October 24: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Man who pleaded guilty to two Sligo murders jailed for life
Serial killer Yousef Palani, who was driven by his hatred of gay men and decapitated one of his victims in his own home, has been jailed for life. At the Central Criminal Court this afternoon, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring sentenced the 23-year-old to the mandatory term for the murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee. She also sentenced Palani to a concurrent sentence of 20 years for causing serious harm to a third man, Anthony Burke, by stabbing the victim in his left eye with a kitchen knife.
The Journal

Cork flooding: County council defends response following ‘unprecedented’ rainfall
Cork County Council has strongly defended its response to recent flooding caused by Storm Babet that saw some 250 properties in Midleton and hundreds of properties elsewhere in east Cork flooded after “unprecedented rainfall”.
The Irish Times

Peeping tom garda who spied on female colleagues in changing room worked on sex crime cases
A peeping tom garda jailed for a year for spying on female colleagues as they got changed in the station dressing room had previously worked on a number of sex crime cases. Garda Michael Mannion handed in commendations he received for his work on these cases at his sentencing hearing last week, in a bid to secure a reduced sentence for his behaviour.
Independent.ie

Death toll in Gaza tops 5,000, says health ministry
Israel’s military said it was preparing for “unrelenting attacks” to dismantle Hamas, as French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv to express his country’s “full solidarity” with Israel. The Palestinian health ministry said the death toll in Gaza had topped 5,000 after two weeks of Israeli air strikes in response to the 7 October attack by Hamas on southern Israel in which the militant group killed more than 1,400 people.
RTÉ

Year-long backlog still plagues BreastCheck service
Women continue to be called one year later than they should be for BreastCheck screening as the impact of the pandemic shutdowns continue, the HSE Board has been warned. The Irish Cancer Society has called for urgent funding to address this, saying staff cannot catch up with the backlog without extra supports.
The Irish Examiner

Some Gazans returning to north despite risks, UN says
Some Palestinians who fled their homes in the north of Gaza are starting to return because of the dire situation in the south, a senior UN official says. Israel told 1.1 million residents of Gaza City and other northern areas to leave for their own safety last week. But the UN official said they were struggling to find shelter, food and drinking water in the south.
BBC News

British cargo ship sinks off coast of Germany – several missing after collision
A British cargo ship has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany following a collision, and several people are missing. Two cargo ships crashed into each other in the North Sea, according to German authorities. The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 miles southwest of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said. One of the ships, the British-flagged Verity, apparently sank. The emergency command said one person was rescued from the water and was being given medical treatment, and rescuers were searching for several more people who were missing.
Sky News

Two Israeli hostages released as efforts intensify to free people held by Hamas
Diplomatic efforts to free more than 200 people held hostage by Hamas were intensifying on Monday as reports from the region suggest a significant number – perhaps up to 50 – may be freed imminently. Though Israel continues to intensify its bombardment of Gaza in an attempt to exert more pressure on Hamas, experts warn that negotiations are likely to be the only way to obtain their freedom. Two elderly Israeli women were freed late on Monday, after an Israeli-American mother and daughter were released on Friday – in both cases after mediation by Qatari officials – but 220 are thought to remain held in Gaza. All were taken captive during the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel in which 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were killed.
The Guardian

Today’s forecast
This morning, any mist and fog patches will clear. There will be a mix of bright or sunny spells and scattered showers for the rest of the day, with some heavy showers possible. The best of the sunny spells will develop in the evening. Highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees in near calm conditions. Tonight will be largely dry with clear spells and just isolated showers. Mist and fog will set in overnight in light variable winds. Quite chilly with lowest temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees.
Met Éireann