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Over 300 retailers targeted in sting operations to see if they're selling cigarettes to under 18s

The HSE figures relate to the first three quarters of last year.

A TOTAL OF 306 retailers around the country were targeted in sting sales operations in the first nine months of last year to see if they were selling cigarettes to minors.

The ‘test’ tobacco sales to minors are carried out by the Health Service Executive (HSE) every year.

In Ireland, it is illegal to sell cigarettes to someone under the age of 18.

The HSE carries out ‘test’ cases on retailers, such as supermarkets and newsagents, throughout the year in order to inspect the law is being adhered to. For the first three quarters of 2017, there were eight convictions for breaching the law.

The fines imposed ranged from €400 to €2000, with some sellers being barred from selling tobacco products for a period of one or two days.

In 2016 the HSE Tobacco Control Inspection Programme carried out 540 test purchases of tobacco products to minors, of which 472 retailers were compliant, representing 87% compliance.

The test cases resulted in 35 convictions.

One case in 2016 resulted in Tesco Ireland having to donate €1,000 to a court poor-box to avoid a three-day ban on selling tobacco products after a 17-year-old test purchaser managed to buy a pack of cigarettes.

A recent European School Study showed that the number of schoolchildren smoking decreased in almost all countries surveyed, including Ireland, in the past 20 years.

It found that more boys than girls smoke in Ireland.

In Ireland, smoking is the leading cause of avoidable death. Nearly 5,500 people die in Ireland each year from the effects of smoking and thousands of others are ill because of smoking-related diseases.

The Irish Cancer Society’s We Can Quit programme has been launched this month to help people give up smoking in 2018. The 12 week programme is a free and offers free nicotine replacement therapy, a weekly smoking cessation group and one to one support.

It has been rolled out in several locations across North and South Dublin and Cork. Communities include Blanchardstown, Coolock, balbriggan, Swords, Tallaght, Rialto, Mallow, Ballyphehane and Mayfield.

Taoiseach asked to send ‘message of support’ to Meath village worried about ‘Scientology centre’>

In full: Here’s where our ministers are going for St Patrick’s Day>

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    Mute KM TON
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:27 PM

    A quick change to your DNS settings does the job in the meantime.

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    Mute Mr. Rightside
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:32 PM

    Zzzzzzz

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    Mute Rock Stoneballs
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:33 PM

    Yeah, if you want ALL of your traffic routed through someone else’s network in order to do that.

    Pay 5 quid a month for a VPN, don’t be stupid.

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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:35 PM

    It only routes traffic on the device you use not all traffic. And a VPN is through someone else’s computer (server)

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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:37 PM

    Through someone else’s computer \ server \ network

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    Mute Rock Stoneballs
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:49 PM

    VPN will usually be encrypted, and yes you’re right about not all devices if you change it on the device itself, however some people are changing it on their router which means every thing.

    Also, if you’re using it on your laptop, that’s pretty sensitive traffic that’s happily being routed through random guys server – who’ll happily hoover up anything he can.

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    Mute Rock Stoneballs
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    Jan 7th 2016, 4:25 PM

    F*ck me, looking at the red thumbs the VPN comments got it’s no wonder cyber crime is so rampant here.

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    Mute Rock Stoneballs
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    Jan 7th 2016, 4:27 PM

    Quick copy and paste from a security blog:

    RANDOM DNS PROXY CODES, THE RISKS ?

    Using a Smart DNS proxy service, is not a bad idea. The only problem is that you do NOT know what traffic is being re-routed, so you do have to trust the Smart DNS proxy service. If you randomly find DNS codes online, and then apply those codes to unblock Netflix and the likes you risk the hazards below.

    Your privacy is exposed, do you even know what information is gathered about you, how long it is kept, and for what purposes ?

    Performance issues. If you are using an online random code, chances might be it is overloaded, and DNS queries are slow, which in turn slows down all of your Internet.

    Your personal information is at risk ! Given that you do not know who operates and owns that DNS code. You are at risk of your personal information such as Facebook information, Bank accounts, email accounts, being re-routed and stolen.

    Stability at loss. How much fun is it, if you have to keep running around fetching DNS codes, and your Internet being down on and off all the time.

    No support ! If you have issues with the service, who do you turn to ?

    Free ? Why ? So there is a DNS proxy code online, which is free to use ? Why ? I mean what is in it for the DNS code owner ? Under which jurisdiction is he acting ? And again under what privacy rules ?

