Women allowed to drive first time in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announced today that women will be allowed to drive for the first time in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

King Salman's royal decree ordered the formation of a ministerial body to give advice within 30 days and then implement the order by June 2018.

Saudi Arabia has been widely criticized for being the only country in the world that bans women from driving, despite ambitious government targets to increase their public role, especially in the workforce. Women were given the right to vote and run in elections for the first time in late 2015.