Police are appealing for the help of the public to trace a 15-year-old female missing from Edinburgh.Eboney was last seen in North Edinburgh on Monday (8 April, 2024).
She is described as being around 5ft 1 in height, of slim build with long brown hair and when last seen was wearing a white coat, grey tracksuit bottoms and white crocs. Eboney has links to the Dundee and Aberdeen areas.
Concerns are growing for Eboney and police are appealing to anyone who has seen Eboney or has any information on her whereabouts to contact us, quoting incident 3820 of 11 April, 2024.
The Loch Ness Centre is asking for scientists, universities and even NASA to provide their expertise in a renewed search for the famous monster
Last year, one of the biggest searches of Loch Ness concluded with a hydrophone capturing loud underwater noises and several potential sightings
The search takes place on the 90th anniversary of the first organised surface watch of Loch Ness, Sir Edward Mountain’s expedition with the ‘Watchers of the Monster’
Last year, the newly revamped Loch Ness Centre partnered with Loch Ness Exploration (LNE), an independent and voluntary research team, alongside hundreds of in-person and virtual volunteers to search the famous waters of Loch Ness.
With numerous potential sightings and strange noises heard from the depths of Loch Ness, The Loch Ness Centre is returning with an even bigger search as it continues its goal of uncovering the loch’s mysteries.
As well as looking for budding monster hunters to be involved in the search, taking place Thursday 30th May to Sunday 2nd June, this year organisers are asking for experts to help. This includesscientists and universities, as well as pioneers of exploration NASA to provide equipment and expertise in the search.
With new equipment from experts the Loch Ness Centre is hoping science can help uncover the mysteries of the Loch and the unexplainable sightings since the legend of Nessie began 90 years ago.
This year marks the 90th anniversary since the first organised search for Nessie, when Sir Edward Mountain took a team of twenty and became the ‘Watchers of the Monster’. Since then there have been over 1,156 sightings of the beast on the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register.
As part of this year’s quest, The Loch Ness Centre and LNE are looking for volunteers to become modern day ‘Watchers of the Monster’ and take part in a giant surface watch of the Loch, keeping an eye out for breaks in the water. Volunteers will be briefed on what to look out for and how to record findings.
Over the 4 days, as well as the search, there will be a number of other activities taking place. This includes a special screening of Loch Ness: They Created a Monster, the new documentary explores the monster-hunting frenzy at Loch Ness in the 1970s and 80s with a special Q&A with the director John MaClaverty.
Other events include a live debate with Alan McKenna from Loch Ness Exploration, Roland Watson, a renowned Loch Ness writer, and eyewitness Richard White, as they tell gripping stories, discuss ongoing research, and dissect eyewitness accounts. All while debating the existence of the elusive monster.
For those wanting to get out on the water as part of the huge search, there is also the chance to explore the depths of the world-famous loch with Deepscan Captain, Alistair Matheson, the Skipper for the Loch Ness Project.
Monster hunters have the chance to join Alistair and renowned Nessie researcher Alan McKenna from Loch Ness Exploration for an extended excursion. They will experience the thrill of utilising a 60-foot hydrophone to listen for mysterious sounds echoing from the depths of the loch.
The Loch Ness Centre, which was reopened last year following a huge renovation, is located at the old Drumnadrochit Hotel, where, 90 years ago, hotel manageress Mrs Aldie Mackay reported seeing a ‘water beast’ in Loch Ness – sparking our modern day interest in the phenomenon.
Continuum Attractions, which operates award-winning attractions all over the UK, invested £1.5m in creating a modern immersive experience with interactive elements. Making use of a wealth of engaging technology to create an immersive multimedia experience, the reimagined centre offers a memorable experience to visitors of all ages.
Monster hunters unable to attend the search can still get involved in the hunt for the truth, through the Visit Inverness Loch Ness website. Several cameras have been set up all over the loch for people around all over the world to watch out for the loch’s most famous inhabitant, as well as other local wildlife, 365 days a year. When viewing the live cameras, watchers can capture a screenshot directly as well as zoom in to get a better look, and are being asked to share any findings.
Paul Nixon, General Manager of the Loch Ness Centre,said: “Last year we captured the world’s attention with one of the biggest ever searches for Nessie, with participants joining us from America, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and more.
“With unexplained noises heard, alongside possible sightings, this year we are determined to find out more about the elusive Loch Ness Monster.
“As well as asking for the help of budding monster hunters to help us on our quest, we are asking for the help of experts. We’re excited to make this search the biggest ever, as we look for new equipment to help us uncover the loch’s biggest mysteries.”
