9am Briefing: Red alert as 90mph winds to batter Lothians

Schools were closing at lunchtime, some train services were being cancelled, flights faced disruption and police were poised to advise people not to travel on the roads.

Travel conditions on the roads were expected to be “extremely poor” between 3pm and 6pm.

* A MAN who disappeared from the Capital nearly two weeks ago has been found safe and well.

Christopher Dalziel, 21, disappeared after telling work colleagues he was going on a night out with with friends.

The gas worker, from Restalrig Road, was last seen on CCTV outside Morrisons supermarket.

A police spokesman said: “Lothian and Borders Police can confirm 21-year-old Christopher Dalziel from Edinburgh has been traced safe and well.”

* A STUDENT has pleaded not guilty to killing a champion skier from Edinburgh who was killed while cycling in America.

Craig Macfie, 24, from Morningside, was hit by a car as he was riding in Eugene, Oregon, on 18 November and died in hospital the next day.

Fellow University of Oregon student Patrick Joseph Compton was yesterday warned he could face a mandatory minimum prison term of six years and three months if convicted under Oregon law.

Compton, 21, pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter and drink-driving in connection with the crash.

* A GLOBAL pharmaceutical firm is pulling out of the Capital with the expected loss of 13 jobs.

AstraZeneca’s offices, operating from Lochside Avenue, centred on clinical research trials and is understood to have been integral to the development of breast cancer drug Tamoxifen among other products.

It is understood the city branch was the company’s main clinical testing base and had been in business for the last 35 years.

A spokesperson for the firm said: “In total, 13 people will be made redundant. We have worked closely with those affected employees to provide support, including change workshops, careers guidance, interview preparation, business start-up advice and retraining options.”

* A PROPOSAL to make the Meadows into a huge campsite during festival season has taken a step forward after the idea was named one of the winners of a context to improve the city’s festivals.

Council chief executive Sue Bruce was on the panel of judges which backed the idea of the public spot becoming home to a T in the Park-style campsite with facilities such as toilets, cooking areas and security guards, it was reported today.

But the proposal has been largely slated by locals, who said the idea was “appalling”.