Art & Culture | WPN World People News

Umeå in Sweden and Riga in Latvia are Europe's Cultural Capitals for 2014. Inaugurated in 1985 in Athens, Cultural Capitals highlight the diversity and richness of European culture while also fostering a European identity. More than 40 cities around Europe have already had the honour and since 2011 two cities from two different EU countries share the title each year.

Swiss flags. Switzerland chairs the OSCE in 2014.

The 8th annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguard of Intangible Heritage, marked by the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, ended in Baku with the election of Peru as Chair of the next session which will take place in Paris, France, from 24 to 28 November 2014.

Linguistics researchers will study public and private interactions in four of the UK’s cities which use multiple languages, for example Welsh, Polish or Urdu, to help policy-makers better understand how to communicate with people across different languages and cultures.

The United Nations family mourned the loss – and celebrated the enduring legacy – of Nelson Mandela, the former South African leader and peace advocate who passed away at the age of 95.

The inscription of elements on the Urgent List helps States Parties to UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage to mobilize international cooperation and assistance to ensure the transmission of this heritage with the participation of the concerned communities.

The inscription of elements on the Urgent List helps States Parties to UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage to mobilize international cooperation and assistance to ensure the transmission of this heritage with the participation of the concerned communities.

Pioneering excavations within the Sacred Garden of Lumbini, Nepal, a UNESCO World Heritage site long identified as the birthplace of the Buddha, uncovered the remains of a previously unknown timber structure under a series of brick temples. Laid out on the same design as those above it, the timber structure contains an open space in the center that links to the nativity story of the Buddha himself.

The selection panel appointed to evaluate applications from Italian cities for the title of European Capital of Culture 2019 met in Rome and recommended that Cagliari, Lecce, Matera, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena should be short-listed. Once this recommendation has been confirmed by Italy, the preselected cities will complete their applications by next summer. The selection panel will meet again in the third quarter of 2014 to recommend the Italian city which will be the European Capital of Culture in 2019.