9am Briefing: RBS fined £28m for breaking competition laws

ROYAL Bank of Scotland was today fined £28.6 million for breaking competition law after revealing details of its loan prices to rival Barclays.

The Office of Fair Trading said RBS told Barclays the cost of its loans to large professional firms such as solicitors and accountants through a series of contacts between October 2007 and February or March 2008.

Ali Nikpay, the OFT's senior director of cartels and criminal enforcement, said: "Any company that discloses confidential future pricing information to its competitors risks a substantial penalty."

Cold spell to get worse

WINTER weather is expected to return to the Lothians with snowfall on higher ground this evening.

The MET Office has warned residents across the area to be prepared for bad conditions.

This morning's threat of snow did not materialise and was replaced with strong winds and heavy rain, but the organisation predicted there would be snowfall later on tonight.

Rain across the Lothians will also continue until at least the end of this week.

Tramworks to be lifted until dispute resolved

TRAMWORKS diversions in the city centre are to be lifted until the dispute with contractors is resolved.

Traffic diversions around Haymarket will be removed, Shandwick Place will also be reopened for westbound buses and taxis, removing a detour via the Western Approach Road.

And on Leith Walk, barriers along the central reservation will be taken away, making it easier to cross the road between Picardy Place and London Road, and down to the Foot of the Walk at Constitution Street.

Rage hail Susan Boyle

RAGE Against the Machine, the band which gazumped last year's X Factor song to Christmas number one, is hoping to make amends with music mogul Simon Cowell with the help of Blackburn singing sensation Susan Boyle.

The band's frontman Zack de la Rocha said performing alongside the Britain's Got Talent star could help ease relations between the two.

He said: "We love Susan Boyle.

"To show there are no hard feelings we would like her to perform with us on stage this summer."

Probe into Gathering

THE debt-ridden Gathering event is to be investigated after it folded owing more than 400,000.

The Auditor General has been asked to probe the event, which took place in Holyrood Park last summer, it was reported today.

It was supposed to be the centrepiece of the Scottish Government's 2009 Homecoming year, but was hampered by poor weather and did not make the money it was expected to.