Edinburgh

Plans for a visitor levy in Edinburgh took another significant step forward on Thursday as councillors agreed key details of the draft scheme.

The levy will see visitors staying in accommodation be required to pay a fixed fee per night of 5 per cent of the accommodation cost, capped at seven consecutive nights.

It will apply to paid accommodation including hotels, short-term lets, hostels and bed and breakfasts.

The so called "tourist tax" is predicted to raise £45-50 million a year by 2028/29.

Police are investigating claims that football fans shouted abuse at cricket players during a match in Edinburgh that was later abandoned.

Murrayfield DAFS Cricket Club said players were subjected to "a combination of sexist, homophobic and racist abuse" during the match against Stewart's Melville Cricket Club at Roseburn Park on Saturday.

The club said this happened while Rangers and Manchester United fans were walking to a nearby friendly. It also claimed two cricket players were assaulted and that police did not intervene.

The force said it was investigating claims of abuse but it had not received any complaints about police inaction.

Putting litter into bins could soon win people in Edinburgh prizes of £100.

The city council has signed up to a lottery scheme which awards cash prizes every month for helping to keep the streets tidy. LitterLotto is a free-to-enter prize draw, with regular spot prizes and jackpots, supported by brands who want a cleaner environment.

People are invited to download an app, then take pictures of themselves putting rubbish into a litter bin and upload the images, which are then automatically entered in the monthly draw. Each month there will be a £100 Edinburgh prize and a £1,000 Scotland-wide prize.

EIF tickets are so much more expensive this year. They used to be cheaper seeing the opera during the festival than during the rest of the year due to subsidies from the arts councils. This year it is more than double the price! A ticket for Carmen in the upper circle with a restricted view was more than £100.

Granted, I did have a concession for being under 25 at the time, but I saw La Boheme at the festival a few years ago for £15. In some good news they've raised the concession age threshold to 30 this year but not sure how large a discount it applies.

FWIW I still think that the quality of the EIF is worth the price. Comedy shows in the Fringe can be like ~£25 these days and the quality is extremely variable. Will probably only go and see my mate's show at The Stand this year

Free Fringe can have hidden gems but I've ended up being trapped in some extremely awkward shows with 3 other audience members before. Might be a while before I spin that paeticular roulette wheel again lol.

Interesting story since it's my old school. From what I've heard the headmaster can't be arsed dealing with these difficult parents anymore and is retiring.

My wife was a teacher and she believes the school made the right call since it sounds like the family were not coping with their child's needs and needed extra support.

Rumour from the school is that the child had socially transitioned but the parents were not aware of this until their other child informed them. Mother is currently campaigning on twitter and name dropping all of the teachers involved in an unpleasant manner.

One interesting angle is that this is a private school so the parents probably feel that they ought to be able to dictate exactly how the school ought to handle the situation. At the end of the day they are still a school though with a duty of care to the students. They need to follow government regulations assiduously and at the time the guidelines were clear.

How fucking great was that??

If you're going tomorrow night, you're in for a treat, what a set!

Great news this, was such a shame to see the Filmhouse closed. So glad it's not been turned into a chain pub or something.

Just bought a flat in an old tenament this year and we've been getting complaints from the shop downstairs about leaking coming in through the ceiling. It is not constant and appears to be intermittent but seems to roughly coincide with us doing laundry.

Have had Haggart Plumbers out twice but they don't think it is coming from our flat. The last time I turned on every appliance including the washing machine for 30 mins while the plumber waited downstairs with a step ladder but he could not identify any leaks coming from the flat.

My worry is that the issue only happens when we have longer laundry cycles. Would anyone be able to recommend a plumber who has helped out in a similar situation?

Being a first time buyer has been stressful enough without this but want to get it sorted.

Exascale is the next frontier in computing power, where systems are built to carry out extremely complex functions with increased speed and precision. This in turn enables researchers to accelerate their work into some of the most pressing challenges we face, including the development of new drugs, and advances in nuclear fusion to produce potentially limitless clean low-carbon energy.

The exascale system hosted at the University of Edinburgh will be able to carry out these complicated workloads while also supporting critical research into AI safety and development, as the UK seeks to safely harness its potential to improve lives across the country.

I remember discovering Wings restaurant in town after reading another one of these threads on the other place about 10 years ago. Happy to see that it is still going and thriving after visiting again this week.

I'll recommend Uno Mas cocktail bar at the top of Broughton Street, across from the Omni centre. It's down a set of stairs in the venue that used to be GHQ without a large sign so it is easy to miss. Amazing cocktails and particularly good pints of Guiness (apparently the trick is to clean the taps twice a week). Staff are nice too.

I see news from April that it is decided to not have fireworks at the end of the festival this year. Is there any update to that? Aren't we really gonna have it?

What was it for, anyone know? Tried to see it on radar apps but nothing

I want to rehome a cat, any advice or offers are appreciated. I am a tenant but I took permission from my landlord. I live with my wife, no kids. It is a flat without a garden. We are looking for an adult with calm personality, since we do not want the furniture to get damaged. Thank you

TLDR. Some level of closure on:

• High Street
• St Giles Street
• Parliament Square(s)
• Cockburn St
• Blair St
• Lawnmarket (Castlehill to George IV bridge)
• Johnston Terrace

Only just discovered it was Rebus from the signs on the sides, crazy how much space they had

This guy is just the gift that keeps on giving.

'Thursday, Rossi said he is not able to raise his arms above his head because he is so unwell. But in court on Wednesday, Rossi raised his hand on two occasions'

Is Inquiry-ception upon us?

Speirs Bruce Way opens in Granton today.

Anyone else from Edinburgh found their way over to feddit.uk? There may be just 1 total, but just in case, here's a place to chat about the Scottish capital.

Please say hello and introduce yourselves, if you're here