DUBAI// A Saudi court has ordered an investigation into the marriage of a 12-year-old girl in the south of the kingdom, a local news website reported.
The Saudi justice ministry drafted a bill earlier this year that sets 16 years as the minimum age of marriage for girls but allows for exceptions. A ministry spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Al-Sabq website reported on Tuesday that a school principal in Samita district in the southeast of the country near the Yemeni border noticed that the fourth-grade girl had not been feeling well, and sent her to a local hospital after finding out she had been married.
The report said that a judge had asked police in the area to question the girl’s husband and her father how the marriage had taken place.
No details were available on the age of the husband or the circumstances surrounding the marriage, but financial considerations have in the past prompted some Saudi families to wed young daughters to much older men in return for lavish dowries.
Saudi Arabia grants fathers guardianship over their daughters, giving them control over who they can marry and when.
Many Saudi clerics, including the kingdom’s most senior religious figure Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Al Sheikh, endorse the practice, subject to restrictions such as ensuring the girl has reached puberty.
Cases of child marriage, including brides as young as eight, have been reported in recent years.
In 2010, the Saudi Human Rights Commission, a government-affiliated group, hired a lawyer to help a 12-year-old divorce her 80-year-old husband.
Activists at the time saw the divorce proceedings as a test case that could pave the way for introducing a minimum age for marriage.
Saudi Arabia is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, which considers those under the age of 18 as children.
* Reuters
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Company: Libra Project
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PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
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World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
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NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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