9am Briefing: Hearts may avoid action after paying players on time

HEARTS were today awaiting confirmation they had avoided disciplinary action by paying their first-team squad on schedule for the first time in four months.

It comes as Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov today suggested he might reconsider his decision to sell the club.

The club, third in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, had until midnight last night to make the payment to their players.

• A MAJORITY of Scots back “devo max”, a new opinion poll showed today.

The YouGov survey found support for independence increasing to 39 per cent, with 61 per cent against. But 58 per cent wanted to give Holyrood power over all its finances, against 42 per who did not.

The poll also found 46 per cent in favour of a devo max option on the ballot paper while 43 per cent wanted a straight Yes/No on independence.

Meanwhile business leaders said uncertainty was damaging the economy and called for the referendum to be held next year instead of autumn 2014.

• A RESTAURANT in the Capital has been included among seven UK establishments to be awarded the AA’s coveted three Rosettes award.

Mark Greenaway at No 12 Picardy Place was the only Scottish restaurant to receive the award, the rest of the new additions spread across England, with two going to London restaurants.

AA hotel services manager, Simon Numphud, said: “Restaurants serving food of a three Rosette standard are worthy of recognition from well beyond their local area.”

• CITY planners are recommending approval for a controversial £5 million extension to the Scottish Parliament.

Holyrood bosses are seeking consent for a security pavilion at the front of the buiding, which would allow visitors to be searched before entering the parliament itself.

Michael Duncan, who worked on the original parliament design, described the extension as a “bothy”.

Riccardo Marini, the council’s “design tsar”, said he was “saddened” by what was happening to the parliament and called for it to be listed to preven further intrusions.

But planning officials said the extension was only a “minor addition”.

• FEARS are growing for the 29 people still missing from a shipwreck off Italy, four days after the vessel crashed.

The Italian coastguard said 25 passengers and four crew members remained unaccounted for after the Costa Concordia ran into a reef off the Tuscan coast near the island of Giglio on Friday.

Six people have been confirmed dead and officials last night revised the number of those missing up from an estimated 16 people.