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Presents news briefs relating to people in the news. Resignation of Prince Bandar Bin Sultan as Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S.; Death of Yale paleontologist John Ostrom; Death of Gerry Thomas, inventor of the TV dinner; Death of Canadian-born actor James Doohan of "Star Trek"; Death of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath; Death of William Westmoreland, who oversaw the buildup of U.S. troops in Vietnam; Others.

Reports on the signs in Saudi Arabia that women may be getting more rights. Decision by Grand Mufti, Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Asheik that fathers and male guardians who try to force their daughters into wedlock should be jailed until they change their minds; Lawsuit filed by a woman against her father.

Presents news briefs relating to people in the news. Resignation of Prince Bandar Bin Sultan as Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S.; Death of Yale paleontologist John Ostrom; Death of Gerry Thomas, inventor of the TV dinner; Death of Canadian-born actor James Doohan of "Star Trek"; Death of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath; Death of William Westmoreland, who oversaw the buildup of U.S. troops in Vietnam; Others.

Reports on the signs in Saudi Arabia that women may be getting more rights. Decision by Grand Mufti, Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Asheik that fathers and male guardians who try to force their daughters into wedlock should be jailed until they change their minds; Lawsuit filed by a woman against her father.

The article focuses on the banning of the practice of forcing women to marry against their will in Saudi Arabia. The country has an intensely patriarchal society, and Saudi women are not allowed to drive and vote. In April 2005, Saudi Arabia's top religious leader, Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Asheikh, took one small step toward gender equality when he banned the practice of forcing women to marry against their will.