Archive: saudi arabia

11th November 2014
By: Brian Whitaker
If you think this is a Saudi cinema you are mistaken. It's a "projection auditorium". Hot on the heels of a disputed report that women over the age of 30 may soon be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia between the hours of 7am and 8pm Saturday to Wednesday, and between noon and 8pm on Thursdays and… Read more
4th October 2014
By: Brian Whitaker
By Erin Kilbride, via muftah.org The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) could be heading for financial turmoil, potentially posting a deficit in 2015. For the Al Saud monarchy, which depends on its massive cash reserves to quell dissent against the regime, recent warnings from the International Monetary… Read more
19th July 2014
By: Brian Whitaker
The most-viewed item today on the Saudi Gazette's website is an article about sexual harassment. "Women of all ages and walks of life in the kingdom are subjected to abuse and sexual harassment," the paper says. "There are seldom any campaigns or workshops that teach women how to protect themselves… Read more
28th March 2014
By: Brian Whitaker
President Obama is due in Riyadh today in what is being portrayed as an effort to patch up US-Saudi relations. Hopefully, one item not on the agenda will be further cooperation in combating terrorism. Last month a new anti-terrorism law came into force which basically defines… Read more
10th February 2014
By: Brian Whitaker
The Saudi government's efforts to increase female employment seem to be having the opposite effect in some areas. Several women-only shops in Jeddah are closing down because there are not enough qualified women to work in them and they are not allowed to employ men, reports: "Fadyah al-Otaibi,… Read more
8th February 2014
By: Brian Whitaker
Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers have been forced to leave Saudi Arabia during the last couple of years, with 250,000 deported during the last three months alone, according to interior ministry figures. One of the main aims behind these expulsions is to provide more jobs for Saudis (even… Read more
4th February 2014
By: Brian Whitaker
Filipinos inside the Shumaisi deportation centre in Makkah. (Photo sent to Arab News by an inmate.) It’s now three months since Saudi Arabia launched its all-out crackdown on “illegal” foreign workers. I reported on the beginning of this ill-conceived campaign in a series of blog posts last year… Read more
28th December 2013
By: Brian Whitaker
Can driving a car be considered an act of terrorism? Apparently it can if you are a woman in Saudi Arabia. Saudi women who assert their right to drive have previously been charged with "disturbing public order" – an offence that is due to be classified as terrorism under a new law which is awaiting… Read more
26th December 2013
By: Brian Whitaker
An online activist in Saudi Arabia whose views angered religious conservatives is threatened with apostasy charges that could result in his execution, CNN reports. Raif Badawi, former editor of the "Saudi Arabian Liberals" website, is already serving a seven-year jail sentence but a judge has now… Read more
5th December 2013
By: Brian Whitaker
For several months now, Saudi Arabia's religious police have been considering a plan to recruit women into the force. There's no decision so far and some doubt a decision will ever be made, since the plan raises issues which are probably insoluble under the kingdom's gender segregation rules. The… Read more