Talk of the Town: Israel tracks pricey? No, tramlines is

FIVE years behind schedule and with a price tag double the original estimate, Jerusalem's new tram line got its inauguration earlier this week.

Beset with difficulties from the start, the tram line - which is the first of its kind in Israel - suffered problems and saw the initial planned network reduced to just one line.

Dubbed the "billion dollar baby" due to its cost, the price was pushed skywards due to disputes and utility diversions.

Sound familiar?

Stag-do in Altrincham is a Grimsby prospect

HE could have chosen Vegas, Amsterdam, Blackpool or even our own good old Grassmarket, but one Edinburgh stag has chosen a slightly more exotic location for his pre-nuptual party. . . Altrincham.

Keven Miller, 29, is to spend his last day of freedom watching Altrincham FC v Grimsby Town.

"My mates and I decided that we wanted to see a real football match and this game fitted the bill perfectly" said Kevin, who has a crucial away fixture of his own coming up when he travels to the Dominican Republic in November to marry fiance Natasha.

We'll rest easy knowing bankers are suffering

MANY people will find it comforting to know that nearly half of Edinburgh's bankers have trouble sleeping at night.

A recent "survey" by a sleeping-pill manufacturer found that 44 per cent of the Capital's bankers have trouble dozing off, and suggested the only remedy is a change of career.

Unsurprisingly, the city's best-rested residents are recruitment consultants and lawyers. With rising unemployment and large public projects like the trams mired in legal red tape, they're probably being kept very busy.

Careful, that frog bites

MARINE biologists have warned they'll take no chances with the latest bizarre creature to join North Queensferry's Deep Sea World.

The Argentine horned frog, nicknamed Pac-Man because his mouth is half the size of his body, can swallow virtually anything up to - and occasionally, beyond - its own size.

And while keepers admit Pac-Man may appear "comical", they said they'll be ready to deal with any funny business.

Deep Sea World's Paul Strachan said: "Despite their rather comical appearance, horned frogs are voracious predators.

"We actually have two horned frogs here at the aquarium but, due to their aggressive reputation, we're keeping them separate - and we're taking particularly care when it comes to feeding time."