Victim urged to come forward after 'attack' in central Edinburgh square

animal welfare bosses have launched a search for the owners of a group of festive strays - including a ferret and a chicken. Animals were found roaming wild by the Scottish SPCA over the past few weeks.

Edinburgh Zoo could be on the verge of returning its famous giant pandas to China next year. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs the zoo alongside the Highland Wildlife Park, says that it lost around £2m last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

First Minister tweeted just after the Brexit transition period formally ended at 11pm on December 31. Scotland's trading and travel relationships with EU countries will now be governed by the agreement announced by the UK Government on Christmas Eve.

Covid-19 and stay at home on Hogmanay. Pals are being warned not to mix with other households indoors and stay away from parties.UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people "cannot let up" now in the fight against the virus as the health service struggles with rising cases.He said: "With our NHS under pressure we must all take personal responsibility this New Year's Eve and stay at home."I know how much we have all sacrificed this year and we cannot let up.

Police have warned they will use their powers to break up Hogmanay parties. Cops are urging Scots to "do the right thing" this New Year's Eve and stay at home to stop the spread of Covid-19.

link.“Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance, and encourage compliance, but we will not hesitate to continue to use our enforcement powers as a last resort."Please follow the Scottish Government's advice, which is to celebrate Hogmanay and the New Year with your own household only, in your own home."

First Minister made the warning after the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Scotland since the beginning of the pandemic passed 120,000 this week.

life savings to a conman posing as Outlander star Sam Heughan.Heartbroken Anna handed over around £34,000 after striking up an online relationship with the fraudster, who went to extra-ordinary lengths to convince her he was the actor.She has now hired a private investigator in Scotland to try to find out who was behind a bogus investment scheme using Heughan’s whisky brand Sassenach Spirits.Anna, from New York, said she has been left thousands of dollars in debt and broken-hearted after

coronavirus coma. Wayne Oldham fought for his life as the killer virus attacked his lungs during an 11 week stay in hospital after being admitted on October 5.  The 46-year-old gym fanatic was placed on an ECMO machine in a last ditch attempt by doctors at the Aintree Hospital, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Police Scotland over its failure to respond to the accident.James McMillan, who is grandfather to Lamara Bell’s son Kieran, said: “I am happy that this is finally moving forward in some way.

coronavirus death since the start of the pandemic. The girl died somewhere in the country between December 14 and 21, according to new statistics from the National Records of Scotland.

Jason Leitch said further research was required on the latest mutation of the virus but added experts were so far confident it would not be able to resist the jabs currently being rolled out to health workers and care home residents. It comes as UK health secretary Matt Hancock warned today the country faced an “enormous challenge” controlling the new strain after scientists found it was able to spread more rapidly.

jobs could be secured with small changes.They claimed an extra two and half hours of opening hours and allowing alcohol sales with “strict controls” would increase turnover from £419m to £1.1bn in areas covered by restrictions.Scottish Labour MSP Alex Rowley raised the claims yesterday with Scottish economy secretary Fiona Hyslop.Rowley said: "In order to effectively recover and rebuild from the effects of the pandemic, we must protect valuable industries such as hospitality."It is my view

link.The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) Make The Call campaign was launched earlier this year and appealed directly to the family, friends, and neighbours of those who are most at risk of fire to get in touch with SFRS on their behalf to request a free Home Fire Safety Visit.Latest figures also show that fires sadly claimed the lives of six people and resulted in 56 casualties across Scotland during last year’s festivities.The statistics go on to show that of the 56 casualties, a

POLICE Scotland is running a major campaign to help the people of Monklands to protect themselves from fraud – one of the most commonly experienced crimes in the country.Cases of criminals exploiting vulnerable and unsuspecting people and persuading them to part with money or personal information are continuing to rise.During the six-week campaign, in partnership with Take Five to Stop Fraud, police officers will also warn that criminals are becoming more sophisticated and convincing in their

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterA further 30 people in Scotland have died after contracting coronavirus.The death toll was revealed this afternoon as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged caution over the relaxation of restrictions at Christmas.She is urging Scots to limit their Christmas bubbles to two households despite previously published rules stating that up to three would be possible.She said: "The safest way to spend

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.THE Ford Puma compact crossover has been crowned the Scottish Car of the Year for 2020.The trophy is usually handed over by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers at a glittering awards ceremony but the Covid-19 crisis meant this year’s event took place virtually.Association members nominated their favourite cars of 2020 before whittling them down to a shortlist and voting for the SCOTY winner.ASMW

Scottish Affairs Committee. They are investigating the effect of the benefits system on people’s lives and on levels of hardship in Scotland.

limit their Christmas bubbles to just two households despite guidance being published that they could visit up to three.