March 19: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Varadkar says government examining payments to carers after referendum defeat
The government has to demonstrate to carers that it is “on their side”, the Taoiseach has said. Leo Varadkar said the Government could continue to increase payments to carers and people with disabilities, relax the means tests and improve the home-care tax credit. Varadkar also said it could improve parental leave to give parents more choice about when or if they return to work. It comes after 73% of the voters in a recent referendum rejected the wording of a constitutional amendment about family care.
The Journal

Garda killer Pearse McAuley found dead in Strabane home
Convicted garda killer Pearse McAuley has been found dead at his home in Strabane in Co Tyrone. He was released from prison two years ago after serving a 12-year sentence for a violent attack on his then-wife, Sinn Féin TD Pauline Tully. He was part of the IRA gang that shot dead Detective Garda Jerry McCabe during the attempted robbery of a post office van in Adare in Co Limerick in 1996, having escaped from Brixton Prison five years earlier. More recently he developed links with the Hutch Organised Crime Group and put the gang in contact with dissident republicans in Northern Ireland.
RTÉ

Thousands warned over ‘malfunctioning’ smart meters leading to overcharging – ESB admits ‘connectivity issue’
Thousands of homeowners who have smart electricity meters have been warned the devices may be malfunctioning, leading to them being overcharged. A string of householders have been in contact with the Irish Independent claiming that faults with their smart meters have led to them receiving bumper bills. They have been sent estimated bills despite the fact smart meters are supposed to automatically send real-time information on their electricity usage to ESB Networks.
Independent.ie

‘Only God can change this place’: Haitians see no end to spiralling violence
“Port-au-Prince is in panic mode,” a friend in the Haitian capital texted me. Residents of Petionville, a wealthier area of of the city, are shaken after their most violent day so far in the country’s spiralling security crisis. More than a dozen bullet-ridden bodies lay in the street – the victims of the latest gang rampage. As well as the early morning killing spree, the home of a judge was also attacked – a clear message to the country’s elites vying for power. All this in what is supposedly the safe part of town.
BBC News

Princess of Wales: A ‘happy and smiling’ Kate filmed out shopping with Prince William
The Princess of Wales has been filmed smiling and looking happy while out shopping with Prince William. The couple were seen strolling through a car park on Saturday, in video published by The Sun, which said they were at Windsor Farm Shop, close to their home.
Sky News

Missing migrants’ families say they were asked to pay hundreds for information on relatives
Families of people who disappeared on the perilous journey from Africa to Europe have said they were asked to pay hundreds of euros in exchange for information about what had happened to their loved ones. In interviews with the Guardian, three families recounted how, as part of their searches for missing relatives that had gone on for years, they had made contact with people they believed to be connected to an NGO in southern Spain who said they were able to help them. Each of the families said they were asked to hand over at least €200 (£170) with the promise that they would receive information about the whereabouts of their relatives. One person said he was promised photographs of his relative’s body in a police morgue. None of the families paid the funds.
The Guardian

Today’s forecast
This morning will be dry for many with sunny spells and just a few showers. Turning cloudier from the south this afternoon with more frequent showers developing towards evening, some of which will turn heavy with the chance of an isolated thunderstorm. More persistent rain will develop in the south later. Highest temperatures of 10 to 14 degrees in a light westerly or variable breeze. A wet night tonight with widespread and occasionally heavy showers at first. Rain and drizzle in the south will spread northwards across much of the country overnight. However, some parts of the west and northwest will stay dry. Lowest temperatures of 3 to 7 degrees in light to moderate northerly winds.
Met Éireann