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Jan 7th 2016, 4:40 PM

    I have a clue what you are talking about so I didn’t red thumb or green thumb. Everyone must be experts and disagree with you.

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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Jan 7th 2016, 4:55 PM

    I think it’s more the interpretation of the attitude

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    Mute Kenneth Buckley
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    Jan 8th 2016, 12:37 PM

    Use the “Hola!” App in your browser. Easy.

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    Mute Rock Stoneballs
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    Jan 8th 2016, 1:02 PM

    Literally the worst offender

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    Mute Fozz
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:50 PM

    How can a sentence like this get into a published article:

    “Certain shows like Better Call Saul are available in the Irish and UK version of Netflix, but not in the US and the reason why content is different depending on the country you’re viewing it in.”

    I am waiting for the point of the sentence…

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    Mute Teddington
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:09 PM

    “The service has more than 69 million members before it announced its expansion, and streams over 125 hours of content to viewers a day, according to Hastings.”

    Also according to the Journal Netflix only streams 125 hours to 69 million people each day which works out at .0065 seconds per customer on a daily basis which doesn’t sound quite correct to me but who am I to question these professional journalists!

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    Mute andrew
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:23 PM

    The Journal is only short on one thing: good journalists. The standard of writng here drops daily. It is incredible that a public service would not try to ensure some sort of quality control. If some of the writng here was handed up in a school essay it would be handed straight back.

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    Mute Hank Schrader
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:34 PM

    5 to 10 years.. In tech world that’s an eternity. 5 – 10 months might cut it better.

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    Mute Brian Casey
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:47 PM

    In 5-10 years the way we consume content will have changed again.

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    Mute andrew
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:20 PM

    ‘We want citizens of the world to have the same content.’

    How depresssing is that. I thought the future was going to be all about diversity?

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    Mute Robert Cousins
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:07 PM

    It’s a great service. The streaming on Netflix is leagues better than any other. Compared say to Sky on a PC, it doesn’t compare. I don’t know how they do it, they must have an enormous array of servers and advanced technology to do it.

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    Mute Gemma Shah
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:30 PM

    You also know just how awful your broadband is when Netflix pauses to buffer!

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    Mute Jim Butler
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    Jan 7th 2016, 4:50 PM

    To be fair your broadband would need to be really bad for buffering problems…my broadband is completely shit (up to 8mb) and my Netflix works perfectly 99% of the time.

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    Mute martobaby
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    Jan 7th 2016, 12:51 PM

    Can I watch Netflix in Holland on iPad ?

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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:00 PM

    If you can’ there are ways to configure settings so to answer your question that would be a yes

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    Mute Gearóid Ó Briain
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:24 PM

    Yeah you can mate, was there in November and it worked great. Much better shows too.

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    Mute stephen
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:52 PM

    Only if you’re in Holland, and own a iPad and subscribe to Netflix.

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    Mute Eoin Hurley
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    Jan 7th 2016, 2:10 PM

    If you’ve got an android just get showbox.

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    Mute Screaming Toddy
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    Jan 8th 2016, 11:50 AM

    If you have a PC, get Kodi

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    Mute Robert Cousins
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:05 PM

    Just use Hola in Chrome. It’s free and easy to use. You can log into US Netflix, Canada and anywhere else. Netflix in the Netherlands has a fantastic selection of movies not available here.

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    Mute Karen Gillen
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:50 PM

    http://uk.businessinsider.com/hola-used-for-botnet-on-chrome-2015-5 Be careful with Hola, like all freebies there are strings attached and its not without risks.

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    Mute Tomasz Kuchnik
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    Jan 7th 2016, 6:32 PM

    After initial excitement I wonder if Netflix is still worth its price. It’s quite low but movie selection is very lacking, not even one third of IMDb top 100 are available to watch…
    Never mind any new movies – in recently added section I can see movies from 2010 and 2012…
    They don’t have much competition now and that’s what keeps them going.

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    Mute AN other
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    Jan 7th 2016, 7:15 PM

    Compare it to the price of your TV licence, RTE costs 150 per year and has adds. Netflix works out at 8 per month so €92 per year with the first month free and no adds. The selection of content is probably comparable as well!

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    Mute pethelhug
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    Jan 7th 2016, 3:58 PM

    Works on iOS too

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