Scotland trending: Today’s most talked-about topics

TODAY’S top stories on social media from Scotland and beyond

Soldiers and police patrol on Brussels' Grand Place as the Belgian capital remains on the highest possible alert level on November 23, 2015. Picture: Getty Images

Book Week Scotland is back for 2015

Scotland’s annual celebration of all things literature is back for its third year this week, with book-themed lectures, film screenings and other events going on all across the country from today. Well known Scottish authors such as Ian Rankin, Denise Mina and Carol Ramsay will be taking part in the festivities, as well as some special guests from further afield like writer Michel Faber and TV legend Brian Blessed. The Book Week Scotland hashtag (#BookWeekScot) has caught the eye of many social media users all across the world and is currently trending on Twitter.

Brussels lockdown prompts an influx of cute cats

The Belgian city of Brussels has been on lockdown since the weekend as local police carry out anti-terror raids in the wake of the recent Paris attacks. The New York Times reports that the Belgian authorities asked locals not to post messages and updates that may interfere with the operation on social media. In lighthearted response to this, many Brussels residents took to Twitter to share popular cat memes rather than maintain social media silence. The result has left #BrusselsLockdown trending on Twitter with a lot of adorable, if factually incorrect, tweets about cats defeating terrorism.

Odds of a Scottish white Christmas slashed

After the initial warnings of more than a month of snow this winter, bookmakers across the country have now reduced the odds of a white Christmas in Scotland. Only a single snowflake needs to fall during the 24 hours of Christmas Day at the Met Office’s London HQ for gamblers to collect on a white Christmas bet. Ladbrokes are currently offering odds of 7/4 for Aberdeen, with Edinburgh and Glasgow at 2/1. Paddypower are offering 9/4 for Edinburgh and Glasgow. Ladbrokes have also recently cut the odds of Tayside seeing snow on Christmas Day from 3/1 to 5/2.

Prince Charles blames Syrian unrest on climate change

The Prince of Wales has shared his belief that climate change may have played a part in causing civil war in Syria in a TV interview. According to BBC News, Prince Charles was questioned before the recent Paris attacks and claimed that drought in Syria as a result of climate change has forced the population to leave the country. He goes on to state that climate change is “the underlying root cause” of conflict and terrorism. On the whole, Twitter users have responded to the Prince’s statements with contempt. The full interview will be broadcast this evening.

Susan Boyle turns on Edinburgh Christmas lights

Reality TV star and Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle visited the University of Edinburgh today after switching on the city’s Christmas lights yesterday evening. Last night Boyle lead the Light Night crowd in a rendition of classic carol Silent Night before pushing the big red button to signal both the turning on of Edinburgh’s Christmas lights and the start of an incredible fireworks display to mark the occasion. This afternoon Edinburgh University students have been tweeting about their sightings of SuBo on campus.