Chinese visitors take souvenir photos in front of a giant video screen showing cultural images at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

HERE’S ALL THE things we learned, loved and shared today.

THINGS WE LEARNED

#BANK GUARANTEE Finance Minister Michael Noonan announced the end of the Bank Guarantee today, saying that the scheme will end on 28 March of this year. He stressed that today’s announcement will not impact the vast majority of bank customers as their deposits are covered by the Deposit Guarantee Scheme.

#SIPTU SIPTU National Officers will take a pay cut in line with the Labour Relations Commission proposals that emerged from the Croke Park extension talks, the union said today. Three senior members of SIPTU said that their view is that the proper way to secure a contribution from everyone on higher incomes “should be through progressive taxation and should not be just imposed on people working in the public service”.

#ADRIAN DONOHOE Gardaí have revealed two new lines of inquiry into the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. They have appealed for anyone with information on a child’s car seat that was taken from the vehicle used by the assailants to escape, or a hammer found at the scene, to contact them.

#CARLOW The man and woman who were found dead in a Carlow B&B from gunshot wounds yesterday have been named as 53-year-old John Deegan from Cadamstown, Birr, Co Offaly and 51-year-old Deirdre Keenan of Carragh Road, Naas, Co Kildare. Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

#ITALY Ireland’s Italian population has voted to reject their native country’s traditional political rivals – and has instead offered majority support to a TV comedian leading a new anti-establishment platform. Election results show that the ‘Five Star Movement’, led by comedian Beppe Grillo, topped the polls for both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

#MOZAMBIQUE The Irishman who died in Mozambique had been seriously assaulted, not shot as early reports claimed, his family clarified today. In a statement, William Deasy’s family thanked his employer Kentz and their extended family and neighbours, as well as his close friends and associates for their support and expressions of sympathy.

THINGS WE LOVED

• Love magazine covers? Here are 10 covers of UK magazines from over the past 100 years that are up for the PPA awards.
• Here’s the tale of a rabbit in a wheelchair. Her name is Lily, and she’s a trouper.
• AH HERE.  it’s only a kitten meeting a hedgehog! Bless.

(TheSorryGirls/YouTube)

THINGS WE SHARED

• Do some of your favourite authors fly well below the radar? Or do you just want to find out about some not-very-well known scribes? Check out this Writers No One Reads Tumblr, then.
• What happens when a merry Santa stumbles into the NUI Galway cafeteria? He doesn’t get to stay very long. (Via Aine Kerr)

(AJ6000123/YouTube)

• Some good music news: overall music revenues were up last year, which means 2012 saw the first year of industry growth since 1999. Hallelujah! Here’s more from the BBC, which sort of proves that Adele was responsible for much of the success.
• Sick of the Harlem Shake yet? Here’s one more video for you… Hey, it has the Egyptian pyramids AND a camel in it.

(Haram Shake/YouTube)

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