The beheading of a second Canadian hostage in the Philippines by ransom-seeking Abu Sayyaf extremists has prompted a major offensive by troops in the south of the country.

The babysitter who beheaded a four-year-old girl in Moscow carried out the shocking murder after learning her boyfriend was married, according to reports.

An elderly woman and two cats were beheaded by a man who went on a 45-minute rampage through a neighbourhood, a court has heard.