An Indian potter carries earthen lamps at a workshop ahead of the Hindu festival Diwali on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Diwali, the festival of lights, will be celebrated on Nov. 13. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: It’s been a long time coming, but the Government has finally confirmed that the site of the new Children’s Hospital will be in and around St James’ Hospital in Dublin. It is estimated the construction of the facility will be completed by early 2018, and will be paid for by a combination of government funds (€400 million) and National Lottery funds.

#BUDGET 2013: It has been confirmed that Budget 2013 will be announced over the course of one day this year, rather than two – as happened in 2012.  A spokesperson from the Department of Finance told TheJournal.ie, that this year’s budget would not run beyond its date of 5 December.

#BIOACTIVE GLASS: Tullamore’s Midland Regional Hospital has becoe one of four international centres to begin trials on a pioneering new treatment that replaces bone with glass to fight infection. Four people have been successfully treated so far using bioactive glass in the treatment of osteomyelitis (bone infections caused by bacteria and other germs).

#EU ACCOUNTS: The European Court of Auditors has reported “material errors” relating to just over €5 billion in EU transactions last year – but has nonetheless signed off on the Union’s accounts. The court’s annual report for 2011, published today, says 3.9 per cent of the €129.4 billion in spending recorded by the EU and its institutions last year had been recorded or transacted incorrectly.

#RALLY: Siptu members will stage a rally outside Leinster House at 11am tomorrow, saying they want to demand that the Government “protect the real value of the State pension” in Budget 2013. They say the protest will highlight the fact that the majority of retired people depend on the State pension to keep them out of poverty and that any cut to its levels would have a devastating impact on older peoples’ lives.

The results of the US Presidential Election will unfold tonight and we’ll be liveblogging all the drama as it happens – so make sure to stock up on caffeinated drinks and check in with us!

Wearing his heart on his sleeve: Victor “The Snake Mann” Wolder shows off his new tattoo as he votes on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in Las Vegas. Wonder which candidate he’s rooting for… (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

THINGS WE LOVED:

• If any proof were needed that high-profile Twitter questionnaires involving major footballers are invariably a bad idea, today’s #AskStevieG scheme provided it… check out the incendiary and, at times, hilarious questions directed at the midfielder today.
• The American Election is coming to a head tonight – but if you’re getting bogged down in all the serious stuff, check out the Huffington Post’s 75 funniest photos from the race. It will relieve election fatigue.
• Obama v Romney: we know there’s only one battlefield that counts… the computer game battlefield. FIGHT! FIGHT!

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THINGS WE SHARED:

• Meet Figaro – the captive bred Goffin’s cockatoo who has surprised researchers by spontaneously begun to make his own tools. It’s believed to be the first recorded instance of toolmaking among parrots, according to the BBC.
• Welsh footballer Ched Evans today lost his Court of Appeal challenge against his conviction for rape, and nine people who admitted to naming the victim on Twitter were each told to pay £624 (€780) in damages to the woman. Jane Martinson writes in the Guardian about why a victim’s right to dignity and life-long anonymity should not be abandoned just because new media raises complex issues.
• Children aren’t born blank slates and parents shouldn’t try to mould them into people they are not, says Jane Brody in the New York Times. She explains how to adjust expectations and embrace your children for who they are – not who you want them to be.

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