Lilly Walton (2), from Cabra, gets to grips with the public transport options at an event run by Dublin City Childcare Committee in Croke Park yesterday. Photo: John Ohle Photography.

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

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#BANK DEBT: Enda Kenny and Angela Merkel have issued an unexpected joint statement in which the two describe the circumstances of Ireland’s bailout as “a special case”. The statement – which comes after the two spoke by phone today – says the circumstances under which Ireland was forced into a bailout will be taken into account when Eurozone finance ministers discuss how to improve our lot.

#ROADS: It’s been an awful day on the roads. In Co Galway, two girls – aged 2 and two months – were killed when a car struck them as they walked with their father on the hard shoulder of the N17 at Dunmore. Meanwhile, a motorcyclist has died after his bike hit a car close to the dam at Inniscarra, Co Cork.

#BONDHOLDERS : Michael Noonan has insisted that Ireland is only on the hook for bank bonds because of the Troika in the first place. Noonan says he tried to convince Jean-Claude Trichet to allow bank bondholders be burned, but no approval was forthcoming. The comments came after Stephen Donnelly met with the Troika – who told him the policy was one adopted by the last government.

#NORTHERN IRELAND : Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has been having a go at Sinn Féin. At his party’s annual Wolfe Tone commemorations today, Martin accused Sinn Féin of supporting devolution to Northern Ireland, but shying away from tough decisions in government. He also accused the party of trying to glorify the actions of the IRA. Gerry Adams, in response, said the charges ‘rang hollow’.

#DRUG DRIVING: Leo Varadkar says new traffic laws currently being prepared will provide the first legal basis for testing on motorists who may be driving under the influence of drugs. His comments come after a report on roadside drug testing by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety.

THINGS WE LOVED:

• The ingenuity, innovation, and testicular fortitude of this Chinese firefighter, and the unusual way in which he managed to stop a man from taking his own life and that of his toddler son.
• The wishful thinking of one commenter on our story earlier about nine parts of the human body that are now redundant.
• The infinite patience of this dude. A fan of the New York Giants has spent two years, and $20,000, building a giant (and really, really accurate) replica of the team’s old stadium. Nostalgia fans: it’s the one where Ray Houghton chipped Gianluca Pagliuca as Ireland beat Italy in the 1994 World Cup. (h/t Balls.ie)

A man covers his mouth as he passes burning garbage containers laid by Sunni protesters, angry at the killing of brigadier general Wissam al-Hassan, to block roads in Beirut yesterday. Photo: Ahmad Omar/AP

THINGS WE SHARED:

• The glorious – and, yet, completely inexplicable – news that US faux-publican TV host Stephen Colbert will be making some kind of cameo appearance in the new Hobbit films.
• Eh, what? Scientists reckon you can now treat infections in your intestines by having… well, a poop transplant. (Thanks a lot, Reddit.)
• Pat Kenny’s been filling in on Prime Time recently, meaning he’s been working with Miriam O’Callaghan. This video started popping up again today: it’s Pat and Miriam back in 1989, when Miriam was a guest on Kenny Live. Miriam had recently been a researcher on This Is Your Life, hosted by the recently deceased Eamonn Andrews, and went on Kenny Live to discuss a controversial biography of Andrews by Tom Brennand who was also present – though, as you’ll see, not for long.

(YouTube/mmmmmkayyyyyy)

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