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The mayor of a Mexican city has been murdered just days after taking office, officials have said.

Alejandro Arcos was sworn in last Monday as mayor of Chilpancingo, a southwestern city which is the capital of Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.

The area has long been plagued by drug violence and criminal gangs.

Unverified reports said Mr Arcos had been beheaded. Police have not confirmed any details of his death, but were pictured at a scene in Chilpancingo where the body was reported to have been found.

“His loss mourns the entire Guerrero society and fills us with indignation,” Guerrero governor Evelyn Salgado said in a statement.

The state attorney general’s office has said it is investigating Sunday’s murder.

Mexican security forces respond at the scene where Alejandro Arcos, mayor of Chilpancingo, was killed, in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Oscar Guerrero
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Police at the scene in Chilpancingo. Pic: Reuters

The latest violence came just three days after the new city government’s secretary, Francisco Tapia, was shot to death.

Alejandro Moreno, a Mexican senator and the national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, said: “They had been in office less than a week.

“They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community.”

He also called on the federal attorney general’s office to lead the investigation into the murders given “the situation of ungovernability in Guerrero”.

The state has become one of the most dangerous in Mexico for aspiring and elected public officials.

A pick-up truck is transported from the scene where Alejandro Arcos, the mayor of Chilpancingo, was killed, in Chilpancingo, Guerrero state, Mexico October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Oscar Guerrero
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Pic: Reuters

A member of the Mexican security forces stands as they respond at the scene where Alejandro Arcos, mayor of Chilpancingo, was killed, in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico.
Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

At least six candidates for public office were killed in Guerrero ahead of elections at the beginning of June.

Last year, officials said a demonstration held by hundreds of people in Chilpancingo had been organised by criminals to secure the release of two gang leaders arrested for the possession of drugs and weapons.

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The demonstrators blocked most traffic on the road between Mexico City and Acapulco for two days.

They fought security officials before using a police truck to ram down the gates of the state legislative building.

A number of police, state and federal officials were then taken hostage – before being released when the demands set by the demonstrators had been met.

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Ukraine war: Russia launches drone strike on Kyiv – as commander ‘sacked for lying about war progress’

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Ukraine war: Russia launches drone strike on Kyiv - as commander 'sacked for lying about war progress'

Russia launched a large drone attack on Kyiv overnight, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning the attack shows his capital needs better air defences.

Ukraine’s air defence units shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones launched, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries as a result of the attacks.

Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs and around 460 attack drones in the past week.

Warning that Ukraine needs to improve its air defences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “An air alert has been sounded almost daily across Ukraine this week”.

“Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state.

“But Russia still continues its efforts to kill our people, spread fear and panic, and weaken us.”

Russia did not comment on the attack.

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It comes as Russian media reported that Colonel General Gennady Anashkin, the commander of the country’s southern military district, had been removed from his role over allegedly providing misleading reports about his troops’ progress.

While Russian forces have advanced at the fastest rate in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, forces have been much slower around Siversk and the eastern region of Donetsk.

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Russian war bloggers have long complained that units there are poorly supported and thrown into deadly battles for little tactical gain.

Russia’s ministry of defence has not commented on the reports.

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Russian forces capture ‘former British soldier’ fighting for Ukraine – reports

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Russian forces capture 'former British soldier' fighting for Ukraine - reports

Russian forces have reportedly captured a British man while he was fighting for Ukraine.

In a widely circulated video posted on Sunday, the man says his name is James Scott Rhys Anderson, aged 22.

He says he is a former British Army soldier who signed up to fight for Ukraine’s International Legion after his job.

He is dressed in army fatigues and speaks with an English accent as he says to camera: “I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023, 22 Signal Regiment.”

He tells the camera he was “just a private”, “a signalman” in “One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron”.

“When I left… got fired from my job, I applied on the International Legion webpage. I had just lost everything. I just lost my job,” he said.

“My dad was away in prison, I see it on the TV,” he added, shaking his head. “It was a stupid idea.”

In a second video, he is shown with his hands tied and at one point, with tape over his eyes.

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He describes how he had travelled to Ukraine from Britain, saying: “I flew to Krakow, Poland, from London Luton. Bus from there to Medyka in Poland, on the Ukraine border.”

Russian state news agency Tass reported that a military source said a “UK mercenary” had been “taken prisoner in the Kursk area” of Russia.

The UK Foreign Office said it was “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.

The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment at this stage.

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Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE – as Israeli PM says he was murdered in ‘antisemitic terror incident’

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Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE - as Israeli PM says he was murdered in 'antisemitic terror incident'

The body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been found, Israel has said.

Zvi Kogan, the Chabad representative in the UAE, went missing on Thursday.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office on Sunday said the 28-year-old rabbi was murdered, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident”.

“The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death,” it said.

On Saturday, Israeli intelligence agency Mossad said it was investigating the disappearance as suspicions arose that he had been kidnapped.

The Emirati government gave no immediate acknowledgment that Mr Kogan had been found dead. Its interior ministry has described the rabbi as being “missing and out of contact”.

“Specialised authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report,” the interior ministry said.

Mr Kogan lived in the UAE with his wife Rivky, who is a US citizen. He ran a Kosher grocery store in Dubai, which has been the target of online protests by pro-Palestinian supporters.

The Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of Orthodox Judaism, said Mr Kogan was last seen in Dubai.

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Israeli authorities reissued their recommendation against all non-essential travel to the UAE and said visitors currently there should minimise movement and remain in secure areas.

The rabbi’s disappearance comes as Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October.

While the Israeli statement on Mr Kogan did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have previously carried out kidnappings in the UAE.

The UAE diplomatically recognised Israel in 2020. Since then, synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners have been set up for the burgeoning Jewish community but the unrest in the Middle East has sparked deep anger in the country.

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