DAMMAM, 24 November 2007 — A Saudi father set a strange condition for prospective suitors wanting to marry his daughter, the Al-Madinah daily reported yesterday. The father stated that regardless of their educational background, family or social status, the only thing that mattered to him was that the suitor’s name be Khaled. The “logic” behind this rather bizarre notion is that the man’s other three daughters are all happily married to different Khaleds. Fearing that he might break a bout of good luck, he wants his daughter to marry a Khaled and live happily ever after.
Shepherdess, 72, Dies While Driving Car
HAIL, 24 November 2007 — A 72-year-old shepherdess died in a car accident here when she was involved in an accident, the Al-Watan daily reported yesterday. The woman, who the report alleged was the eldest Saudi woman ever to be caught driving, was transporting her herd of goats when she hit a truck coming from the opposite direction on the Hail-Bakaa highway. The official spokesman of Hail police, Col. Saad Abdullah, said that the accident happened on Thursday afternoon. The shepherdess was trying to cross the highway and did not see the fast approaching truck. She died immediately from injuries incurred in the accident. Though women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, it is common to see women in rural areas driving.
