Women sit along side men in a newly opened cafe in Al-Khobar. Saudi women would no longer require permission from a male guardian to travel or obtain a passport. Several Saudi women have hailed the recent changes and expressed their joy at the series of amendments that empower them. Princess Reema Bint Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the US, posted a message on Twitter in which she said the amendments were “designed to elevate the status of Saudi women within our society, including granting them the right to apply for passports and travel independently.” — Reuters