Some practical footwear seen at the Best Dressed Lady competition at the Dublin Horse Show in the RDS this evening. Photo: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#ASSANGE Ecuador has granted asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Asange, a decision which the UK’s Foreign Office said “changes nothing”. Assange took refuge in Ecuador’s London Embassy two months ago. UK authorities say that Assange will be extradited to Sweden. Ecuador’s foreign minister said the country believed Assange’s fears of persecution were legitimate.

#ROBBERY Gardaí have arrested three people over a cash-in-transit robbery in Rathfarnham. An armed raider escaped with an undisclosed sum of cash from a security van at a Dublin shopping centre this afternoon. Two men and one woman were arrested in Ballyfermot during a follow-up operation by gardaí.

#RIP The Baltimore whale, which has been stuck in a west Cork harbour since Tuesday, took its last breath at about 11am today. The case has captivated people around the country, with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group confirming the fin whale died after a spate of thrashing. The carcass will be removed to Waterford, where it may be used for scientific research purposes.

#RIGHT TO LIFE A British man has lost a High Court battle to allow him to end his life with the help of a doctor. Tony Nicklinson is paralysed from the neck down and suffers from locked-in syndrome. He wept when he heard the verdict, and said he is “devastated” by the decision.

#GERRY ADAMS Where was Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams on the days he was marked absent from the Dáil this year? The question was asked this morning, and today Sinn Féin issued a press statement explaining exactly where he was – which included a family funeral, at meetings, and in Dáil having forgotten to sign in.

THINGS WE LOVED

• Caught out in the rain without an umbrella? Then why not take some inspiration from Rita Sheridan, who in a sea of dressed-up folks at the Dublin horse show found her own solution to sheltering from the rain. Hats off to you, Rita. (Photo: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)
• We all know about the priests’ home on the fictional Craggy Island on the TV show Fr Ted – but did you know about the other Irish locations used in famous TV and film shoots? We took a look at some of the best.
• Did you know that NASA is sexy – and they know it? We love this video which mashes NASA’s Curiosity mission and LMFAO‘s Sexy and I Know It. Sci-pop at its best.
• Musician Tom McShane wanted to do something different when it came to recording his debut album, The Ural Winter. Instead of spending the time stuck in a studio, worrying about overdubs, he performed the songs live in front of a studio audience in Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre. The audience weren’t allowed to clap, which going on the strength of this video, must have been a very big ask indeed.

(babysweet/Vimeo)

THINGS WE SHARED

• If you thought that Olympic sites especially constructed for the games are used for many years afterwards, sadly you’d be wrong. Thanks to Flavorwire, we have a glimpse into the spooky and sad world of abandoned Olympic sites, which include a softball stadium in Greece, and a crumbling ski jump venue in Sarajevo.
• It’s set to be one of this year’s most-anticipated movies, and it’s due for release in the USA next month. The Master, direced by Paul Thomas Anderson, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams, and the latest trailer (its third) has just been released.
• Want to look like you read loads of books… without reading loads of books, or even having actual books in your house? Then take some advice from reality TV star Lauren Conrad, who shows us how to take perfectly good reading material, cut the spines off and then stick them to a box, all in the name of… well, we’re not quite sure exactly.

(ulookhaute/Youtube)

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