🌞 The birth of a new Asian elephant

Zara’s off doing exciting things overseas, so you’ll be having me today! 

For some reason, I have acutely felt the pain of being geographically isolated from the rest of the world this week. 

Okay, it’s not for some reason. It’s Knicks-mania, the FIFA World Cup, and my friends doing Eurosummer.

If you’re feeling the same way, I have a budget-friendly solution for you: a global edition of good news, from a baby elephant in the UK, to the oceans of New Zealand, and a historic awards night in New York ( 🎵concrete jungle where dreams are maaade of…).

Enjoy! 

A zoo in the UK has welcomed a “gigantic bundle of joy” (their words, not mine) and it is the cutest thing you’ll see all week (my words, not theirs). 

Asian elephant mum Donna delivered her calf at the Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire earlier this week after a 22 month pregnancy. The male calf weighed 110kg.For comparison, the average normal human baby weighs between 2.5 and 4.5kg.  

Donna was supported by her mother Kaylee and her daughter Nang Phaya, with other females in the herd surrounding her. 

The zoo’s elephant manager Stefan Groeneveld said: “With Asian elephants facing so many challenges in the wild, this calf represents real hope for the future of the species.” 

The elephant calf has not been named yet, but there is a raffle for someone to pick out his name from a shortlist. I’m quite partial to Elephan-Tony. 

Also, I’m obsessed with these photos. 

This is 17-year-old Sienna Toohey after finding out she'd won the 100m breaststroke final at the Australian Swimming Trials. The result makes her the third-fastest Australian woman in history in the event, and secured her spot at the Commonwealth Games.

Qween Jean, a Haitian-American costume designer, has made history as the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award.

The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, better known simply as ‘The Tonys’, recognise outstanding live Broadway productions, actors, and creatives in New York City. They’re basically the Oscars for NYC theatre. 

Previously, actress L Morgan Lee became the first openly trans artist to be nominated for a Tony for ‘A Strange Loop’, but this marks the first time an openly trans person has won.

In just her debut Broadway season, Jean was nominated for two costume design Tonys (musical and play) and won with her artistry for ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’. The show reimagines Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical in the style of Black LGBTQ Ballroom culture. 

According to The New York Times, she created 500 looks, some with references to trans activists including Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and Sylvia Rivera.

For an extra good news nugget: John Lithgow made history by becoming the oldest man ever to win a competitive acting Tony, at 80-years-old.

Aussies are transforming safety for construction workers using AI.

Presien, a physical AI company built for heavy industry, used Claude to develop an agentic platform that analyses worksites around the clock—surfacing risks before they become issues, cutting critical safety events by over 70% in three months.

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ngāi Tahu (the main Māori group, on the South Island) and Department of Conservation have announced they will co-manage five new marine protected areas.

The marine reserve network is called ‘Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia’, which honors “the ancient voyaging traditions and the enduring connection between the people and the moana”

The name also refers to the “first-known human to journey along and around the coastline of the South Island, Te Rakihouia, son of the great explorer Rākaihautū.”

The five marine reserves will be fully protected spaces that will help marine life and habitats, and will come into effect in July.

World Ocean Day was earlier this week, so I have some good news for that.

The Commonwealth Cleans Oceans Plastic Campaign brings athletes and communities together to prevent one million plastic pieces from entering the ocean, ahead of the Commonwealth Games next month. 

Commonwealth countries account for a third of the world’s ocean waters, and many of them are disproportionately impacted by plastic pollution. 

Launched in 2024 by Commonwealth Sport and the Royal Commonwealth Society, the campaign has made significant progress, with more than 625,000 pieces of plastic collected so far. 

Ahead of the Games, athletes from Commonwealth country are participating in a relay with the King’s Baton, like the Olympic Torch relay. Each country has its own baton, and has been invited to decorate it to represent their cultures. 

Along the way, the relay has been highlighting each country’s efforts to reduce plastic in the water, and holding clean-up events. 

You can watch the video about Australia’s baton and beach clean-up here.