Larger-than-life dogs and cats with real humans and pets aboard the Beverly Hills Pet Care Foundation float, which was deemed the most beautiful entry from a non-commercial sponsor in the 124th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California yesterday. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#TRAGEDY: An Irishman has died in the Spanish resort of Tenerife after he fell from a balcony in the early hours of this morning. The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to the man’s family.

#MCGUINNESS: Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has been appointed the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead by the British Chancellor as part of a strange parliamentary procedure that forms part of his official resignation as a Westminster MP.

#IMMIGRATION: New figures from the Department of Justice show that there was a six per cent increase in the number of people applying for Irish visas last year. Of the 88,000 applications received last year, 91 per cent were approved.

#JASON MCGOVERN: An official murder investigation into the death of Monaghan student Jason McGovern has been launched by police in Northern Ireland. The 19-year-old was assaulted on two separate occasions on a night out in Omagh at the weekend.

#DÁIL: The Dáil sat for more days last year than in any other year since the foundation of the State. The 123 sitting days in 2012 are ahead of even the number of days that TDs sat in 1923 and 1924 when they were in for five days a week.

#SYRIA: The death toll from the nearly two-year long war in Syria has reached more than 60,000 people according to the United Nations’ human rights commissioner. Navi Pillay said the number was “truly shocking”.

THINGS WE LOVED

• Apple’s rumoured idea for an iWatch.
• Vulture’s run down of the actors who will be ubiquitous in the year ahead.
• This example of how not to do business during January’s football transfer window.
• This beautiful picture of the the first sunset of 2013 on Dollymount Strand yesterday evening:

Pic: Damien MacUilleam

THINGS WE SHARED

• Politico has a great behind the scenes look at what went on during the tense negotiations over the fiscal cliff in the US in recent weeks including an incident where the Speaker of the House told the Senate leader to “go f*** yourself”.
• Benito Mussolini may be dead nearly 70 years but his effect on Italy has not waned and as the Guardian reports the fascist dictator is making a bit of a comeback in parts of the economically trouble nation.
• Finally, check out this rather awkward moment where Samuel L Jackson insists his interviewer says ‘the n word’ during publicity for his new movie Django Unchained:

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