MEXICO’S new president has vowed to demilitarise the campaign against drug cartels, but thousands of troops likely will remain in the field for years to come, spearheaded by US-favoured naval infantry.

A gun battle between rival drug gangs in western Mexico has left 29 men dead.

The top security chief of a central Mexican state has resigned after 53 inmates escaped from a prison with the alleged complicity of guards.

Security camera footage shows guards at a Mexican prison nonchalantly stood by as 53 dangerous inmates walked out – and didn’t rush into action with their guns drawn until well after their convoy of escape vehicles had disappeared into the night.

MORE than 30,000 people were evacuated from historic Dresden yesterday as floodwaters in the Elbe River surged past an all-time high, closing in on cultural landmarks already waterlogged by an earlier wave of high water.