A view of the Olympic Cauldron on day 7 of the Games. Picture: EMPICS Sport/EMPICS Sport.

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#EXPENSES: More than €83,000 has been paid out by the state this year in expenses to four former taoisigh – despite the expenses scheme being scrapped at the beginning of 2012. The largest claimant was Bertie Ahern, who has received more than €450,000 in expenses since stepping down from the post. The funds claimed covered the costs of such things as secretarial assistants, airport VIP services and mobile phone usage.

#RIP: A one-year-old infant has died after falling from a sixth-floor window at an apartment complex in Phibsboro, Dublin. The child was taken to Temple Street Children’s hospital after the incident, which occurred at approximately 4.20 at the the Cross Guns Bridge area, but was pronounced dead a short while later.

#BLACKLIST: Construction workers in Britain, including around five Irish electricians and engineers, are to sue Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd over allegations the company used a blacklist to refuse them work. The workers have claimed the firm used information about trade union activity, employment history and workers’ personal lives to refuse them employment.

#SYRIA: At least 20 people have been killed by mortars that rained down on crowded marketplace in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital, Damascus. It is thought the attack on Yarmouk camp may be connected to a two-day long skirmish in the nearby Tadamon neighbourhood, which has been repeatedly shelled by government troops. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly was due to denounce Syria for unleashing tanks, artillery, helicopters and warplanes on the people of Aleppo and Damascus, and to demand Assad’s government keep its chemical and biological weapons warehoused and under strict control.

#ALCOHOL: Fewer than half of drivers involved in a fatal car accident in the second half of last year underwent a breath test for alcohol, despite laws which make such tests mandatory, figures compiled by the Department of Justice have shown. There were 107 drivers involved in fatal road crashes in the second half of last year but only 45 of them underwent the test.

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Great Britain’s Rebecca Gallantree in during the Women’s 3m Springboard Preliminary Round at the Aquatic Centre, London, on the seventh day of the London 2012 Olympics. Photo: Julien Behal/PA Wire/Press Association Images.

THINGS WE LOVED:

• Police in West Yorkshire have launched a Twitter feed about their dogs (warning: it is incredibly cute). The animal-oriented force have already got an account dedicated to their horses and have been tweeting pictures of them helping out with Olympic security.
• Some sources blamed the recent violence at the Phoenix Park during a Swedish House Mafia concert on the music itself  - with the the official Garda report on the incident singling out the group’s “electric music” (yes, that’s what they called it) as a factor in the disorder. But just how dangerous is this music? A thoughtful soul in Sweden tasked a group “old people” to listen to the fearsome sounds and give their verdict (video).
• Having a nice meal in a great restaurant is one of life’s little joys… until the bill arrives, of course. The next time you have unpleasant task of picking up the tab, just bear in mind that it could be worse: YOU didn’t spend £19,000 on drinks. Yikes.

THINGS WE SHARED:

• “He ruined my career but he didn’t ruin my life.” Actress Tippi Hendren recalls iconic director Alfred Hitchcock’s unhealthy obsession with her, the steps he took to punish her for ending their relationship, and why – despite his behaviour – she still considers him a genius.
• In 1989, Gunther and Christine Holfort set out on what was supposed to be an 18-month trip around Africa. But, instead of coming back home, they caught the travel bug: 23 years later they are still on the road, having travelled the equivalent of 20 times around the globe. Canadian-born photographer David Lemke recently joined the couple in Vietnam to document their incredible journey, reports the BBC.
• When does a supportive parent cross the line and become an overbearing parent? That’s the question asked by New York Times sports journalist Mark Hyman, who wonders if the mothers and fathers of Olympians put too much pressure on their children to be the best.
• Finally, that’s not a cream pie fight. THIS is a cream pie fight…

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