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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#SAVITA: The inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar heard today that if the 31-year-old was provided with a termination earlier, she would still be alive, RTÉ News reports. However, Dr Peter Boylan of the National Maternity Hospital said this was not a practical proposition because of current laws.

Coroner Dr Ciarán McLoughlin expects to sum up and charge the jury on Friday.

#BOSTON: Police in Boston have dismissed this evening’s reports that the FBI had made an arrest as part of the ongoing investigation into the marathon bombings.

#JUDICIARY: The row between the judiciary and the government seems to be fizzling out with two developments today. The Chief Justice said her suggestion to establish a forum for discussion about “matters of mutual concern” has been accepted by government. Separately, the Association of Judges of Ireland described a meeting with the Attorney General as “cordial and fruitful”.

#POISON: A letter addressed to US President Barack Obama was intercepted by Capitol Hill police today and preliminary tests indicate that it could contain the poisonous substance ricin.

#IRON LADY: Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was laid to rest today. Big Ben was silenced, flags flew at half mast and 2,300 mourners attended the funeral service at St Paul’s Cathedral. As in life, the conservative leader remained controversial and divisive in death with many ordinary citizens revealing feelings of both love and hate throughout the day.

#CROKE PARK II: Strikes by public service workers are likely if the government sees through threats of making unilateral pay cuts, the secretary of the Public Services Committee of the ICTU warned today. Paddy Power has started taking odds on the most likely union to picket, with Siptu the current favourite after hints from president Jack O’Connor.

THINGS WE LOVED

• The man behind the Humans of New York blog (which we featured last weekend) has travelled to Boston to photograph the city’s residents in the aftermath of the marathon explosions. This was his first portrait. He said: “Can’t decide what’s more notable: 1) She said she tried to steal a train when she was 20; 2) She struck a Captain Pose with zero prompting.”

• Did you hear about the man who hurt himself on Winning Streak? DailyEdge.ie found out there was more to that story today.
• The 1.4 metre-wide lane with the double double yellow lines.

THINGS WE SHARED

• This is a definite tearjerker. Buzzfeed’s collection of small but meaningful acts of kindness.
• The Boston Marathon atrocity brought with not just tales of small gestures but also extraordinary acts of kindness and human spirit. This New York Times article, In Grisly Image, a Father Sees a Son, tells the story of Jeff Bauman who lost both of his legs below the knee.

• The parents say they know how lucky there son is. “The man in the cowboy hat — he saved Jeff’s life,” Ms Bauman said. Mr Bauman’s eyes widened. He told the NYT: “There’s a video where he goes right to Jeff, picks him right up and puts him on the wheelchair and starts putting the tourniquet on him and pushing him out. I got to talk to this guy!”

The man in the cowboy hat, Carlos Arredondo, 52, had been handing out American flags to runners when the first explosion went off. His son Alexander was a Marine killed in Iraq in 2004, and in the years since he has handed out the flags as a tribute.

• Surrogacy is becoming a minefield of legal and moral questions as clinics turn it into a multi-million dollar industry open to corruption and fraud. The Atlantic takes a look at two families who had two very different experiences.
• New Zealand legalised same-sex marriage today – and there were some very joyful people in the House of Commons as a result.

(YouTube: inthehouseNZ)

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