Toyah Cordingley was stabbed at least 26 times while out walking her dog in October 2018.

The 24-year-old’s body was discovered by her father, half-buried in sand dunes on Wangetti beach between the popular tourist hotspots of Cairns and Port Douglas.

Rajwinder Singh, 40, who travelled to India the day after Ms Cordingley’s body was found, was charged with murder. He was arrested and then extradited to Australia in 2023.

But jurors at Cairns Supreme Court said they were deadlocked, and unable to reach a unanimous decision on his guilt after two-and-half days of deliberations. The judge thanked the jury for their “diligence”.

Under Queensland law, jury verdicts in murder cases must be unanimous. So Mr Singh will face another trial.

Originally from Buttar Kalan in the Indian state of Punjab, Mr Singh had been living in Innisfail at the time of the killing, a town about two hours south from the crime scene.

Prosecutors said they did not have a motive for the killing of Ms Cordingley – a health store worker and animal shelter volunteer – and there was no evidence of a sexual assault.

The trial at Cairns Supreme court heard that DNA highly likely to be Mr Singh’s was discovered on a stick in the victim’s grave.

Data from mobile phone towers also suggested Ms Cordingley’s phone had moved in a similar pattern to Mr Singh’s blue Alfa Romeo car on the day the victim went missing.

The prosecution also suggested the hurried way Mr Singh left Australia without saying goodbye to his family or colleagues pointed to his guilt.

Mr Singh had denied murder – and had told an undercover police officer he had seen the killing, then left the country, leaving behind his wife and children because he feared for his own life.

His defence lawyer said he was “a coward” but not a killer, and accused police of a “flawed” investigation that did not look sufficiently at other possible suspects.

They said DNA found at the scene, including on the victim’s discarded selfie stick, did not match Mr Singh’s profile.

“There is an unknown person’s DNA at that grave site,” defence barrister Angus Edwards told the jury.

Officials said Caleb McCray, 23, a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, allegedly punched Caleb Wilson multiple times during the off-campus initiation ceremony. He was charged with criminal hazing and manslaughter.

Mr Wilson was a 20-year-old college band member and mechanical engineering student at Southern University and A&M, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The suspect’s lawyer said in a statement his client deserved due process and asked the public “to withhold rushing to judgment until all the evidence is heard”.

Hazing, which is illegal in most US states, is a tradition where people pledge their loyalty by doing something painful, humiliating or dangerous.

Speaking at a news conference, Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr stated that Mr Wilson’s death on 27 February was a “direct result” of the hazing incident.

According to police, a group of individuals dropped Mr Wilson off at a hospital and allegedly lied to the staff, saying he had collapsed while playing basketball. They left before authorities arrived.

But detectives later determined that information to be inaccurate.

A police arrest report reviewed by US media outlets states that Mr Wilson and eight others pledging the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity were struck by Mr McCray and at least two others wearing boxing gloves.

Mr McCray allegedly hit Mr Wilson four times in the chest, after which he collapsed, suffered a seizure, and lost control of his bodily functions, the arrest warrant affidavit said.

No-one present attempted to call for emergency assistance, police said. Mr Wilson was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

An autopsy found no significant trauma to his body, aside from a small bruise on the right side of his chest, according to the affidavit.

It also noted that investigators found no indication that Mr McCray intended to “cause death or great bodily harm to any of the pledges”.

Mr McCray, a member of Omega Psi Phi and reportedly a Louisiana Army National Guard member, is said to have graduated from Southern University in December 2024, according to ABC News.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said two additional people, who have not been publicly identified, will be charged with misdemeanour hazing.

The investigation is ongoing and remains active.

Southern University System President Dennis Shields expressed deep sorrow over Mr Wilson’s death.

“Words cannot express how deeply saddened we are by the loss of our student, Caleb Wilson,” he said.

Mr Shields said the campus chapter of Omega Psi Phi has been ordered to suspend all activities. Students involved in the incident could face expulsion.

Additionally, all Greek organisations at the university – a historically black college – have been barred from accepting new members for the remainder of the academic year.

Mr Wilson’s passing has sparked widespread grief.

The Human Jukebox Marching Band, which recently performed at the Super Bowl, honoured him in a Facebook post.

