Woman Dragged From Car By Masked Men

A woman was dragged from her car by two masked men in a hijacking in Carrickfergus on Tuesday night. The incident happened at Castlemara roundabout at about 11pm. The men stepped in front of the woman's car as she slowed at the approach to the roundabout. They opened the door, pulled the woman out and drove away. Both the attackers were described as being aged about 20. Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them.

Fracking 'Safe' Says Report

Fracking for oil and gas is 'safe', so says an independent report. The controversial process of drilling for gas and oil has come under attack following the acknowledgment that it can cause mini-earthquakes or tremors but a government-commissioned report has given it a green light. It argues that it is safe as long as certain basic precautions are put in place. The report, now out for comments from the general public, was commissioned following two earthquakes last year with magnitude 2.3 and 1.5 in the Blackpool area were linked to fracking. Following the findings of the report an invitation for comment runs for six weeks from today. All comments received will be considered and taken into account before any decision is taken on further fracking for shale gas.

BMI's Belfast Base To Close

British Airway's (BA) owned BMI is likely to close its Belfast base, at George Best City Airport, putting at least 60 jobs in the firing line. Following talks with workers unions yesterday trade union Unite said they had information that British Airways are going to close the Belfast base and make people redundant. The airline employs 100 staff in Belfast. This is made up of 60 customer service staff, 30 cabin crew and 10 engineers. It’s understood the jobs of customer service staff would be made redundant, though some of the roles could be transferred to aviation service operators. Cabin crew and engineers are expected to be offered the option to relocate to London or commute there. British Airways hasn’t communicated to the staff if there’s an alternative to closure.

Security Alert At Army Barracks Turns Up Nothing

A security alert near an Army base in County Down has ended. An Army technical team examined a suspicious object close to Ballykinler Army base. Police later said nothing untoward was found. The Shore Road in the area has now re-opened.