The year 2023 saw a wide variety of stories in the headlines – from the UK’s first driverless buses starting operation across the Forth Road Bridge to the Capital’s final farewell to former boxing world champion Ken Buchanan. There was also the return of trams to Leith Walk with the opening of the extension from York Place to Newhaven; Beyonce’s concert at Murrayfield and on of the city’s celebrated authors being honoured at Buckingham Palace.
Scroll through these 26 pictures and remind yourself of some of the news highlights of 2023
5. Graffiti busters
A specialist team of council graffiti busters was approved as part of a £3 million cleanup of the Capital. Other measures included a new rapid response cleansing unit to tackle waste in the city centre seven days a week, emptying litter bins, removing dumped items and dealing with emergencies; four extra vehicles to tackle flytipping in areas served by communal bins; free bulky uplifts for low-income families; and a 50 per cent increase in funding for gully clearing in a bid to prevent local flooding. Photo: Scott Louden
6. City's most dangerous junction
The junction of Lothian Road and Princes Street was named as Edinburgh's most dangerous road junction as the city council planned safety improvements across the Capital. It was the place where cyclist Zhi Min Soh, a 23-year-old medical student, died after her wheel became stuck in tram tracks and she was hit by a minibus in June 2017. Tollcross was the second most dangerous and Haymarket junction the third. The council assessment took into account not just casualties but also traffic volumes, pedestrian and cyclist numbers, traffic speed, pedestrian waiting times and proximity to schools, among other criteria. Photo: Google
7. King's New Town house
It was revealed an expensive property in Edinburgh's Ne Town which was given to Queen Elizabeth II in her role as sovereign is being privately rented out by the King for profit. The Georgian house, which is divided into two flats, was given to the Queen in 1953 by its previous owner and was treated as an official gift when it was put into the government's control in 1954. But profits from the building are now pocketed by the firm that owns King Charles' lands and houses. Photo: Andrew Milligan
8. Brewery forced to close
The award-winning independent Ferry Brewery, which had operated in South Queensferry for more than 170 years, was forced to close because of rising energy prices, the economic downturn and the cost of living crisis. The brewery in Bankhead Road, which opened in 1851, ran a tap room bar at the site as well as a shop in South Queensferry High Street and sold its beers across the UK. Photo: Alistair Linford