ABHA, 29 May 2007 — Much ado has been made in Saudi Arabia in recent months about a couple divorced in absentia at the request of the wife’s half brothers. Now the family of a bride had performed a wedding without the groom’s presence. But unlike the controversial divorce, this wedding came at the consent of all involved parties. According to a report in yesterday’s Al-Yaum newspaper, the groom — who is studying abroad — was unable to make it to his wedding due to unforeseen circumstances. To avoid the financial loss the families decided to perform the wedding ceremony in the groom’s absence.

Women Barge Into School, Assault Student

QATIF, 29 May 2007 — A group of women barged into a girl’s high school and assaulted a student, the daily Al-Yaum reported yesterday. The women later told police they assaulted the girl because she allegedly attacked one of their family members with a knife. Teachers had to intervene to break up the brawl.