“A talented trumpet player, a dedicated student, and a bright soul, Caleb was a mechanical engineering major who poured his passion into both his studies and his time with the Human Jukebox. His energy, spirit, and impact on those around him will never be forgotten.”

Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil outside Southern University’s Smith-Brown Student Union.

One friend, speaking of Mr Wilson, told local media outlet WAFB: “His light does not die with himself. It dies with all of us. We have to make sure his light lives within all of us and make sure you stand up tall like he’s on your shoulders reaching for the sky.”

The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity released a statement offering condolences and supporting law enforcement’s efforts “to seek the truth”.

Under Louisiana state law, if a person dies or is seriously injured during a hazing ritual, it can be prosecuted as a criminal offence under the Max Gruver Act.

Max Gruver was a Louisiana State University student who died of alcohol poisoning after hazing in 2018.

Those prosecuted can face up to a $10,000 (£7,745) fine and five years in prison. Organisations and educational institutions can also face penalties under the act.

Morgan Harris’ remains were recovered at the Prairie Green Landfill, north of the city of Winnipeg, said officials. Authorities had been searching for Harris, 39, and Marcedes Myran, 26, both of Long Plain First Nation. Police say two sets of remains have been found.

Harris and Myran were among four indigenous women killed in 2022 by convicted murderer Jeremy Skibicki, who dumped their bodies in two different landfills over a three-month span.

The search of the Prairie Green Landfill began late last year following a lengthy pressure campaign by indigenous leaders.

Cambria Harris, Morgan’s daughter, said in a Facebook post on Friday that the discovery of her mother’s remains was a “very bittersweet moment”.

“Please keep our families in your hearts tonight and every day going forward as we trust this process,” the post said.

Police initially declined to search the landfill, and a federal government study concluded that a search could take three years and cost up to C$184m (£100m; $128m), with workers exposed to hazardous chemicals.

Manitoba eventually pledged C$20m to search for the remains – funds that were matched by the federal government.

Skibicki was convicted in July last year of the murders of Harris and Myran, as well as of killing a third woman, Rebecca Contois, 24, of O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation, and a still-unidentified woman who has been given the name Buffalo Woman.

Their murders went undetected for months until a man looking for scrap metal in a bin outside Skibicki’s apartment found partial human remains, identified as belonging to Ms Contois.

Canada has long faced a crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. According to the RCMP, indigenous women make up 10% of the population of missing women in Canada and 16% of female homicides. Indigenous women make up about 4% of the female population in Canada.

Andrew Lester, 86, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree assault after opening fire on Ralph Yarl in Kansas City on 13 April 2023.

Lester was scheduled for sentencing on 7 March and was facing seven years in prison. In a statement, the Yarl family expressed frustration that “justice was never truly served”.

Ralph Yarl rang Lester’s doorbell while going to pick up his younger brothers. Prosecutors said Lester shot the teen without speaking to him. The boy survived and has since graduated from high school.

The Clay County prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday: “We have learned of the passing of Andrew Lester and extend our sincere condolences to his family during this difficult time.

“While the legal proceedings have now concluded, we acknowledge that Mr Lester did take responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty in this case.

“Our thoughts remain with both families affected by this tragic incident as they continue their healing process.”

But in a statement to the Kansas City Star, the Yarl family expressed dissatisfaction that “the man responsible escaped sentencing”.

They added: “One of the reasons we pushed for a speedy trial was to ensure the public would see that our society does not condone shooting an unarmed, innocent child simply for ringing the wrong doorbell – especially when that child was targeted because of the color of his skin.”

Police initially said there was a “racial component” to the shooting, but authorities ultimately did not charge Lester with a hate crime.

0:55Watch: Ralph’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, describes his injuries after he was shot on Thursday

Lester and his lawyers said he was acting in self-defence and thought the teenager was trying to break into his home.

Ralph Yarl told authorities his mother sent him to pick up his siblings from a playdate at around 22:00 local time that night.

He mixed up similar street names – Northeast 115 Street and Northeast 115th Terrace – which put him on Lester’s doorstep and about a block away from the house he was trying to find.

After he rang the doorbell, Lester shot him twice – once in the forehead and once in the arm.

Prosecutors have said the boy “did not cross the threshold” of Lester’s home and survived after fleeing to neighbouring homes for help.

