Scottish Government

Blood and guts are on the menu at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April. The annual festival of popular science, which aims to educate through hands-on activities and topical talks, has a new floor at one of its main venues, the City Art Centre, devoted to the human body.

The First Minister, Alex Salmond MSP, discusses the Scottish Government's proposals for a referendum on Scotland's future, and detail the 21st century concept of independence and equality for Scotl

The first hours of 2010 look likely to be chilly ones with temperatures in Edinburgh dropping several degrees below zero.

Castle baggers and historical buildings buffs mark your diaries: Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, Michael Russell, has announced a weekend of free entry to 47 Historic Scotland sites throughout Scotland on Saturday 28th November and Sunday 29th November to mark St Andrew's Day.

In the run-up to Scotland's national day St Andrew's Day a weekend of festivities will be centred on St Andrew Square Gardens and linked to venues across Edinburgh and Scotland, including free access to Historic Scotland castles and buildings. The 2009 St Andrew’s ‘DO’ offers a programme of family-friendly activities and entertainment.

Opening times are Sat 28 Nov, 10am-8pm, and Sun 29 Nov, 11am-6pm.

A new scottish history web site developed for pupils, teachers and the general public is now up and running.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has been allocated £55,000 Expo funding by the Scottish Government to present a showcase of Scotland’s leading and emerging fiction writers and poets. The project, part of the Year of Homecoming celebrations, also celebrates the Scottish diaspora and the strong literary links between Scotland and Canada.

If you asked anyone in Scotland to tell you what the national soft drink is, the chances are they'd say Irn-bru. The sweet, sticky, orange fizz, made by A.G. Barr of Glasgow for more than a century, has for years held off stiff competition in the lucrative soft drinks market from multi-national rivals Pepsi and Coca Cola.

Free tickets are now available for an event which will consider how Scotland and the estimated 40 million "diaspora Scots" worldwide can best work together for their mutual benefit.  The Scottis

Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham has re-affirmed the Scottish Government's stand against Genetically Modified food in an address to the fifth international conference on GM-free regions in Europe.

An annual survey by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has found that rubbish on British beaches has increased 110% since 1994, and beaches in Scotland are dirtiest of them all.

The (MCS) Beachwatch Survey found that on average there were 2,195 litter items per kilometre on British beaches compared to 1,045 items/km in 1994. The army of 5,219 volunteers across the U.K. found more plastics than ever in the survey, conducted over the weekend of 20th and 21st September 2008.

Newly digitised records of famous Scots, including Adam Smith and Sir Walter Scott, have been made available online.

Over two and a half thousand people have signed a petition to stop the former Odeon Cinema on Clerk Street being converted into a 230-room boutique hotel.

The Scottish Government today announced it is expanding The Open Market Shared Equity scheme to the whole of Scotland. An increased budget of £60 million - up from £24 million in the pilot launched 18 months ago - is expected to help around 1,500 households to buy through the scheme this year.

Donald Trump and the European Emissions Trading Scheme have come out tops in the inaugural Stupid Awards, beating a shortlist of "some of the most notorious climate-trashers" in Scotland, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, budget airline Ryan Air and the Scottish Government.

Scottish Environment week sees five days of popular eco-awareness raising events and green business orientated meet-ups.

The Edinburgh International Science Festival programme has just been released. Among this year's 170 events is the interactive "Wee Wonder World" exhibition - created by Scottish based designers, writers and scientists - and funded by £120,000 from the Scottish Government's Expo Fund.

Edinburgh Business and Personal Finance Resources

New banknotes, due to enter circulation this Autumn, have been designed by Clydesdale Bank to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and the Year of Homecoming 2009.

A survey looking at Scots' driving habits suggests that significant cost savings can be made by driving your car more sensitively. The survey was conducted prior to the launch today of a new £1.5m advertising campaign by the Energy Saving Trust, with Scottish Government funding, to encourage "Eco-Driving."