9am news briefing

A TODDLER who was taken to the US to receive treatment for a rare form of eye cancer has been given the all-clear by doctors.

Ross Anderton underwent eight weeks of cutting-edge Proton Therapy at a specialist hospital in Florida after being diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma.

His parents Andy and Lesley raised tens of thousands of pounds for their two-year-old son's treatment and after the NHS agreed to pay 120,000 they flew out to the US in December to begin the therapy.

Now back at their home in Ormiston, East Lothian, Lesley, 38, said: "We are absolutely delighted. This means Ross has a future."

• A FALLEN soldier praised as an unsung hero who had saved hundreds of lives will be laid to rest today.

Edinburgh-born Corporal Jamie Kirkpatrick, 32, was killed in action during a firefight with insurgent forces in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on June 27.

He was attached to the Joint Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, part of the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force.

He leaves a wife Heidi and their 16-month-old daughter Holly.

• THE Green party has dismissed Edinburgh airport's proposed 1 charge for dropping off passengers at the terminal as "simply one more way to screw money out of travellers".

The party, which supports the principle of cutting car trips to the airport, said the charge would simply be a tax because it would be too low to change drivers' behaviour.

It means all the political groupings in the Scottish Parliament have now come out in opposition to the "kiss and fly" charge, while the Scottish Government announced last week that ministers did not support the move either.