An Indian child reacts as coloured powder is smeared on her hair during Holi, the festival of colours, in Chennai, India. (AP Photo/Arun Sankar K)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

• Justice Minister Alan Shatter is on a collision course with gardaí after he today sanctioned disciplinary action against four members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) who walked out on his address to the conference earlier this week.
• No one will be forced to quit their job if the cost of childcare exceeds their salary, the Taoiseach insisted today after his Transport Minister earlier appeared to contradict that stance to the anger of many working women in particular.
• RTÉ has revealed its top ten highest-paid presenters in 2011 and detailed the pay cuts many of them have taken.
• Voting is coming to an end in the Meath East by-election but not before some leaflet shenanigans that led to the Taoiseach being defended by… a Fianna Fáil senator.
• The cold weather is only miserable but there was some good news for people in receipt of the winter fuel allowance today as they will get an extra week’s payment next month.
• Cypriot banks will reopen tomorrow but there will be severe limits imposed on cash flows in a bid to avoid a flight of capital in the aftermath of its controversial bailout agreement with the EU/IMF.

THINGS WE LOVED

• These 13 things we know to be true about Irish soccer.
• These amazing sand sculptures from something which sounds quite frankly amazing: the Sand Sculpture Festival.
• This picture of the former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his one-time favoured successor David Miliband who surprisingly quit politics today. Still, he does a mean cheesy grin:

Pic: Press Association

THINGS WE SHARED

• We’ve all shared in the misery of today’s snow, ice and general weather-related mayhem. Particularly since the weather was like this last year.
• The wardrobe of a man called Ali who is so very stylish.
• This great infographic that sums-up how you summed-up #Irelandin3Words earlier this week.
• Finally, if you’ve got 44 minutes to spare, here is every Woody Allen stammer from every Woody Allen movie (Don’t worry you can always fast forward to the ones you know):

YouTube: HuffingtonPost