Morning briefing: Former Livingston owner lodges bid for Hearts THE Former Livingston owner Angelo Massone has lodged a £4.5 million bid for Hearts. And the multi-million-pound bid by the Italian consortium - which is conditional on the club being debt and liability free - is also expected to fall far short of Romanov's valuation. LEADING figures from the armed forces paid tribute to the "remarkable life" of Scotland's former chief inspector of prisons and ex-SAS commander Clive Fairweather. A memorial service for Mr Fairweather, who died last month after a short illness, was held yesterday at the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh. More than 600 turned out to remember Mr Fairweather, with government ministers, senior politicians and representatives from charities which help former service personnel among those in attendance. Friends and family of the father-of-three said Scotland had lost a special man. FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has been forced to apologise to the Scottish Parliament after a row erupted over college funding. The First Minister had insisted that the budget for colleges had not been cut, despite Labour saying it had. But he returned to Holyrood later to concede that he had used an "incorrect" figure and that the amount of cash colleges will receive for day-to-day spending has fallen by more than £9 million. Labour leader Johann Lamont claimed Mr Salmond's statement was "astonishing" as she blasted: "The contempt that Alex Salmond shows every day for the Scottish people and our Parliament is breathtaking." She said: "How can we ever believe a word Alex Salmond says again?" Mr Salmond said: "I have taken this earliest opportunity to correct the figure." DEPUTY First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been named 2012 Scottish Politician of the Year. She was chosen from an all-women shortlist which also included Labour leader Johann Lamont and presiding officer Tricia Marwick. Ms Sturgeon was given the honour in recognition of her work on minimum pricing for alcohol and the introduction of same-sex marriage, as well as her key role in the 2014 independence referendum. It is the second time Ms Sturgeon has scooped the top award.