The space capsule containing a three-man crew – including Commander Chris Hadfield – descends over Kazakhstan as the men return from a five-month mission on the International Space Station (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel/Pool)

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

THINGS WE LEARNED

#STRIKE: Workers at Dublin Bus and Irish Rail are to ballot for industrial action in solidarity with workers at Bus Éireann. SIPTU members at both companies, which form the CIE group along with Bus Éireann, will vote on Thursday on whether to join the strike, and said they are concerned about management attempts to cut staff pay and conditions.

#HOSPITALS: Minister for Health James Reilly has unveiled major changes to the running of Ireland’s hospitals, which he says is the most fundamental reform of the sector in decades. Acute hospitals will now be divided into one of six groups, depending on where they are located, with each group working together as a single entity to provide care for people in the area.

#CORK: Gardaí in Cork have said that a man found dead at an apartment complex in the city had been assaulted before his death. An appeal has been issued for public assistance in identifying the man, who is thought to have been in his 60s.

#TIA SHARP: A British man who pleaded guilty to the murder of 12-year-old Tia Sharp in south London last year has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 38 years to be served.

#THEFT: A 500-year-old medieval sculpture worth an estimated half a million euro has been stolen from the grounds of a church in Meath. Experts say a gang of people would have had to have been involved to remove the baptismal font, which dates back to the 15th century, from the church grounds.

THINGS WE LOVED

• It was almost, ALMOST a proper summer day here in Dublin today (i.e. it was warm enough to not have to wear a winter coat and it only drizzled rain once) so we were extra-appreciative of this photo from a park in Moscow, where temperatures hit 30 degrees Celsius. This could be us in a few weeks. Possibly.

(AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

• Set your outrage setting to stunned and read this story about how rich families may be paying people with disabilities to pose as their relatives so they can jump the queues at Disney World, with one unscrupulous tour guide allegedly hiring herself out for €800 a day. What would Mickey say?

THINGS WE SHARED

• Ever been puzzled by a baffling Irish way of putting things? Here’s 7 Irish phrases that are bound to confuse visitors – including “Can you lend us a rubber?”.  Thank us later.
• Who was cooler: 1960s Batman or Batman today? Luckily, you don’t have to think about this too hard: Buzzfeed has put together this useful comparison of the two Batmans (including the fact that 1960s Batman had friends – unlike today’s Batman).
• Enjoy moody and violent scenes made out of Lego? If so, you may appreciate this: someone has painstakingly remade the ENTIRE opening scene from Casino Royale in Lego. The scene keeps the original dialogue which somehow works very well coming from the little Lego characters:

(Video: coccosnowball/YouTube)