9am Briefing: Murder probe after man found dead in flat

The 47-year-old died following a disturbance at a ground floor property on Stenhouse Gardens North.

The incident took place at around 10pm last night and emergency services were called to the scene and the area cordoned off.

A 48-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder, and is due to appear tomorrow in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

In an unrelated incident, a woman had earlier been struck in a hit and run incident just yards from the same place half an hour earlier.

A police spokeswoman said: "She was struck by a dark-coloured vehicle at around 9.30pm, and was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for observation, although she was not seriously injured."

Haymarket hotel plan ditched

DEVELOPERS have ditched plans for a 17-storey, five-star hotel beside Haymarket station.

The controversial multi-million-pound plans were previously rejected following a public inquiry and now the developer's deal with hotel operator Intercontinental has reportedly been scrapped.

The Scottish Government turned down the 250m plan for the former goods yard on Morrison Street, which had the hotel as its centrepiece, last October.

Developer Tiger has insisted it is fully committed to using the site and yesterday unveiled its latest plans which feature office blocks, shops and public squares.

Buildings will be no higher than ten storeys in line with new guidance issued by Edinburgh City Council.

A three-storey budget hotel and an underground car park will be retained from the previous scheme.

Gang targets parking meters

A GANG of thieves has stolen thousands of pounds from city centre parking meters by cutting them open.

Meters backing onto public gardens in Heriot Row and Queen Street Gardens have been cut open by thieves who also had to cut through railings to gain access in some cases.

They apparently hid in shrubbery behind the metres while they cut through the inch-thick steel at the back of the meters using cutting gear and drills.