A man has been arrested following a fatal incident in Leith.
Emergency services were called to a disturbance outside Cables Wynd House – the Banana Flats – at around 9.40 last night (Sunday 5 July).
A man was found with serious injuries and he died at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Police confirmed a 33-year-old man has been arrested and enquiries are ongoing.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.40pm on Sunday, July 5, 2026, police received a report of a disturbance outside Cables Wynd House, Edinburgh.
“Officers attended and a man was found with serious injuries. He was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he died a short time later.
“A 33-year-old man has been arrested and enquiries are ongoing.”
The nation’s leading Armed Forces charity has announced that its ground-breaking interactive mobile museum, ‘Bud’, has officially retired from the road.
The 18-tonne custom-built truck, which features an onboard poppy making machine, has travelled to all 32 local authority areas across Scotland sharing the story of the Scottish Poppy since its launch back in 2019.
With initial support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and LIBOR funds, over the last seven years Bud successfully welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors. It has attended more than 630 schools, delivered over 1,500 sessions, and reached more than 56,000 pupils.
It has also travelled to over 115 community events with almost 18,000 visitors – engaging nearly 75,000 people overall, challenging assumptions, whilst also teaching people about conflict, peace, and importantly keeping remembrance relevant all year round.
Kerry Crichton, Deputy Head of Learning at Poppyscotland, said: “As Bud reaches the end of its operational lifespan, across the summer we will be finalising an exciting new learning and outreach programme with people who work within education across Scotland.
“This will include an extensive digital archive paired with virtual learning resources and we are excited to be taking this into classrooms in the new term. We are also looking at an assembly offering for schools, and outreach sessions with youth and community groups.”
While the mobile unit will stop touring, the educational resources, historic story of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, and interactive tools remain free and accessible online via the Poppyscotland Learning Hub at www.poppyscotland.org.uk/learning
For more information about our new programme, please email:
What better place to host your August book club than at the heart of one of the largest literary festivals in the world? (That’s us!)
While our site at the Edinburgh Futures Institute bustles with events, authors, and fellow reading fanatics, The Book Nook sits nestled away in a quiet corner and provides the perfect setting for quiet reading, enthusiastic book groups, or those juicy post-event debriefs.
Time slots to use the Book Nook can be booked for free at the link in our bio, so open up that book-ish groupchat and rally your best book group pals … these spots go quickly!
Tough new rules to crackdown on foreign money in UK elections
New rules include a cap on donations from those who’ve lived overseas and tougher checks on company donations
New safeguards to stop foreign money influencing UK elections, including a timebound cap on donations on those who move to the UK from overseas.
Tougher checks on company donations will ensure only legitimate UK-linked businesses can contribute, with donations assessed against profits rather than revenue.
Candidates will be required to prove campaign funding comes from legitimate sources, strengthening transparency and closing loopholes in political finance rules.
Foreign money influencing UK elections will be stamped out under a major package of reforms to strengthen political finance rules and protect British democracy.
The government will confirm today it will introduce a new timebound cap on large political donations from people who have recently moved to the UK, in effect creating a minimum amount of time someone must permanently be based in the country before they can donate over the cap to a political party or candidate.
Other new measures include stronger tests on company donations, new and tough transparency requirements for candidates, and the closing of loopholes that could be exploited by those seeking to interfere in UK elections.
The measures, announced as part of the government’s response to the independent Rycroft Review, will strengthen safeguards against foreign financial influence and reinforce the UK’s position as a world leader in defending democratic integrity.
Together, the reforms will ensure political donations are transparent, legitimate and firmly rooted in the UK, helping to safeguard elections for years to come.
Secretary of State Steve Reed said: “British democracy is not for sale. These tough new rules will shut down dodgy funding, stop foreign money influencing our elections and keep our democracy strong.
“By holding overseas donors to tougher standards and requiring candidates to prove where their funding comes from, we are taking world-leading action to protect the integrity of our elections and tackle the threats we face from abroad.”
Minister for Democracy, Samantha Dixon MP, said: “The overwhelming majority of people who take part in our democratic process do so honestly and transparently, but our rules must keep pace with new and emerging threats.
“These reforms will close loopholes that can be exploited by those seeking to influence UK politics through foreign money, while strengthening transparency around campaign funding and company donations.
“This means political decisions are made only in the interests of voters in the United Kingdom.”
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said: “For too long, foreign money, foreign bot farms and foreign powers have exploited the system, trying to warp our elections and sow division in our country for their own ends.
