9am Briefing: Soldiers return home from Afghanistan

The battalion carried out patrols, operations and fought insurgents in the Lashkar Gah region of Helmand province.

Around 500 members also helped to provide security as well as training the Afghan National Security Forces.

Their positions have been taken over by The Highlanders 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS).

SHADOW Chancellor Ed Balls will be in Edinburgh today to boost Labour's relaunched election campaign.

Mr Balls will campaign in Sighthill and Portobello, accompanied by Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray, who yesterday launched an assault on the SNP and Alex Salmond over independence.

A SIX-year-old boy who has raised nearly 13,000 for charity through his drawings is receiving "insensitive" e-mails from people demanding his family send them the pictures.

Jack Henderson, from Prestonpans in East Lothian, has been fundraising for the Sick Kids Hospital where his youngest brother Noah is being treated for bronchiolitis.

But his parents Ed and Rose have been forced to issue pleas for calm after being "hassled and harrassed" by people chasing up their pictures.

They have even offered to refund donations from anyone who is unhappy at a delay in getting a picture from Jack.

More than 630 people from across the world have donated cash in return for one of his pictures. But having completed 120 drawings in just a few weeks "a minority" of those who have supported his appeal have been accused of sending "insensitive" messages.

BOSSES at Edinburgh Zoo are to hold a crisis meeting with members over the suspension of two senior executives and the sacking of a third.

There have been concerns that management upheaval will jeopardise the lucrative deal to bring two pandas to the city.

Donald Emslie, chairman of the zoo board, has agreed to hold an emergency general meeting, vowing to "give what information we can legally provide".