Saudi woman driver faces 10 lashes

A Saudi woman has been sentenced to 10 lashes for defying the kingdom's ban on female drivers. Shaima Ghassaniya was found guilty of driving without the government's permission. No laws prohibit women from driving, but conservative religious edicts have banned it. The ruling comes just two days after Saudi King Abdullah announced that, for the first time, women have the right to vote and run in the country's 2015 local elections. Najalaa Harriri, who is also facing court for driving, said she needed to drive to take better care of her children. The verdict is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Other women were detained for several days, but had not been sentenced by a court.