February 02: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Man charged with the murder of Natalie McNally

A 32-year-old man re-arrested on New Year’s eve has been charged with the murder of Natalie McNally in Co Armagh in December, and is scheduled to appear at Lisburn Magistrates Court today. Ms McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed in her home in Lurgan on December 18th. Last weekend, a rally was held in her memory, and more than 1,000 people gathered.

Breaking News

Protected nature sites

According to a new assessment from the European Commission, Ireland is falling down on protection of our network of nature areas to protect a host of at-risk birds and other species. The report examined the effectiveness of measures to protect vulnerable species in designated nature zones known as Special Protection Areas. Such sites cover over 13% of Ireland’s land area, and in nearly all categories examined, Ireland performed the worse.

thejournal.ie

Mayo car crash

Two men have died following a collision involving an articulated truck and a car in Co Mayo at 11.50pm on Wednesday night. The incident took place on the N60 Balla to Claremorris road. A garda spokesperson said: “Both occupants of the car, two men in their 20s, were both pronounced dead at the scene. Their bodies have since been removed to mortuary at Mayo University Hospital. Post-mortems will take place in due course.

Independent.ie

Tánaiste Micheál Martin signalls support for a decriminalisation of drugs

Micheál Martin has signalled support for a decriminalisation of drugs, saying he backs calls from his own TDs for a health-led approach. Two Fianna Fáil TDs have said the war on drugs is not working, and there must be a legalisation of drugs in this country.

Irish Examiner

ECB interest rates

The Governing Council of the European Central Bank is expected to increase interest rates by a further 0.5% today during their meeting in Frankfurt. This will be the fifth increase since last July, bringing the base deposit rate to 2.5%.

RTÉ