Get involved in The Quest and join us on our search for answers, visit:
KEEP Scotland Beautiful have recently awarded @NetworkRailSCOT‘s Central and Waverley stations and @brittaniayacht with a National Award for Environmental Excellence, which recognises the best practice in environmental and carbon management.
We’re on the lookout for Tombola prizes and your generosity can make all the difference! Whether it’s chocolates , toys , toiletries , or bottles of your favourite drinks , every contribution counts!
Support our centre by donating new items for our Tombola. Your support can bring smiles to many faces!
Drop off your donations at our community centre by Friday, April 19th. Let’s make this event unforgettable, together!
Please get in touch for any information.
Thank you in advance for your kindness and support!
Vengefully Changed Allegiance is a solo exhibition of work by fashion designer Alison Harm, the founder of Edinburgh’s own Psychomoda clothing brand. Using industry scraps, vintage cloth and broken jewellery, Alison mixes different tartan patterns to create clothing items that challenge our opinions on tradition, and on what we should wear.
Curated specifically for the Pomegranates festival of international traditional dance (25-30 April), this exhibition of sustainable fashion also explores the living heritage of the tartan cloth still used by Highland dancers and for kilts.
By tradition, tartans are chosen according to a person’s clan however, Alison’s garments mix different tartan patterns together to create contemporary designs that question our need to safeguard our intangible cultural heritage, at the expense of innovation and fashion.
Fashion Designer Alison Harmsaid: “Fashion is cyclic, nothing is new. Just as today we might wear clothes of a bygone era to show our allegiance to a culture from the past, the Victorians did the same.
“A political Jacobite revivalist movement swept the UK in 1886, bringing a renewed interest in all things Scottish into the arts and fashion. Tartan cloth became a significant part of that movement.
“Almost a hundred years later, the youth of the UK, against a background of political and cultural dissent, again chose tartan as part of their tribal uniform, with a naive style consisting of a home-made, make-do-and-mend ethos.
“An anti-capitalist statement by the wearer. The wheel has turned again and sustainability is now the focus of the fashion industry. People want to express their dislike of the fast fashion behemoth which is ruining our planet.
“I have returned to tartan cloth to express this symbolism. By using industry scraps and remnants along with found objects, in the punk tradition, and irreverently mixing tartan patterns together to challenge the viewer’s perception of who can wear what, and to where – therefore suggesting they can step outside of societal expectations.”
Vengefully Changed Allegiance is part of Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and TRACS programme of events showcasing Scotland’s traditional arts and cultural heritage. TRACS has been recently appointed as an advisor to UNESCO on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Scotland and this exhibition showcases ICH in practice through highlighting the sustainability in the fashion industry while exploring the role of tartan in Scottish trad dance.
Admission to the exhibition is free, and includes daily drop-in, on-demand artist and curator-led tours.
Established in 2022, Pomegranates is Scotland’s springtime festival of Scottish and international traditional dancecurated by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and produced in partnership with TRACS, Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh City Libraries, Dance Base and the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
The festival celebrates Scottish traditional dance and traditional dance practised by cultural migrant communities across Scotland.
It provides a platform to showcase new dance commissions, exhibitions and residencies accompanied by live music, poetry, and art; and invites audiences to participate in ceilidhs, workshops (both in person and live streamed), tours, and talks about traditional dance from Scotland and around the world.
A children’s charity in Dumfries has received a donation of 1,300 educational books from the team at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline.
Aberlour Children’s Charity supports disadvantaged children and families across Scotland. The charity offers tailored services such as addiction recovery, disability care and residential and foster care for children who are unable to live with their families.
The team from Amazon in Dunfermline visited the charity’s hub in Dumfries to deliver 1,300 educational books. The books will be used in Aberlour’s community library in its Dumfries, Annan and Stranraer hubs as well as being gifted to children and young people Aberlour support across Dumfries and Galloway
Jamie Strain, General Manager at Amazon in Dunfermline, said: “At Amazon, supporting people in need is an essential part of our work with the community.
“The care and compassion that the staff and volunteers at Aberlour Children’s Charity have for the people they meet is truly admirable, and we’re glad to play a small part in their outreach. We hope this donation of books can make a positive change.”
Jonathan McClean, an employee at Amazon in Dunfermline who helped deliver the books, added: “The support Aberlour Children’s Charity provides to the community is transformative.
“I had the pleasure of seeing how happy the staff were to see our donation and recognise the impact this will have for children across Scotland. The charity is creating brighter futures for those in need and I feel very grateful that we are able to support them to achieve this.”
Amanda McAllister, Service Manager from Aberlour Children’s Charity, added: “We really appreciate Amazon’s support with this donation of books.
“Their contribution to our work will directly impact the lives of children and families we support across Dumfries and Galloway, which is priceless to us. Thank you, Jamie and team!”
Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded the Multibank initiative with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in poverty.
The first Multibank, ‘The Big Hoose’, opened in Fife providing surplus essentials like nappies, toilet rolls, toothpaste and school uniforms, donated by Amazon and others, directly to those in need. The initiative has gone on to donate more than 2 million goods to over 200,000 families across Scotland and Greater Manchester.
Amazon also helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good, including more than seven million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in partnership with Magic Breakfast.
Amazon partners with Comic Relief to help people tackle poverty and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose.
Last year, together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and tackle issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, and food insecurity across the UK, and around the world.
Russian metal producers blocked from profits from the London Metal Exchange and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, reducing a crucial source of revenue for the Kremlin
Today’s action brings the world’s two largest metal exchanges into the scope of existing bans
Joint UK and U.S. action builds on ban of metal imports, targeting $40 billion of Russian exports of aluminium, copper and nickel
The UK and the U.S. have together announced joint action to clamp down harder on prohibited Russian metal exports, by today bringing the world’s two largest metal exchanges into the scope of the existing bans.
The London Metal Exchange (LME) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) will no longer trade new aluminium, copper and nickel produced by Russia.
Metals are Russia’s largest export commodity after energy, though their value has been decreasing since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2022 they were $25 billion, dropping to $15 billion in 2023 due to the efforts of the G7 and allies to curtail the market.
Today’s action will go further to constrain Russia’s ability to make money from its shrinking metals exports, dealing another blow to President Vladimir Putin’s funding for his illegal war in Ukraine.
Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:“Disabling Putin’s capacity to wage his illegal war in Ukraine is better achieved when we act alongside our allies.
“Thanks to Britain’s leadership in this area, our decisive action with the U.S. to jointly ban Russian metals from the two largest exchanges will prevent the Kremlin funnelling more cash into its war machine.”
Janet L. Yellen, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, said:“Our new prohibitions on key metals, in coordination with our partners in the United Kingdom, will continue to target the revenue Russia can earn to continue its brutal war against Ukraine.
“By taking this action in a targeted and responsible manner, we will reduce Russia’s earnings while protecting our partners and allies from unwanted spillover effects.”
The Prime Minister first announced the intention to act on banning Russian metals in May 2023. UK legislation to directly ban imports of Russian metals, including aluminium, copper and nickel was introduced in December. Separately, the U.S. put in place tariffs on various Russian metal imports.
Together, the UK and the U.S. have today gone one step further and brought both metal exchanges into the scope of these measures – reinforcing a shared commitment to constrain Russia and support Ukraine. This follows a dialogue between the two countries to maximise the impact of the policy, which is a technically complex measure requiring time to work through the details to ensure its effectiveness and minimise the risk of market disruption.
Metal exchanges provide a central role in facilitating the trading of industrial metals around the globe. The London Metal Exchange and Chicago Mercantile Exchange both have warehouses all over the world. Together, they are the world’s two largest metal exchanges and set global benchmark prices for the trade of base metals.
Both the UK and U.S. measures will exempt the existing stock of Russian metal on these global exchanges so they can still be traded and withdrawn. This is to minimise the risk to market stability.
Today’s announcement to strengthen the UK’s existing ban on Russian metals builds on ongoing work to support Ukraine. Since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK has introduced the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on any major economy.
Over 2,000 individuals and entities have now been sanctioned, and it is estimated that without sanctions, Russia would have over $400 billion more to fund its war – which could be enough to do so for an additional four years. The UK has also provided almost £12 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine and has often been the first mover on vital lethal aid.
Sanctions Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:“Today’s action ratches up economic pressure on Putin, further depriving him of the key resources and revenue streams he needs to fund his illegal war in Ukraine.
“We have now imposed extensive trade sanctions on Russian-origin oil, gas, gold, diamonds, iron, steel, and base metals, dealing a heavy blow to Putin’s war economy. But we must continue to work with our allies to further tighten the screws on the Kremlin.”
Minister for Trade Policy Greg Hands said:“The UK has already imposed the most severe package of bans that we’ve ever seen on a major economy, including on Russian metals which is Russia’s largest export commodity after oil and gas.
“Now, we’re going even further. By strengthening our sanctions on Russian metals, alongside the U.S., we will reduce Russian revenue which it uses to fund Putin’s war machine.”
Following information from the public, Police executed warrants at three addresses in the Wester Hailes and Stenhouse areas yesterday (Friday, 12 April, 2024).
Drugs with an estimated value of around £38,000, a significant amount of cash and other valuable items were recovered.
A 44-year-old man was arrested in connection and enquiries are ongoing.
Police would like to thank the local community for their support.
