In about 10 years, we're all going to be faced with the challenge of explaining to our children why every girl in their class is named Hermione or Bella. That'll be hard enough. But based on the new list of 2012's hottest baby names, we'll have an even tougher time in 15 years, when their little brothers Cinna, Decimus and Theon show up. Apparently Game of Thrones and Hunger Games are the new inspirational baby name books of choice, which are both great because of how baby friendly all their content is. "Well, Katniss, you see, your name comes from a book where children are all gathered into a giant death trap and ...uh, hey, why don't you ask your mother?" ... Discuss

A woman in Afghanistan was strangled by her husband and mother-in-law for giving birth to a third daughter rather than a son.

Such crimes against women are common in the country, most often in the form of acid attacks and honor killings. In one case last November, a family who refused to let a man marry their daughter was attacked by assailants who poured acid on them.

Women's rights advocates fear that with the upcoming troop withdrawal in 2014, and an effort to increase peace talks with the Taliban, violence against women may become less of a priority.

However, in a statement released today, the U.S. Embassy said: "The rights of women cannot be relegated to the margins of international affairs, as this issue is at the core of our national security and the security of people everywhere." Discuss

The worldwide abortion rate has fallen, according to a new study. But the rate of unsafe abortions has risen during the same time span. The new research also shows the actual number of abortions has also increased, to 43.8 million in 2008.

Researchers defined unsafe abortion according to World Health Organization standards, meaning the person performing the abortion does not have the necessary skills or it takes place in an environment that doesn't conform to medical standards.

According to the ABC News article:

While almost all reported abortions were deemed safe in North America and Europe, nearly all abortions (97 percent) in Africa were considered unsafe in 2008. Nearly all abortions were performed under safe conditions in East Asia, but 65 percent were considered unsafe across south central Asia.

Over the past three decades, about 20 percent of all pregnancies around the world have ended in abortion, according to the research. Discuss