The UK India Business Council (UKIBC), the organisation with responsibility for supporting the British Government in the promotion of bi-lateral trade, business and investment between the two countries, has appointed Edinburgh-based consultancy Acumen to manage its UK media relations.

Specialist printer Bell & Bain of Thornliebank, Glasgow, has been bought by its management team from current owners Prime Active Capital plc (PAC) of Dublin for a sum in excess of £2 million.

Scotland's Open Source software community recently held its first independent Open Source Awards, recognizing the wealth of talented individuals and companies whose aim is to strengthen and develop the country's Open Source community.

Throughout Cardiff, South Glamorgan and Vale of Glamorgan thousands of Christmas presents are being wrapped in time for..... November 18th!

"This is a BIG date on our calendar," explains Ted Bird, Area Coordinator of Operation Christmas Child, "because it is the final date by which the many gift-gilled shoeboxes donated from throughout Cardiff, South Glamorgan and Vale of Glamorgan can be handed in and still give us enough time to get them to the vulnerable children in several countries where the presents will bring much-needed joy this Christmas.

Throughout Aberdeenshire thousands of Christmas presents are being wrapped in time for..... November 18th!

"This is a BIG date on our calendar," explains Chris Thomson, Regional Manager of Operation Christmas Child, "because it is the final date by which the many gift-gilled shoeboxes donated from throughout Aberdeenshire can be handed in and still give us enough time to get them to the vulnerable children in several countries where the presents will bring much-needed joy this Christmas.

Scottish borders-based Propeller Multimedia Ltd, the UK's leading provider of speech and rehabilitation software, has joined forces with speech and language therapists from NHS Borders to create and design React2.

Shoebox Gifts Will Make Even Greater Difference This Year

Operation Christmas Child is calling on individuals and families in Gloucestershire to save their spare change over the next five weeks and use the resulting sum to buy gifts to put into a shoebox to send to disadvantaged children helped by the charity in several overseas countries.

Operation Christmas Child, one of the UK's leading children's charity campaigns, is launching its annual appeal in County Armagh from September 7th and is asking local individuals and communities to continue their valuable support for vulnerable children despite the economic recession.

"Our concern for this Christmas is that people, naturally, are worried by the recession and that they might be undecided about donating a shoebox in 2009", says Carol Elliott, District Coordinator of Operation Christmas Child.

When The Beatles released Eleanor Rigby in 1966, few of the 30-something women listening to the tale of the woman featured in the song's title would have envisaged sharing her fate: "Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name. Nobody came."
Sadly, 43 years on, there is evidence that an increasing number of women are facing a similar destiny, a funeral devoid of any attendees.

With the continuing breakdown of the traditional family unit, more and more elderly people are facing lonely lives. In 1961, 12% of the population lived alone, representing 1.9 million households. By 2005 this had risen to 29% of the population, accounting for 7 million households, and now nearly half of the one-person households are pensioner-only households. Over three quarters of women living alone are aged 65 and over.

• Scottish company plays pivotal role in developing Middle East region's petrochemicals industry

Grangemouth, Scotland; 24 March 2009:  Impact Laboratories Limited, the global polymers and plastics services organisation created by former employees of BP Chemicals, has secured a multi-million dollar project management contract in the Middle East to build and develop a cutting edge polymers research and technical centre for Saudi Arabia's second largest industrial and petrochemical conglomerate.