A drummer in the Royal Australian Navy Band raises a drumstick to her face as she marches in a parade commemorating ANZAC Day in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#PENSIONS: The European Court of Justice has found that the Irish state is obliged to protect 10 former workers at Waterford Crystal who were left with only a small fraction of their contributory pension funds when they were laid off. The workers had been told that their former employer would only be able to cover between 18 and 28 per cent of their pensions.

#ABORTION: Junior minister Lucinda Creighton has told journalist Olivia O’Leary to “get a grip” over comments she made on the ongoing abortion debate. Creighton took issue with O’Leary saying that the people of Ireland should “kick the Taliban out of our constitution”. Creighton said that she considered Ireland to be a “fantastic, safe, free and open country in which to live” and said that she could not respect the “sort of hysteria and incitement which poured forth from Ms. O’Leary”.

#COURT BATTLE: A Chinese couple that have lived in Ireland for nearly a decade have brought a case to the High Court in their attempt to get a visa for their daughter so that she can return to Ireland. Jiayi Shao was born on 8 May 2009 in Ireland. When she was four-months-old, her parents decided to send her to China to live with her paternal grandparents for a short time. But when they sought a visa for her return, their application was rejected.

#PROPERTY PRICES: Irish property prices have continued their decline, the latest figures from the CSO have revealed. The latest data for residential prices shows a fall of 0.5 per cent in March, with the average home worth 3.0 per cent less at the end of last month than it was a year earlier. The steepest drop was in the price of apartments in Dublin, which fell by 7.2 per cent last month, and are now 2.2 per cent lower than a year ago.

#AN POST: An Post reported an after tax loss of nearly €40 million for 2012, their annual report has revealed. This consisted of an operating loss of €17.5 million, coupled with a pension deficit charge of €19.8 million, in addition to a group corporation tax charge of €0.1 million and the minority share of profits in subsidiaries of €2 million. The group has hinted that the price of mail items is set to increase, saying that its prices were “not currently at a sustainable level.”

#SUPERMARKET PRICES: Independent TD John Halligan has called on supermarkets to freeze the price of basic food items. Halligan said the cost of essential items had risen by up to 30 per cent in the last few years, and that almost all household products now cost considerably more than they cost during the economic boom.

THINGS WE LOVED

• Life is full of moments. If you have a camera with you, you can help immortalise them forever. These 50 perfectly timed photos combined the perfect place, the perfect time, and the perfect angle.
• Rocket launch service provider SpaceX is currently developing what they call a Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle. Whereas most rockets are designed to burn up during re-entry, the 10-storey Grasshopper is designed to return to earth in one piece. Very, very cool.

(SpaceX/YouTube)

THINGS WE SHARED

• This CharityBuzz auction is all about sharing or, more specifically, sharing a cup of coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook. After 54 bids, this cuppa will cost you just over €145,000 ($190,000). We’re assuming the cup of coffee is included in the price.
• With over half of Irish women reported as buying new clothes every month, DailyEdge.ie has documented in horrific detail the pain that comes with the dreaded shopping trip. FEEL THE FEAR… and probably be left with no choice but to do it anyway.

(Don’t you just love those empty shopping centres? Pic: Shutterstock)