A participant in the 2012 Tough Mudder Extreme Endurance Challenge makes a splash in the mud. The event – which isn’t for wimps – is held in the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate in Dumfriesshire.

THINGS WE LEARNED

#MCAREAVEY The Irish government will make a formal complaint to the government of Mauritius over the printing of pictures of the Michaela McAreavey crime scene in one of the country’s newspapers, the Sunday Times, today. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the actions of the paper were “reprehensible” and their publication “represents an appalling invasion of privacy and is a gross affront to human dignity”.

#CRIME Should the garda recruitment embargo be lifted to help fight the recent spate of crimes in Dublin? That’s what Sinn Fein’s justice spokesperson, Jonathan O’Brien, believes. He also called for civilians to take over administrative garda duties to ensure more fully-trained gardaí are available for front line duties.

#SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA Just over a week after the stabbings during their gig at the Phoenix Park, stabbings were reported at a Swedish House Mafia gig in Milton Keynes in southern England. Thames Valley Police said that it appeared a fight broke out in the main arena at 6.15pm, with three people receiving stabbing injuries.

#NAMA Junior Minister Fergus O’Dowd said that he is not on the side of the developers - rather, he is on the side of “what is the best to get the best return for our assets”. He made the comments after it was revealed that 66 developers are earning up to €200,000 a year for cooperating with Nama.

#CANNABIS Four men were arrested after gardaí discovered two cannabis growhouses in Galway today. They also discovered cannabis plants with an estimated street value of €730,000 during their searches in Oranmore and Mervue.

THINGS WE LOVED

• How easy is it to transform into anyone? Promise Tamang-Phan shows that all it takes is some make-up and a smile (and maybe a few accessories) and you can be whoever you want…
• Want to get a top table at a swanky restaurant? Then this guide from TheGuardian might help. Sure, you’ll have to be a little cheeky, but these tips from someone in the know tell you what to do – and what to avoid doing. These tips might even work at your local Italian.
• We’re not sure how happy the owl is about being tapped on the head, but this little fella looks like he’s really enjoying meeting the beautiful animal at the Wells House Victorian Garden Party in Wexford today. (Pic by Andres Poveda)

THINGS WE SHARED

• What did Japanese people in 1969 believe the future would look like? According to this picture, as shown on Boing Boing, 1989 was going to be very colourful, with robots, personal computers, and strange aircraft. Well, they did get a few things right...
• Dog lovers know that the relationship between human and dog is a very special one. So we couldn't help but get a little misty-eyed when we read this much-shared article by Ben Fogle in the Telegraph. He writes about his late dog Inca, and all that she brought to his life.
• How easy is it to fool Justin Bieber fans? Very easy, if this video, via Reddit, is anything to go by. Here, it appears that a Bieb-a-like manages to convince fans that he's the real thing - simply by standing at a hotel window. While we don't condone what they say about the fans, the guys filming this video are getting a glimpse into what it must be like to one of the world's most famous teen: very noisy.

(millyengland/Youtube)

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