9am Briefing: Family 'overjoyed' after kidnapped boy found safe and well

Sahil Saeed was snatched from a house in the Punjab region of the country on March 4 after robbers held his relatives hostage at gunpoint.

Sahil's mother, Akila Naqqash, who had begged for his release, has now spoken to her son and is waiting for him to return to his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

Pope to fly into Edinburgh

POPE Benedict XVI will fly into Edinburgh to begin his first ever papal state visit to Great Britain.

He will be met by the Prime Minister and a member of the Royal family, possibly Prince Charles, when he arrives in the Capital on 16 September for the four-day visit.

The 83-year-old pontiff is expected to use his Popemobile to travel to an awaiting car which will take him to the Palace of Holyroodhouse for a meeting with the Queen and dignitaries, including First Minister Alex Salmond.

1m-a-month tram fines

FINES of 1 million a month will be slapped on the firms building Edinburgh's tram line if they miss a new completion deadline of June 2012.

The heavy fines are designed to compensate for the loss of revenue if the trams do not start running on time, it was reported today.

But sources close to the consortium of firms building the tram line reportedly said they had legal advice to show TIE did not have "a hope in hell" of imposing the the fines.

Plans for new arena

CITY council chiefs are in talks over plans for a huge new indoor concert arena close to Edinburgh airport, it was reported today.

A new blueprint for West Edinburgh will safeguard land for a multi-million pound complex which would aim to compete with the SECC in Glasgow.

The council is said to be working with a major property owner in the area on plans for an arena with a capacity up to 15,000, which would be served by the proposed new transport hub at Gogar.

Biomass plant protests to be stepped up

CAMPAIGNERS are stepping up their objections to plans for a 360 million biomass power station on Leith waterfront.

The plant is a joint venture between dock owner Forth Ports and Scottish & Southern Energy and would process up to 1.3 million tonnes of biomass material every year, largely woodchip imported from overseas.

Local campaigners say it will harm the regeneration of the area and ruin protected views across the Capital.