rooftops during April. The month marks a festival dedicated to the whimsical figures which were originally designed to keep birds away from newly sown crops. At the village near Saint-Omer the handmade scarecrows are known as "Epeutnaerts" , the local dialect word for scarecrow. The festival schedule includes a range of exhibitions and a grand bonfire when all the scarecrows are cast into the flames.

Dancing at Malta's Carnival

The Mediterranean island is set to celebrate its own special brand of Carnival fun from March 4 to 8, with traditions which hark back to the 16th century. Venues are the capital Valletta, Floriana and the sister island of Gozo. Typical activities include masked balls, fancy dress parties and a parade of symbolic floats. The celebration reaches its climax on the last day with a parade of floats.

Airline news and deals:

AirChina opens a new route: Air China will open a new temporary route between Wuhan of Hubei province and Japan's Narita International Airport from March 30 to Oct 29, two flights per day on Thursdays and Saturdays. Air China will also open a temporary route between Chengdu of Sichuan province and Narita International Airport from April 3 to Oct 27, two flights a day on Thursdays and Sundays with one extra flight on each Tuesday between July 5 and Oct 25.

China Daily - Associated Press - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

(China Daily 02/20/2011 page16)