Indian children play on the banks of the River Ganges in Allahabad, India,  today. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#SAVITA In excess of 6,000 people attended a rally in Dublin today in memory of Savita Halappanavar, who died in October after a miscarriage. This was one of a number of rallies that took place around the country today, some of which were calling for legislation for the X Case.

#CONFLICT Conflict continued between Israel and Palestine today, after Palestinian militants fired rockets at the heart of Israel yesterday. Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza City, which destroyed the Hamas government headquarters. Four Israeli soldiers and five civilians were hurt in separate rocket attacks today, while around nine Gazans were killed.

#NAVAN Thousands of people were expected to take to the streets in support of Navan Hospital after a monster rally was held to protest over ongoing cuts at the hospital. Speaking at the rally, Fianna Fáil Cllr Shane Cassells said the people of Navan won’t stand for any more cuts to services at Our Lady’s Hospital.

#COLLISION A man who was struck in a suspected hit-and-run in Galway last night has died. He was struck as he crossed the road at Ardrahan Village near Gort at around 7.30pm last night. Gardaí have asked anyone with information on the collision to contact Gort Garda Station on 091 636400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

#PRESIDENT In an interview with TheJournal.ie, President Michael D Higgins admitted “there is great anger in the country”. He spoke about unemployment, the Gathering, his infamous confrontation with Tea Party commentator Michael Graham, and the Being Young and Irish initiative, which was launched at Áras an Úachataráin today.

THINGS WE LOVED

Dancers in traditional Indian costume perform on stage at the CityWest Convention Centre in Dublin as part of the Diwali Festival of Lights. Diwali is one of the most important events in the Hindu calendar. Photo: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

• Technology can be a double-edged sword these days, with mobile phones and laptops having become integral parts of our lives. But have we become enslaved to our smartphones? Ciara Conlon has some sage advice for us on how to take your life back from technology in her column for TheJournal.ie.
• There’s nothing like a rescued animal story to make our day. This endangered spectacled bear cub was saved from poachers in Peru, and The Guardian has an interviewer with her rescuers.

THINGS WE SHARED

• If, like us, you were a big fan of Bosco back in the day, then you’ll love this look back at six vintage Bosco stars… and where they are now.
• Hurricane Sandy destroyed homes, businesses, and lives. In this fascinating New York Times slideshow, we can see how it also transformed photos that were lost during the deluge, leaving them damaged but oddly beautiful.
• Is it possible to create a robot that is controlled by a human’s thoughts? According to this android robot project, it certainly is. Here, the inventors explain more.

(DigInfo/YouTube)

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