Friday 18th June 2010 £55m loan plan for Edinburgh trains
Edinburgh City Council has plans to borrow £55m to help fund the
capital's crisis-hit tram project, according to BBC Scotland.
Councillors will receive a report next week that confirms tram bosses
are discussing whether to end their contract with the German firm
building the line. The Edinburgh tram project has been plagued by
problems and is behind schedule and over budget. The project's budget
of £545m looks likely to be exceeded. The tram company, Tie, is yet to
call for additional funds but contingency plans have been prepared to
allow Edinburgh City Council to borrow about £55m to pay for the cost
over-run. Edinburgh and the Lothians

Thursday 17th June 2010 £25,000 for a wee dram
One of the world's most expensive bottles of whisky has been sold in
Edinburgh for more than £25,000. The whiskey went under the hammer for
£25,200, including the buyer's premium, at Bonhams' whisky sale.
Dating from 1937, the 70cl bottle was one of 61 bottles produced and
was part of a batch of 10 released in 2001. The single malt smelled of
newly dug peat, burnt leather and oak, according to whiskey experts.
Bonhams' whisky specialist Martin Green said: "The moment I saw it I
knew we had something special and I'm delighted that it reached such a
high price.” Edinburgh and the Lothians

Thursday 3rd June 2010 Builder unearths time-capsule in Edinburgh
A builder working in preparation to demolish a building to make way
for the new Royal Victoria Building at the Western General Hospital in
Edinburgh has found a 97-year-old time capsule. The glass jar was
buried in 1913 with its contents of newspapers, maps and pictures
inside a large stone dating back to the Caraigleith Hospital and
Poorhouse. The old hospital originally stood on the site of the
modern-day Western General Hospital.

Laura Bruard, assistant archivist at Lothian Health Services Archive,
said: "Surprisingly, given the length of time that it has been buried,
the capsule's contents are extremely well-preserved. They provide a
fascinating insight into the origins of the Children's Home at
Craigleith Poorhouse, later part of the Western General Hospital." Edinburgh and the Lothians

Tuesday 1st June 2010 Pie-in-the-sky for Edinburgh
Diners wishing to enjoy the high life will be glad to know their
dreams are not just pie-in-the-sky. The Festival in the Sky is coming
to Edinburgh in August which features a 22-seat dinner table hoisted
into the air by a huge crane in West Princes Street Gardens. Guests
enjoying their high teas will be fastened into their chairs, which
will rotate to allow diners to look out over the castle and Princes
Street.

Councillor Steve Cardownie, festivals and events champion for the City
of Edinburgh, said: "It's been a huge hit in more than 30 cities all
over the world so it's very exciting for us to be giving the event its
Scottish debut right here in West Princes Street Gardens during our
peak festivals period.

"Dining in the sky will be memorable enough, but, with the stunning
backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, our World Heritage Site and the views
across the River Forth, this will surely be an unforgettable
experience." Edinburgh and the Lothians

Thursday 29th April 2010 3rd Battalion The Rifles return home from Afghanistan
The final group of soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Rifles have
come home to be welcomed by the press and their families at Redford
barracks in Edinburgh. The soldiers arrived back in the UK after a
challenging six-month tour in Afghanistan. An official homecoming
parade is due to be held in Edinburgh next month. The troops of the
3rd Battalion The Rifles operated in the dangerous Sangin and Kajaki
areas of Helmand Province, in southern Afghanistan. The Battalion
suffered the loss of 14 soldiers, nearly half the total of 30 British
army deaths in that period.

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson, Commanding Officer of 3 Rifles, told
the press: "We at least draw some comfort from the fact that we have
achieved a great deal in our time."

Another of the returning soldiers, Lance Corporal Stefan Rees, said:
"It's been a very tough time. Obviously, I feel for the ones who have
fallen. I'm just glad to be home." Edinburgh and the Lothians

Monday 26th April 2010 Roman altar stones found in East Lothian
The uncovering of Roman altar stones at a cricket pavilion in
Musselburgh, East Lothian. The stones are thought to be 2,000 years
old and are described as the most significant find of their kind for
100 years, one of them is dedicated Roman God Jupiter. Renovations at
the pavilion are now on hold.

George Findlater, senior inspector of ancient monuments at Historic
Scotland, said: "The stones have carvings and quite possibly
inscriptions which can have a wealth of information on them, a lot of
data about the people and their religion at that time." Edinburgh and the Lothians

Monday 12th April 2010 Haggis flavoured chocolate
A Scottish chocolate maker has introduced a new line taking elements
from haggis for her new creation. The haggis flavoured chocolate has
some of Edinburgh-based confectioner Nadia Ellingham’s customers a
“bit puzzled”. Nadia has used nutmeg, black pepper and oatmeal,
traditional haggis spices. The good news is that it doesn’t include
the other main haggis ingredient - offal. Good news to chocolate
lovers who don’t have a taste for a sheep’s stomach filled with liver,
heart and lungs then!

Ms Ellingham said she had "scoured around lots of different haggis
recipes to find a lot of the common ingredients. I filtered it down
and came up with the ingredients that come up most often, eliminated
the offal aspect of the dish, did some recipe development and it went
from there. At first taste it's a dark spicy chocolate, but then the
more peppery notes come through." Edinburgh and the Lothians

Thursday 4th March 2010 Call for complete tram system in Edinburgh
Edinburgh transport bosses are determined to press ahead with plans
for a city-wide tram network. The news comes despite the troubles
surrounding the construction of the Scottish capital’s first tram
line. The transport chiefs hope the new line will help to turn the
public opinion in favour of their £500m project.

Marshall Poulton, head of transport at Edinburgh City Council, said:
"I think it sends a very clear message to the public in Edinburgh. It
has been a very difficult journey for all the citizens in Edinburgh to
this point in time but now the tram is a reality. We'll be getting our
first tram delivered within the next few weeks. It is a good quality
product which is being delivered by the tram manufacturer. It's
comfortable, it's quiet and it's a really pleasant ride." Edinburgh and the Lothians

Thursday 28th January 2010 High definition scans taken of Rosslyn Chapel
The 15th century Midlothian chapel that featured in the best seller
book and blockbuster film, the Da-Vinci Code, has been photographed
with state of the art 3D digital technology. The result is astonishing
detail and accuracy, the building has been recorded down to the
millimetre. The pictures were taken as part of an ongoing project
which plans to record 10 World Heritage Sites in this way. Historic
Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art's digital design studio worked
together over the three day shoot.

Director of Rosslyn Chapel Colin Glynn Percy said: "This has been a
fascinating exercise for us which has real practical benefits in being
able to record minute details for posterity as well as assist the
conservation of Rosslyn Chapel for future generations to enjoy." Edinburgh and the Lothians

Tuesday 5th January 2010 Scottish Comedy Club celebrates 15 years
There was a time when stand up comics wishing to further their careers
were forced south to London because Scotland had no dedicated stand-up
comedy clubs. That all changed 15 years ago with the opening of The
Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh, which gave home-grown acts a place to
showcase their talents.

Despite the lack of competition the club got off to a shaky start,
taking only £22 at the door on the opening night back in 1995. Since
then the club has gone from strength to strength and has helped launch
the careers of the likes of comedian Frankie Boyle, so we have a lot
of laughter to thank it for. Edinburgh and the Lothians