Latest news with #LatinAmerica
Forbes
4 hours ago
- General
- Forbes
3 Marriage Stats Every Modern Couple Should Know — By A Psychologist
As society shifts, so do people's approaches to commitment. Understanding how marriage changes is ... More essential to knowing what works best for you. Over the past few decades, the face of marriage has slowly begun to change. Not too long ago, many families looked quite similar. Most young people saw at least one marriage in their future, and the average age to wed was relatively young. This has begun to change over the past decade. While some people realize that marriage might not be for them, others wish to learn what it takes to keep the spark alive. As a result, people are turning toward unconventional unions as an alternative to tradition. For instance, in response to the increased divorce rate, Mexico City considered introducing the option of a renewable marriage contract. The point here was to allow couples to stay married for up to two years with the option to adjust or dissolve the agreement when the contract expires. While these measures seemed counterintuitive, the intention behind the proposed bill was to offer an option for people to test the waters before making a life-long commitment. Mexico's renewable contracts never came to pass, but the fact that the country's policy makers considered it shows how the concept of marriage is itching to evolve. More and more people are adjusting tradition to find something that suits them better. Knowing how people reshape their unions could be the key to improving your romantic life. Here are three marriage statistics to be aware of. With the gradual fading of societal stigma, living with a partner outside of marriage has become increasingly common. While cohabitation was once seen as a steppingstone to marriage, a 2019 report from the Pew Research Center notes that for many young people today, moving in together is not necessarily part of a path toward tying the knot — it's simply how they choose to build their lives. The number of unmarried adults living together has increased since the 1960s, and according to the report, 59% of US adults aged 18 to 44 have lived with an unmarried partner at some point in their lives. People often choose to do so as it offers the solace of a partner without the potential consequences of divorce, or simply because they believe living together is just as deep a sign of commitment as getting married. This might seem like the perfect compromise, but it does not suit everybody. Simply living together looks like the ideal alternative — offering companionship without legal commitments — but it can be short-lived. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family found that living together is more of a transitional phase than a lasting situation for many. Despite these statistics, some couples still feel that cohabitation is the best way to make their relationship work. According to a 2014 Couple and Family Psychology study, one of the biggest reasons for the increasing divorce rate is a lack of commitment. Love does not come easy — it takes time, effort and compromise for most people. This is where counseling plays a crucial role. Rather than viewing relationship difficulty as a sign of weakness, many couples take on the challenge with the help of counseling. This provides a safe outlet for people in a relationship to settle things amicably. A counselor can help couples mediate their deepest frustrations. Through reviewing the relationship, couples learn essential tools, practice active listening and gain empathy for their partners. A 2012 study in BMC Public Health analyzed evaluations of almost 150 couples in therapy. It found that relationship satisfaction was the most common outcome. Across the board, couples who participated in treatment reported notable improvements in their relationships from pre- to post-treatment. These improvements ranged from healthier communication to increased emotional intimacy and a stronger sense of connection. The fact that more couples are going to counseling confirms something that people already know — marriage is hard. Couples have begun taking their time before heading to the altar, aided by the understanding that marriage is a huge undertaking that requires maturity and careful consideration. A 2024 report from the National Centre for Family and Marriage Research shows that the average 'marriage age' has grown steadily since 2012, reaching roughly 30 in 2020 for males, and a historic high of about 28 for women in 2021. While this might not seem old, it is significantly higher than what people thought the appropriate age for marriage was in the past. While taking your vows remains a meaningful milestone for many, it is clear that people are approaching it with greater caution. As societal expectations shift and individuals prioritize personal growth and stability, waiting longer to marry reflects a deeper understanding of the promise it truly requires. Relationships come in many shapes and sizes, and society is starting to recognize that. People are changing traditions to try to find what works best. Whether you get married older or cohabitate, it's about how you feel as a couple. The choices you make in your relationship are about doing what suits you and what can serve the relationship in the long term. Are you satisfied with your marriage? Take this science-backed test to find out: Marital Satisfaction Scale
