9am Briefing: Man in court after woman attacked

A MAN is due in court today after a woman was attacked near a public footpath.

The alleged sexual assault took place in bushes close to the path between Cedarbank and Cloverbank in the Ladywell area of Livingston, West Lothian, at around 5.15pm on Wednesday.

A 26-year-old man was detained yesterday and is set to appear at Livingston Sheriff Court charged in connection with the attack.

• A MAN who was asleep in his Edinburgh flat when a fire broke out in the kitchen had a lucky escape after a fire alarm in the flat upstairs woke his neighbour.

The 24-year-old man, who did not have a fire alarm fitted in his ground-floor property on Bothwell Street, had to be woken by firefighters after the fire broke out in a pan of food at around 5am this morning.

Firefighters were called to the scene by a woman in the flat upstairs after her fire alarm went off.

The man was led to safety by firefighters and given oxygen at the scene, but did not attend hospital.

• ONE of the country's foremost judo experts has been honoured by Emperor Akihito of Japan.

British Judo Association president George Kerr, 73, from Edinburgh, said he was "thrilled to bits" after learning he is to receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan's equivalent of a CBE.

The honour is in recognition of Mr Kerr's contribution to the sport and UK-Japanese relations.

• DOZENS of passengers had to change flights after an aircraft was crippled at Edinburgh Airport when it ran over a tow-bar.

Two ground staff have been suspended and an investigation has been launched into the incident, which took place on Tuesday night.

The BA CityFlyer service was about to depart for London with 81 passengers on board when insiders said the tow-bar became detached from the tug used to push the aircraft away from the gate.

The Embraer E-190SR ran over it and got stuck.