10 countries with the highest homicide rates in 2025

The places where violence shapes daily life most sharply.

Photographer at crime scene at Port Royal, Jamaica Credit: Nano Banana

Homicide rates tell a story that statistics alone cannot soften. Behind every number sits a mix of fear, instability, and systems that no longer protect people the way they should. In 2025, some countries continue to struggle with violence at levels that reshape everyday decisions.

Gang power, organized crime, inequality, and weak institutions show up again and again. These rankings reflect reported homicide rates, but they also hint at deeper social fractures that numbers can only partially explain.

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9 states to consider for avoiding family probate stress after you’re gone

These states offer probate-friendly laws that help families settle estates of their loved ones with less headaches.

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Avoiding a drawn-out probate process can make a difficult time less burdensome for grieving families. In certain states, estate laws are designed to simplify or even sidestep probate altogether with tools like living trusts, small estate affidavits, and transfer-on-death deeds. According to sources like the American Bar Association and AARP, understanding how these mechanisms work—and where they’re available—can help you make informed decisions about where to live or plan your estate.

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Wealthy Zip Codes Are Struggling Too: Understanding the Rise in Credit Card Delinquencies

Even in high-income areas, rising debt and shifting economics are straining household financial stability

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Credit card delinquencies are breaking the mold by showing up in some of the nation’s wealthiest zip codes. While high earnings often suggest financial security, factors like lifestyle inflation, job volatility, and rising interest rates are reshaping the debt equation for more affluent households. Experts from the Federal Reserve and Brookings Institution note that unsecured debt and high credit utilization are increasingly taking a toll, challenging old assumptions about who feels the strain of financial stress.

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10 Discontinued Foods That Defined a Privileged Childhood

These once-popular snacks and treats highlight how nostalgia and privilege often snacked side by side

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Food can be a time machine, and for some, that trip back includes glossy wrappers and niche grocery finds that never made it into everyday pantries. Discontinued snacks tied to wealthier childhoods tell stories beyond sugar and salt—they reflect branding strategies, access to specialty retailers, and the buying habits of households with disposable income. Though off shelves now, these foods linger in memory as edible status symbols wrapped in foil, plastic, or neon-colored dye.

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10 States with the Lowest Average Gas Prices in December 2025

The cheapest places to keep your tank full this winter.

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Gas prices have quietly slipped into welcome territory this December. As of December 22, 2025, the national average sits at $2.86 per gallon, the lowest December price since 2020. Lower crude oil costs and the annual switch to winter blend fuel are doing most of the heavy lifting.

States near refineries and pipeline hubs are seeing the biggest payoff. The Gulf Coast, Midwest, and Rocky Mountain regions dominate the list, helped along by lighter fuel taxes and shorter delivery routes.

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11 Quiet Signs You’re Living for Everyone Else—Even in Retirement

Are you prioritizing everyone but yourself in retirement?

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Retirement should be a time to focus on your passions, well-being, and personal growth. However, many retirees unknowingly fall into the trap of living for others, sacrificing their dreams for external expectations. This lifestyle often leads to frustration and a lack of fulfillment.

If you’ve been wondering why retirement doesn’t feel as liberating as you imagined, these signs might reveal that you’re secretly putting others’ needs above your own.

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11 Signs You’re Mentally Sharp for Your Age

You might be mentally sharper than other seniors—and not even realize it.

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Staying sharp isn’t just about remembering birthdays or solving crossword puzzles in record time. Mental agility shows up in subtle ways—like quick thinking, adaptability, and the ability to connect dots others might miss. If you’ve ever wondered why you can hold your own in deep conversations, pick up new skills effortlessly, or outsmart your grandkids at board games, it’s not just luck.

Mental sharpness comes from a lifetime of experiences, curiosity, and habits that keep your brain firing on all cylinders. Here are the signs you’ve still got it.

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8 Airport Luggage Scams to Watch Out for While Traveling

Spotting luggage scams at the airport can help prevent theft, stress, and costly surprises.

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Airports can be hectic, and that chaos creates opportunities for scams targeting your luggage. From impostors posing as airport staff to effortlessly swapped bags at claim carousels, these tactics are designed to catch travelers off guard. Knowing what to watch for, where these scams tend to happen, and how to respond can give you the upper hand. A few simple precautions can help keep your belongings safe and your trip on track.

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11 Things Gen Z Finds Expensive That Boomers Got for Free (or Cheap)

What felt like everyday basics to boomers now stretch Gen Z’s wallets and expectations

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Across generations, the cost of staple goods and services has risen far faster than wages, creating a stark contrast between what baby boomers once received affordably or for free and what Gen Z must now budget carefully to obtain. From college tuition to concert tickets, these shifts reflect more than nostalgia—they underscore the lasting impact of policy, inflation, and evolving market forces on how each generation navigates adult life.

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13 Parenting Principles Millennials Embrace and Boomers Question

Millennial parents favor empathy, flexibility, and emotional awareness over tradition and authority alone

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Millennial parenting often looks and feels different from the approaches boomers grew up with—less command, more conversation. At its core, this shift reflects evolving beliefs about child development, emotional intelligence, and individuality. While one generation stresses respect and structure, the other leans into communication and cooperation. The contrast doesn’t mean one is better, but it helps explain why today’s parenting choices include everything from gentle discipline to screen time guided by content, not clocks.

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11 Traditional ‘Husband Duties’ Modern Boomer Men Are Rejecting

Boomer men are rethinking old marital roles and redefining what partnership looks like today

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Long seen as the foundation of marriage, traditional husband duties are getting a second look from many in the Boomer generation. Rather than sticking to roles shaped by past expectations, some Boomers are choosing dynamics that reflect modern values and mutual respect. From financial decisions to emotional communication, these men are quietly rejecting outdated templates and opting for marriages built on shared responsibility and evolving definitions of masculinity.

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12 Common Complaints About Baby Boomers’ Accumulation of Wealth

Many younger adults question how policy and timing helped boomers build lasting financial advantages

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Baby boomers came of age during a time of rising wages, accessible home ownership, and employer-backed pensions—factors that made wealth-building more attainable than it is for many today. While not all boomers are affluent, certain financial benefits from past policies and economic conditions continue to shape generational wealth gaps. Understanding these perceived imbalances can help foster more informed conversations about equity, mobility, and expectations across age groups.

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10 States with Notable Increases in Unemployment

Several states are seeing unemployment rise due to regional industry shifts and structural job mismatches.

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Unemployment trends vary widely across the United States, shaped by local economies and dominant industries. States experiencing notable increases often face a mix of sector-specific challenges, such as workforce mismatch, slowed hiring, or shifts in consumer demand. Using data from sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Federal Reserve, economists can pinpoint where and why labor markets soften. Understanding these variations helps policymakers, employers, and job seekers adapt to changing economic conditions at the state level.

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Wildlife Experts Warn: This One Move Could Save Your Life If You Encounter a Mountain Lion

The Ambush Predator’s Perspective: A Wildlife Expert’s Guide to Mountain Lion Encounters

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While mountain lions (puma concolor) are masters of invisibility, human expansion into wildland-urban interfaces means encounters are increasingly possible. As a wildlife expert, I can tell you that a mountain lion isn’t looking for a fight; they are looking for an easy meal. Most dangerous escalations occur when a human inadvertently mimics the behavior of prey. Survival depends on operant conditioning: you must convince the cat that you are a dangerous adversary rather than a fleeing target. Here is how to manage an encounter using biological principles.

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