Police initially detained Lester for questioning and released him without charges, sparking protests in Kansas City.

The demonstrations drew support from celebrities including actresses Halle Berry, Kerry Washington and Jennifer Hudson.

Lester turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued.

The case was one of several in spring 2023 in which Americans were injured after minor mistakes resulted in gun violence.

One of the victims, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, was fatally shot after a car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway in upstate New York.

Andrew Lester on Friday agreed the lesser charge as part of a plea deal, according to US media.His trial was due to begin next week.

In April 2023, Ralph Yarl, 16, rang Lester’s doorbell as he went to pick up his younger brothers. Prosecutors say Lester shot the teen without speaking to him. The boy survived.

His was one of several cases at the time of unarmed people being shot after confusing addresses, which launched debate over stand your ground laws in some US states that allows use of deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm.

The case prompted protests and attracted attention from civil rights and racial justice advocates, who argued that Ralph Yarl’s race was a factor in the shooting. Ralph is black and Lester is white.

Police initially said there was a “racial component” to the shooting, but authorities ultimately opted not to charge Lester with a hate crime.

Lester and his lawyers said that he was acting in self-defence and thought the teenager was trying to break into his home.

In a 2023 court appearance, he initially pleaded not guilty to the assault and armed criminal action charges. He faced life in prison if convicted at trial.

He will be sentenced 7 March for the lesser charge. He faces up to seven years behind bars.

“We remain hopeful that his sentencing will not be merely a slap on the wrist but a decision that upholds the seriousness of his crime.” the Yarl family said in a statement to local media.

Ralph Yarl told authorities that his mother sent him to pick up his siblings around 22:00 local time that night. He mixed up similar street names -Northeast 115 Street and Northeast 115th Terrace – which put him on Lester’s doorstep and about a block away from the house he was trying to visit.

After he rang the doorbell, Lester shot him twice – once in the forehead and once in the arm. Prosecutors have said that he “did not cross the threshold” of Lester’s home and survived after fleeing to neighbouring homes for help.

Police initially detained Lester for questioning and released him without charges, sparking protests in Kansas City. Lester later turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued.

Ralph Yarl, who has since graduated from high school, is expected to deliver a victim impact statement at a sentencing hearing next month.

The protests, which drew support from celebrities including Halle Berry, Kerry Washington and Jennifer Hudson, called for racial justice and drew attention to stand your ground laws. Critics argued they contributed to gun violence against black people in the US.

The case was also one of several in the spring of 2023 in which Americans – many of them children and teens – were injured after minor mistakes were met with gun violence.

Danielle McLaughlin, 28, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field in the western state of Goa in March 2017.

A post-mortem examination found brain damage and strangulation as the cause of death.

Vikat Bhagat was found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa, India, on Friday and could face life imprisonment, but prosecutors have asked for the death penalty.

His defence team appealed for leniency.

He will be sentenced next Monday.

In a statement afterwards, Danielle’s mother Andrea Brannigan and her sister Joleen McLaughlin Brannigan, said justice “has finally been achieved”.

“There was no other suspect or gang involved in Danielle’s death and Bhagat was solely responsible for cruelly ending her beautiful life,” they said.

The family said they have “endured what has been effectively” an eight-year murder trial with many delays and problems.

The “quest for truth” has been “very tiring” and family said they “are glad it is over”.

“We are content now with the judicial confirmation in public of what we already sadly knew,” they added.

The family said “in memory of Danielle”, they had stayed “patient and respectful of the Indian legal system”.

“We are glad to have visited the area where Danielle spent her last days on this earth, painful and difficult as that was,” the statement continued.

“We now hope that not only that Danielle can rest in peace but that we, as a family, can have some peace and comfort knowing that the person who brutally raped and murdered our precious Danielle has been convicted.”

A statement was also posted on behalf of the family on the Trust for Danielle McLaughlin Facebook page, saying they never got to see the woman Danielle would have become.

“Because of Vikat she will forever be 28,” the statement said.

“We will never see her smile or hear her laugh and we appreciate all that they have done for our campaign fighting for this outcome.

“She was so much more than a daughter, sister and best friend. She lit up every room she entered and touch the lives of all who met her.”

Rape victims cannot usually be named under Indian law. Their identities are often hidden in a bid to protect them from being shunned in society.