“We’re cracking down on those trying to buy – and sell – our democracy and putting the British people first. If you want to donate to our politics, you need to have legitimate and longstanding roots in our country.”
As part of the government’s response to the independent Rycroft Review today [Monday 6 July], new safeguards will be introduced to toughen the previously-announced cap on political donations of more than £100,000 from overseas donations.
Individuals returning to the UK will now be subject to the cap for at least a full calendar year to prevent the rules being dodged – not just those who are registered to vote overseas.
Companies will also face tougher checks, with political donations assessed against post-tax profits over the previous five years rather than revenue alone.
This means only legitimate UK-linked businesses will be able to donate in a way that is transparent, accountable and reflective of their real financial position. Anyone could set up a business with high revenue without needing to demonstrate how they operate and make money, or whether they’re paying tax in the UK. Having a profit-based system will make donations clearer and more accountable.
Views of key groups, including the Electoral Commission and Committee on Standards in Public Life, have been listened to and accepted the Rycroft recommendation, which stated corporate donation income tests should be amended to one based on post-tax profits, rather than revenue.
This will strengthen the rules already set out in the Representation of the People Bill, which outlines that companies making donations will be required to show a genuine connection to the UK or Ireland by demonstrating that they are headquartered in the UK, majority owned or controlled by UK electors or citizens and have generated sufficient revenue to cover the donation.
For the first time, candidates will also be required to prove that any campaign funding received before they become a candidate has come from legitimate sources.
Candidates will also be required to declare donations above £2,230 received prior to officially becoming a candidate, improving transparency even further. At present, donations received before the regulated election period are not covered by the same requirements, meaning funding from illegitimate sources could go undeclared and later be used to support a campaign.
This builds on the measures announced in March as part of the government’s initial response to the Rycroft Review, including the hard cap on political donations from overseas electors and a ban on crypto donations. The changes being made today will accept the rest of Philip Rycroft’s recommendations in full.
The major reforms will be taken forward through as amendments to the Representation of the People Bill, which returns to the Commons for Report stage next week [w/c 13 July].
The government ‘has been clear that they will act decisively to defend the UK’s democratic system from malign influence and the measures will safeguard the integrity, transparency and resilience of elections and political finance for years to come’.
The map shows the crews’ current positions as they pass Scotland (05 July, 09:00 BST).
Map shows the crews’ current positions as they pass Scotland (5 July, 09:00 BST).
Two teams attempting one of the world’s toughest endurance challenges are currently passing Scotland as they row non-stop and unsupported around the entire coastline of Great Britain.
The crews, Rowmads and Nautilus, are now making their way around Scottish waters after setting off from London’s Tower Bridge on 14 June. They are attempting to complete the 2,000-mile GB Row Challenge continuously and unsupported – a feat achieved by fewer than 30 people in history.
As well as facing Atlantic swells, unpredictable weather, sleep deprivation and round-the-clock rowing, the teams are collecting vital scientific data to help researchers better understand the health of Britain’s coastal waters.
The crews are gathering information on microplastic pollution, biodiversity, underwater noise, sea temperature and salinity throughout their journey.
Scientists at the University of Portsmouth will analyse the data before it is shared through The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange, helping build one of the UK’s most comprehensive records of changing marine conditions.
The teams left from Tower Bridge, London, on 14 June
The Scottish leg of the challenge presents some of the expedition’s toughest conditions, with crews navigating exposed Atlantic waters, powerful tides and rapidly changing weather as they make their way around the country’s coastline.
GB Row Challenge Founder, William de Laszlo, has completed the challenge twice. He said: “Scotland is one of the most spectacular but demanding parts of the entire route. The crews are now tackling some of the most exposed waters around Great Britain while continuing to collect valuable environmental data.
“This exceptional group of people is taking part in something truly remarkable. More than 7,000 people have climbed Everest, yet fewer than 30 have rowed continuously and unsupported around Great Britain.”
The challenge brings together two very different teams.
Brothers Stefano and Marco Capella are in team Rowmads
Rowmads consists of three military doctors, including two brothers, alongside a firefighter and fitness coach.
Nautilus includes people with backgrounds in healthcare, sustainability, education and environmental management. Skipper Aoife Luscombe returned this year after her 2024 attempt ended prematurely on the Cornish coast.
She said: “It’s such a privilege to see the Great British coastline from an entirely new perspective. The challenge itself will test us, mentally and physically, but knowing that we are collecting vital data and samples on ocean health will make every stroke, storm and sunrise that much more rewarding!”
Rowmads on a training row
Previous GB Row Challenge expeditions have uncovered higher levels of microplastic pollution and rising sea temperatures. Scientists analysing the data are creating a valuable long-term record of changing conditions in UK coastal waters.
