A frozen fountain in Trafalgar Square, central London. Picture date: Friday February 22, 2013. (Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

HERE ARE THE things we learned, loved and shared today.

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#HORSEMEAT: All operations at a Carrick on Suir meat plant have been suspended after it was discovered they were sending horsemeat via a UK trader to the Czech republic labelled as ‘beef’. The announcement came today as Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney announced new control measures in the wake of the equine DNA investigation.

#GARDAÍ: The Garda Representative Association (GRA) said it is ‘turning off the goodwill tap’ today in protest at proposed cuts to their pay, while the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has confirmed its members will also start ‘work to rule’ from today. Gardaí will refuse to use their personal mobile phones, computer equipment and vehicles, amongst other measures.

#YOUTH DEFENCE: Pro-life group Youth Defence has condemned an attack on its office on Capel Street in Dublin as “grotesque and vile”, after faeces was used to stick photos and news clippings of Savita Halappanavar to the outside of the building. Niamh Uí Bhriain of Life Institute said the act was “enormously disrespectful and insulting to Savita’s memory”.

#PROSPERITY: Dublin has been placed 4th in the current global ranking of major cities in terms of prosperity in a new UN report using five indicators to reflect prosperity – productivity, quality of life, infrastructure, environment and equity.

#PISTORIUS: The family of Olympian athlete Oscar Pistorius have said they are “relieved” he has been granted bail until his trial later this year. “Of course, we are relieved Oscar has been granted bail but this is still a very sad time for the family of Reeva and for us all,” the family said in a statement.

Maria Murphy from the Mulhern club in Illinois in the USA performs in one of the heats in the All Scotland Championships in Irish Dancing being held at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. (Andrew Milligan /PA Wire)

THINGS WE LOVED:

• You may or may not like the practice of giving your name to be called at coffee shops – but this list of hilarious misspellings by Starbucks employees makes the whole cloying, over-intimate practise somehow worthwhile.
• The best Ryan Tubridy photo you’ll see today. Or ever.
• Check out the historical, architectural and cultural points of interest of Dublin’s earliest Georgian Street – Henrietta street…

Uploaded by CommonsLaneFilms

THINGS WE SHARED:

• Torrential rainfall in Athens has caused extensive flooding – forcing Greek authorities to close major roads and the city’s central metro. See the flooding in pics.
• Helga Weiss survived four Nazi concentration camps during World War II – and wrote a diary about her experiences. Now, at 83, she has decided to share her story.

This video poem about the long-lasting effect of confronting bullying…

Shane Koyczan

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