Talk of the Town: Our monkeys show marine the ropes

THE cream of the British Army could be going up in the world - with the help of Edinburgh Zoo's cheeky chimps.

The monkeys' matchless skill in rope-climbing will play a part in a record bid by a superfit Royal Marines boot-camp instructor.

On December 14, Sam Sheriff, a physical training instructor in the Royal Marines, will attempt to climb 3000ft on a 30ft gymnasium rope to set a new world record - and raise 150,000 to build a memorial garden at the 45 Commando in Arbroath.

Ahead of his attempt, he travelled to the Capital to see some really professional climbers.

"I have been working hard to prepare for the challenge and perfect my climbing technique, and the chimps have given me some interesting tips!" he said.

Bikinis are high fashion despite the weather

For anyone out there struggling to think of an unusual gift for that special someone in their life, Talk of the Town may have the answer.

The Capital's RBFY Beauty Studio has admitted they are expecting a festive rush for their special "bikini design service", in which they can decorate a person's bikini area with gemstones, or shape it into symbols, such as exclamation marks or love hearts.

They have already had one adventurous lady who opted to have her bikini line shaved into a Christmas tree shape as a special surprise for her partner.

Snow chance for golf drive

A new drive to attract more people to play golf in the winter has seen Edinburgh Leisure introduce a new season ticket for its golf courses.

However, the massive banner recently erected on the railings around Portobello Park promoting the special offer might not have attracted many winter golf enthusiasts when Portobello Golf Course is currently under several inches of snow.

West's tourism takes a hit

Our neighbours in the west have fought hard to shake off the No Mean City tag, which dogged them for decades. So the last thing they needed was some chap from NATO comparing the city with the rough and tumble of downtown Kabul.

Now, in perhaps the most pointless piece of polling of the year, it has emerged that almost two thirds of Scots believe linking Glasgow to a war zone may hurt tourism.

Online research by YouGov found that 61 per cent of Scots believe comments by Mark Sedwill, NATO senior civilian representative in Kabul, could damage Glasgow's international reputation. The NATO man claimed Kabul was probably safer for children than London, New York or Glasgow. However, 13 per cent agreed with him.