Aziza Al-Yousef

Pompeo in Saudi Arabia for visit focused on Iranian threats

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Saudi Arabia's King Salman and the crown prince on Feb. 20 to discuss shared security interests in the Gulf and threats from Iran. He also toured a sprawling desert air base in Saudi Arabia where a few thousand U.S. troops are deployed as part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to stymie Iran's regional reach.

Saudi petition seeks end to male guardianship of women

The petition calls for the kingdom's women to be treated "as a full citizen, and decide an age where she will be an adult and will be responsible for her own acts," said campaigner Aziza Al-Yousef.

The retired university professor told AFP that she had tried unsuccessfully to deliver the petition with 14,700 names to the Royal Court on Sept. 26.