Bailed-out RBS offer free coffee and cash to Americans

By Michael MacLeod

ROYAL Bank of Scotland is dishing out free dollars and drinks at Dunkin Donuts to its American customers – while going cap-in-hand to the UK Government asking for more bail-out cash.

The financial giant owns USA-based Citizens Bank and Charter One Bank, which are currently offering $220 (£120) to anyone who opens a new account.

Citizens Bank has even opened a branch in a Boston Dunkin Donuts outlet, offering a month-long free coffee subscription with new accounts.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance hit out at the “super gold-plating” of American customers.

They claimed it was “insulting” to offer the sweeteners to American customers while UK taxpayers’ money is being used to prop up RBS.

Virgin shuns $1million porn shoot in space

By Rory Reynolds

THE boss of the world’s first space travel firm has revealed how a film producer attempted to hire the world’s most advanced space craft – to make a porn movie.

Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn has said he was baffled when he was approached by someone interested in hiring the whole spacecraft – only to find out he was a porn baron.

The Scots-born boss, who heads-up Virgin’s space tourism arm for Richard Branson, said that he didn’t know how much was on offer, but that money was clearly no object.

The 49-year-old said: “We hot approached by someone who turned out to be a porn-film maker who wanted to hire the whole ship.

“They wanted to make a sex movie in space.

Health and safety forces headteachers forced to pick up dirty needles and condoms

By Rory Reynolds

HEADTEACHERS are having to pick up dirty needles and condoms from school grounds because health and safety prevents cleaners from removing them, according to a new government report.

A poll of 1,137 school rectors across Scotland has revealed that there is increasing concern that they are having to stop “undesirables” from entering that school grounds, while clearing up after youths “dubious night-time activities”.

The Scottish Government paper, which was researched by academics from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cambridge universities, has also shown that often headteachers find themselves liable for everything that happens across the school site, despite the fact that

The report, titled Recruitment and Retention of Headteachers in Scotland, said: “One of the most worrying concerns for heads was health and safety.

“Many of the routine tasks which they undertook, it was claimed, were in breach of rules and were accomplished because janitors were not allowed to undertake them.

Trams boss says budget going off track is “great success”

By Michael MacLeod

EDINBURGH’S tram scheme boss believes going £33million over budget would be “a great success.”

Richard Jeffrey says the massive project is likely to cost £545million instead of the original £512million budget.

But rather than going off the rails, he says he would be “pleased” if his team hit the newly raised budget bar.

Shirley Anne Somerville MSP slammed his remarks as “simply not good enough.”

Speaking in a weekend interview, Jeffrey – the recently appointed chief executive of Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) – conceded that the project was “not going smoothly.”

But he refuted claims the final bill could be £1billion.

Susan Boyle audience member blasts BGT producers for hate campaign

By Rory Reynolds

A SCOTS girl who became the target of a hate campaign because she rolled her eyes at Susan Boyle’s famous first performance has hit out at Britain’s Got Talent bosses for making her a hate figure.

Jennifer Byrne has received threats and abusive messages after a camera picked up on her grimacing at Susan Boyle when she said she wanted to be like Elaine Paige, at the SECC in Glasgow earlier this year.

Speaking publicly for the first time, the 18-year-old said that producers unfairly edited her actions and did not show footage of her applauding Susan after her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream.

Jennifer has been nicknamed the 1:24 girl because she can be seen at just under one and a half minutes on the YouTube video – which has been watched over 120million times.

She said: “All I did was roll my eyes the same as everyone else in the audience, including Simon Cowell.

Polish migrants brought massive tree-killing moth

By Rory Reynolds

POLISH immigrants are thought to have introduced a huge tree-killing moth to Scotland – that has already laid waste to vast swathes of forest in eastern Europe.

Scientists from the Forestry Commission Scotland have said that the pine-tree lappet moth may have latched onto the luggage or vehicles of migrant workers or tourists travelling to Britain.

The government body have warned that the moths are a threat to Scotland’s forestry industry and business, which is worth £800million per year.

It is thought that economically fragile rural areas that depend on the industry could be hit hard if an outbreak similar to those that European states have experienced occurs.

The pine tree lappet – which can grow up to three inches in wingspan – laid waste to more than 80,000 hectares of forest in Germany during the 1990s, and 54,000 hectares in Poland two years ago.

Salmond on crash course with voters over new Forth Road Bridge

By Michael MacLeod

ONLY a third of Scots support a £2billion project to build a new bridge over the River Forth, according to a new survey.

And more than half would rather a fraction of the cash was used to repair the existing bridge, which has long-term weakness issues.

The Scottish Greens said their poll proved the new bridge plan was “deeply unpopular.”

But the Scottish Government claimed it would be “positive for the environment.”

Alex Salmond’s Government is set to put plans for the replacement crossing – linking Edinburgh to Fife – before MSPs a week today (Monday).

But a poll commissioned by the Scottish Greens and environmental campaigners found most voters want the cash spent elsewhere.