People stand near bullet casings on the ground at a crime scene after a shootout in the municipality Tuzamapan. Photo: ReutersMurders in Mexico jumped in the first half of the year to the highest on record, according to official data, underscoring the vast challenges President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador faces in reducing violence in the cartel-ravaged country. Mexico is on course to surpass the 29,111 murders of last year, an all-time high. For years Mexico has struggled with violence as consecutive governments battled brutal drug cartels, often by taking out their leaders. His administration last month launched a new militarised National Guard police force tasked with helping to fix the problem.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 22, 2019 01:18 UTC