Saudi Arabia

Russia and Saudi Arabia are becoming unlikely allies

Five years ago, the idea of OPEC and Russia working together on any oil and gas issue would have seemed absurd to any energy analyst worth his or her salt. But the unusual market circumstances of the past three years have made this unlikely scenario a reality.<p>Now, Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader …

Oil

Women in Saudi Arabia still can't do these things

<b>(CNN) —</b> In a first for the conservative religious kingdom, Saudi Arabia has declared that women will finally be able to drive, the culmination of years of activism and appeals both from within and outside the Gulf nation.<p>The royal decree, announced live on state television Tuesday, will come into …

Middle East

Saudi Arabia's king issues order allowing women to drive

King Salman ordered the reform in a royal decree delivered on Tuesday night, requesting that drivers licences be issued to women who wanted them<p>Women in Saudi Arabia have been granted the right to drive overturning a cornerstone of Saudi conservatism that had been a cause celebre of activists …

Middle East

Saudi Arabia awakens to king allowing women to drive

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia's largely state-linked media is responding positively to King Salman's decision to allow women to drive beginning next summer.<p>The English-language newspaper Arab News had a banner headline reading: "hashtagSaudiWomenCanDrive."<p>The newspaper's editor-in-chief, …

Middle East

A 3.3 magnitude earthquake rocks the Big Island near Kilauea summit

Power is out. Food is short. There's not enough water to drink, let alone wash. A week after Hurricane Maria smashed Puerto Rico as a Category 4 …

Hurricane Maria

Naming your baby in these foreign countries will give you a headache

You might think that your name is perfectly normal…but it’s possible that your moniker could be banned in another country.<p>For example, you can’t call …

Lifestyle

We won't beat terror by turning our backs on Saudi Arabia and Egypt

The latest revelations concerning the terrorist activities of British jihadists in Syria highlight the enormous challenge Britain’s security forces face as the military campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) reaches its conclusion.<p>The exclusive footage obtained by my colleague …

Middle East

Fired, he was: Saudi official no longer employed after photo of King Faisal beside Yoda printed in textbook

A senior education official in Saudi Arabia has been fired after a school textbook erroneously included a digitally altered image of the late King …

Canadian News

Shoura postpones discussion on proposal to curb Haia autonomy

Okaz/Saudi Gazette<p><b>RIYADH</b> — After a heated discussion, the Shoura Council on Monday decided to postpone taking up a controversial proposal to merge …

Middle East

Qatar imports rebound in August, suggest sanctions impact fading

DUBAI (Reuters) - The value of Qatar's imports rebounded sharply in August compared to the previous month, government data showed on Wednesday, …

Economic Data

Saudi Arabia to Lift Ban on Women Driving, Ending Global Isolation

Saudi Arabia said it will remove a ban on women driving, ending its status as the only country in the world to impose such restrictions on half the …

Middle East

Saudi Arabia Lifts Ban on Women Driving

King Salman issues decree allowing women to obtain licenses<p>RIYADH—Saudi Arabia on Tuesday lifted the world’s only ban on women driving, removing a restriction in the deeply conservative kingdom that had become a symbol of women’s oppression.<p>In a royal decree, King Salman announced that women will …

King Salman

Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive

Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to drive beginning next year.<p>Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday it will lift its ban and let women drive, according …

Middle East

Saudi Arabia permits women to drive

Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday it will allow women to drive starting next June, in a historic decision that makes the Gulf kingdom the last …

Middle East

Inside Saudi Arabia Ending Its Isolation

Exotix Capital Head of Equity Research Hasnain Malik weighs in on Saudi Arabia's reforms. He speaks on "Bloomberg Markets: Middle East." (Source: …

Business

Saudi Arabia Almost Entered the 21st Century Today. Almost.

Saudi Arabia announced that women will finally be allowed to drive, and it’s very welcome news. King Salman made the first step in providing women with the type of freedom enjoyed by others around the world. But the reality is the Kingdom, its economy, and its female residents will only benefit …

Middle East

Saudi clerics use Twitter, textbooks to spread hate – rights watchdog

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia is condoning hate speech against its Shiite minority from the upper echelons of its religious …

Middle East

Saudi ambassador to U.S. says his society is ready to let women drive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, speaking to reporters on Tuesday after the kingdom announced it would permit women to drive, said the decision was not just a major social change but part of the country’s economic reforms.<p>“I think our leadership understands our …

United States

Washed up: Malaysian launderette refuses non-Muslim customers

By implication, the owner, who declined to be identified, adopted in justifying his decision concepts of puritan interpretations of Islam inspired by …

Rakhine State

Saudi Arabia eases restrictions on women driving

Will Saudia Arabia's new law to allow women to drive lead to more freedoms? CNN's Isha Sesay interviews public affairs expert Marwa Abdelghani.

World News

Toyota, Hyundai Dominate Saudi Auto Market Opening Up to Women

Two Asian automakers together make up more than half of the vehicle market in Saudi Arabia, which is ending a ban on women driving next year.<p>Japan’s …

Middle East

White House has 'high testosterone,' but it isn't in 'chaos,' says commerce secretary

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC that the White House isn't in chaos, its transition was "normal,"' and he blamed the news media for being …

Donald Trump

Woman drivers could provide a boost to the Saudi Arabia auto market

Saudi Arabia has lifted a ban on women driving, and the move could give a boost to an auto market in the country that's been declining.<p>After years of trending up and pushing toward 1 million in annual sales, 2016 saw the Saudi market swoon, plunging by almost 30%.<p>The key factor has been the lower …

Business

I Operated On Saudi Crash Victims—But As A Woman, I Couldn't Drive

King Salman's decision to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia takes me back to my years as a doctor in the country, and a life at the mercy of others.<p>I was at the wheel of my own motor when the news came over the BBC: King Salman, the King of Saudi Arabia, issued a decree permitting Saudi women …

Middle East

Women in Saudi Arabia Win Right to Drive Because Shockingly, Women Contribute to the Economy

Women in Saudi Arabia have long been second-class citizens simply because they were not born a male.<p>“Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian who …

Middle East

King Salman: Saudi Arabia will finally allow women to drive

Saudi Arabia will finally allow women to drive. The historic change, announced by King Salman in a royal decree live on state television on Tuesday, …

Middle East

Saudi Arabia Lifts Ban On Women Driving. Meet An Activist Once Jailed for Breaking It.

Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that it will allow women to drive, reversing a widely criticized ban that women’s rights activists had long opposed …

Middle East

Saudi Arabia Will Finally Let Women Drive

The long-standing ban has been deeply unpopular abroad and is often pointed to as proof of Saudi Arabia’s repressive rule.<p>Saudi Arabia will soon allow women to drive, King Salman decreed Tuesday, in a move that ends the kingdom's reign as the only country in the world that forbids women from …

Middle East

Saudi Arabia gets a PR win for entering the 19th century

Great news that Saudi women will be allowed to drive, right? Pity it's a distraction from the regime's war crimes and massive human rights …

Australian News

Saudi Women Getting Wheels May Be Boost for Toyota, Blow to Uber

Women being allowed to take the wheel in Saudi Arabia has the potential to transform transportation in the country, from the types of vehicles sold …

Middle East