Fang, one of two red ruffed lemurs recently joined the animal collection at Twycross Zoo as part of the European Breeding Programme of this Endangered Species. (Rui Vieira /PA Wire)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#SAVITA: Around 2,000 people are believed to have attended a demonstration in memory of Savita Halappanavar outside Leinster House this evening. The demonstration, organised by the pro-choice campaign, was publicised through social media following the news that the 31-year-old died at University College Hospital in Galway last month from septicaemia contracted during a miscarriage that lasted for two days after having been refused an abortion.

Dáil Éireann held a debate on the young woman’s death this evening after seven TDs demanded a government commitment to legislate for abortion under the terms permitted by the Supreme Court ruling in the X Case.

#RATINGS: One of the world’s most influential credit ratings agencies has removed its negative outlook on Ireland’s credit rating – the first step in a potential upgrade in the national credit rating.

#STRIKE: Siptu has called off industrial action planned for this Monday, which would have seen a two-hour disruption to Aer Lingus services. The airline said it is now proceeding towards finding an appropriate solution to the pension dispute and re-engaging with the ‘Technical Group’ of actuarial and legal advisors and with the Labour Relations Commission.

#PEACE PRIZE: The European Union will donate the prize money from its Nobel Peace Prize – almost €1 million – to children affected by war and conflicts, officials said today. In a move that was met with both praise and ridicule, the Nobel Committee last month awarded the peace prize to the EU for bringing more than half a century of peace to a continent ripped apart by World War II.

#MIDDLE EAST: An Israeli air strike has killed senior Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari in Gaza City, prompting a furious response from militants. Israel said it was beginning of an operation to target militant groups across the Hamas-controlled territory.

A sticker reading, “closed! , 14N general strike” is seen as police riot stand guard during a general strike in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

THINGS WE LOVED:

• The scandal in the CIA has producing some interesting reports – including the claim that US General John Allen sent 20,000 to 30,000 pages of ‘potentially inappropriate’ emails to socialite Jill Kelley… the Slate wondered what 20,000 to 30,000 pages of inappropriate emails looked like. And found out.
• Anchorman 2 can’t come soon enough – and it looks like it’s going to contain some big musical numbers. Here are 5 other reasons why it might be bloody brilliant…
• ‘Baby I Lobe You – an Autocorrected Love Song’…

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THINGS WE SHARED:

• Evandro Carlos Selva is one of a team of 1,400 hi-tech environmental protection police who patrol the Amazon for illegal fires or logging in order to counteract deforestation. He talks to the Guardian about getting environmental warnings from satellites and death threats from his neighbours.
• Between 1958 and 1962, a man-made calamity known as the Great Famine caused the deaths of 36 million people in China – yet 50 years later it still cannot be freely discussed in the place it happened, says Yang Jisheng, former editor at the Xinhua News Agency in the New York Times.
• Salon.com writes about American gay rights advocate Dan Savage - who has launched a new blog called Straight Up Thanks to thank straight men and women who helped “win marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, and Washington state, and who helped us defeat an anti-gay marriage amendment in Minnesota.”

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