All together now… awww! Luxembourg’s Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie kiss on the balcony of the Royal Palace after their wedding in Luxembourg earlier today. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#COURTS: A 46-year-old man has appeared in court in Wales charged with the murder of missing Irish vet Catherine Gowing. Clive Sharpe was remanded in custody to appear before Caernarfon Crown Court on Tuesday. There was no application for bail. Catherine has not been seen for eight days.

#BANKING DEBT: Richard Bruton has insisted that a European deal struck last June to address Ireland’s bank debt remains in place, despite questionable comments from Angela Merkel yesterday. Bruton said the deal to split banking and sovereign debt meant Ireland would not have to shoulder the burden of saving its banks by itself. Opposition parties aren’t quite as convinced, however.

#ALLOWANCES: A review to be undertaken by a group of TDs this week could see politicians recommending cuts in their own allowances. The Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee is to undertake a review of political allowances in a public meeting on Tuesday, as part of its overall review of public sector allowances ahead of the 2013 Budget. It will be up to the government to decide whether the committee’s recommendations are adopted, though.

#TRANSGENDER: Ireland’s first ever public rally in support of transgender rights has taken place in Dublin. The rally, calling on the government to expedite laws which would give legal recognition to a person’s acquired gender, comes ahead of a European congress on transgender rights taking place in Ireland.

#E.COLI: At least 49 people have contracted E.coli following an outbreak at a restaurant in Belfast. Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency says there are a further 181 cases where people have probably contracted E.coli from Flicks restaurant, which has since been closed.

#LOURDES: Hundreds of pilgrims have been evacuated from the French pilgrimage town of Lourdes after the region was struck by heavy floods. The grotto in the town, where the Virgin Mary is said to have once appeared, is under five feet of water. It’s thought that 50 Irish are among the pilgrims who have been evacuated.

THINGS WE LOVED

• The one-line reference for mathematician John Nash which someone on Reddit has uncovered. The mathematician – immortalised on film in ‘A Beautiful Mind’ – got into Harvard because his former professor wrote a recommendation letter with only one sentence.
• This utterly misguided guess that someone left on our Facebook page, when we asked them to identify which 90s TV star was pictured in a photo we left there.
• This amazing chandelier at Fade Street Social, the new eatery of Masterchef Ireland judge Dylan McGrath. McGrath’s old restaurant, Mint in Ranelagh, won him a Michelin star – and when it shut, McGrath smashed a load of its crockery, which has been used for the chandelier. (Pic via Fade Street Social’s Facebook page.)

THINGS WE SHARED

• This alternative take on puppet animal shows. (Again, thanks Reddit.)
• This not-at-all-what-you-expected speech from a pastor contributing to a debate in the city of Springfield, Missouri. People were debating a proposal to include a person’s sexual orientation among the criteria it is illegal to discriminate against. The pastor stands up to oppose the move… and then something odd happens.

(YouTube: Weequay2)

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