Student chefs from City of Glasgow College are preparing to defend their international cook-off title in a live head-to-head competition in America. [...] The college students triumphed over their American opponents in the inaugural Atlantic Cup cooking challenge, held during the launch of City of Glasgow College’s new £228m super college last year. The cook-off also saw the launch of an international student exchange programme.

Scottish police officers are to take their expertise on tackling violence against women and children into the scene of one of the world’s most brutal civil wars of recent times. Police Scotland will team up with the United Nations-backed specialists on gender-based violence and child abuse in the Rwandan capital of Kigali to develop policing techniques and better protect victims. 

The UK must embrace culture at a time when working together is “more necessary and more urgent than ever”, the BBC’s director-general has said, as he launched a UK-wide creative partnership. As he announced Culture UK with the arts councils of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Lord Tony Hall called for Britain to become the world’s most “culturally engaged and creative country, where everybody, wherever they come from, can take part”.

It is considered one of the best shop windows for Scotland to showcase its wares, and now the country's biggest and hottest new internet export, the Kilted Yoga duo, are to boost this year's Tartan Day in New York by turning up as ambassadors. The pair – who appear topless in Perthshire forests in their Kilted Yoga videos, which have had more than 50 millions views – will represent Dundee marketing firm Scot Street Style at the flagship event in the Big Apple on Thursday where up to 30,000 are expected to take to the streets to celebrate all things Scottish.

Edinburgh International Festival today unveiled its 2017 programme which marks the event's 70th anniversary. [...] welcoming 2,020 artists from 40 nations to perform in Scotland's capital city. Unveiling his third International Festival programme, Director Fergus Linehan revealed a mix of world-class talent from across the performing arts, featuring the very best contemporary artists and ensembles.

ScotlandVR is a ground-breaking virtual travel experience that allows people, wherever they are in the world, to be immersed in Scotland’s remarkable attractions. [...] The Scotland VR app is a result of the collaborative effort and pioneering spirit of Scottish academic, technology and tourism sectors.
 

Sport can play a major role in boosting Scotland’s influence abroad, and help cement international relations, while influencing diplomacy and foreign policy. The potential is there to use sport to improve international relations and development, and what the Scottish Government needs to do is to elevate sport’s role on the global stage.

“From an increase in flight connectivity, to promotion of the country through the success of films and TV shows set in Scotland such as Outlander...to the launch of our first global marketing campaign – Spirit of Scotland – there are numerous individual reasons why tourism is performing well...as a world-class destination."