The Sun
4 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Bling-loving ‘king of porn' Alex Marin, 37, ARRESTED for ‘forcing underage girlfriend into making explicit videos'
THE self-proclaimed "King of Porn" has been arrested for allegedly forcing his underage girlfriend into making sex tapes. Alex Marin, 37, who flaunts his luxury lifestyle and glam girlfriends online, was cuffed in the Mexican city of Jalisco this week. 5 5 5 The authorities claim the porn baron, pushing 40, lured a 16-year-old girl into a relationship with him and coerced her into making explicit videos. Marin, real name Alejandro Marn Ramrez, was arrested by cops from the city's state prosecutor on Wednesday and remains in custody. Officials say he will be charged with human trafficking and sexual exploitation of a minor. The governor of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus, said the case was being taken incredibly seriously. He said: "The detainee, identified as Alejandro N., is now at the disposal of the judge to face the charges against him. "In Jalisco, we take the protection of women and minors very seriously." Creepy-looking Marin is notorious in Mexico as the self-styled "King of Porn". He would post daily nauseating pics of himself cosying up with women in skimpy outfits. The sex-mad influencer often boasted of having seven girlfriends - one for each day of the week. He regularly featured in his home-made porn vids alongside the women. Twisted revenge porn gangs are trading nude snaps of women as young as 16 & catfishing victims to order for perv's 'hit lists' in YOUR area Marin acted and directed in his own productions, which he usually shared through his company Solobellezas - meaning "only beauties". Shortly before his arrest he had posted pics from a party in Toluca, central Mexico, bragging about a new event. The age of sexual consent in Jalisco is 16 - but Mexican federal law defines it as 18. This is observed particularly when exploitation or abuse of power is involved. 5 5 That means any sexual activity involving an under-18 when these are at play can still result in prosecution. If convicted, Marin could face between 10 and 25 years in jail. Marin first hit headlines when, in his mid-twenties, he married a 17-year-old, Mia. The pair were wedded for 12 years before announcing their split in February 2024. He started off as a systems engineer but claims to have since grown his business into a global empire spanning Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Italy. Marin was previously caught on camera brawling with a man on the street - as his girlfriend clung to him and begged him to stop.
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Brazil's Economy Surges Again as High Rates Fail to Dent Growth
Brazil's economic growth boomed at the start of 2025, powered by bountiful harvests and family consumption that's complicating policymakers' inflation fight. Gross domestic product expanded 1.4% in the January-March period compared to the fourth quarter, just below the 1.5% median estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The economy grew 2.9% from a year earlier, according to official data released Friday.
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
WATCH: US intel's take on TdA gang misses mark on ties to Maduro regime, ex-Venezuela army officer says
A former high-ranking officer in the Venezuelan military is contesting a recent report by the U.S. intelligence community about the massive Tren de Aragua gang present throughout the country. Jose Arocha, who is a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan military, told Fox News Digital that the recent intel community report denying Tren de Aragua is linked to the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is missing a key aspect: the socialist regime's animosity towards the United States and penchant for asymmetric warfare. Tren de Aragua, also known simply as TdA, is a violent Venezuelan gang that has been terrorizing U.S. cities over the last several years. The group is linked to high-profile murders such as the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and the seizure of an entire apartment building in Aurora, Colorado. As one of his first moves back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump directed the State Department to designate TdA a "foreign terrorist organization." Speaking with Fox News Digital via Zoom, Arocha, a national security expert at the Center for a Secure Free Society, said he agrees with the Trump administration's moves against Tren de Aragua, which he believes is an "asymmetrical warfare" tool of the Maduro regime to sow discord in the United States and other countries in the Western Hemisphere. "The