The Lord Provost sends his commiserations to everyone at Heart of Midlothian Football Club following their loss to Celtic
Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “On behalf of the city, I want to pass on my commiserations to everyone at Heart of Midlothian FC, the players, their fans and everyone who has been rooting for the team during this incredible season.
“The players gave absolutely everything at Celtic Park this afternoon and to lose so late in the game was truly heart-breaking.
“The club has had such a great campaign, bringing so much joy, excitement and inspiration to their fans and to the wider community. They really have been the ‘talk of the toon’ and in recent weeks the buzz in and around Gorgie has been palpable.
“The players’ hard work and spirit has been something to behold and, despite today’s disappointment, I’m sure this will stand them in good stead for next season.”
Police Scotland officers dealt with unacceptable violence and hostility as fans gathered in Glasgow on Saturday, 16 May, to celebrate Celtic’s Premiership title win.
Around 3000 people made their way to the Trongate area of the city following the match, where we faced significant levels of disorder in which officers were injured. Missiles, including glass bottles, were thrown at them when assisting with a medical emergency.
Specially trained public order officers were deployed and action was taken to restore order, disperse the crowd and make arrests.
Extensive enquiries are underway to identify others involved and further arrests will be made.
A significant amount of alcohol and pyrotechnics were also proactively seized by officers across the day.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: “While we recognise that the majority of fans respected the appeal from police and partners to act responsibly, several thousand still descended on the Trongate area, some of whom engaged in serious disorder.
“Once again, we have seen unacceptable levels of violence and anti-social behaviour and Police Scotland’s officers have been left to deal with the consequences. Being assaulted is not part of the job and regrettably a number of them were injured.
“The levels of criminal behaviour witnessed, in particular the hostility directed towards our officers, is simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. Those involved should be in no doubt that they will be identified and arrested.
“This mass assembly of people caused significant disruption to local businesses, residents and members of the public in the City Centre.
“Urgent discussions with Celtic, wider Scottish football authorities and other stakeholders, including Glasgow City Council, is required to achieve a solution that improves public safety, reduces disruption and prevents this from happening again.”
Police are engaging with Heart of Midlothian FC to establish if any of their players were assaulted on the pitch at the conclusion of the event. The circumstances of the incident are being reviewed.
Heart of Midlothian utterly condemns the shameful scenes at Celtic Park this afternoon which have, once again, embarrassed Scottish football.
Reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere, are deeply disturbing. We are investigating this fully and are in dialogue with Police Scotland. We will make no further comment at this time other than to say that it is completely unacceptable that our players and staff were put in that situation.
Given the menacing and threatening atmosphere inside the stadium, our entire staff had no alternative but to leave immediately, without undertaking post-match media duties. To our media partners, we apologise but the safety of our staff was our prime focus during these unacceptable scenes.
The pitch invasion caused a chaotic end and nobody seemed to know whether or not the match had been brought to a finish.
Our players were then denied the opportunity to thank our magnificent fans – sensational to a person – for their backing this afternoon and all season long.
We expect the strongest action possible to be taken by the footballing authorities in the interests of protecting the safety of players and supporters, and the integrity of our game.
This season has seen Hearts capture the imagination of football fans, not only in Scotland, but the world over. We pay tribute to Derek McInnes, his staff, the first team and the supporters, who have done the club proud this season.
None of them deserved the disgraceful scenes that unfolded.
In celebration of Pokémon GO’s 10th anniversary and Pokémon GO Fest 2026, Community Celebrations are being hosted for Trainers around the world. These open local events will take place during the weekend of thefree Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global.
Each Community Celebration will feature onsite festivities, including a Pokémon GO pop-up event with interactive opportunities, photo opportunities to capture magical moments, fun activities with local Community Ambassadors, and exciting giveaways and prizes.
Taking place in 26 cities worldwide, these Community Celebrations will invite Trainers to engage with their local community and challenge themselves against Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y in Super Mega Raid Battles.
