9am Briefing: Spitfire pieces unearthed at Botanic Garden

FRAGMENTS from a Spitfire have been unearthed in the Royal Botanic Garden after remaining buried for 69 years.

The Spitfire was one of two involved in what is thought to have been the only mid-air aircraft crash in central Edinburgh during the Second World War.

The Spitfires collided over Inverleith in September 1941.

Wind farm plans unveiled

PROPOSALS for a new wind farm that could power up to 40,000 homes have been unveiled for a site in West Lothian.

Plans for a 100 million, 30 turbine wind farm and forest development at Fauch Hill, were presented to the local community at a meeting at the Dalmahoy Hotel last night.

The development is among three planned for Scotland over the next five years by European Forest Resources, owned by French energy conglomerate the Louis Dreyfus Group.

City slipping in financial league tables

EDINBURGH is slipping down the league table of global financial centres, according to the latest rankings.

The Capital has dropped from 28th to 31st in the twice-yearly table of 75 world locations published by London-based think tank Z/Yen.

Its score fell from 615 out of 1000 to 600 in the Global Financial Centres Index.

Meanwhile, Glasgow bucked the trend of falling confidence in the global financial sector, climbing from 52nd to 46th place and increasing its score from 570 to 572.

Graduate tax plans

A GRADUATE tax is being considered for students in Scotland as part of a range of measures to combat the growing university funding crisis.

The Tories today said students should expect to pay towards their education once they start work, with the party putting forward proposals to follow an Australian model where students pay back deferred fees and living costs.

Student leaders NUS Scotland, which represents 200,000 higher education students, also said today that - in the current financial climate - it would be willing to discuss controversial proposals for a greater contribution from graduates.

Lloyds boss to step down

LLOYDS Banking Group boss Eric Daniels plans to retire from the bank in a year's time, it was reported today.

Mr Daniels, who has come under fire following the bank's troubled rescue of HBOS at the height of the financial crisis, will step down after leading the group as chief executive since June 2003.

Lloyds, which is 41 per cent owned by the taxpayer, said it will launch a search internally and externally for his successor.