You better say ‘I do’

Women who refuse marriage proposals in northern Chad will have to pay a fine of up to $57 under a new ruling. The Higher Islamic Council in the eastern town of Mangalm has also decreed that men must pay $23 for refusing to marry. Officials said the fine, known as “amchilini”, is based on the Quran and follows sharia law. Human rights groups say it violates a national law that guarantees freedom of marriage.