BBC在线收听下载:肯尼亚母亲杀害残疾婴儿

Hello, I'm Eileen Mchugh with the BBC News.

India's Supreme Court has ruled that adultery is no longer a criminal offence, instead describing it as a civil matter. The court also ruled that men and women should be treated equally in such cases. Our South Asia editor Jill McGiving reports. The law dating back to the colonial era treated a wife as her husband's property. If her husband suspected her of infidelity, he had the right to pursue a criminal case against her lover or give permission for the extramarital sex if he chose. A wife did not have the same rights regarding her husband's behavior. Today, judges accepted arguments that adultery should be a civil matter and possible grounds for divorce, but not a criminal offense. Her husband was not the master of his wife they said. The government had opposed to change.

The first woman to accuse President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct is due to appear before a panel of US Senators later. Christine Blasey Ford says the judge assaulted her when they were teenagers in the 1980s. Further allegations have been made by at least two other women. Mr. Kavanaugh who will also testify has strenuously denied the accusations. President Trump has defended his choice for the nation's top court, suggesting the allegations are politically motivated. But on Wednesday, he said he could change his mind and withdraw the nomination if some of the claims proved to be true. I'm gonna be watching, you know, believe it or not, I'm gonna see what's said. It's possible that they will be convincing. Now with all of that being said, Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been, for many years one of the most respected people in Washington.

Mothers of disabled children in Kenya have told researchers that it's common for parents to be pressured to kill any baby born with a disability. In a two-year study, the charity Disability Rights International interviewed ninety women who had chosen to keep their children. Anne Soy has more details. More than two thirds of mothers interviewed said disabled children were considered a curse. They told researchers they were accused of having sinned and brought it upon themselves. One said her grandmother suggested she put needles in her son's veins to kill him slowly. Another that she should feed her child acid. The study did not, however, reveal the proportion of parents who actually ended their disabled babies' lives. But the BBC was told infanticide is carried out secretly and often goes unreported. Anne Soy.

World news from the BBC.