Poachers have broken into a French zoo and shot dead a rare white rhinoceros sawing off its horn in what is believed to be the first time in Europe that a rhino in captivity has been attacked and killed.

The remarkably inactive cyclone season off Australia's north has finally been disturbed by a major storm, as Tropical Cyclone Blanche brings heavy rain and strong winds to the Top End around Darwin.

The eight-kilometre stretch of coastline contains small tracts of rainforest, wetlands and two beloved surf beaches.

The great bulk of Australia's largest listed companies are failing to disclose their exposures to climate change.

She is probably the only internet sensation in Harpursville, New York, a hamlet of about 3500 people in the Southern Tier region: April, a very pregnant giraffe, whose livestream video has attracted millions of viewers.