Ten Saudi women swapped their foreign licences for Saudi ones in multiple cities, including the capital Riyadh, as the kingdom prepares to end its ban on June 24. Photo: AP
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The kingdom's Shura Council, which advises the cabinet, approved a draft law on Monday which would introduce a prison term of up to five years and a penalty of 300,000 riyals ($80,000). Photo: AFP
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A directive from the economy ministry ordered shops to immediately strip shelves of products from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. Photo: AFP
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Famously known as the ‘Mosque of the two Qiblas’, the white coloured mosque’s history dates back to the time of Holy Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him), when he received a revelation from Allah to change the Qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca, where the entire congregation changed their direction during their prayer. Photo: File...
Authorities have touted the 334-square kilometre (130 square mile) project in Qiddiya, southwest of the capital, as the kingdom's answer to Disneyland. Photo: AFP
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Princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud, the great-granddaughter of Saudi Arabia's founder, was named honorary president of the Arab Fashion Council in December. Photo: AFP...
The conservative desert kingdom lifted the decades-long ban on cinemas last year as part of a far-reaching modernisation drive, with AMC Entertainment granted the first licence to operate movie theatres. Photo: AFP...
Pictures of female athletes running in the garb in the Red Sea city of Jeddah went viral last month, setting off a new debate on sartorial freedoms for women in a country where the typically all-black, body-shrouding garment is obligatory in public. Photo: AFP...
AMC Entertainment has been granted the first licence to operate cinemas, with Saudi state media saying the US giant is expected to open 40 cinemas across 15 Saudi cities over the next five years. Photo: AFP...
Promoting a more moderate form of Islam is one of the promises made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under plans to modernise the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom. Photo: Reuters...
The oil-rich kingdom has long relied on foreign labour for jobs in sales and services, both for skills and cost, but these positions are increasingly being reserved for Saudi workers. Photo: AFP...
Billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal says all is forgiven and forgotten after his three-month detention in an anti-corruption crackdown, dismissing speculation he had forfeited control of his assets in exchange for his freedom. Photo: AFP...
Prince Mohammed has implemented some reforms on women’s rights, pushing for greater participation in the workforce, and lifting a ban on women driving. Photo: Getty images...
Princess Hassa bint Salman is the sister of the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is wanted for questioning related to armed violence, kidnapping, theft and death threats that a member of her security team is accused of, the source said. Photo: Getty Images...
Saudi women have had a momentous year as the young, reform-minded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman lifted a number of key restrictions on their rights. Photo: Reuters
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Thousands of fans were taken by surprise when tickets for Hosny's first-ever Saudi concert in the western city of Jeddah on March 30 came with the edict that dancing was "strictly prohibited". Photo: AFP
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The kingdom, where conservatives once bridled at even limited freedoms for women, is in the midst of reforms that mark the biggest cultural shake-up in its modern history. Photo: AFP
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Zabid is located just southeast of the Red Sea rebel-held port of Hodeida which the Yemeni government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, is fighting to retake. Photo: AFP...
The visit was part of a three-day stay in Egypt for Prince Mohammed, his first public trip abroad since he became heir apparent last year. He will head for Britain and the United States later this month. Photo: Reuters...
The site of an archaeological discovery north of the city of Sakaka in Saudi Arabia's northwestern Al-Jouf province, with a carved sculpture of a camel's legs seen in the foreground (R). Photo: AFP...
The reforms are largely motivated by economics and are part of a strategy to diversify the economy away from oil and create jobs for young Saudis. Photo: Reuters...
"It is a positive social event and congratulating people for it is not against sharia (law)," Ghamdi told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television. Photo: Morocco News...
Guests trickled in after the palatial 500-room hotel reopened on Sunday to find few signs of the three-month incarceration of princes, ministers and business moguls in an unprecedented anti-corruption purge. Photo: AFP
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A dozen beasts have been disqualified from this year's Saudi "camel beauty contest" because their handlers used Botox to make them more handsome. Photo: Reuters...
Saudi Arabia will soon begin issuing tourist visas, opening up one of the last frontiers of global tourism - a sector touted as the desert kingdom’s "white oil" - as it steps up diversification efforts to wean itself off its crude oil dependence. Photo: AFP
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The new measure comes after Riyadh, long known for imposing harsh restrictions on women, announced it was lifting a ban prohibiting them from driving, as well as reopening cinemas. Photo: AFP...
The showroom was opened in a shopping mall in the western Red Sea port city of Jeddah to allow women the freedom to choose their own cars before they hit the road. Photo: AFP
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