Morning Briefing: City-based soldier killed in Afghanistan

AN Edinburgh-based soldier has died as a result of an “insider attack” at his base in Afghanistan.

The soldier, from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed yesterday while in Patrol Base Shawqat, in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand said.

His next of kin has been informed.

It is only a matter of weeks since soldiers from the battalion were deployed to Helmand from the Capital’s Dreghorn barracks.

Major Laurence Roche, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “I am very sorry to report the death of a soldier from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who was shot by an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform at his base in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand

province.

“This is incredibly sad news for the battalion and everyone serving in Task Force

Helmand.”

• TV adventurer Ben Fogle has used Twitter to blast the siting of the former Royal Tacht Britannia as a tourist attraction in Leith.

Fogle - whose TV career was launched after spending a year on the Hebridean island of Taransay in BBC’s Castaway 2000 - visited Edinburgh at the weekend and was shocked what had happened to Britannia.

“In Edinburgh. Why is HMY Britannia, one of the most beautiful ships, steeped in history hidden behind a shopping centre like a rubbish bin?” stormed Fogle, a close friend of Prince William.

Earlier this year Britannia re-opened to the public after a spruce-up including repainting.

It was the first time the Britannia had been moved from its Edinburgh berth in almost 14 years.

The ship came back to its permanent berth at Ocean Terminal in the Scottish capital after spending 11 days in dry dock.

Britannia first arrived in Leith in May 1998.

• Babies born this year may have to work until the age of 70, be saddled with student debt until 52 and get married eight years later than their grandparents, a report says today.

This new generation of babies have been dubbed the “new centenarians” because they have a one in three chance of reaching the age of 100.

The report, from Edinburgh-based investment firm Scottish Widows, predicts a dramatically different life for these babies from the one experienced by their parents and grandparents.

It assumes their parents were born in 1983 and their grandparents were born in 1957.

On average, a new centenarian will have their first baby at the age of 31, which is two years later than their parents and five years later than their grandparents, who had their first child at 26.