Charities and community groups providing free immigration advice could be charged fees from the government for the first time, putting the services under threat, Deidre Brock MP has said.
The Edinburgh North and Leith has written to the UK Government raising her concerns about the proposal to charge fees for regulation of the free services.
Currently providers of free immigration advice have their fees to the arms-length regulator, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), waived, but under the Home Office proposals, they will have to pay an initial registration fee of up to £538 for their organisation, together with £520 for every adviser. A reduced annual fee would be paid for each year after that.
The proposal is included in a Home Office consultation on the fee structure of the OISC which runs until June.
Concerns that these costs will threaten the availability of free immigration advice services was flagged with Ms Brock by the Citizens Rights Project which has started a petition to the Home Office on the issue.
Ms Brock said: “It’s hard to believe the UK Government could make charities pay for giving free, reliable immigration advice to people who desperately need it.Accurate advice is essential to make sure the immigration system works fairly, efficiently and safely for everyone – the government should be boosting access to free support, not threatening it.
“I know from my work in Edinburgh North and Leith how big the unfilled need is for immigration advice. Many folk who turn up at my surgeries cannot afford hefty legal fees and don’t know where to turn to get some support with the labyrinth of regulations.
“If they can’t get regulated support, vulnerable people are more likely to seek advice from unscrupulous scammers giving bad advice, damaging their case, their finances and their lives in the UK.
“Recent changes to immigration rules suggest the UK Government are hellbent on making life as difficult as possible for people who just want to work hard and build a life here. They have raised the minimum wage a UK citizen must earn to settle with a spouse from overseas to £29,000, blocking many Scots from coming back from abroad with their families.
“They have increased the salary for a skilled worker visa to £38,700 – blocking even more talent from coming to our shores. They have stopped people working as carers from having the right to bring their partners – showing how little they value the lives of people doing essential work.”
“Now they are putting free immigration advice under threat for vulnerable people.
“If the UK Government insists on making the immigration system ever more complex, the least they can do is waive the fees for the charities and community groups who are helping people navigate their draconian system.
“I have written to the UK Government asking them for a rethink on this short-sighted proposal (letter below – Ed.)”.
Edinburgh’s new local development plan has received support from the Scottish Government.
City Plan 2030 – which sets out the strategy for development, proposals, and policies to shape development and inform planning decisions in the coming years – was subject to a 15 month-long examination by the Scottish Government Reporter.
In the report on the examination, published this week, the Reporter supported significant elements of the Plan – including affordable housebuilding targets, mixed used commercial development, and ambitious and sustainable development plans for West Edinburgh.
Planning Convener Cllr James Dalgleish said: “Our ambitious City Plan 2030 meets the needs of the Capital’s growing population, making better use of land across all neighbourhoods, and supporting our commitment to be net zero by 2030. I welcome the news that the Reporter has recognised and endorsed these ambitions, with only minor changes required to the Plan.
“We want to strengthen communities and make sure that our policies focus on the health and wellbeing of our residents. We want to build sustainable places where people can afford to buy or rent their homes, walk, or wheel to educational and healthcare facilities, enjoy cultural and sporting activities and easily access public transport to visit other parts of Edinburgh.
“Following today’s report, we can move forward with positive changes to our affordable housing policy, with developments now having to include 35% affordable homes. This will help address the housing emergency in Edinburgh. We can also take forward policies on student housing and reducing carbon emissions from new buildings, while our mixed-use approach for commercial developments is also supported.
“We won backing for our plans around creating new sustainable neighbourhoods with a new vision for the west and for sites elsewhere in the city to be transformed into net zero neighbourhoods fit for the 21st Century. This is all consistent with our 20-minute neighbourhood approach as well as directing development to and maximising the use of brownfield land rather than allocating new greenfield housing sites.
“I’d like to thank all those residents, community groups and businesses who contributed to this Plan and acknowledge the hard work of Council officers who’ve spent years preparing this complex submission. The fact that so few changes were made as a result of the Examination is testament to all the dedicated individuals who contributed to this Plan.
“I’m looking forward to final approval and implementation of City Plan 2030 – contributing to the ongoing success and sustainability of our great Capital City.”
A final version of City Plan 2030 will be considered by the Council’s Planning Committee and Council in June before being submitted to Scottish Ministers as the Plan the Council wants to adopt.
Urgent Call to Action! 
Help make our Fun Day spectacular! 
Whether it’s chocolates 
, toys 
, toiletries 
, or bottles of your favourite drinks 
, every contribution counts!
Support our centre by donating new items for our Tombola. Your support can bring smiles to many faces!
Drop off your donations at our community centre by Friday, April 19th. Let’s make this event unforgettable, together! 
Please get in touch for any information.
