Talk of the Town: No dirty tricks in swamp cup contest

THE fight for the right to host future football World Cups is predictably being dogged by allegations of dirty tricks, with FIFA investigating claims that Australian officials bidding to host the 2022 tournament handed out jewellery and paid for foreign travel in an effort to influence votes.

Can we expect to see similarly fierce competition within the Capital following the announcement that Edinburgh is to host next year's swamp soccer world cup? Surely, the front-runners to be the venue for this prestigious tournament are the Meadows and Princes Street Gardens, which can both traditionally provide the perfect match conditions straight after the Fringe.

Executive decision after computer says no

WHICH normally mild-mannered senior exec at a well known banking institution in Edinburgh had what one colleague described as a "total flakey" on Thursday?

TOTT hears that the usually quiet and thoroughly professional 60-year-old lobbed his keyboard through the screen of his computer in a fit of rage. Have you tried switching it off and back on again?

Squeezed out

WITH all the things that could go wrong trying to organise a festival of music, you would think that having all the appropriate instruments would be way down the list.

But organisers of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival have run into a problem which could hamper one of their concerts – the lack of an accordion.

Although they have tried musical instrument rental companies, their search for the elusive instrument has not proved to be fruitful and they are appealing to Edinburgh residents to help them out.

Festival organisers are very specific about what they need – ideally it must be something with three sets of reeds on the treble side including a high or piccolo reed set.

Other than that, just a standard 120 bass piano accordion would suffice, apparently.

If you can help, contact Lindsay on 0131-467 5200.

Pizza the festival action

NO SUMMER would be complete without the sight of an ice cream van providing ice cool refreshment to sweltering city dwellers.

One enterprising businessman is hoping to break into this lucrative mobile market but with a unique twist. For instead of ice pops and raspberry ripple 99s he is peddling pizzas.

La Favorita on Leith Walk will be operating its very own pizza van at festivals and gatherings across Scotland.