Pigeons and crows are silhouetted as the sun rises behind the Gateway of India in the Apollo Bunder area of Mumbai, India. Pic: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#SAVITA The family of Savita Halappanavar are to take a case to the European Court of Human Rights, it has been confirmed. Earlier this week, her father issued Health Minister James Reilly with an ultimatum, giving him until today to announce a public inquiry into her death.

#PROPERTY TAX Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore refused to confirm rumours this morning that the property tax will cost homeowners between €200 and €400 a year. Sinn Féin had accused the government of leaking details after the Irish Independent reported that it will be a flat rate tax based on the market value of the house.

#LEVESON The report of the Leveson Inquiry into the British press has said that a new independent regulatory body should be set up. Lord Leveson also said that legislation should be set up to back this up, and that the press should be encouraged to be as transparent as possible about sources.

#PALESTINE Palestine looks set to win UN recognition as a state today in a General Assembly vote. Israel and the United States have warned that the vote could delay the chances of achieving an independent Palestinian homeland through peace talks with Israel.

#ABORTION Who were the 38 TDs who didn’t vote on Clare Daly’s abortion bill last night – and why didn’t they vote? We spoke to them, and found out that reasons included official businesses, planting a tree, and being abroad. Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohue’s office was graffitied after he voted no last night.

#DAVID BLACK The widow of prison officer David Black, who was shot dead a month ago on his way to work, has spoken about her husband’s death. She said that his death was shocking because he didn’t feel like he was in any danger.

THINGS WE LOVED

Pic: NYPD/Facebook

• Bear with us while we wipe away the tears here. One cold November night, an NYPD officer in Times Square encountered a barefoot homeless man (both are in the photo above). What he did next was incredibly generous – and had it not been for a tourist who snapped a photo on her mobile phone, would have gone unnoticed. Sniff.
• Remember Dumb Ways to Die yesterday? Here’s Cool Things to Find, a version of the song dedicated to the Mars Rover.

(LaughPong/YouTube)

• Yesterday, we brought you classic movie stills and their modern locations. Now we have classic album covers and their locations today. Ah, nostalgia… we love it.

THINGS WE SHARED

• Have you seen this (snow)man? 60ft tall Snowy has gone missing from his perch in Wicklow – all we’re asking is help to ‘bring him home’. Here are the latest updates on the situation.
• How easy is it to come up with a good children’s joke? On the basis of this Bad Kids’ Jokes Tumblr (sample joke: “Your mum is so stupid, she bought tickets to XBOX Live”), extremely difficult indeed. As expected for reject joke submissions, they contain distinctly non-childlike language…
• We’re not too sure what Danger Farm actually is, besides being a) a farm and b) dangerous, but this trailer has us both confused and intrigued.

(TheIrishClipBoard/YouTube)