Saudi Court to Review Rape Victim Sentence

Country applies 2006 law

(AP) - Saudi Arabia says starting Thursday, only females can work in women's lingerie stores. The 2006 law banning men from working in female apparel and cosmetic stores has never been put into effect, partly due to hard-liners in the religious establishment who oppose the whole idea of women working where men and women congregate together, like malls. Saudi's Arabia's most senior cleric, Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al Sheikh, spoke out against the decision in a recent sermon, saying it contradicts Islamic law. More»

Spanish court reopens alleged attack on 20-year-old model

(NEWSER) - A Spanish court has reopened a rape case against Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, a man Forbes recently dubbed the richest man in the Arab world. Prince Alaweed allegedly drugged and raped a 20-year-old model aboard a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean in August 2008, according to the New York Times , but the case was quietly dropped last summer for what a judge on the resort island of Ibiza deemed a lack of evidence. More»

Paralyzed victim wants attacker to suffer the same fate

(NEWSER) - An eye for an eye—a spine for a spine? A judge in Saudi Arabia has been asking hospitals whether or not they can sever the spinal cord of a man convicted of paralyzing another man in an attack with a cleaver, the AP reports. At least one hospital has refused on ethical grounds. The victim's brother says "blood money" will not be an acceptable alternative. More»

He's mad that media mogul reintroduced movie theaters

(NEWSER) - A conservative Saudi prince has exposed a rift in the royal family with an unprecedented attack on his liberal brother, the BBC reports. Prince Khaled called for the assets of Prince Whaled—owner of a huge media empire that includes a big stake in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.—to be frozen. The prince said he had been forced to speak out by his brother's spreading of un-Islamic vices, especially the recent reintroduction of movie theaters to the kingdom. More»

(NEWSER) - The days of 8-year-olds getting married in Saudi Arabia may be numbered. Spurred by international hostility toward the marriage of a girl that age to a 50-year-old man, the nation is considering a ban on marriage for those under 18, Reuters reports. Such a restriction is “among the options that are available,” the Saudi justice minister said. “A girl below 18 is often not fit to take the family responsibility especially if she quickly gives birth.” Meanwhile, the 8-year-old girl in the celebrated case has been allowed to divorce. More»