23 March 2012

Other News In Brief

Police Investigate Titanic Quarter Fire

An investigation into the cause of a fire, that gutted a flat, located in Belfast's Titanic quarter has got underway. A blaze broke out at a third floor apartment in the Queen's Road area, close to the Odyssey Arena, at around 1.40pm yesterday. It is understood that no one was in the apartment when the fire started. Significant smoke damage was caused to the surrounding flats. Alan Walmsley, Fire Service Area Commander, said that they arrived to the scene of "quite a major fire." He said the crews acted swiftly to contain it, before adding: "Unfortunately, the flat is badly damaged." At this stage the police are not treating the incident as suspicious.

New Tests Could Help Prevent Lung Cancer

A new simple blood test that could detect lung cancer at an early stage is set to be trialled in the UK. Developed in the UK and already piloted in the US, it is hoped the test will drastically cut death rates, reduce medical bills and lead to an overhaul in the way cancer is diagnosed and treated. The first trial will involve 10,000 patients, mainly smokers, identified as having a higher risk of developing the disease. If successful, the £200-per-person procedure could be rolled out across the rest of the country.

Shots Fired At Home In Dundonald

Two cars have had their windows smashed in an incident in east Belfast during which police said shots were fired. At about 21:45pm last night, a 39-year-old man and 34-year-old woman were disturbed by a noise outside their home in Brooklands Avenue near Dundonald. On opening the front door of the house, they discovered four men in the driveway. Three of the men were seen breaking windows in cars and the fourth man appeared to fire several shots. Windows of the two cars were smashed but no-one was injured. Police are yet to establish a motive for the attack.

(LB)