This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41408195
The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Saudi women to be allowed driving licences | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, state media say. | |
| Government ministries are to prepare reports within 30 days and the order will be implemented by June 2018, according to the Saudi Press Agency. | |
| Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to forbid women from driving. | |
| Rights groups have campaigned for years to allow women in the ultraconservative kingdom to drive, and some women have been imprisoned for defying the rule. | |
| "The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licences for men and women alike," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. | |
| The move was welcomed by the US state department which called it "a great step in the right direction". | |
| The decree said that the move should "apply and adhere to the necessary Sharia standards", but did not give details. | |
| The SPA report said a majority of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars had backed the idea. |