"Visas for sale. Attractive prices". On Saudi classified advertising website 'mstaml', hundreds of ads blatantly advertise under the table deals and bureaucratic bribery. Jobs, visas, marriage loans, diplomas... virtually anything can be bought and paid for. Our Observer tells us why. Read more...

Women are strictly forbidden from driving in Saudi Arabia. So you can imagine how Susie, an American expat living in Jeddah, feels when she sees boys barely older than ten cruising at the wheel of their flashy SUVs. Read more…

After the summer break, the new Observers TV show is back for its fourth edition. Many thanks to all the Observers who participated: Serigne Diagne, Sandra Miller, Ahmed Al-Omran and Serge. Watch the show...

If you want to dress right in Saudi Arabia, then you'd better read our Observer's guide to wearing the ghotra - do it wrong and you might be unintentionally dressed as an MP, or just ten years out of date. Read more...

According to certain Web users, this violent scene takes place at the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They claim it shows Saudi border patrol guards shooting at a van of Yemeni smugglers until it bursts into flames, while a group of onlookers laugh at the scene. Read more and watch the video...

The grandiose Jordanian city of Petra, carved out of pink rock, is a first-rate tourist destination. So why has its twin city, in the Saudi desert, been forgotten for so long? Because it is said to be under an ancient curse. Read more...

Two weeks ago we talked about the Saudi man who was facing jail after disclosing his sexual habits on television. He has since been detained and, if found guilty, could be jailed for 20 years or stoned to death. Meanwhile, the Lebanese channel which aired the programme has been banned from the kingdom indefinitely. Read more...

A 32-year-old Saudi man could face court for debauchery, premarital sex and for breaking the Islamic code after he was interviewed by a Lebanese channel about his sex life. Read more...

Advertising in Saudi Arabia is a billion euro market - the biggest in the Arab world. In order to get a piece of the cake however, agencies have to customise productions so that women are covered up, and do not use their left hands - even if it's passing a sandwich to their young son. Read more and see an example...

One of our Observers for Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Al-Omran, alerted us to these videos. Watching the first one, you might think that southern Saudis are choreographing dance routines to Michael Jackson classics. Watch the second however, and, disappointingly, things fall into place. See the clips...