Are Israeli kids at risk from the ‘Blue Whale’ suicide challenge?
July 12, 2017 by admin
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Most games teenagers play are relatively harmless, but Israeli parents are concerned that a new trend could leave their children in serious danger this summer.
The worry centers on a game called Blue Whale, which originated in Russia, and urges teenagers to complete a series of dangerous and harmful tasks that culminate in the “winner’s” suicide.
According to a letter from the Education Ministry earlier this month obtained by Maariv, parents should be on the lookout for warning signs that their children may be taking part in this game.
“Participants in the game are instructed by the organizer to complete a series of daily tasks over a period of 50 days, at the end of which they are asked to commit suicide,” according to the letter. The Education Ministry noted that some of warning signs include dramatic changes in behavior, going out for nighttime activities or getting up very early, writing “I am a whale” as a status on social media and scratching F57 or F58 on to limbs. The tasks range from watching violent movies to cutting off interactions with family and friends and self harm.
“There are different behaviors that may attest to many different risky processes with a variety of reasons,” according to the letter, “and therefore any indicator should be thoroughly checked out.”
There have been no reported deaths or injuries linked to the game in Israel. The Education Ministry told The Jerusalem Post that it did not send out the letter to parents, but it was an internal directive sent to ministry advisers and experts. The letter appears to have been leaked and circulated among parent groups on WhatsApp and Facebook.
In Russia, police have investigated dozens of suicides and suicide attempts they believe may be linked to the game, according to news reports. Last month, President Vladimir Putin signed into law a measure that would criminalize behavior inducing minors to commit suicide, according to the Russian TASS news agency.
In the UK, a range of local police forces and school districts have warned parents and educators to be on the lookout for warning signs, but there too, no documented cases exist.
Udi Shaham contributed to this report.
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Explosion Damages an Air Force Recruiting Center in Oklahoma
July 12, 2017 by admin
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NBC, via Reuters
The authorities are investigating an explosion outside an Air Force recruiting center in Bixby, Okla., a suburb of Tulsa, that happened on Monday night.
The explosion came around 10:30 p.m., and no injuries were reported, Jessi Rice, an F.B.I. special agent, said. The center was closed at the time.
“We have not identified a suspect or motive yet,” she said, adding that the device that set off the explosion appeared to be a pipe bomb. “We’re just working it as a criminal investigation with an explosive.”
Photographs show the doors of the center bent and burned. Witnesses said someone on a red motorcycle tossed a backpack, which then exploded, Tulsa news station KJRH-TV reported.
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The Bixby Police Department said the investigation had been turned over to the federal authorities because the explosion occurred at a military office.
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Mandy Vavrinak, a spokeswoman for the Bixby police, said the explosion occurred in a largely commercial and retail area near the border of Tulsa and Bixby, which she described as an “affluent suburban community.”
Even in the Tulsa metropolitan area as a whole, she added, “this is not a common occurrence. We don’t have a lot of incidents where the F.B.I. has to come investigate.”
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