In this case, Danielle McLaughlin’s family have spoken to the media to raise awareness of her case.

Ms McLaughlin, who grew up in Buncrana, had travelled to India in February 2017.

She was there for two weeks before she was murdered..

The Liverpool John Moores University student had been staying in a beach hut with an Australian friend.

The pair had been celebrating Holi, a Hindu festival, in a nearby village.

She left the village at night and her body was found the next day by a local farmer in an isolated spot.

On Friday morning, Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) Simon Harris paid tribute to Ms McLaughlin’s family, in particular her mother “for her determination and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy”.

“While nothing can ease the pain of their loss, I hope that this verdict represents some closure for the family,” he said.

“May Danielle rest in peace.”

Ms McLaughlin, who had dual Irish and British citizenship, travelled to India using a British passport.

In 2018, the then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar met and apologised to her family after a misunderstanding about her citizenship.

Her body was brought home to Donegal with the help of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.

She is buried in her hometown of Buncrana in the Republic of Ireland.

The female teacher, who is in her 40s, confessed to stabbing the student in the central city of Daejeon, police said.

The girl was found with stab wounds on the second floor of a school building at 18:00 local time (09:00 GMT) Monday and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The teacher was found beside her with stab wounds that police said might be self-inflicted.

South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the case and urged authorities to “implement necessary measures to ensure such incidents never happen again”.

Some locals laid flowers and a stuffed doll at the gate of the school, which was closed on Tuesday.

In a police briefing on Tuesday, Yook Jong-myung, the head of the Dajeon Western Police Station said the teacher was currently recovering in hospital, adding that she had a wound on her neck that had been stitched.

The Daejeon education office earlier said the teacher had requested a six-month leave of absence citing depression on 9 December, but had returned to school just 20 days later after a doctor assessed her as being fit to work.

During her time off work, she had suicidal thoughts, said Mr Yook, citing a testimony that the teacher had provided to police.

Days before the stabbing, the teacher had displayed violent behaviour, including putting another teacher in a headlock, said the education office.

Two officials from the education office visited the school on Monday, the morning of the stabbing, to investigate that altercation.

After the attack on the co-worker, the education office recommended that the teacher be put on leave and be separated physically from the other teacher.

She was made to sit beside the vice principal’s desk so that she could be kept under close watch.

She had also not been teaching any classes since her leave in December, and did not have any contact with the eight-year-old student, the official said.

According to the testimony given by the teacher to police, she had purchased a weapon on the day of the attack and brought it to school – adding that she had planned to kill herself along with a child.

The testimony went on to say that the teacher did not “care which child it was”, and targeted the last to leave – she managed to “lure the child into the media room” before attacking them.

The student was reported missing on Monday evening after the bus driver informed the school that she had not arrived to be picked up that day.

South Korea is a generally safe country with strict gun control laws. But in recent years, it has grappled with several high-profile crimes, including stabbings.

“It pains me to see such incidents because a school should be our safest space,” said acting president Choi. “I offer my deep condolences to the victim’s family who suffered great shock and agony.”

Alan Vial, 39, of Drumanoo Head, Killybegs, County Donegal, and Nikita Burns, 23, from An Charraig, County Donegal, both deny the murder of Robert Wilkin on 25 June 2023.

The body of the County Tyrone man was found eight days later in the sea at the foot of the Slieve League cliffs.

Dr Sophie O’Connor, who is from Geological Survey Ireland, told Dublin’s Central Criminal Court on Friday that it was also “highly unlikely” that a bloodied rock found by gardaí (Irish police) near the scene came from the Slieve League cliffs area.

The rock, which the court previously heard contained blood and hairs with DNA matching the deceased man Robert Wilkin, who was also known as Robin, was found by gardaí near a viewing point at the top of the cliffs.

The prosecution alleges that both Mr Vial and Ms Burns assaulted Mr Wilkin as part of a joint enterprise to cause him serious harm before putting his body over the cliff edge near a viewing point.

During police interviews, Mr Vial said he “winded” Mr Wilkin by striking him in the stomach and then placed the pensioner over a fence about four metres from the edge of the cliff.

When the rock was shown to the accused, he denied using it to strike Mr Wilkin, and said they had used it in an effort to prevent him from rolling off the cliff edge.

