Saudi Arabia to allow women lawyers in court

Saudi Arabia's Justice Minister says his department is drafting a law that would allow female lawyers to argue legal cases in court for the first time. Sheikh Mohammed al-Issa told reporters that the bill will be issued in the coming days as part of the Saudi king's "plan to develop the justice system". The law would mark a major step...- 22/02/2010, Middle East

Police question Saudi 'prince' over hotel death

A man who said he was a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family was being questioned by detectives in London last night after an assistant was found strangled. - 18/02/2010, Crime

'Saudi royal' quizzed over London hotel killing

Detectives were quizzing a man claiming to be part of the Saudi Arabian royal family today after an assistant was found strangled in his hotel room. The 33-year-old was arrested after police discovered the body of a 32-year-old man at the five-star Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, central London. Police were called by staff who found the victim with...- 17/02/2010, Crime

Saudi sex braggart Mazen Abdul-Jawad gets no relief in court appeal

A Saudi appeals court has upheld a sentence of five years in jail and 1,000 lashes for a Saudi man who bragged about his sexual exploits on television, newspapers reported today. The court in Jeddah also confirmed a five-year travel ban for airline employee Mazen Abdul-Jawad, and sentences of two years plus 300 lashes for three friends who also...- 09/02/2010, Middle East

Paedophile rapist to be beheaded and crucified in Saudi Arabia

A man who kidnapped and raped five children, one of whom was left in the desert to die, has been sentenced to be beheaded and his body publicly crucified. Muhammed Basheer al-Ramaly, 22, from the northern city of Hail, in Saudi Arabia, will be executed at noon today. He will be beheaded by sword then his body tied to a wooden cross and his hea...- 04/11/2009, Middle East

Sixty lashes for journalist over Saudi 'sex' show

A woman journalist has been sentenced to 60 lashes by a Saudi Arabian court after a man appearing on the television chat show she worked on described his sex life. - 25/10/2009, Middle East

Saudi investment will not be quick fix for Liverpool

An associate of Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud claimed yesterday that the prince could bid for a major stake in Liverpool, but has concerns about the club's debt and the relationship between its owners. The Liverpool co-owner George Gillett is due in Saudi Arabia next week to hold talks with the Saudi Royal. "His Highness'...- 09/10/2009, Premier League

Saudi company confirm Liverpool link

Saudi Arabian sports investment company F6 have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Liverpool to establish a number of football academies in the region, while chairman Prince Faisal bin Fahad bin Abdulla Al Saud also reiterated his desire to buy a 50% stake in the Premier League club. The deal signed with Reds co-owner George Gillett wil...- 28/09/2009, Premier League

Hicks doubts prince's buy-in

Liverpool's co-owner Tom Hicks was said last night to view with scepticism claims apparently made by Saudi Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud that he wants to buy half the club in a deal worth up to £350m. Prince Faisal, who chairs two Saudi investment companies and the F6 sports investment firm, was entertained by Hicks’ co-...- 28/09/2009, Premier League

Saudi closes broadcaster after sex confession

Saudi Arabia has closed the Jeddah office of a Lebanon-based television network after it aired an interview with a Saudi man speaking about his sexual escapades, a government spokesman said on Sunday. Mazen Abdul-Jawad, 32, was arrested last month in the Red Sea city of Jeddah after shocking Saudi Arabia, one of the most conservative countries in ...- 09/08/2009, Middle East

Ten Saudis seek asylum after princess is allowed to stay

Ministers are considering asylum applications for 10 Saudi Arabian nationals who claim they are at risk of persecution if they are forced to return to the Middle Eastern kingdom, it emerged last night.- 21/07/2009, Home News

Princess facing Saudi death penalty given secret UK asylum

A Saudi Arabian princess who had an illegitimate child with a British man has secretly been granted asylum in this country after she claimed she would face the death penalty if she were forced to return home. The young woman, who has been granted anonymity by the courts, won her claim for refugee status after telling a judge that her adulterous affair mad- 20/07/2009, Home News

Gerd Nonneman: Delicate relationship where national interests and morality often conflict

The relationship between Britain and Saudi Arabia – or, more accurately, the ruling Al Saud family – dates back just over a century to when the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz Al Saud, aiming to obtain counterweight to Ottoman attempts at control, looked to Britain as the regional hegemon.- 20/07/2009, Commentators

Fate of another royal found guilty of adultery

By claiming asylum in Britain, the Saudi princess is seeking to avoid the fate of another member of her royal family who was executed after admitting adultery. - 20/07/2009, Middle East

Saudi film festival is cancelled in state crackdown on culture

Saudi Arabia's only film festival has been cancelled, dealing a blow to reformist hopes of an easing of clerical control over culture that was raised by the low-key return of cinemas in December.- 20/07/2009, Middle East