Mexico has surpassed both Iraq and Afghanistan to become the world’s most violent country after Syria, says a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Mexico’s government pledged Monday to take control of a violent western state after days of fighting between masked vigilantes and members of one of the country’s most powerful drug cartels, Reuters reports.

Three people, including a 3-year-old boy, are in critical condition Friday after an apparent gang-related shooting at a neighborhood basketball court in Chicago that left up to 13 people injured.

Gang-related homicides are on the decline, despite an increase in gang membership and the total number of gangs. 

The closing of 50 schools this August in Chicago has prompted comparisons to the violent death of Derrion Albert, with warnings that the new school boundary lines could bring similar tension. 

While gang members are 70 percent more likely to commit Internet crime, they are not often involved in cyber crimes like phishing or commercial hacking due to a lack of skill. 

In an effort to stem loitering and neighborhood crime, city officials are revoking business licenses, levying fines and temporarily shutting down businesses for failing to meet regulations.

Police report 120 homicides in Chicago from January 1 to April 1, 2012, 60 percent higher than the same period in 2011.