• Scenes from the Fringe: Edinburgh welcomes arts festival season

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    A girl with a papier-mache creature on her head is helped down a street during the Edinburgh Fringe on Aug. 6, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festivals in the world, it was established as an alternative to the International Festival also held in August, and celebrates it's 66th anniversary this year.

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    Street entertainers perform on the Royal Mile to promote their shows during in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on Aug. 6, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

    Reuters -- The serious, anarchic and comedy-strewn Edinburgh Fringe has kicked into high gear this past weekend with a record number of shows and performers crowding the Scottish capital and giving a welcome boost to the economy as the city's population doubles over the month-long festival season.

    The official Fringe program lists a record 2,695 shows, plus more on the "Free Fringe", with an influx of nearly 23,000 performers this year. Festivals in Scotland are worth some 250 million pounds ($389.99 million) to the Scottish economy annually, with the Fringe itself bringing in 140 million pounds to Edinburgh alone.

    Read the full story.

    See more photos from Scotland on PhotoBlog.

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    Street entertainers perform on the Royal Mile to promote their shows during in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on Aug. 6, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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  • Feathery friends flock to Bass Rock

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Seagulls fly near Bass Rock where gannets nesting on the Firth of Forth on Monday, in Dunbar, Scotland.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Every January Atlantic gannets start returning to Bass Rock, with 150,000 or more making it the largest single rock gannet colony.

    From afar, Bass Rock may appear to be blanketed with snow. In reality, the island in the Firth of Forth in Dunbar, Scotland, is covered by 150,000 Atlantic Gannets. The birds return to Bass Rock around January with the same mates, and most of them leave for the African west coast with new gannets by October. Learn more about Bass Rock and the gannets on the BBC.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Gannets nest on Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth Monday, in Dunbar, Scotland.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Gannets nest on Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth Monday, in Dunbar, Scotland.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Gannets nest on Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth on Monday, in Dunbar, Scotland.

    Want more cool animal photos? Follow us on Pinterest!

     

  • A bouncy Stonehenge? The English landmark becomes inflatable!

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Children play on an interactive piece of artwork by Jeremy Deller is launched as part of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Arts at Glasgow Green on April 20, in Glasgow, Scotland.

    By Natalia Jimenez, NBC News

    Could a bouncy Stonehenge possibly be the next craze for children's birthday parties? I can picture an ambitious mom trying to outdo the popular bouncy castle with the full scale inflatable replica of Stonehenge.

    Getty Images --  Jeremy Deller's Sacrilege is a full scale inflatable replica of Stonehenge, one of the UK's most recognizable heritage sites. The Glasgow International Festival of Visual Arts is showcasing more than 130 artists across 50 of Glasgow's permanent and temporary exhibition venues, with the 18 day program featuring a series of newly commissioned works, several of which involve other disciplines, including dance, film, music, performance and theater.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Children play on an interactive piece of artwork by Jeremy Deller, Sacrilege, as it is launched as part of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Arts at Glasgow Green on April 20, 2012 in Glasgow, Scotland.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Children play on an interactive piece of artwork by Jeremy Deller, Sacrilege, as it is launched as part of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Arts at Glasgow Green on April 20, 2012 in Glasgow, Scotland.

     

  • Snow returns to Scotland after record highs

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Nina Padmanabhan and Murray Waugh shelter from the cold in a red telephone box following a sledging trip on April 3, in Braemar, Scotland. Snow has returned to parts of Scotland just a week after the country experienced record high temperatures for March.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Scottish deer forage for food on a hillside near the Spittal of Glenshee on April 3, in Glenshee, Scotland. Snow has returned to parts of Scotland just a week after the country experienced record high temperatures for March.

    Slideshow: Spring is in the air!

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    An early spring coaxes the birds, bees, flowers and humans to come out from winter hibernation to enjoy the sunshine.

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  • Viking celebration of the New Year in Shetland Islands, Scotland

    Andy Buchanan / AFP - Getty Images

    Participants dressed in armour and holding Viking war-axes and shields gather for a procession during the annual Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands on Jan. 31. Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the Shetland Islands and culminates with up to 1,000 'guizers' (men in costume) throwing flaming torches into their Viking longboat and setting it alight later in the evening.

    Andy Buchanan / AFP - Getty Images

    Participants dressed in armour and holding Viking war-axes and shields take part in a procession during the annual Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands on Jan. 31.

    Andy Buchanan / AFP - Getty Images

    'Guizer Jarl' David Nicholson, leader of the 'Jarl Squad', stands aboard his longboat next to its beast-head prow during the annual Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands on Jan. 31. Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the Shetland Islands and culminates with up to 1,000 'guizers' (men in costume) throwing flaming torches into their Viking longboat and setting it alight later in the evening.

    Andy Buchanan / AFP - Getty Images

    Young 'Jarl Squad' members Murray Shearer, left, and his brother Logan play dressed in their Viking armour before the start of the annual Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands on Jan. 31. Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the Shetland Islands and culminates with up to 1,000 'guizers' (men in costume) throwing flaming torches into their Viking longboat and setting it alight later in the evening.

    Slideshow: Good luck rituals for the new year

    Mariana Bazo / REUTERS

    We may have different calendars, customs and beliefs, but most of us mark the arrival of a new year. Take a look at the ways cultures around the world celebrate and bring good luck for the year ahead.

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  • High winds cause travel and power outages in the U.K.

    Scott Heppell / AP

    A child walks along the beach as the sand is blown around in the high winds in Seaburn, England, Jan. 3, 2012.

