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| Saudi Arabia driving ban on women to be lifted | Saudi Arabia driving ban on women to be lifted |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, state media say. | 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, the Saudi Press Agency reported. | |
| Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to forbid women from driving. | Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to forbid women from driving. |
| Rights groups have campaigned for years to allow women in Saudi Arabia 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 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". | |
| Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2014 for flouting the ban, tweeted "thank God" following the announcement. | |
| Manal al-Sharif, an organiser of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would "never be the same again". | |
| Activist Aziza al-Yousef called it "a development that indicates a change in women's rights", adding: "We congratulate the nation and its women and we hope that other pending issues get resolved too." | |
| The decree said that the move should "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. | The SPA report said a majority of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars had backed the idea. |
| Correspondents say that although it is not technically illegal for women to drive, only men are allowed driving licences and women who drive in public risk being arrested and fined. | |
| Saudi law enforces a strict form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism and is known for its gender segregation rules. | |
| Women have to adhere to strict dress codes, must not associate with unrelated men, and if they want to travel, work or access healthcare they must be accompanied by - or receive written permission from - a male guardian. | |
| The Islamic kingdom recently faced a backlash from conservatives on social media after allowing women to participate in Saturday's National Day celebrations for the first time. | |
| The festivities included fireworks, light shows and a concert in King Fahd International Stadium in the capital, Riyadh. | |
| What is your reaction? Are you a woman who'd like to drive in Saudi Arabia? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | What is your reaction? Are you a woman who'd like to drive in Saudi Arabia? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |