Saudi Arabia Reforms

The decision by Saudi Arabia to allow alcohol sales to non-Muslim diplomats, according to two sources, is the latest in a series of reforms aimed at projecting a more open, moderate image.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, once hailed as a reformer, became a global pariah in 2018 after the gruesome murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Muezzins issuing high-decibel calls to prayer have long been part of Saudi identity, but a crackdown on mosque loudspeakers is among contentious reforms seeking to shake off the Muslim kingdom's austere image.

The Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence on Thursday signed memorandums of understanding with IBM, Alibaba and Huawei in areas of artificial intelligence (AI) at a summit in the kingdom, state news agency SPA said.

Restaurants in Saudi Arabia will no longer need to maintain entrances segregated by sex, the authorities said on Sunday, further eroding some of the world's strictest social rules as sweeping reforms take hold.

Saudi Arabia has eased travel restrictions on women but observers say loopholes still allow male relatives to curtail their movements and, in the worst cases, leave them marooned in prison-like shelters.

The world's 1.8 billion Muslims look to one country above all others.

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince said Wednesday his country would be "totally different" within five years, vowing to pursue sweeping reforms to diversify its economy away from oil.

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman has shaken up the ultraconservative oil superpower with economic, social and religious reforms since becoming crown prince last year. But many now see his crackdown on any dissent as verging on authoritarianism.

Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi criticized Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "authoritarian rule" shortly before his death, in an interview published following confirmation he died at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman has implemented a string of reforms in his country, but with his ascension to crown prince in June 2017 has come an intensified crackdown on dissent.

Women in Saudi Arabia have for the first time been allowed to become notaries, with 12 granted permission to start working in the profession, the justice ministry said Monday.

Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive from Sunday, overturning the world's only ban on female motorists, a historic reform that is expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.

Navigating daily life in this sprawling metropolis of 7 million people requires a complicated set of calculations for the 50 percent of the population that is female. Will a man be available to drive me to this or that appointment? How will the children get to school? Which door should I use to enter this building? Which line should I join to order...

Saudi Arabia's most conservative Islamists are reeling from a loss of influence that has left them confused about their place in a country where they once wielded much clout.

The decision by Saudi Arabia to allow alcohol sales to non-Muslim diplomats, according to two sources, is the latest in a series of reforms aimed at projecting a more open, moderate image.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, once hailed as a reformer, became a global pariah in 2018 after the gruesome murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Muezzins issuing high-decibel calls to prayer have long been part of Saudi identity, but a crackdown on mosque loudspeakers is among contentious reforms seeking to shake off the Muslim kingdom's austere image.

The Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence on Thursday signed memorandums of understanding with IBM, Alibaba and Huawei in areas of artificial intelligence (AI) at a summit in the kingdom, state news agency SPA said.

Restaurants in Saudi Arabia will no longer need to maintain entrances segregated by sex, the authorities said on Sunday, further eroding some of the world's strictest social rules as sweeping reforms take hold.

Saudi Arabia has eased travel restrictions on women but observers say loopholes still allow male relatives to curtail their movements and, in the worst cases, leave them marooned in prison-like shelters.

The world's 1.8 billion Muslims look to one country above all others.

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince said Wednesday his country would be "totally different" within five years, vowing to pursue sweeping reforms to diversify its economy away from oil.

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman has shaken up the ultraconservative oil superpower with economic, social and religious reforms since becoming crown prince last year. But many now see his crackdown on any dissent as verging on authoritarianism.

Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi criticized Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "authoritarian rule" shortly before his death, in an interview published following confirmation he died at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman has implemented a string of reforms in his country, but with his ascension to crown prince in June 2017 has come an intensified crackdown on dissent.

Women in Saudi Arabia have for the first time been allowed to become notaries, with 12 granted permission to start working in the profession, the justice ministry said Monday.

Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive from Sunday, overturning the world's only ban on female motorists, a historic reform that is expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.

Navigating daily life in this sprawling metropolis of 7 million people requires a complicated set of calculations for the 50 percent of the population that is female. Will a man be available to drive me to this or that appointment? How will the children get to school? Which door should I use to enter this building? Which line should I join to order...

Saudi Arabia's most conservative Islamists are reeling from a loss of influence that has left them confused about their place in a country where they once wielded much clout.