This year's death toll in the notorious US border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, has topped 3,000 according to officials, as two men were yesterday gunned down on its streets.

Often cited as the world's most dangerous city, Juarez has been fought over by the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels since 2008. In that year, 1,623 were killed in drug-related violence. In 2009, this figure rose sharply to 2,763.

Teachers in the city are currently being targeted for their Christmas bonuses by the cartels, eager to rake in extra money. One preschool was set alight last week and left with the message, "For not paying," scrawled on its walls.