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1. World’s first gene-edited babies created in China, claims scientist

A scientist in China claims to have created the world’s first genetically edited babies, in a potentially ground-breaking and controversial medical first. If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics. This kind of gene editing is banned in most countries as the technology is still experimental and DNA changes can pass to future generations, potentially with unforeseen side-effects. Many mainstream scientists think it is too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human experimentation.

2. Home ‘most dangerous place’ for women, UN study shows

More than half the women who were murdered worldwide last year were killed by their partners or family members, making home “the most dangerous place for a woman,” a new UN study said. In statistics released on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime calculated that of a total 87,000 female homicide cases worldwide in 2017, some 50,000 — or 58 percent — were committed by the victims’ intimate partners or family members. The UNODC calculated that the global rate of female homicide victims stood at around 1.3 victims per 100,000 female population. The study found that Africa and the Americas were the regions where women were most at risk of being killed by intimate partners or family members. In Africa, the rate was around 3.1 victims per 100,000 female population, while the rate in the Americas was 1.6 victims, in Oceania 1.3 and in Asia 0.9. The lowest rate was found in Europe, with 0.7 victims per 100,000 female population. According to the UNODC, “no tangible progress” in combatting the scourge had been made in recent years “despite legislation and programmes developed to eradicate violence against women.”