Child bride turned over to 80-year-old husband

AL-LAITH: A 10-year-old bride was returned last Sunday to her 80-year-old husband by her father who discovered her at the home of her aunt with whom she has been hiding for around 10 days.
A local newspaper said the husband, who denies he is 80 in spite of claims by the girl’s family, accused the aunt of meddling in his affairs. “My marriage is not against Shariah. It included the elements of acceptance and response by the father of the bride,” he said.
He added that he had been engaged to his wife’s elder sister and that this broke off as she wanted to continue with her education. “In light of this, her father offered his younger daughter. I was allowed to have a look at her according to Shariah and found her acceptable,” he said.
Maatouq Al-Abdullah, a member of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), said there is no system in place regulating the marriage of young girls, something that he said results in adverse psychological, health and social effects.
“Such marriages are considered a gross violation of charters on the rights of children, which the Kingdom has signed and which set the age of adulthood at 18,” he added.

Three million cups of Zamzam daily

MAKKAH: Three million cups of Zamzam water are consumed daily at the Grand Mosque during the month of Ramadan, said Director of Zamzam Water Distribution in the Grand Mosque Aifan Al-Juaid.
“More than 1,800 cubic meters of water are consumed inside the mosque and 270 cubic meters in the courtyards outside each day this Ramadan,” said Al-Juaid in a statement.
Pilgrims can drink Zamzam at 90 drinking points consisting of 1,100 taps inside the mosque and 43 drinking areas of 100 taps outside.
Al-Juaid added that new drinking areas have been constructed in the basement, on the first and second floors, and on the Masaa. More drinking facilities have also been arranged in the northern courtyard.
Pilgrims and visitors are keen to drink plenty of Zamzam water, which is a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Zamzam water is also supplied to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah at a daily average of 274 cubic meters, the official said.
The late King Faisal showed considerable interest in improving the system of Zamzam water distribution to pilgrims, said Al-Juaid.
The erstwhile Ministry of Haj and Endowments laid down financial and administrative statutes for the distribution of the holy water and established the Zamzam United Office in 1982. It was about that time that the distribution of Zamzam became a collective function instead of continuing it as an individual pursuit.
The new Zamzam office has been striving to upgrade Zamzam distribution so that pilgrims, particularly during Haj and Ramadan, do not find any difficulty in getting desired quantities.

Yahoo Buys Maktoob Arabic Portal,Boosts Emerging Mkts

DUBAI (By Dania Saadi)-Yahoo Inc. (YHOO), said on Tuesday it agreed to buy Arabic online portal Maktoob.com as it seeks to add the Middle East to its expanding strategy for the fast-growing emerging markets.
"This deal reinforces Yahoo's commitment to invest in emerging markets," Keith Nilsson, senior vice president of emerging markets for Yahoo, said at a press conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
"With online user penetration and advertising penetration at its infancy, we see tremendous growth potential in this region," he said.
Nilsson and Maktoob officials declined to disclose the value of the deal.
Yahoo Inc. is looking at further expansion in emerging countries, which are the company's fastest growing regions. Yahoo 's emerging markets include South East Asia, India, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said in July its second-quarter revenue fell 13% as its online advertising business continued to deteriorate. Yahoo has 44 million users a month in the North Africa and Middle East region, Nilsson said. Maktoob.com has over 16 million users, according to the company.
The deal comes a month after Yahoo agreed to join forces with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) in the Internet search and advertising business to help create a counterweight to Google Inc. (GOOG) and has upgraded its services as the Internet portal tries to make its core properties more appealing.
Yahoo and rival Google, which already has Arabic internet services, are competing to tap the Arab World's fast-growing population of over 320 million and high per capita gross domestic product, one of the highest in the world.
"Saudi Arabia and Egypt offer tremendous size and growth opportunities that we will be looking at in addition to other countries in the Middle East," Nilsson said.
With a population exceeding 70 million, Egypt is the Arab World's most populous state, and Saudi Arabia is the region's largest economy and the world's biggest oil exporter.
Yahoo's acquisition follows a wave of consolidation in the Middle East's internet and media industry over the last few years.
Abraaj Capital, a Dubai-based private equity firm, sold in 2007 its 40% stake in Maktoob.com to U.S.-based hedge fund Tiger Global Management. Abraaj bought this year a stake in Mediaquest Corp., a Dubai-based company mainly involved in publishing.
Emap, a London-based media group, paid in 2006 an initial $24 million for AME Info, an online business and information service provider in the Middle East, according to its Web site.
The Arab World's online advertising market is growing anywhere between 25 and 50 percent a year as internet usage soars, Nilsson added.
Samih Toukan, who helped found Maktoob in 2000, said the shift in advertising expenditure has helped fuel growth in the online advertising industry.
"We are talking of an online advertising budget of probably $40 to $50 million that is even growing this year at 30% to 40% even with this global financial crisis," Toukan said at the press conference.
Besides the Maktoob.com portal, the Maktoob Group includes web sites such as Souq.com and cashU.com, which will operate under into a new entity called Jabbar Internet Group to be managed by Toukan.