Maduro regime doesn't need to send troops to the USA. It sends criminals instead," he said. "TdA is a plug-and-play insurgency – assembled in prison, deployed abroad." Arocha's statements, however, contrast with a new public memo released by U.S. intelligence agencies last month that denied any solid connection between the Maduro government in Caracas and the gang. "While Venezuela's permissive environment enables TDA to operate, the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States," the report states. The report says that the intelligence community based its conclusion "on Venezuelan law enforcement actions demonstrating the regime treats TDA as a threat; an uneasy mix of cooperation and confrontation rather than top-down directives [that] characterize the regime's ties to other armed groups; and the decentralized makeup of TDA that would make such a relationship logistically challenging." Arocha, meanwhile, said that "the missing point here is that the intelligence report is too narrow a lens about the TdA." "It's about crime and migration, but they're missing the warfare dimension," he said. "They are missing that for the Maduro regime, the United States is the enemy, has been the enemy for years." "The TdA is not a gang," he went on. "It's the enabler arm of the Venezuelan regime in the hybrid warfare strategy, the asymmetrical tour of war. That's the missing point. And that is the point that explains how a local gang is right now in more than 10 countries, including the United States. That's incredible, and that is not possible without a state sponsor behind them." While the report points to law enforcement actions the Maduro government has taken against TdA, Arocha explained that in reality Venezuelan prisons, including the "Tocorón" prison where the gang started, are more like resort hotels. "Tocorón, [which] they said is the epicenter of the crime in Venezuela, it wasn't a prison, it was a palace for organized crime. Full equipment, we have a zoo, nightclubs and even a pool for the prisoners there," he said. Arocha also posited that the 2023 raid the Venezuelan government conducted on Tocorón "appears choreographed" and that key TdA leadership was able to escape through pre-made tunnels. "While the regime gained optics of cracking down on crime, TdA's mobility remained intact," Arocha told Fox News Digital. The intel report admitted that the escaped TdA members were "possibly assisted by low-level Venezuelan military and political leaders." But to Arocha, the connection goes straight to the top. He pointed to the kidnapping and murder of Venezuelan political dissident Ronald Ojeda in Chile, which, according to Reuters, is being investigated by the Chilean government as a possible Tren de Aragua operation sponsored by the Maduro government. Reuters reported in March that Chilean Attorney General Angel Valencia said that Ojeda's murder "doesn't have the characteristics of a normal crime" and "all the evidence we have at this state of the investigation lets us conclude that a cell or group linked to the Tren de Aragua that was politically motivated that originated from an order of a political nature." The outlet also reported that the Venezuelan government denied the accusations as baseless. Arocha further pointed to former Maduro Vice President Tareck El Aissami, who has alleged ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, as evidence that the Venezuelan government is embedded with America's worst enemies. El Aissami was arrested on corruption charges and is currently in prison. "He has a strong influence with Iran and China and Russia, too. Right now, he's in prison, which means that he's living in the palace in prison," Arocha remarked, smiling. "The Venezuelan regime is a proxy of Russia, China and Iran, especially China right now," he went on. "They use Venezuela [to] create chaos in Latin America especially … not confronting directly the United States, but indirectly, using criminals, using disinformation, using every single tool they have." In response, Arocha urged the Trump administration to continue to take a whole-of-government approach in combating TdA. He urged the administration to "increase our scope" by reaching out to Latin American countries with experience with TdA, such as the Chilean government. "They have a knowledge right now about the TdA. We have to understand what they've learned about, and we have to put all the pieces together to have the big picture instead of the local one," he said. "And then I'm very sure that we are going to realize the missing and the main link is in Caracas."
Bloomberg
5 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
In US-China Trade War, Latin America Takes Sides With Beijing
In the tit-for-tat trade war between the US and China, Latin America is siding with Beijing. Calls for closer economic ties with China are growing louder in the region, particularly in Mexico, the US's No. 1 trade partner, according to LatAm Pulse, a monthly survey conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News and published on Friday.
