FIESTA! Revelers are sprayed with water at the opening of a festival in Pamplona, Spain, one day before the start of the running of the bulls. (Photo: AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

THESE ARE THE things you need to know as we round off the day in three easy steps.

THINGS WE LEARNED

#ULSTER BANK: Ulster Bank has confirmed that a number of customers have been charged twice for transactions as the bank struggles to deal with the backlog of payments. Separately, customers who experienced problems will be able to claim stress compensation.

#COURTS: The former personal assistant of U2 bassist Adam Clayton was sentenced to seven years in prison today after being found guilty of stealing €2.8 million from him over a four year period.

#WEATHER: Get the raincoats out: Met Eireann has warned that three weeks’ worth of rain could fall in some parts of Leinster or Munster by the end of today.

#MICHAELA: The lead prosecutor in the Michaela McAreavey murder trial has denounced the ‘grotesque tactics’ of the defence for trying to blame her husband John McAreavey for her murder.

#DEBT RELIEF: Justice Minister Alan Shatter has said people in debt should sell off their personal jewellery, including engagement rings, if they want to avail of new debt relief legislation.

#THE RESURRECTION: The Stone Roses played their first Irish gig in 17 years in Dublin’s Phoenix Park last night. Here’s a round-up of what the audience made of it all.

THINGS WE LOVED

• Peter Higgs – he of Higgs boson fame – has said that it is “very nice to be right” almost 50 years after he first predicted that the particle could exist.
• Can a personality test identify the real you?
• Billboards and posters have appeared around Dublin saying thanks to Irish fans for bringing ‘the craic’ to Poznan during Euro 2012. The ads were sponsored by the mayor of the city and would almost – ALMOST – make you forget about how the Irish team fared. Bless.

(Image by TheJournal.ie reader Mac)

THINGS WE SHARED

• In 1992 filmmaker Jeremiah McDonald recorded a video of himself aged 12 with the instruction that it should be watched ‘in the future’. In this rather excellent video the 32-year-old Jeremiah records this conversation that he had this his 12-year-old self.
• If the panda slideshow from earlier wasn’t enough to satisfy your needs for all things cute, here’s a video of four panda playing on a slide. Hey, it is Friday after all. Wheeeeee!

(Video via Chengdu PAW/YouTube)

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