Modern thistle picked as G8 logo

The logo was unveiled by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw

A thistle with a "modern twist" has been unveiled as the logo for the G8 summit which will bring world leaders to Gleneagles next summer.

The Scottish Executive said that it captured traditional and contemporary images of the country.

The logo for the UK's presidency of the G8 was produced by London-based design firm HGV at a cost of almost £40,000.

The summit at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire in July will be the main event of the UK's presidency.

It will involve the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the USA and the UK.

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The event will also be attended by the president of the European Commission.

Africa and climate change will be the two main themes of the summit.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw unveiled the logo, which will be used for a variety of events during 2005.

Scotland today is a country which acknowledges its past but looks forward to the future Andy Kerr Finance Minister

He said it was "a modern interpretation of a traditional Scottish symbol".

Scotland's Finance Minister Andy Kerr said the logo would give the summit a "distinctly Scottish flavour" from the outset.

"Scotland today is a country which acknowledges its past but looks forward to the future," he said.

'Fantastic opportunity'

"The thistle logo embodies the best of this - a modern twist to a traditional Scottish image.

"The G8 summit will provide Scotland with a fantastic opportunity to showcase our ambitions and to raise our profile as a destination, a business location and a potential place to live and work."

A Foreign Office spokesman said that Scottish design firms had been involved in the tender process which was won by HGV.

The summit will be held at Gleneagles next year

Previous summits have been the target of anti-globalisation protesters.

Earlier this week plans were set in motion for a peaceful protest at next year's event.

A meeting was held in Glasgow by the G8 Alternatives, a coalition of organisations and individuals who are also planning a counter-summit.

"What unites us is our belief that another world is possible and that we need to have a massive mobilisation that brings together anti-capitalists, international development campaigners, trade unionists, peace activists, environmentalists, human rights campaigners and more to discuss, debate and demonstrate," said a spokeswoman.

Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan, who attended the meeting, said that the G8 leaders had "failed miserably" so far.