All events will take place between 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in their local time. Locations include:
North America
Atlanta, Georgia – July 11
Vancouver, Canada – July 11
San Francisco, California – July 12
Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas – July 12
New York City, New York – July 11 and July 12
Europe
Hamburg, Germany – July 11
Barcelona, Spain – July 11
Bordeaux, France – July 11
Warsaw, Poland – July 11
Edinburgh, United Kingdom – July 12
Antwerp, Belgium – July 12
Latin America
São Paulo, Brazil – July 12
Santiago, Chile – July 12
Puebla, Mexico – July 12
Lima, Peru – July 12
Asia-Pacific
Tokyo, Japan – July 11
Miyagi, Japan – July 12
Seoul, Korea – July 11 and July 12
Taipei, Taiwan – July 11 and July 12
Jakarta, Indonesia – July 11 and July 12
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – July 11 and July 12
Bengaluru, India – July 11 and July 12
New Delhi, India – July 11 and July 12
Mumbai, India – July 11 and July 12
Bangkok, Thailand – July 11 and July 12
Melbourne, Australia – July 11 and July 12
Note: Specific venue details will be announced in the coming weeks.
A collection of outstanding and “unapologetically modern” new homes that will transform a historic space in Edinburgh’s South Queensferry landscape are soon to be launched to the market.
The development of Q Gardens, an impressive reinvention of the Georgian Scotstoun House estate, is being carried out by luxury home specialist – AMA New Homes and marries Scottish architectural heritage with breathtaking contemporary design.
Award-winning architects The Kettle Collective – known for landmark projects across the Middle East, Asia and Africa – have drawn up the plans for these striking new homes which will appeal to buyers searching for statement homes in a leafy garden setting close to the centre of Edinburgh.
Set in more than two hectares of parkland, the exclusive complex comprises 21 three, four and five-bedroom homes, characterised by fluid living spaces, an abundance of light, a sense of open space and biophilic designs.
Q Gardens sits in the grounds of the former Scotstoun Park House, a grand mansion built in the 1770s, thought to have been originally part of the Rosebery Estate.
The mansion was demolished in the 1960s after years of neglect and a modernist office block, Scotstoun House, was built in its place designed by influential architect Peter Fogo. The signature of Ove Arup, founder of global engineering firm ARUP, can be found in the concrete alongside the date 1965.
Created around a square floor plan that echoes the size and shape of the neighbouring Georgian walled garden, the B-listed classic building will be converted into four four-bedroom apartments and forms the centrepiece of the project.
Architect Tony Kettle said: “Our task was to convert and revitalise this modernist gem while celebrating the site’s heritage. The original sculpted concrete panels will be retained, while a floating roofline forms a continuous clerestory window beneath, an enduring hallmark of modernist design.
“Our plans set large villas and townhouses within the original mature landscaped setting of Scotstoun House with a central lawn and walled garden. The existing mature trees have been protected and supplemented with extensive new tree planting to create a protected garden setting, a green oasis within South Queensferry.
“The driving design principle behind Q Gardens was to blur the boundaries between inside and out and to bring the residents closer to nature.
“This can be seen in the plans for expansive floor to ceiling windows that link formal dining and living areas to private gardens, creating a seamless flow between the buildings and the verdant surroundings. Additionally, balconies and bedroom views are framed by mature tree canopies. At all times during the design process, we have sought to capitalise on the glorious woodland setting.”
Of particular note is a dramatic extension linking the original Georgian stable block and adjacent cottage with a glazed curtain wall to form a three-bedroom house.
Crafted with minimalist modernist detailing, the luxury development offers the high quality homes associated with AMA. The designs for these elegant residences are thoughtfully arranged around light-filled kitchens with statement extended islands, allowing residents to combine cooking with informal dining and offering both wonderful family rooms and ideal entertaining spaces.
The homes will feature air source heat pumps, a state-of-the-art mechanical ventilation heat recovery system, high levels of insulation and underfloor heating, providing energy-efficient and environmentally conscious heating systems.
Behnam Afshar, director of AMA, said: “The potential for an extraordinary development at Scotstoun was immediately obvious and we are immensely proud of the way in which we are reinventing this special space.
“Scotstoun’s heritage gave us an excellent foundation with which to work. We have brought together the site’s heritage and contemporary design to create the blueprint for a truly sustainable development of outstanding, unapologetically modern homes. We believe this will be a striking addition to the city’s prime property portfolio.”
Q Gardens is ideally located just 10 miles west of the centre of Edinburgh with excellent transport connections to the city. It is also close to the motorway network and Edinburgh Airport. South Queensferry is an attractive, historic harbour town which offers a broad range of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, a popular sports centre, a busy marina and primary and secondary schools.
Currently under development, the first homes are expected to complete later this year.
Available off-plan, prices start from £680,000 for stylish three-bedroom linked villas. The stable conversion is available for offers over £925,000 and the five-bedroom detached villas set in their own garden grounds are for sale for offers over £1.3million.
