The bus service run by Lothian Buses to and from Edinburgh Airport is excellent, of that there is no doubt. The bus company has invested heavily in luxurious buses, all complete with wifi to run the service. (and you know we love wifi!) But this week there have been some challenges to its future. Edinburgh Airport had tried to put the bus service out to tender, but at the Court of Session that has been challenged and stopped, at least meantime according to the BBC.
Edinburgh Zoo has responded to claims on the BBC Scotland website that the pandas will be arriving this summer as follows:-
The date has absolutely not been confirmed for the arrival of the pandas, although it is true all parties plan to be prepared for the arrival from July onwards. Work on the enclosure and on plans for their arrival is well underway and on schedule. We have always anticipated the arrival of the pandas during 2011 and will be very ready to welcome them from July onwards, however this does not mean that the arrival will be in July. Between now and the date of their arrival, we are still to welcome a team from the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association to approve the enclosure, as well as continued visits by the animal depart management team, who will look after them, to the Ya’an reserve in China to spend more time with Tian Tian and Yuang Guang before their arrival.
We would urge anyone planning to book their holidays or tickets around a visit to Edinburgh Zoo to see the giant pandas not to make firm booking plans yet.
We were listening to BBC Radio Scotland news this afternoon and they referred to the pandas as bears…..are they?
The counting process of all Edinburgh votes starts at 10pm. The first step is ‘verification’ – to actually count the number of papers in each box and check that against the number of papers which the Presiding Officer from the polling station has provided. Only then can the papers be sorted into votes for different parties or candidates. We will have more nuggets of information for you during our liveblogging of the count from Ingliston tonight starting at 10pm! Are you tuning in? Do let us know!
The Scotsman has confirmed that Craig Whyte has flown in to discuss his potential takeover of Rangers with Edinburgh businessman and current chairman, Sir David Murray. So where will they be discussing the future of the club? At Murray’s plush Charlotte Square offices or at his pad in Easter Belmont?
And Marketing Edinburgh new CEO, Lucy Bird, is still to take up her new job which does not start until June, notwithstanding that the new body has been in existence since April. Marketing Edinburgh is a merger and the result of “an evolving process to create a single city promotional body for Scotland’s capital city. Marketing Edinburgh will build on the existing private – public partnership in the city and the strengths of Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance (DEMA) , Edinburgh Convention Bureau (ECB), and Edinburgh Film Focus (EFF) and will have the endorsement and support of the City of Edinburgh Council.”
