World news in brief
Seoul mayor found dead
The body of the mayor of Seoul has been found after his daughter reported him missing a day earlier. Police found the body of Park Won-soon at Mt Bugak in northern Seoul, near where his phone signal was last detected. His daughter contacted police yesterday afternoon and said her father left “a will-like” message before leaving their home 4-5 hours earlier. Police said there were no signs of foul play in Mr Park’s death. No cause of death has yet been released.
Reports from South Korean broadcasters said one of Mr Park’s secretaries had lodged a complaint with police on Wednesday night over alleged sexual harassment. The complainant, known only as Ms A in a report by the SBS News television network, said the harassment started when she started working there in 2017. Mr Park is alleged to have sent “personal photos” via text message to the secretary as well as engaging in unwanted physical contact. Ms A reportedly told police there were other victims of sexual harassment by
the mayor. Police yesterday confirmed a “criminal complaint” had been lodged against the mayor.
Coronavirus passports introduced by Denmark
Denmark has launched what is thought to be the first coronavirus passport in Europe for use when travelling abroad and domestically. Citizens can download the official document if they have tested negative for the illness within the last seven days.
The innovation is different from the more controversial immunity passports which, advocates say, would allow people to prove they had previously had the illness and were now likely to be safe. Rather, the new Danish scheme will help people by enabling them to show they were not positive in a highly recent test, ministers say. The system will work by allowing citizens to apply for a test through the country’s national health website. If it comes back negative, they will have a week to download the passport.
‘Glee’ star feared dead after son, 4, found on boat
Naya Rivera, an actor in Glee, is missing and presumed dead after her four-year-old son was found alone on a boat on California’s Lake Piru on Wednesday. Rivera, 33, had reportedly arrived at the lake and rented a pontoon boat with her son. According to the Ventura Sheriff’s Department, Rivera and her son were swimming, and he was wearing a life vest, but she was not. Rivera’s son, whose father is actor Ryan Dorsey, is reportedly unharmed. Lake Piru is situated in Ventura County, California, in the Los Padres National Forest, about 80km (50 miles) north of Los Angeles.
Colony of rare birds goes missing in New Zealand
Scientists in New Zealand are baffled over the disappearance of an entire colony of a rare bird species, with fears that many are dead. The shore plover is a critically endangered species endemic to New Zealand. In February, 29 birds were relocated to Mana Island, off the coast of Porirua, in an effort to save the species. However, all the relocated birds have vanished, having either flown off to the mainland or been killed by predators.
At least three birds from the Mana Island colony were tracked to Plimmerton beach on the mainland, said Dave Houston, who leads the shore plover recovery group. The team is hoping to recapture the surviving birds and fit them with radio transmitters, but the fate of the other 26 birds remains unknown.
Mr Houston, from the Department of Conservation, told the news site Stuff that one of the major challenges faced by the recovery group was “fixing” the shore plovers to their new island homes. The birds are held in an aviary on the island for about a week in an attempt to fix them there, but “it doesn’t always work,” he said.