The data collected during the 2024 race found that microplastic pollution in waters around Great Britain was significantly higher than previously recorded. Average concentrations reached 59 microplastic particles per cubic metre of seawater, more than double the levels measured in comparable surveys in 2022 and 2023.
Professor Fay Couceiro, expert in biogeochemistry and environmental pollution at the University of Portsmouth and lead scientist for GB Row Challenge, said: “The data collected during this expedition will provide a valuable window into the health of Britain’s coastal waters and help us better understand the environmental pressures these ecosystems face.
“Scientific research often depends on observations gathered across vast areas and long periods of time, and that is where citizen science can make such a powerful contribution.
“I am very grateful to the two teams and their commitment to help generate information that could benefit marine research for years to come.”
This year’s GB Row Challenge is jointly sponsored by Cleaner Seas Group and Simply Sustainable.
Edinburgh’s well-known Ryze Trampoline Park is being transformed into the UK’s first Ninja Kidz Action Park, backed by a £900,000 investment and launching with a grand opening on Saturday 1st August.
The rebrand sees Ryze partner with Ninja Kidz TV, the family-run YouTube channel with over 35 million combined subscribers and a substantial UK fanbase, to bring its action park concept to the UK for the very first time.
Ninja Kidz Action Parks already operate across North America, including the US and Canada, with Edinburgh and Dundee marking the brand’s first ever locations in the UK.
The grand opening will be marked by an exclusive VIP Meet & Greet with the real Ninja Kidz from the YouTube channel, who are travelling to Scotland to meet fans in person. Only 150 VIP tickets are available for the Edinburgh event, including a photo with the Ninja Kidz, a VIP play session at the park, and much more.
General grand opening tickets will be announced soon.
The investment funds a full transformation of the venue, introducing more than 18 new attractions, including adventure slides, a ninja frame, battle beam, wall-to-wall trampolines, air tracks, a dodgeball arena, foam pits and dedicated soft play for younger children.
The investment also represents a vote of confidence in Edinburgh as a destination for family entertainment, supporting local jobs and giving families across the city and surrounding areas a new, year-round activity option.
Ty Nielson, Co-Founder at Ninja Kidz Action Parks, said: “We are incredibly excited to partner with Ninja Kidz and bring the UK’s first Ninja Kidz Action Park to Edinburgh and Dundee.
“This is a huge moment for us, and a major investment into creating something truly special for families in Scotland and across the UK.”
Rory Fairgrieve, Sales Director at Ninja Kidz Action Parks UK, said: “We are really excited about this renovation to become a Ninja Kidz Action Park bringing a new and exciting venue for fun to the area.
“Ninja Kidz TV has millions of fans around the world, including so many here in the UK, we cannot wait to bring that energy into a real-life action park experience.
“Ryze has always been about active fun, family experiences and creating amazing memories. This partnership allows us to take that to a whole new level.”
Ninja Kidz Action Park Edinburgh opens on 1st August at the current Ryze Edinburgh site. VIP Meet & Greet tickets are on sale now, with general booking details coming soon.
The latest Public Health Scotland figures on waiting times for musculoskeletal (MSK) services should be a cause for concern.
Between August 2025 and March 2026, only 52.4 per cent of patients were seen within the Scottish Government’s four-week waiting time target. Meanwhile, the number of people waiting for care increased to 75,128 by the end of March 2026.
Behind these figures are people living with arthritis and other MSK conditions who are experiencing pain, reduced mobility and uncertainty while waiting for support. MSK conditions affect around 1.7 million people in Scotland and are the leading cause of pain and disability. Timely access to services such as physiotherapy is often critical to helping people manage their condition and maintain their quality of life.
Arthritis UK is calling for a national MSK Action Plan to improve access to diagnosis, treatment and support. We are also urging the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Care and Sport Committee to undertake a dedicated inquiry into musculoskeletal health, an area that has never been the subject of a parliamentary inquiry despite its significant impact on individuals and the health service.
These latest figures highlight the need for urgent action to improve outcomes for people living with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions across Scotland. People living with this cannot afford to wait any longer.
Alan McGinley
Policy and Engagement Manager (Scotland) Arthritis UK
Edward House 199 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow, G2 3EX
Thanks to everyone who came along to LifeCare on Sunday to the repair café and thank you to The Repair Café Champions for all their hard work!
It was wonderful to see such a variety of things coming in for repair, and so many successes. We hope everyone left with new skills, knowledge or confidence to try mending before throwing away.
