Apartment towers and the International Commerce Centre, tower at center, are seen through a work of art entitled “Poetic Cosmos of the Breath” by Argentine artist Tomas Saraceno, which is part of an exhibition called “Mobile M+: Inflation!” at the waterfront of West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong today. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#ABORTION: The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald has told TheJournal.ie that women seeking abortions because of suicide ideation should not require “so many consultants that it becomes illusory”. Fitzgerald also said that six consultants would be “clearly too many” and that the upcoming legislation needed to be sensitive, reasonable and meaningful.

#PUBLIC SECTOR: Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that the rejection of the Croke Park 2 public pay deal means public sector workers no longer have any automatic protection against mandatory redundancies, saying that the protection had been “an inherent part” of the deal. His comments came as government continues its plans to cut €300 million from public sector pay this year.

#CHILD SAFETY: The National Board of Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland has found that allegations of abuse were made against three priests that are currently on active duty in the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. The board also found that there were unacceptable delays and unsatisfactory responses to abuse concerns in Clogher.

#WATER CHARGES: Government is set to seek approval to delay the introduction of water charges until October 2014, with the first bills not due to arrive in homes until 2015. Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin plan to ask the visiting Troika inspection team – who arrived in Dublin this week – for permission to push back the rollout.

#MORTGAGE RATES: AIB’s variable rate mortgages rates are to increase by 0.4 per cent from 5 June this year. The bank also announced that EBS and Haven variable mortgages would increase by up to one quarter of one per cent, effective from 1 June. A spokesperson from the bank said that the increases were required in order for the bank to “make a return to profitability”. Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty has called on Minister for Finance Michael Noonan to block the rate increase.

#KATE MIDDLETON: Two people have been charged over the publication of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge last September, the publishing of which caused international scandal. The head of the publisher of France’s Closer magazine and a photographer have been charged in relation to the incident.

THINGS WE LOVED

• Dublin photographer Conor Horgan spend a winter in New York City and fell in love in the process. Not with someone else, but with the place itself. Here are his pictures and thoughts on the city that never sleeps.
• Today we brought you irrefutable proof that men (or at least a certain part of them) are indeed from Mars. Don’t believe us? This pic should help change your mind.

THINGS WE SHARED

• Who would have thought that wearing a jacket with the American flag on the sleeves and your own name emblazoned down the front would be a good look? Well, probably nobody. Except for team Jedward, of course. They want to know your number, apparently. We wouldn’t give it them if we were you. They might return the favour by giving you your very own jacket.

(Jedward Official Youtube/YouTube)

• ‘Ireland’ and ‘optimism’ aren’t always two words you’d expect to find in the same sentence. Well, not since 2008 anyway. DailyEdge.ie has 12 reasons why the oul’ sod is still the most optimistic country IN THE WORLD, EVER!

Reason number 5: Because even if you have a diabolical night, there’s always taco cheese chips at the end of it. (tlianza/Flickr/Creative Commons)