New fashion boutique opens in the capital

By Cara Sulieman

A NEW fashion boutique has opened in Edinburgh and aims to bring a little bit of ‘Ritz’ glitz to the capital.

Arkangel & Felon re-launched last week with a complete overhaul of the shop floor, IT and ordering systems.

And with it comes an injection of new brands into Scotland, promising fashionistas a taste of the glamourous lifestyle the shop’s owners have experienced.

Husband and wife team Sarah Cosgrove and Andy Kidd are behind the venture which includes top brands from designers such as Australian Leona Edmiston, Wilbur & Gussie and jewellery from Fiona Paxton.

SQA fights back as exams branded “easy”

By Zoë Keown

SCOTLAND HAS often been referred to as one of the ‘best educated societies in the world’.

The value of the county’s qualifications are now however being called into disrepute, as thousands of students are passing exams with scores as low as 24 per cent.

At Higher level, key subjects like English, chemistry and biology can be passed with marks below 50 per cent.

And at Standard Grade, graphic communication candidates have secured foundation passes with a score of just 24 per cent.

At 74.6 per cent for Highers and 98.5 per cent for Standard Grades, the number of students passing Scottish exams this year, stands at a record level.

Dead seals causing concern for scientists

By Zoë Keown

THE SCOTTISH Government have commissioned scientists at the Sea Mammal Research Unit to carry out an investigation, after seal carcasses with mystifying “corkscrew” injuries were found washed up along the east coast of Scotland and England.

In just two months, seven incidents involving common and grey seals in St Andrews Bay and the Firth of Forth have been reported.

And with four incidents reported in Norfolk in July, and similar deaths occurring off the Canadian Atlantic coast, this problem is wider than any border.

Inconsistent with more usual fishing net or propeller injuries, the origins of the odd, smooth cut, which starts an the head and spirals around the body, are baffling, and in England, concerns have even prompted police investigation.

Corrie star takes to the stage again now kids have flown the nest

 

Denise sings her heart out on stage

 

By Christine Lavelle

EX-CORRIE star Denise Black has discovered a new way to tackle “empty nest syndrome” – by forming a rock band.

The actress, best known for playing Ken Barlow’s squeeze during the 90s, is getting set to play a string of midnight cabaret shows at Edinburgh’s Fringe festival with her band the Loose Screws.

Denise, who made her living as a singer long before joining the cast of Coronation Street, said she is excited to hit the capital after doing a stint in Calendar Girls in Glasgow.

She said: “I had put my acting career on hold while my children were still young because I wanted to be at home with them.

“As they got older I realised I was worried about having an ‘empty nest’ so decided I had to get back into doing something I love, and that’s where the idea for the band came from.”

Indian restaurant goes Scottish with their menu

The menu has earnt the restaurant a place in a guide to Scotland

By Christine Lavelle

IT’S not often you find an Indian restaurant in a tour guide to Scotland, but chefs at one Edinburgh eatery have cracked it with their very own original idea.

Owners of the Suruchi restaurant designed and developed a menu with a difference – it has been translated into traditional Scots tongue.

Diners are welcomed by friendly waiters wearing tartan waistcoats and can opt for the menu which rates dishes as “nippie” or “nae oer nippie.”

Each menu option comes with a Scottish description to give local customers a better understanding of the spicy flavours.

The salmon tikka is detailed as: “The king of fush, the best of Scotland an it gaes weel wi Indian spices. Grillit tae perfection in the tandoor.”

Thieves nick more than £500,000 worth of loot from Scotland’s councils

By Cara Sulieman

COUNCIL’S across Scotland have had more than half a million pounds worth of property stolen over the last year.

Thieves have even lifted children’s play equipment and flowers from cemeteries in the nationwide crime spree.

West Lothian Council was the worst hit, with a whopping £68,688 worth of items stolen in the last financial year.

The range of items nicked go from memory sticks up to costly items such as diggers, vans, a £22,000 gritter and a £10,00 aerial platform.

Anger over quango’s spending on overseas trips

By Cara Sulieman

A HEALTH quango has been pulled up on its spending after splashing to send its staff on overseas training trips.

Workers for NHS Education for Scotland (NES) were sent to 21 conferences in places including Sydney, Istanbul, and Durban.

And now the Scottish Government’s health secretary is demanding to know why the cash was spent.

The quango is supposed to use its £385 million budget to organise training and education for NHS staff.

But since 2007, a total of 65 staff have been sent all over the world to attend events which have little to do with their remit.

Mystery of pensioner found in river

By Zoe Keown

A PENSIONER has been rushed to hospital after being found on rocks in the middle of a river this morning.

The 80-year-old was found near a bridge over the River Almond in Mid Calder.

Police still don’t know how the woman got on to the rocks, and Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service had to be called to rescue her from the middle of the river.

She was taken to St John’s Hospital in Livingston by ambulance after the incident just after 8am today.

A spokeswoman from Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said: “The whole thing is a mystery.

“We don’t know how she got there or if she fell from the bridge.”

Police appeal for help with mystery injuries

By Cara Sulieman

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was found lying in the middle of the road in the early hours of Sunday morning after a night out.

It is not known if the man fell or was the victim of an assault and Lothian and Borders are hoping that other party-goers will be able to clear up the mystery.

The ambulance service received a call just before 5am this morning when the 37-year-old was found lying in the middle of Holyrood Road, Edinburgh.

He was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment – but the emergency services were unable to say what injuries he had sustained.