Received

An Indian magistrate has given the go-ahead for Rajwinder Singh, who is accused of killing Toyah Cordingley four years ago, to be extradited to Australia.

Justice Swati Sharma told a New Delhi court on Tuesday she had written an order approving the extradition, to which Singh, speaking via video link, mumbled "thank you".

Singh, 38 did not appear at the hearing in person because there were no officers available to escort him from Tihar Jail to the court as city police were preoccupied with security arrangements for Republic Day celebrations on Thursday.

Instead, Singh attended the hearing via a video link.

His image on the link was not clear and the angle of the camera largely concealed his face so it was not possible to see his expression.

It was presumably one of relief as Singh has maintained since his arrest in India last December that he wants to return to Australia - where he has a wife and three children - to face trial.

Singh, an Australian citizen, worked as a nurse and lived in Innisfail.

The prime suspect in Cordingley's killing, he was arrested in India after a four-year manhunt that followed his escape from Australia just hours after Cordingley's body was found half-buried in sand dunes on Wangetti Beach, in north Queensland.

Australian police want to question Singh over whether he stabbed Cordingley, who was 24, after an argument over her dog barking at him.

Australian police said Cordingley, a pharmacy worker, had suffered "visible, violent injuries".

Her dog was found tied up nearby.

The court order, along with the file and other documents, will now be sent to officials in India's Ministry of External Affairs.

External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will have the final say on Singh's extradition.

The Indian government has already provisionally consented to Australia's request for Singh's extradition, which needed to be signed off by the court.

Lawyers involved in the case say it could take 30 to 45 days before Singh is placed on a flight back to Australia.

© AAP 2023

Seven people have been killed in two related shootings at a mushroom farm and a trucking firm in a coastal community south of San Francisco, and a suspect was in custody, officials say.

Four people were killed at the farm on Monday and three at the trucking business on the outskirts of Half Moon Bay, a city about 50 kilometres south of San Francisco, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine said.

The police have arrested 67-year-old Chunli Zhao in connection with the shooting, he said.

Pine said the suspect worked for one of the businesses.

He called the suspect a "disgruntled worker".

The shooting was the nation's sixth mass shooting just 23 days into the new year and followed the killing of 11 people late Saturday at a ballroom dance hall in southern California.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office first received reports of a shooting just before 2.30pm and found four people dead from gunshot wounds and a fifth injured person at the first scene.

Shortly thereafter, officers found three more people dead from gunshot wounds at a second location about 8km away, Captain Eamonn Allen said in a news release.

The office did not share any information about the connection between the two locations.

The motive for the shooting was not known, Allen said.

About two hours after first responding, a sheriff's deputy found the suspect, Zhao, in his car at a sheriff's station in Half Moon Bay.

He was taken into custody and a weapon was found in his vehicle. The sheriff's department believes he acted alone, Allen said.

Television footage from the area showed officers taking a man into custody without incident.

Aerial television images also showed police officers collecting evidence from a farm with dozens of greenhouses.

The shooting followed the killing of 11 people late on Saturday at a ballroom dance hall in Southern California.

Half Moon Bay is a small coastal city with agricultural roots now home to about 12,000 people.

The city and surrounding San Mateo County area is known for producing flowers as well as vegetables such as brussels sprouts.

The county allows cannabis farming in certain areas.

"We are sickened by today's tragedy in Half Moon Bay," Pine said in a statement. "We have not even had time to grieve for those lost in the terrible shooting in Monterey Park. Gun violence must stop."

California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that he was "at the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I get pulled away to be briefed about another shooting. This time in Half Moon Bay. Tragedy upon tragedy."

© AP 2023

Blonde, a biographical film that explores the exploitation of Marilyn Monroe, leads this year's Razzie nominations with eight nods, including one for worst picture, while multiple Oscar winner Tom Hanks landed in the worst actor and worst supporting actor race.

In their 43rd year, the Razzies deliver some tough love to movies, screenplays, directors and more with critical jabs meant to offer a humorous counterpoint to the Oscars.

Blonde received a Razzie nomination for worst picture, two nominations for worst supporting actors, two for worst screen couples, as well as nods for worst remake, worst director and worst screenplay.

Director Andrew Dominik and Netflix already have faced harsh judgment for what critics called a sexist and cruel depiction of Monroe, who was portrayed by Ana De Armas.

New York Times Film critic Manohla Dargis wrote: "Given all the indignities and horrors that Marilyn Monroe endured during her 36 years, it is a relief that she didn't have to suffer through the vulgarities of Blonde, the latest necrophiliac entertainment to exploit her."

The Razzies also did not favour Hanks this season, nominating him for worst actor as Geppetto in Disney's Pinocchio and worst supporting actor as Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis.

© RAW 2023