Franc Contreras

Like their neighbors in Mexico, many Central Americans head to the United States for better opportunities. They come from impoverished towns, some rife with gang violence and high crime rates. But on their journey north, hundreds of these migrants become targets for gangs, organized crime and even police.
Like their neighbors in Mexico, many Central Americans head to the United States for better opportunities. They come from impoverished towns, some rife with gang violence and high crime rates. But on their journey north, hundreds of these migrants become targets for gangs, organized crime and even police.

The Mexican government tried to get the execution of Edgar Tamayo Arias suspended. They say Arias’ case should have been reviewed. US officials agreed. But Texas said no and Wednesday night Arias was executed. Now Mexicans are outraged over his execution.

As Americans hit the malls this Friday, we asked some folks around the globe about the equivalent to Black Friday in their country. What we found is a many similarities, but not many places that do it quite the American way.

People across the globe are watching to see if there’s ultimately a resolution to this US government shutdown. And what they’re saying — and hearing — isn’t great. Many folks around the globe say the shutdown looks crazy. It looks silly. It looks like lawmakers are arguing about something that doesn’t entirely matter.

For more than two weeks, demonstrations by teachers have caused traffic chaos across Mexico. They’re protesting a new law requiring performance evaluations for teachers. Supporters see the law as an attempt to break the power of labor unions.