November 14: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Man charged in connection with death of Ioana Mihaela (30) whose body was found in her Meath flat
A man has been charged in connection with the with the death of Ioana Mihaela who was found dead in her Meath flat over the weekend. Ms Mihaela (30) was killed during an apparent assault at her home in Ratoath. The man, in his 30s, is due before Trim District Court this morning. Ms Mihaela’s body was discovered on Saturday evening inside her flat at the Riverwalk Court apartment complex, where she had recently moved. Emergency services were alerted after the suspect contacted a friend of the victim who then raised the alarm.
Independent.ie

Garda remains in ‘critical’ condition in CUH as scene of horror accident on N25 remains closed
A Garda remains in critical condition in Cork University hospital this morning after a horror accident on the N25 near Youghal in East Cork yesterday evening. In their latest update, the Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward. “Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the Youghal bypass N25 from 6.30pm to 7pm on Sunday evening 13th November are asked to make this footage available to Gardaí.” It’s understood the officer was attached to the Roads Policing Unit but had been off duty at the time of the accident. He had stopped to help a member of the public who had broken down on the N25 by the Youghal by-pass. The Garda was outside of his own vehicle when he was struck by a passing car and sustained very serious injuries.
Cork Beo

Motorcyclist dies in Co Louth collision
A 29-year-old man has died following a collision between a motorbike and a tractor in Co Louth this afternoon. The incident happened on the R173 at Drumullagh, Omeath, at around 3:45pm. The motorcyclist was fatally injured and his body has been removed from the scene and taken to the mortuary in The Louth County Hospital, Dundalk. A post-mortem will take place at a later date. The driver of the tractor was uninjured. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
RTÉ

Ambulance carrying critically ill patient forced to wait at toll plaza
A paramedic crew with a seriously ill patient on board was forced to stop at a toll booth as it had not been supplied with an electronic toll tag, The Journal has learned. The incident happened in the southeast of the country at the end of September. Multiple sources within the National Ambulance Service have confirmed to this publication that most ambulances are not fitted with electronic tags which would allow the vehicles to move through motorway barriers unimpeded. Under local authorities’ by-laws, ambulances are exempt from paying tolls. However, details of the registration are often taken manually by staff while the booths are manned – an act that itself causes delays, if only by a few seconds. In some instances during the night when there is no staff, paramedics have to push the help button and wait for an external staff member to let them through remotely. These staff are usually located in external buildings adjacent to the toll booths themselves.
The Journal

Calls mount for inquiry into sexual abuse at Spiritan schools
Pressure for an inquiry into sexual abuse at schools run by the Spiritan order is mounting, with Opposition politicians joining calls by victims for an inquiry. And a campaigner for victims’ rights, who won a landmark case which found that authorities had an obligation to protect children from abuse in primary school, said the State should compensate victims for the abuse they suffered in the schools run by religious orders such as the Spiritans. Louise O’Keeffe said her case established the principle that the State had an obligation to protect pupils from past ill-treatment at school and should have put safeguarding measures in place to help minimise the risk of sexual abuse.
The Irish Times

Grants of up to €50,000 will be available for all vacant homes as refurb scheme extended
Grants of up to €50,000 are to be extended to all vacant properties across the country in a bid to bring as many unoccupied buildings back into use as family homes. Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien had been under pressure to expand the Croí Cónaithe scheme which, up until now, has provided financial supports to refurbished vacant properties in towns and villages only. However, it is expected that Mr O’Brien will announce after Cabinet on Tuesday that he is bringing properties in inner city areas including Cork, Dublin, Galway, and Limerick as well as one-off farmhouses in rural locations into the scheme. Around 365 applications have been made to the scheme since it opened in July. It is now expected that this number will increase significantly after it is opened up to all vacant and derelict properties nationwide.
The Irish Examiner

Istanbul: Six dead, dozens wounded in Turkey explosion
At least six people have been killed and 81 wounded in an explosion in a busy area of central Istanbul, Turkish authorities have said. The blast happened at about 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT) on Sunday on a shopping street in the Taksim Square area. A suspect has now been arrested, the interior minister said.
Vice-President Fuat Oktay earlier said the blast was thought to be a terrorist attack carried out by a woman. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the perpetrators would be punished.
BBC News

Today’s forecast
Rain will clear this northeastwards this morning and it’ll become mainly dry and sunny for a time. Cloud will build from the southwest through the afternoon bringing rain later as southeast winds increase fresh to strong. Highest temperatures of 9°C to 12 °C. A wet and windy night at first as the rain tracks northeastwards, becoming drier for a time before showers follow, mainly affecting the south and west. Fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds will moderate and veer westerly as the rain clears. Lowest temperatures of 1°C to 3°C in the south and west, 4 °C to 6°C elsewhere.
Met Éireann