The view from Constitution Street this afternoon.

Police Scotland issued the following press release at lunchtime today. We reproduce it unedited and in full.

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Police Scotland is appealing for information following an abduction and attempted murder incident which happened in the city centre overnight.

Acclaimed artist Victoria Crowe was at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church this morning to raise awareness of the forthcoming Sale of Pictures and Scottish Books there later this month.

Crowe has donated two paintings for the sale: ‘Turn of the Season’ (which she is pictured  holding, below) and ‘Large Tree Group’ (even further below, held by an assistant).

Since 1981, the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) John Kinross Scholarship has afforded 10 students of art and/or architecture the chance to live and create in Florence for 3 months.

A few years later, an Academician’s bright spark saw works created during these Italian sojourns added (mandatorily) to a collection held by the RSA. Said hoard has swelled over the years until achieving national significance – who said you can’t have too much of a good thing?

An eye-catching, thought-provoking, and well-executed piece of street-art has appeared at the Tesco end of the Rodney Street tunnel. For the full effect, see the foot of this page.

The work, by Mark Tremaine Agbi ‘Okata’, was commissioned by Sustrans UK to mark Black History Month. It is one of eight pieces across the country’s National Cycle Network, created to highlight Scotland’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It’s an admirable initiative, which we applaud.

The proposal to repurpose the old Royal High School on Regent Road as a new performance venue and home for St Mary’s Music School has taken a major step forward.<

POLICE SEEK WITNESSES

Police Scotland issued a press release yesterday, which we reproduce below unedited and in full.

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Detectives in Edinburgh are appealing for information following the attempted robbery of a man and woman in the Claremont area of the city.

The incident took place around 10.50pm on Tuesday 28th September, within a property at Claremont Court.

As you read this, advance copies of the October Spurtle are already dispersing across the barony like dropped PPE masks on an easterly breeze.

Page 1 contains a refusal, an appeal, a crisis, and ‘an absolute disgrace’.

Page 2 takes a deep breath and calmly outlines a delay, a declutter, a bit more detail, and a desire for improved fresh air. Plus Enlightenment, a toucan, Walnut Whips, and an occult reference to an unusual body part most human beings don’t like to talk about.

Spurtle has received a report that on Saturday afternoon, a group of moto-cross bikers harassed participants in a peaceful Critical Mass cycle protest in the city centre.