A 308 lb (140 kg) female Asian elephant calf was born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC at 1:15 a.m. on 2 February, the zoo's first Asian elephant birth in nearly 25 years; the zoo says the calf will spend about a month bonding with her mother and is part of a public naming process funded by $5 donations.
A 31-year-old Glasgow man was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after prosecutors said he used Snapchat to coerce four boys under 16 into sending sexual material in exchange for Xbox and PlayStation codes, and he will serve an additional three years on licence when released.
Chicago health officials report seven confirmed cases of meningococcal disease, including two deaths, and say they are investigating the cluster while tracing contacts and providing preventive antibiotics.
The final Park City edition of the Sundance festival experienced slower sales and a mixed slate of films, and the festival is set to relocate to Boulder, Colorado next year.
Letters say the new Rainbow Way council homes show council housing can transform lives, and note the government funds 18,000 social rent homes a year while about 1.3 million households remain on waiting lists.
Cruise ships can be sites of norovirus outbreaks; a study of nearly 2,000 cruises docking in Sydney found about 5% reported gastro outbreaks. The article describes precautions such as thorough handwashing and notifying ship medical staff if symptoms develop.
A French investigating magistrate has issued summonses to Nili Kupfer‑Naouri and Rachel Touitou over alleged complicity in genocide linked to attempts to block humanitarian aid to Gaza. The summonses reportedly require both to appear before a magistrate but do not at this stage require arrest.
Since 2022 about 40% of zoos and aquariums in the UK and Ireland have reported precarious finances, and several parks have closed or been sold; new UK rules from 2027 will require contingency plans and updated zoo standards.
Gladwells Pet and Country Store in Rushden handed over a £769 cheque to Animals In Need after a Christmas fundraiser, and the charity reports rehoming 455 animals and helping 1,680 wildlife patients in 2025.
A global report published in Nature Medicine estimates about seven million cancers a year are preventable and shows wide regional and sex differences in causes, with smoking and infections prominent in different settings.