It is possible rock came from a wall

Dr O’Connor told prosecution counsel Bernard Condon SC that police investigating Mr Wilkin’s death asked her to assess the likelihood that the rock could have naturally made its way to where officers found it at the top of Slieve League cliffs.

Having inspected rocks at the top of the cliffs, including those found in walls at the nearby car park, she concluded it was “highly unlikely” it was sourced from that area and “extremely likely” it was transported there by human activity.

Dr O’Connor said she inspected an area on Roshin Road, between Slieve League and Killybegs, near where the prosecution has previously said it is likely Mr Wilkin was alleged to have been attacked.

The geologist found a wall built using rocks that were similar in composition to the rock shown to her by gardai and with similar lichen staining.

She noted an area of the wall where a rock appeared to be missing and discovered on Google Street View that in 2021 the rock was present.

The rock visible online showed a “strong similarity” to the bloodied rock in shape, size, curvature, surface features and lichen staining, she said.

She concluded that it was possible the rock came from that wall.

Following Dr O’Connor’s evidence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott told the jury of seven women and five men that the prosecution has now concluded its evidence.

The judge rejected demands for the death penalty but said that Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer in Kolkata city who was convicted over the weekend, would spend the rest of his life in jail.

Roy has maintained he is innocent and is expected to appeal against the verdict in a higher court.

The victim’s family said they wanted him to be hanged, and that they were “shocked” by the sentence.

“We will continue our fight, and won’t let investigations stop… Come what may, we will fight for justice,” the woman’s father told AFP news agency. Indian law prohibits revealing the identity of victims of sexual violence and that of their family members.

Immediately after the sentencing, dozens of doctors protested outside the court, saying they were not satisfied with the investigation and the sentence.

The trainee doctor’s murder last August at the state-run hospital in Kolkata in West Bengal state sent shockwaves across the country.

The 31-year-old had gone to sleep in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital after a night shift. Her half-naked, severely injured body was later discovered near a podium by a colleague.

The autopsy report indicated that the woman had been strangled and had injury marks that showed she fought back.

The crime sparked widespread protests and concerns over the safety of healthcare workers in India, especially women. In Kolkata, doctors went on strike for weeks, demanding action against the accused and officials who they said were complicit in delaying or derailing the investigation.

Roy was arrested a day after the crime. According to the charge sheet filed by federal investigators, which the BBC has seen, Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and found the female doctor sleeping alone.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – India’s premier crime agency that investigated the case – had demanded the death penalty for Roy.

But on Monday, the judge disagreed, saying he had considered all the evidence and did not consider the case to be a “rarest-of-rare” crime.

Before announcing the sentence, the judge also gave Roy a chance to speak in court. He claimed that he was innocent and was being “falsely implicated” in the case.

Without taking any names, Roy alleged that there were “others involved in the crime”.

The judge dismissed Roy’s claims and said the court had already found him guilty of all charges.

Some politicians and social media users criticised the sentence.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was not satisfied with the court’s order. “We want justice. Such criminals should be hanged,” she told reporters.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, changed his pleas from not guilty to guilty on what was due to be the first day of his trial at the Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.

He pleaded guilty to the murder of Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport town on July 29, 2024.

Ten others were wounded, including eight children, in one of the country’s worst mass stabbings in years.

Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to 10 charges of attempted murder relating to the attack, as well as producing the deadly poison ricin and the possession of an al-Qaeda training manual.

Judge Julian Goose said he would sentence Rudakubana on Thursday and that a life jail term was inevitable.

Wearing a grey tracksuit and a surgical mask, the teenager refused to stand in court and did not speak except to say the word “guilty”.

In December, not-guilty pleas had been entered on Rudakubana’s behalf when he refused to speak in court, and the case had been set for a four-week trial.

Rudakubana was born in Wales to parents of Rwandan origin. He lived in Banks, a village northeast of Southport.

In the wake of the murders, large disturbances broke out in Southport after false reports spread on social media that the suspected killer was a Muslim migrant.

Those disturbances spread across the UK with attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer blaming the riots on far-right thuggery. More than 1,500 people were arrested.

The UK’s Interior Minister Yvette Cooper said on Monday the coming days “will be a deeply traumatic and distressing time for the girls’ families”. But she said it was important for the legal process to be allowed to carry on so that “justice can be done”.