Empty shelves, deepening recession and soaring inflation have hit Venezuela as the price of oil drops to the lowest levels since 2009. Many are standing in line for hours to buy basic subsidised goods such as milk, soap and diapers. President Nicolas Maduro, who has a 22 per cent approval rating, admitted his country is in a crisis but blames his political foes. The opposition, who has called for protests, says the troubled economy is a result of years of corruption and misguided policies.

In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) is an option for many around the world, unless you live in Costa Rica. IVF at times involves discarding unused embryos, which led the country's Supreme Court to ban it in 2000 stating that the "human embryo is a person from the moment of conception". In 2012, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the lifting of the ban in Costa Rica, but IVF still remains unavailable as religious groups stall legislation to legalise it.