    Matt Cardy / Getty Images

    People take photographs of waves crashing against the harbor wall on Jan. 3, 2012 in Porthcawl, Wales. High winds gusting up to 95mph and heavy rain have been affecting many parts of the country disrupting travel and causing damage to buildings.

    Scott Heppell / AP

    A lady holds on to a lamp post during strong winds at South Shields, England, Jan. 3, 2012.

    Parts of the U.K. are again being battered by gale force winds.

    The BBC is reporting that winds have reached over 100mph and thousands of people are without power. Rail, ferry, bus and air travel has been disrupted. More from the BBC.

    BBC weather news from:

  • New Year's swimmers brave freezing waters

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    Tony Gentle / Reuters

    Marco Fois of Italy dives into the Tiber River from the Cavour bridge, as part of traditional New Year celebrations in Rome Sunday.

    Thousands of people across Europe celebrated the arrival of the New Year by jumping into chilly seas, rivers and lakes Sunday.

    In Italy, several people dived into the River Tiber in a New Year's tradition that stretches back to 1946.

    In Netherlands, thousands of people were said to have run into the icy waters of the North Sea near The Hague.

    Peter Dejong / AP

    Despite temperatures of around 52 degrees Fahrenheit, thousands of people celebrate the New Year by running into the North Sea at Scheveningen, near The Hague, Netherlands.

    Further north in Scotland, scores of people took part in the annual "Loony Dook" (which roughly translates as mad dive or "ducking" in the water) event in the Firth of Forth, an estuary leading to the North Sea.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    New Year revelers, many in fancy dress, braved freezing conditions in the River Forth in front of the Forth Rail Bridge during the annual "Loony Dook" swim Sunday.

    And in Germany, New Year's day swimmers in a Berlin lake included a group known as the "Berlin Seals."

    Maurizio Gambarini / AFP - Getty Images

    A winter bather of the "Berlin Seals" poses in near-freezing water of the Orankesee lake during a New Year's swimming event Sunday.

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  • Up Helly Aa Vikings get stoked for fire festival in Edinburgh

    David Moir / Reuters

    Up Helly Aa vikings from Lerwick in the Shetland Islands stand with flaming torches during the annual torchlight procession to mark the start of Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations in Edinburgh Dec. 30, 2011. The annual torchlight procession starts at the Parliament Square and finishes with a fireworks display at Calton Hill in Edinburgh.

    By Rich Shulman

    This appears to be a dress rehearsal for the Up Helly Aa festival, which happens on Tuesday,  January 31, 2012 in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.

    Slideshow: Good luck rituals for the new year

    © Mariana Bazo / Reuters / REUTERS

    We may have different calendars, customs and beliefs, but most of us mark the arrival of a new year. Take a look at the ways cultures around the world celebrate and bring good luck for the year ahead.

    Launch slideshow

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Britain braces for wild weather

    By Jonathan Woods, msnbc.com

    Scotland closed schools and travellers were warned to expect disruption on key routes on Thursday due to gale-force winds, as Britain's first major winter storm of the season swept in.

    Graham Stuart/AFP - Getty Images

    Children are sprayed by waves at Cardswell Bay, Gourock, in western Scotland on Thursday.

    Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

    Largs promenade is battered by wind and waves on Thursday in Largs, Scotland.

    Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

    A woman' s hair is blown accross her face as she walks during a windy day in central London on Thursday.

     

  • From China with love: $9.3 million pandas arrive in Scotland

    Reuters

    Giant panda Yang Guang is seen eating bamboo branches through a hole of a FedEx container at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Sichuan province Dec. 4,.

    AP reports:

    The pair of pandas, which were given an in-flight meal of bamboo, apples and carrots, will have two weeks to settle at the zoo before going on display to the public. They will be kept in two separate enclosures for a few months until they are ready to be introduced to each other.

    The zoo also plans to put four hidden "panda cams" in their enclosures and stream the footage online to attract viewers from around the world.

    Britain's last giant panda, Ming Ming, lived in the London Zoo until 1994, when she was returned to China.

    Read the full story here.

    AP

    A cargo plane with a picture of a panda prepares to take off with two pandas to be transported to Edinburgh, Scotland, from the airport in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province, Dec. 4.

    Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Chinese Panda Tian Tian arrives at Edinburgh Airport on Dec. 4, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The eight-year-old pair of giant pandas arrived on a specially chartered flight and will be the first to live in the UK for 17 years. Edinburgh zoo is hopeful that the pandas will give birth to cubs during their 10 year stay in Scotland.

     

  • Homecoming parade for Scottish soldiers returning from Afghanistan

    Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images

    Royal Scots Dragoon Guards march down the Royal Mile during a Homecoming Parade to mark their return following a successful tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Dec. 1 in Edinburgh, Scotland. In keeping with tradition dating back hundreds of years, the Regiment paraded from the Castle Esplanade, down the Royal Mile to Canongate Kirk to show their thanks for the support that members of the public have shown them during their tour of duty.

    Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images

    Royal Scots Dragoon Guards march down the Royal Mile during a Homecoming Parade following a successful tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Dec.1, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

    David Moir / Reuters

    Musicians from the British Army's Royal Scots Dragoon Guards regiment walk in a Homecoming parade.

    By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News

    Hundreds turned out for the homecoming parade for the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards who recently returned to Scotland after six months in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.  The regiment also was honored with parades in Glasgow and Dundee before they return to their base in Germany. More about the parade on the DailyRecord.co.uk

    What do you think about honoring American soldiers with parades like this in the U.S.?

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