Tag Archives: Pokemon Go

Prime Minister Caught on Camera Playing Game During Debate in Parliament

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The craze for games is taking a new dimension as world leaders have also caught the bug.
A Dailymail report has revealed that Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg was spotted playing Pokemon Go game during a debate in her country’s Parliament.
The report further revealed that it is not the first time Ms Solberg, 55, has been spotted trying to ‘catch them all’, after telling reporters she was trying to ‘hatch eggs’ during an official trip to Slovakia.
Hatching eggs is one of the side features of the game, where players can obtain eggs at ‘Pokestops’ dotted around maps and then ‘hatch’ them by walking a certain distance – 2km, 5km or 10km.
A picture of the leader on Pokemon Go appeared in a Norwegian newspaper and she reacted with good grace, writing on Twitter that ‘women can do two things at once’.
Pokemon Go is an online game many have become addicted to in recent times
It comes weeks after another Norwegian politician was spotted playing the game on her mobile phone during a hearing on the country’s military situation.
Trine Skei Grande, 46, leader of the Liberals (Venstre), in Norway, and was spotted by viewers playing the game when the meeting of the parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee was broadcast live.
Ms Grande was accused of caring more about the game than issues of national security, but during a break from the meeting, Ms Grande defended her actions saying she has a head that ‘listens better when she is doing brain dead’ activities.
And ironically, it was Ms Grande who was addressing Parliament when the Prime Minister was spotted making the same faux pas as she did in August.

Couple Allegedly Abandoned Their Toddler To Play Pokémon Go

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According to a statement released by the Pinal Country Sheriff’s Office, an Arizona couple was arrested on July 28 after abandoning their 2-year-old son to go play Pokémon Go.

The app, which is a virtual-reality type game for hunting Pokémon, requires users to travel around the area in order to play. Brent and Brianne Daley, who claimed they went out to get gas, were absent for up to 90 minutes, stopping at parks and shopping malls while their son was sleeping. However, the police were called when neighbors spotted the toddler outside the house, screaming, crying, and wearing nothing but a T-shirt and dirty diaper.

Sheriff Paul Babeu is all too familiar with the consequences of civilians getting too wrapped up in the game, but this was the worst offense yet.

“Our agency and many other law enforcement agencies have been warning people about personal safety while playing this interactive Smartphone game, but we never would have imagined that parents would abandoned a child to play Pokémon Go,” he said in a statement. “This goes beyond comprehension.”

Brent and Brianne Daley were arrested for child neglect and endangerment. The state Department of Child Services took custody of their son.

Credit: Cosmopolitan

Japan Warns Over Pokemon Go Pitfalls Ahead Of Launch

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Japan isn’t taking any chances when it comes to the safety of impatient fans awaiting the release of Pokemon Go in the country where the cutesy monsters were born.

Tokyo has issued a nine-point safety guide warning of dangers gamers could face, including heat stroke, online scams and dubious strangers.

Japan’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) has also advised fans to download a weather app so Pokemon hunts don’t land them — improbably — in the path of a tsunami or climate-related dangers.

Heat stroke is a constant worry this time of year so players should wear a hat, the guide advises, adding that parents should snap pictures of Pokemon-hunting kids for rescuers in case their young ones get lost.

“Dangerous places” should be avoided at all costs, and gamers should never meet up with someone who contacts them online because they could be a real-life monster, it cautions.

A caption featuring a pair of cartoon Wild West cowboys warns about robberies and other troubles that players elsewhere have recounted.

“There have been reports that players have gotten run over, fallen into water, gotten bitten by a snake or robbed,” it added.

The list is the latest in a slew of warnings issued worldwide since the hugely popular smartphone app was launched two weeks ago.

It has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.

Credit: Guardian

Indonesia Bans Police, Troops From Playing Pokemon Go

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Indonesia has ordered police not to play Pokemon Go while on duty and will soon ban military personnel as well, officials said Wednesday, as the defence minister warned the smartphone game was a security threat.

Indonesians have joined the frenzy for the game, which has become a worldwide hit since launching two weeks ago and has has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.

Despite Pokemon Go not yet being officially available in Indonesia, many have downloaded it illegally and taken to the streets to hunt for virtual “pocket monsters”.

But its popularity has caused concern among the security establishment’s top echelons, with officials suggesting its high-tech capabilities could be put to use in spying.

“Spying can come in different forms,” said hardline Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

“At first, it (Pokemon Go) appears cute but the longer you see… it is just not right.”

The military will soon issue an order banning all personnel from playing Pokemon Go during work hours as it seeks to protect high-security sites, military spokesman Tatang Sulaiman told AFP.

The order will note concerns that devices being used to play the game can send data over the Internet to other countries.

The announcement came after a Frenchman was briefly detained this week when he accidentally wandered onto a military base on Java island as he played Pokemon Go.

Police officers across the country were already sent an order on Tuesday banning them from playing the game while on duty, a spokesman said.

“We are worried that police officers may become addicted and we don’t want that because a police officer’s duty is to serve the public. The job requires hard work and concentration,” said national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar.

He also said police had been instructed to be on heightened alert for terror threats. Earlier this month, a suicide bomber attacked a police station in the city of Solo, injuring one officer.

Pokemon Go uses smartphone satellite location, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon monsters on real-world settings, challenging players to capture and train the creatures for battles.

Credit: Guardian