Brides prepare for a race in central Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, July 22, 2012. The winner and two runners-up of the Bridal Race, organised by a local magazine, receive numerous awards, including the wedding gown they had chosen to race in. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#QUINN: The Minister of State for Public Service Reform Brian Hayes has confirmed the Government is liaising with the Ukrainian authorities regarding the assets of Quinn group in the country – and stated the assets in question are the rightful property of the Irish people. Meanwhile, the location of Peter Darragh Quinn – who has been handed down a three month jail sentence for contempt of court – remains unknown.

#RIP: A 45-year-old Irishman has died while attempting to swim across the English Channel. Cork-born Paraic Casey fell ill off the coast of France in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (CS&PF) said. Authorities were informed of his illness and attended the scene, but the organisation is currently unable to give further details on what happened.

#AER ARANN: Industrial action by pilots at Aer Arann planned for next weekend has been called off after a successful meeting between airline management and the trade union representing workers. In a joint statement,IALPA and Aer Arann said the four days of industrial action would not go ahead and that “procedural agreements”  were place to address the main issues which gave rise to the dispute.

#SIMON HARRIS: Fine Gael TD Simon Harris has responded to criticism directed at him over his position regarding abortion on his Facebook page. He confirmed that he was against voting in favour of legislation introducing abortion in Ireland, but denied that he had intentionally ‘liked’ a particular comment on his page which expressed opposition to abortion. He added: “Ireland’s law is not clear in this area. There is no doubt or dispute that legal clarity will be needed – the debate, I guess, centres around the content of any such legislation.”

#SYRIA: Rebel fighters in Syria have launched a military offensive to “liberate” the country’s largest city today – as the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reveals that 2,750 people have been killed in the conflict this month. There have been reports of fierce fighting in both Damascus and Aleppo this morning, while rebel forces are said to have occupied a second border post with Turkey.

THINGS WE LOVED:

• It’s amazing what you can uncover when you do a little digging – and Ireland’s terrain is no exception. We’ve taken a closer look at Underground Ireland to see what hidden and underground structures lie beneath our feet.
• EL James’s erotic trilogy 50 Shades of Grey is the publishing sensation of the year, if not the decade. So, naturally, that has been a deluge of tributes, parodies and spin-offs. Check out the most hilarious ones here…
• When you hear the word “feminist”, the first person you think of may not be 1950s bombshell Marilyn Monroe. Writing in the Guardian today, Lois Banner explains why you may be wrong to ignore her.

THINGS WE SHARED:

• It’s hard to find a woman who would willingly leave the house without her handbag… but what health hazards are lurking inside? Pass the sanitizer.
• The latest life-coaching seminar by motivational speaker Tony Robbins hasn’t precisely gone to plan, as 21 people were forced to seek medical treatment for yesterday after walking over red-hot coals in a bid to achieve mental clarity. Is inner peace worth third degree burns? We’ll let you decide.
• Finally, this man shows us how to win friends and influence people (or make a fool of yourself trying) by demonstrating the ultimate way to place a straw in a glass of Coke. It’s the second-best thing to do after’ Cocktail’-inspired bottle flipping.

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