Art & Culture | WPN World People News

A national project to highlight the contributions, successes and struggles of Indian-Americans is preparing to leave the virtual world and become an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

In the United States, when students graduate from high school, many celebrate that achievement by going to prom. It is a dance party where students dress up in formal gowns and tuxedos. But not every student who wants to go can afford to dress for the occasion. Organizations across the United States provide free dresses and suits so students can go to prom. A program called The Cinderella and Prince Charming Project allows teens from some of the roughest neighborhoods in the country to celebrate a milestone.

At 10 a.m. today, Benedict XVI presided at an open-air Mass at Bresso Park in Milan, Italy, for the closure of the seventh World Meeting of Families. The meeting began on 30 May and has had as its theme: "The Family: Work and Celebration". Extracts of the homily delivered by the Pope to the one million faithful present are given below.

At 7.30 p.m. yesterday the Pope went to the La Scala opera house in Milan, where a concert was held in his honour. The Pope is currently visiting Milan to participate in the seventh World Meeting of Families. Daniel Barenboim conducted the orchestra and choir of La Scala in Beethoven’s ninth symphony.

More people in Russia spent time on web portals than in watching traditional TV channels, a survey has shown.

Family members of Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb have announced his death.

The United Nations cultural organization, UNESCO, warns that world heritage sites in the West African country of Mali and in the Arab world are at risk of damage and theft as political upheaval sweeps through those states.

Floyd “Creeky” Creekmore, 95, is recognized as the world’s oldest performing clown by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Anthropologists believe that a 1.5 metric ton block of engraved limestone unearthed in southern France constitutes the earliest evidence of wall art.