Saudi Woman To Be Lashed For Driving Car

Saudi activists say a court has sentenced a Saudi woman with 10 lashes for defying the kingdom's ban on women driving.

AP quotes activist Samar Badawi as saying Shaima Ghassaniya was found guilty on September 27 of driving without the government's permission.

The verdict is reportedly the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia.

No laws prohibit women from driving in the kingdom, but conservative religious edicts have banned it.

The court ruling comes just two days after Saudi King Abdullah announced that women for the first time will be allowed to vote and run in the country's 2015 local elections.

compiled from agency reports