From Arab News, 8 July:

JEDDAH: A court in Hail sentenced on Sunday a 35-year-old Saudi woman to 30 days in jail and 100 lashes for accompanying another woman who stormed an elementary school in the Kingdom’s north-central region carrying an assault rifle.

The court is expected to sentence the woman who was carrying the Kalashnikov in the next few days.

The 40-year-old Saudi mother walked into the school, located in the village of Al-Thekra close to Hail, with an AK-47 assault rifle and demanded teachers hand over her son. She was, however, overpowered by the teachers and handed over to the police.

There’s an interesting Facebook page entitled “I Got A Paddling At School”. Amidst a few evidently-fake profiles, the following young women – all with enough information on their profiles to suggest that they are genuine – are prepared to admit publicly that they “got at least one paddling at school”:

Tiffany McCullough (Wills Point High School), Jen Cooke (currently studying in Georgia), , Randi Deanne Todd, Ashley Necole Browning, Tara Heckber, Charity Mccall,  Sarah Karm, Sally Parker (Vermont), Laura Hughes, Leah Michelle Blankenship, Alison Blankenship (Grove Hill Academy), Darlyn Elizabeth Walker (Holcomb High), Rachael Roddery, Courtney DeLocke, Amber Michelle Fisher (Campbell High), Karla Wright (Jackson High School, AL), Elizabeth Katie Kimbrell, Brittany Nicole (MO), Abby Henson (Greenville High), Erica Danielle Minirth (Arkansas), Toshia C, Angie Avants Minyard, Megan Amanda Travis, Katie Grantham (Hayti High), Heidi Leigh, Kayla Cannon, Maygan Keith, Sierra A McNeil (Washington County High School), Katelyn Marchbanks, Jessica LeAnne Peters, Taylor Cristen Chandler (Excel High School), Becca Sexton (Montgomery, AL), Danielle Fisher (Open Door Christian School), Alayna Palmer, Christol Cherry and Shelby Walker (both Millry High School, AL), Brianna Carter and Myriah Young, Courtney Wright (both Milan High School).

Then there are schools with three of more entrants, including some with clearly very strict disciplinary procedures indeed:

Jessica Curtright, Jessica Willoughby Ozbun, Felicia Griggs, Randa Nicole (Senath – Hornersville Senior High)

Rachael Lesslie, Nikki Lynn Pigmon, Christine Jacobs, Chelsi Akridge (Holcomb High)

Angelica B, Kari Beth Lucas, Brandy Nicole Mooney, Cayla Marie, Rachel Jordan-Whittley, Mckensie Katlyn Montano, Emilee Luye, Kelsey Nicole Brantley (Delta High, Arkansas)

Jasmine Wallace, Rachel Lynn Hopper, Jordan Wagster, Eyvonne Nichole Jenkins, Rachel Henderson, Jennifer Horton, Kelsi Michelle Moody, Jordan Malady, Elaine Hoskins, Britney Mikel, Anna Beth White, Rachel Dye, Sarah Keel, Mindy Mcelhaney, Hannah Wallace, Allyson Luce, Leanna Siebenhuener, Ashlee Leigh , Georgia Hrissikos, Mallory Brown, Alicia Koch, Natasha Autry (Kennett High, MO).

A couple of the comments on the wall are interesting, too, the first two of which are from students from Kennett High:

Jordan Malady – I got caught cheating.. actually, I hadn’t even cheated YET!. and the worst part is.. what I cheated on wasn’t even taken up for a grade… KHS is wayy too strict sometimes..

Hannah Wallace – Yea, I just got one Tuesday by Mr. Ed! lol It hurt like hell!! hahahaha

Danielle Fisher – at my old school i was gettin em EVERY day almost…but my new school doesnt believe in corpal punishment so i just get detentions!!lol!!

Here are a few collages I’ve put together of profile photos from some of the young ladies concerned:

From the Khaleejh Times, 5 July:

A Saudi woman who fired on police in a shootout… was sentenced to two years in jail and 400 lashes on Saturday.

Judge Muhammad Al Feíaim of Makkah District Court issued the verdict against the woman who…  resisted security men on September 22 last.

The woman registered her objection to the judge’s verdict, which necessitated the referral of her case dossier to the Court of Cassation.

Security authorities from Yanbu and Madinah surrounded the… building adjacent to a gas station about 50km from Yanbu Al Bahr… Authorities stormed the building after the wife, who used an AK-47 assault rifle, surrendered. They found that she had SR30,000, which she tried to destroy in the bathroom.

A news report from Ghana on 15 June:

Some pupils in Accra have called on government to ban corporal punishment as a means of instilling discipline in children. They pointed out that corporal punishment only made especially not-too-brilliant students to drop out of school because they feared when they failed an examination, they would be severely caned. The pupils made the call in a debate jointly organised by management s of Plan Ghana and Actionaid, both international NGOs to mark this year’s International Day of the African Child in Accra on Tuesday.

Those who spoke for the motion described corporal punishment as the most ineffective way of disciplining a child… In addition, it led others especially girls whose performance were below average to give in to advances of men teachers and engaged in amorous relationship to avoid being punished.

A slightly different version of the story I reported here yesterday, taken from Arab News on 23 June:

The summary court in Hail on Tuesday sentenced 11 young men and four young Saudi women to imprisonment and lashes after they were found guilty of spending the night together. The young men were sentenced to serve one to two years in prison while two women were sentenced to one year each in prison and the remaining two to 80 lashes.

Criminal intelligence officers arrested the young men and women with the support of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Informed sources told Arab News that the commission got information an Arab man had rented a house in Hail for parties and had invited the four women to the function. “All arrangements had been completed for the party and they had brought liquor. But the intervention of commission officials turned their plans upside down,” said one source. “Although the culprits tried to run away from the site, security officers were able to track them down,” the source added.

From the Herald Sun in Australia yesterday:

Judicial officials say a Saudi court has convicted four women and 11 men for mingling at a party and sentenced them to flogging and prison terms.

The men, who are between 30 and 40 years old, and three of the women, who are under the age of 30, were sentenced to an unspecified number of lashes and one or two year prison terms each.

The fourth woman, a minor, was sentenced to 80 lashes and was not sent to prison.

The ruling was handed down overnight at a court in the northern town of Ha’il. The officials say the police saw the group partying until dawn last month. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam that prohibits unrelated men and women from mingling.