Dublin 9/11 memorial
The nearly 3,000 people and first responders killed in the 9/11 attacks have been honoured at an event in Dublin.
At least 18 Irish citizens were killed in the September 11th attacks.
Dennis Keeley, acting chief officer of Dublin Fire Brigade, and charge d’affaires Alexandra McKnight laid wreath at a memorial, which includes a piece of steel from the World Trade Centre.
Among those attending the event, hosted on the grounds of the US ambassador’s residence, was former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Joe Costello.
Amazon plans Dublin centre
Amazon has announced plans to open its first fulfilment centre in the Republic of Ireland, bringing 500 new jobs.
The centre in Baldonnell Business Park will open in spring 2022, providing faster delivery times for customers around the country seven days a week, and one-day delivery for hundreds of thousands of items.
Recruitment for roles in engineering, HR, IT, health & safety, finance and operations management has already begun, while staff who will pick, pack and ship orders will be recruited next year.
Amazon also announced it will open a second delivery station at Northwest Logistics Park in Ballycoolin this autumn, creating 20 permanent jobs and dozens of driver opportunities.
The news follows an announcement last year that the company plans to add 1,000 permanent jobs in Ireland over the next two years, bringing its total permanent workforce in the country to 5,000 by 2022.
Taoiseach says Ireland must ‘reflect’ after suspected murder-suicide in Co Kerry
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that Ireland cannot ignore the deaths of three family members in a suspected murder-suicide in Co Kerry.
Speaking in Cavan ahead of the Fianna Fáil think-in, Mr Martin indicated that he would be open to a conversation about changes to gun laws in Ireland.
He said: “My deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who were killed and to the community.”
“These are devastating events and the enormity of them is quite shocking,” he said.
Over four fifths of children aged 8-12 using social media
Over 80 per cent of children aged 8-12 use social media and instant messaging apps despite minimum age restrictions, according to a recent survey.
The annual report of CyberSafeKids Ireland surveyed almost 4,000 pre-teens, finding 93 per cent of them owned their own smart device.
The Irish Examiner reports the most popular apps used by children were YouTube (74 per cent), TikTok (46 per cent), WhatsApp (39 per cent) and Snapchat (37 per cent), all of which have a minimum age restriction of 13-years-old.
The study also found that 80 per cent played online games, while 61 per cent said they had been contacted by a stranger while playing on the internet, an increase of 16 per cent on last year's figures.
Approximately 25 per cent of the children surveyed said they had experienced something which had bothered or upset them which they did not want their parents to know about and 30 per cent said they did not tell a parent or anybody else about the experience, rising from 20 per cent last year.
Covid cases
There have been a further 1,292 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, the Department of Health has said.
As of Thursday morning, there were 331 patients in hospitals with the disease, while the numbers in intensive care units have dropped by two, to 54.
The update comes as the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has published its first weekly analysis of Covid-19 in sewage.
It shows the virus is strongly present in all parts of the country and that its prevalence is growing. Since monitoring began in May, the number of wastewater facilities showing high levels of Covid-19 in the community has increased from 13 to 67 in August.
All 67 wastewater facilities tested by the HPSC showed evidence of Covid-19 in the community. The 68 facilities that are being monitored supply water to 84 per cent of people in the State. Shanganagh in south Dublin did not report for the first week of the monitoring.
Covid-19 rates in children
The highest incidence rates of Covid-19 in children took place during school holidays, a HSE briefing has heard.
Prior to the summer break this year, there were on average 1,000 cases per week among zero to 18-year-olds, but this figure rose to between 3,500 and 4,000 a week when children were out of school.
HSE public health specialist, Dr Abbey Collins, said this was a reflection of stringent test and trace protocols and strict mitigation measures implemented across the board in school settings.
She said: “We saw the largest number of children get Covid over January…. over July and August, when the children haven’t been in school.
“There is an element about stability of life and being in an environment where there is a quite sort of strict, in the nicest possible way, enforcement of the mitigation measures that we are asking our schools. That is having an impact.”