We are concerned by the nature of the media attention focused on the election of Dr Q Manivannan to the Scottish Parliament at the recent election. Rather than celebrating the improvement in representation of Scotland’s diverse population Dr Manivannan’s election represents, our public sphere has been fixated on debating their right to be an MSP.
Less than eighteen months ago, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed, with every party voting in favour, the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act. This gave the right to stand for election to anyone with leave to remain in Scotland, whether temporary or permanent. It is therefore clear that Dr Manivannan had a legal right to seek and win election.
That law built on earlier efforts to make the Scottish electoral system more democratic and inclusive.
The Elections (Franchise and Representation) Act 2020 expanded voting rights for the Scottish Parliament and Scottish local authorities to most people legally living in Scotland, regardless of their citizenship status. This was a recognition of the contributions that everybody living, working, raising families and studying in Scotland make to our communities and economy. It was an affirmation of the principle that Scotland is governed by and for everyone who lives here.
Dr Manivannan’s success in being elected is one of the intended results of this widely supported legislation. The people who choose to make their homes here should be included, supported and electorally represented.
It is a sad sign of the times, and the state of our public discourse, that what should have been a proud moment for Scottish democracy has been marred by partisan spin, attacks on Dr Manivannan’s identity both as an immigrant and non-binary person, and media failures to confront disinformation.
This treatment of Dr Manivannan risks further cementing barriers to public office for women, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people and people from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Research on experiences of seeking elected office in Scotland suggests that harassment on social media and hostile media coverage is a significant factor in discouraging potential candidates from underrepresented groups.
This needs to change – especially in light of the decline in women’s representation in the current parliament.
We welcome the election of Dr Manivannan as an example of what we hope will be a more open and inclusive democracy that welcomes immigrants as both voters and representatives. We hope that the new parliament will represent all of the people of Scotland, promote tolerance and respect in the chamber, and work to uphold the rights and dignity of all.
Organisations supporting the statement include:The Young Women’s Movement, Scottish Trans, Equality Network, LGBT Youth Scotland, Inclusion Scotland, CRER (Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights), Equal Representation Coalition, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, CEMVO Scotland, ElectHER and Engender
The City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Leisure are inviting local residents, customers, and community groups to take part in a public consultation on proposals to redevelop Portobello Swim Centre, one of Edinburgh’s most distinctive and well‑loved heritage buildings.
The consultation will give the public an opportunity to comment on proposed improvements to the Category A listed facility, including internal reconfiguration to improve layouts, accessibility, and customer experience, while protecting key heritage features such as the pools and Turkish Baths.
Feedback from the consultation will help inform the final design and investment decisions for the centre.
Since the initial draft designs were first shared through the City of Edinburgh Council tender portal, the project team has been developing the proposals further. The City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Leisure are excited to showcase how the designs have evolved in response to early feedback from local clubs and customers, ensuring community voices are helping to shape what comes next.
The proposals also include new, much‑needed public toilets with access from outside the centre, helping local residents and visitors enjoy Portobello beach and promenade with better comfort and convenience.
As part of the consultation, a series of community drop‑in sessions will be held at Portobello Town Hall, giving people the chance to view the proposals, ask questions of the project team and share their views in person.
These sessions will take place on the following dates:
Tuesday 26 May: 10am – 12pm and 6pm – 8pm
Monday 1 June: 10am – 12pm and 6pm – 8pm
An online survey will also be available for those who prefer to provide feedback digitally.
The proposal, being delivered in partnership between the City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Leisure, is intended to support the long-term future of Portobello Swim Centre and the communities it serves.
Any future refurbishment would require a temporary closure of the centre while major works are carried out, and the consultation will also explore how any impact on customers and community groups could be managed.
Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener of City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Portobello Swim Centre is a much‑loved local landmark and an important community asset.
“This consultation is a vital opportunity for residents, users and local groups to help shape proposals that balance the building’s historic character with the need for modern, accessible facilities.”
Jen Holland, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Leisure, said: “We know how important Portobello Swim Centre is to its community.
“We’re committed to listening carefully to feedback through this consultation and ensuring that any future changes reflect what matters most to customers, clubs, and local residents, while securing the long‑term sustainability of this unique facility.”
Details of the consultation, and how to take part in the online survey, will be shared on the Edinburgh Leisure website and at Portobello Swim Centre in the coming weeks.
