It wasn’t all bad

The remains of five former archbishops of Canterbury – dating back as far as the 17th century – have been unearthed in London. The discovery was made by builders refurbishing a deconsecrated church in Lambeth: when they accidentally cut a hole in its foundations, they found a vault containing 30 lead coffins. A gilded mitre was resting on top of the highest one, which was inscribed with the names of the archbishops. Among them was Richard Bancroft, who died in 1610.

After months of anticipation, a giraffe who became an online celebrity finally gave birth last week, to a healthy male. April‘s due date was in February; since then, 30 million viewers had tuned into the live-stream from her enclosure at a zoo in upstate New York, in the hope of watching her calf being delivered. After a six-week wait, the 15-year-old went into labour last week, watched by the father from an adjacent pen, as well as more than a million fans online. A few hours later, her calf was safely delivered, and soon after that, she helped him stand on his legs for the first time.

An EX-RAF sergeant has become the first double amputee to complete the “toughest race on Earth”. Duncan Slater, 38, ran the 156-mile Marathon des Sables in the Sahara – the equivalent of six marathons in six days – on prosthetic legs last week, in temperatures of up to 50°C. He had to carry all his supplies for the race, including rationed water. Slater, from Norfolk, was serving in Afghanistan in 2009 when his vehicle was blown up; his legs were amputated the next year. His run has raised £23,000 for Walking with the Wounded.