Royal visit reveals Saudi women's sheltered existence
The Duchess of Cornwall visited Saudi Arabia's first university for women, where women are paid to study without much prospect of a job.
Revolutionary step to give women a say in Saudi politics
Our perceptions of Saudi Arabia are hardly flattering, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women. But change is afoot.
In Profile: Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
A look at the Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.
Live updates
FCO condemn 'grotesque' Saudi 'paralysis' sentence
The reported sentencing to paralysis for a Saudi man for a crime he committed as a 14-year-old has been condemned as "grotesque" by the Foreign Office.
According to reports in Saudi Arabia media, 24-year-old Ali al-Khawahir will be paralysed from the waist down unless he pays one million Saudi riyals (£177,000) in compensation to the victim.
An FCO spokesman said: "We urge the Saudi authorities to ensure that this grotesque punishment is not carried out."
"Such practices are prohibited under international law and have no place in any society."
Amnesty International also condemned the punishment as "utterly shocking".
Saudi Arabia 'may try to end Twitter anonymity'
Saudi Arabia may try to end anonymity for Twitter users in the country by limiting access to the site to people who register their identification documents, the Arab News daily reported.
The country's Grand Mufti, Saudi Arabia's top cleric, last week described users of the microblogging site as "clowns" wasting time with frivolous and even harmful discussions, local newspapers reported.
"A source at (the regulator) described the move as a natural result of the successful implementation of (its) decision to add a user's identification numbers while topping up mobile phone credit," Arab News reported.
That would not necessarily make a user's identity visible to other users of the site, but it would mean the Saudi government could monitor the tweets of individual Saudis.
Advertisement
Royal visit reveals Saudi women's sheltered existence
by Georgina Brewer: ITV News Royal Producer
The Duchess of Cornwall visited Saudi Arabia's first university for women, where women are paid to study without much prospect of a job.
Read the full storyRevolutionary step to give women a say in Saudi politics
Our perceptions of Saudi Arabia are hardly flattering, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women. But change is afoot.
Read the full storyIn Profile: Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
A look at the Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.
Read the full storyWorld's richest Arab's hopes for Obama's second term
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal has given a rare interview to ITV News International Correspondent John Irvine.
The Saudi prince speaks of his hopes for President Obama's second term and his predictions for the future of Syria:
Read about the prince and the interview on John Irvine's blog here.
Advertisement
Saudi prince's hope for Middle East reform
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal has told ITV News that he would like to see further reform across the Middle East:
I’d like all those Arab countries who did not have an instability or revolution to wake up and immediately to reform and change before this tide reaches them
When asked if this included Saudi Arabia the prince replied: “All countries – no country is immune. Everyone who thinks he is immune, as you say in English, ‘he is talking rubbish’”.
Saudi prince: Assad will not flee Syria
Speaking to ITV News, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal has predicted that Syrian president Bashar Assad will not flee Syria, and that the conflict with drag on for years.
He explained why Western powers are steering clear:
"Who are the insurgents, are they united? Are they extremists? Are they Al Qaeda based? Are they fanatics? Really, we don’t know who they are.
"They have groups there all over the place. That’s why the West, even Saudi Arabia, has not been very aggressive in supporting the insurgents over there."
Read more on ITV News International Correspondent John Irvine's interview here.
Saudi prince: Obama 'not been successful in our region'
In a rare interview, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal has told ITV News that he has hopes that President Obama's second term will see him focus more on the Middle East:
Frankly speaking, Obama has not been very successful in our region here. I hope a second term will prove to be different to his first term.
Right now, I think with the economic situation in the States stabilising, Europe stabilising, he can give a lot more attention to the Middle East.
We can only say we can only hope he will give more attention to the Middle East, because it’s needed badly.
Globe's richest Arab who runs a big slice of the world
Where exactly the Prince is placed in the league of the world’s wealthiest is not clear. But he is is the biggest foreign investor in the US
Read the full storyToday's top stories
