Young blackbirds wait for food in their nest in Peebles, Scotland, Wednesday June 5, 2013. (David Cheskin/PA Wire)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#EXCHEQUER: The government’s income for the year so far has been slightly lower than expected in three of the ‘big four’ tax categories – income tax, excise duties and VAT – but this has been largely cancelled out by a larger-than-expected return in corporation tax, where returns are €150 million higher than originally planned.

#STIMULUS: A further €150 million is to be invested in the government’s major capital economic stimulus plan, it has been announced today. The extra money earmarked for school projects, road maintenance repairs, and retrofitting for local authority houses.

#WOOLWICH: Michael Adebolajo, 28, appeared at the Old Bailey today for his bail hearing, but repeatedly interrupted proceedings by shouting “I’m a solider” and accuse the judge of stifling the truth. Adebolajo is accused along with another man, 22-year-old Michael Adebowale, of hacking soldier Lee Rigby to death in broad daylight near a barracks in Woolwich, south east London, two weeks ago.

#SEANAD REFORM: The government has announced a series of proposed changes to Dáil procedures which will be implemented if the Seanad is scrapped. The changes would include beef up the role of the Dáil, including alterations to the system in how laws are made – with all non-emergency legislation sent to a Dáil committee first, so that the committee could consider the draft edition of each bill before the final one is published.

#EUR HERE FOREVER: Latvia has been given the green light to join the single European currency from next year, which will make it the second Baltic country and 18th overall to join the euro.

Two-month-old orphaned baby elephant Ajabu is given a dust-bath in the red earth after being fed milk from a bottle by a keeper, as she is too young to do it herself, at an event to mark World Environment Day at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, June 5, 2013. Trust founder Daphne Sheldrick said at the event, which was attended by US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec, that they are seeing an upsurge in orphaned elephants because of the poaching crisis occurring across Africa. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

THINGS WE LOVED:

• The good people of Spanish town Brunete were getting quite annoyed by all dog poop on their park, so they came up with a pretty genius way of dealing with lazy owners…
• Have you ever wondered why microwaving water results in such lousy tea? Wonder no more.

THINGS WE SHARED:

• Commander Chris Hadfield’s former stomping ground, the International Space Station, will be visible in Irish skies tonight from 10.47pm tonight, as it passes close to the ringed planet Saturn. The ISS will stay visible in our evening skies until 16 June. Check out Astronomy Ireland for more details.
• This is what Pangea – the supercontinent that formed roughly 300 million years ago – would look like if it were mapped with modern political borders.
• Forty-five years ago today, Robert F Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles shortly after winning the California Democratic primary. The New Yorker has put together some great photos of happier times in the life of Bobby Kennedy.

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