MEXICO

Cartel violence leaves trail of death in city

Four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a bridge in the capital of western Mexico’s Sinaloa state Monday, part of a surge of cartel violence that killed nearly 20 people in less than a day, authorities said.

A bloody war for control between two factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel has turned the city of Culiacan into an epicenter of cartel violence since the conflict exploded last year between the two groups: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.

Dead bodies appear scattered across Culiacán on a daily basis, homes are riddled with bullets, businesses shutter and schools regularly close down during waves of violence.

On Monday, Sinaloa state prosecutors said that four bodies were found dangling from the freeway bridge leading out of the city, their heads in a nearby plastic bag.

On the same highway Monday, officials said they found 16 more male victims with gunshot wounds, packed into a white van, one of whom was decapitated. Authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one cartel faction, although the note’s contents were not immediately disclosed.

Most in the western Mexico state, however, say authorities have lost control of the violence levels.

A bloody power struggle erupted in September between two rival factions, pushing the city to a standstill.

The war for territorial control was triggered by the dramatic kidnapping of the leader of one group by a son of notorious capo Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who then delivered him to U.S. authorities via a private plane.

pakistan

Deaths mount amid intense rain, flooding

Nearly a week of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan has killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, officials said Monday.

The fatalities caused by abnormally strong downpours since Tuesday include 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 in eastern Punjab province, seven in southern Sindh and four in southwestern Balochistan, the National Disaster Management Authority and provincial emergency officials said.

“We are expecting above-normal rains during the monsoon season and alerts have been issued to the concerned authorities to take precautionary measures,” said Irfan Virk, a Pakistan Meteorological Department deputy director.

Virk said that forecasters cannot rule out a repeat of extreme weather such as the devastating floods in 2022. Rains inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction.

The deaths from the past week include 13 tourists from a family of 17 who were swept away Friday. The other four family members were rescued from the flooded Swat River in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Rescuers found 12 bodies from the group and divers continued searching Monday for the remaining victim, said Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman.

The incident drew widespread condemnation online over what many called a slow response by emergency services.

On Sunday, the National Disaster Management Authority had warned of potential hazards and advised people against crossing rivers and streams.

EUROPE

Russia claims control of region in Ukraine

A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region said Monday that Moscow’s forces have overrun all of it — one of four regions Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in September 2022 despite not fully controlling a single one.

If confirmed, that would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war and as recent U.S.-led international peace efforts have failed to make progress on halting the fighting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn’t budged from his demands, which include Moscow’s control over the four illegally annexed regions.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the claim made by the Moscow-installed leader of the occupied region, Leonid Pasechnik. In remarks to Russia’s state TV Channel One that aired Monday, Pasechnik said he received a report “literally two days ago” saying that “100%” of the region was now under the control of Russian forces.

— The Associated Press