Elizabeth Evans looks at ‘Have you seen me before?’ by Paola Pivi, which is a sculpture of a large polar bear covered in fluffy yellow chicken feathers, at the opening of the Collection Sandretto Re Rebaudengo: Have you seen me before?, at the Whitechapel Gallery in east London. Pic: Geoff Caddick/PA

HERE ARE THE things we learned, loved and shared today as we round off the day in three easy steps.

THINGS WE LEARNED

#G8 The G8 leaders have called for a peace conference on Syria to be held in Geneva as soon as possible. Having come to the end of two days of talks, they said the Syrian military and security services “must be preserved and restored” in a future set-up. Earlier today, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that the G8′s declaration that it will “fight the scourge of tax evasion” is something that Ireland can sign up to.

#BELFAST The PSNI said this evening that a petrol bomb exploded beside a 4-year-old girl who was playing on a Belfast street this afternoon. The girl is not thought to have been injured in the incident. Police said that tensions are high in the area following an incident two days ago where a petrol bomb was thrown from the Short Strand into Cluan Place. They are appealing for calm.

#MURDER A murder probe has been launched into the tragic deaths of a mother and daughter in Killorglin, Co Kerry. The bodies of Jolanta Lubiene (27) and Enrika (8) were discovered at their home at the weekend. A post-mortem revealed they died from knife wounds, and a manhunt has been launched to find the killer.

#MENTAL HEALTH A man said to be suicidal was turned away from a Roscommon psychiatric unit due to staff shortages at the weekend. The Psychiatric Nurses Association said that the incident occurred after it was decided on Friday to suspend all admissions.  A spokesperson from the PSA said that their nurses are stressed, working in very difficult situations and are pleading with management to intervene. They are calling for extra staff to be recruited immediately.

#GARDA The Garda Ombudsman Commission has released a report on the assault of Anthony Holness while in the custody of Waterford garda station, saying that members of the force did not cooperate with its investigation and refused to supply information when it was requested. The Commission criticised the station for illegally recording telephone conversations, and called on Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan to immediately review procedures.

#BAILOUT Ireland has received another €1.6 billion in bailout loans from the European Financial Stability Facility today. They were raised through the issue of bonds by the EFSF, and Ireland will not be asked to repay the money for nearly three decades.

THINGS WE LOVED

Preparations are well underway for the Body & Soul festival, which is due to take place in Ballinlough Castle this weekend. Pic: Allen Kiely

• We love this: portraits of female authors at their desks. From Joan Didion to Virginia Woolf, these pics are all a glimpse into each writer’s world.
• Ever wanted to describe that feeling of having put on weight from eating too much bacon? Or the glow you get while hanging out with friends on a winter evening? Here are foreign words we definitely need in English.
• What is it like to be the person who creates movie trailers? Here’s an interview with one editor, Mark Woolen, who tells Wired all about it.
• Great tips on writing from the one and only John Steinbeck.

THINGS WE SHARED

• Ireland has gone crazy for the Obamas during their visit – and here’s the proof. Plus, why Malia Obama is officially gas craic altogether.
• Uh oh. Put down that triple espresso macchiato, because it turns out that caffeine can cramp creativity.
• It’s ‘Get Lucky’ – but like you haven’t heard it before. This time, it’s as gaeilge:

(YouTube/TGLurgan)