Mexico shootout leaves 18 dead in Tamaulipas state

" Gunbattles between rival gangs in a north-eastern Mexican town have left 18 people dead, police say. The Tamaulipas state government said shooting erupted in the town of Abasolo but gave few details. Gunmen in trucks and other vehicles had exchanged fire around the town,...

Last policeman in Guadalupe, Mexico kidnapped

"The Mexican border town of Guadalupe has been left with no police force after the last officer was kidnapped. Erika Gandara's house was set on fire by unidentified gunmen before she was abducted last week, according to the state prosecutor's office. All her...

UK aid worker's joy at release from captors in Somalia

"A British security consultant kidnapped six days ago by gunmen in Somalia has described his release as "marvellous", Save the Children says. Zimbabwean-born Frans Barnard was seized in the town of Adado last Thursday. A local colleague, who was also seized, was freed...

Mexico forces seize huge marijuana haul in Tijuana

" Mexican security forces have seized 105 tonnes of marijuana with a street value of at least $340m (£214m) - the biggest such haul in the country in years. Heavily armed troops and police raided several homes in the city of Tijuana, on the border with the US, exchanging...