Ban on Saudi women driving ends today

RIYADH (AP):

Outside a sprawling mall in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, young single men and women walk through an open-air exhibit where Saudi women and traffic police explain the ins and outs of handling a car.

Just four years ago, this government-sponsored event was an unthinkable scene in the deeply religious and socially conservative country.

But the most visible sign of change is coming today, when women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to drive, ending a ban that had stained the kingdom's reputation globally, kept women subjugated in the back seat and hindered the full potential of the country's economic growth.

The move places Saudi women at the heart of a major transformation being spearheaded by the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It also places women at the centre of a tug of war between those agitating for more openings and a religious majority that remains wary of changes that could be influenced by the West.