Dancers from Irish dance company John Scott outside Studio 1 Fringe Lab in Dublin today (Image: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#BONDHOLDERS: Protesters occupied branches of AIB bank today in protest against the repayment of €1 billion in unsecured debt to senior bondholders bringing the total amount paid to bondholders by Irish banks this year to more than €18 billion. Stephen Donnelly TD created these €1 billion notes with Michael Noonan’s face on them to mark the occasion.

#JILL MEAGHER: Police in Australia said Facebook has refused to take down a page containing potentially prejudicial comments about Adrian Bayley, the man accused of Jill Meagher’s murder. The chief commissioner of Victoria Police said the police may seek further legal advice on the issue.

#CHILD BENEFIT: A report compiled by an advisory group to the Social Protection Minister has recommended a “two tier” child benefit system which would see payments cut to about €100 per month. The Department of Social Protection said the report is being “considered” by Minister Joan Burton.

#COMMUNION: Under new plans published today by the Archdiocese of Dublin, standalone ceremonies to mark a child’s First Holy Communion could become a thing of the past. The diocese proposals would see Catholic children make their First Communion at a regular Sunday Mass in order to avoid the extravagance and expense of ceremonies in recent years.

#CRIBS: House prices are still falling across most of the country with the average asking price for a house in Ireland now standing at €167,000, a drop of more then 3 per cent from last quarter. The national average price is down by 54 per cent since property prices hit their peak in early 2007.

#NOM NOM NOM: Step away from the takeaway… A report from Safefood said today that a typical Chinese takeaway meal of a starter, main course and egg friend rice can contain enough food for two people. This combination can add up to much more calories than an adult’s total daily requirements, as well as one and a half times their recommended maximum level of salt.

THINGS WE LOVED:

• This video of a gecko licking a Cheerio…to some rather saucy music. Ooh-er.

(Uploaded by loliusetheinternet)

• Some amazing photos from around Dublin taken by photographer James Carr featuring Croke Park, South Wall, the Samuel Beckett Bridge and the Aviva Stadium, to remind us that it’s no so bad here after all.
• Is it a bird? Is it – yes it’s a bird. But how often have any of you seen a flying peacock? (via Reddit)
• This photo of a Boeing 787 as it taxis under a rainbow created by fire trucks at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

(Image: Ted S. Warren/AP/Press Association Images)

THINGS WE SHARED:

• With our most anal, perfection-demanding friends we shared this series of images to, well, drive them absolutely insane. Opening a Capri Sun with a scissors? Preposterous!
• Forget Walk off the Earth. In fact, forget Gotye because this new old school computer remix of Somebody That I Used to Know blows them both out of the water.

(Uploaded by bd594)

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