9am Briefing: Goodwin buys £3.5m old Souness mansion

FORMER RBS boss Sir Fred Goodwin is reported to have bought a £3.5 million Colinton mansion once owned by footballing hero Graeme Souness.

The banker, who received a 703,000 a year pension despite the collapse of RBS while he was its Chief Executive, is rumoured to have decided to move from his former home in the Grange after it was targeted by vandals.

Thompson film set for Fringe

A SHOW about sex trafficking backed by Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson is to feature on this year's Edinburgh Fringe.

Fair Trade, by Shatterbox Theatre Company, uses the words of two women trafficked into Britain to tell their own stories.

Thompson does not appear in the show, but got involved with the production after meeting the writers and will be in Edinburgh for the run at the Pleasance.

Also heading to the Capital for this year's Fringe is Legally Blonde and American Pie star Jennifer Coolidge. She will appear in a one-woman show at the Assembly Rooms in her first stand-up performance outside the US.

Taskforce to save graveyards

A NEW taskforce is to be set up to safeguard the future of five historic Edinburgh graveyards which have been placed on an international "danger list."

Heritage watchdogs and city council officials have begun moves to transform the fortunes of the final resting places of some of Edinburgh's most celebrated figures. The graveyard trust will oversee moves to restore run-down sites, repair dilapidated monuments, and encourage more visitors to the historic burial grounds.

Its creation is also expected to lead to improved security at the five locations – the Old and New Calton Burial Grounds, and Canongate, Greyfriars and St Cuthberts Kirkyards – and help tackle anti-social behaviour problems.

New hope for chicken pox vaccines

NEW findings about the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles could lead to improved vaccines and diagnostic tests, an Edinburgh study has revealed.

Scientists at Edinburgh University scientists devised a technique to separate the virus into its constituent proteins and then print them on to a biochip, before incubating the chip with blood from people who had previously had the infection.

They were able to pinpoint which proteins in the virus triggered a reaction in the body's immune system, giving scientists clues about how best to design a vaccine or blood test. Researchers believe the results may help create a test that offers improved sensitivity and earlier detection of infection compared with conventional tests.

Police alert over toddler fears

POLICE across the UK were on alert today over fears that a toddler who was in care in Northern Ireland was taken to Scotland by her parents.

Officers released CCTV footage after 17-month-old Sophie Anderson went missing with her parents Lucy Anderson, 30, and Stuart Creaney, 22.

They had been expected to attend a mother and toddlers group but failed to show up, and now police believe the couple may have taken the child on a ferry to Scotland.