Stories from 17 May 2011
Saudi Arabia: A Woman Challenges the Law by Driving in Jeddah
Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive. One Saudi woman claimed that right when she drove her children to school in Jeddah. Netizens debate the move, with many applauding Najla Hariri for her heroic feat.
Lebanon: Getting Typical Directions in Beirut
“Meet me by the church next to the mosque across from the nightclub in Downtown” is a typical direction that you may get in Beirut, according to This is Beirut.
Lebanon: Against Homophobia
LebIDAHO is a new initiative by seven Lebanese LGBT bloggers in preparation for Lebanon’s International Day Against Homophobia. It calls on its readers to write about their personal experiences regarding homophobia.
Lebanon: Home Delivery Shisha
“In Beirut, you just pick up the telephone and order a shisha, or so I discovered!” writes Mich in a post detailing the booming business of delivering shishas (hubble bubble smoking pipes) to homes in Lebanon.
Morocco: Brave Young Woman Stands at the Forefront of Change
The blog Moroccans for Change interviews Selma Maarouf, a leading figure in the Moroccan youth movement for change. Selma explains what motivates her to stand at the forefront of every major pro-democracy protest in her country.
Brazil: Barbeque as Protest in São Paulo
A new kind of protest has become a hit in Brazil: the barbeque. Those behind it are part of a "new" social class in Brazil: so-called "different people". To understand why public transport users in São Paulo would organize on Facebook and invent the barbeque-protest, read this post, collaboratively written by the Global Voices in Portuguese team.
China: Shake the Country
Olivia from China Hush explains how the Forbidden City Palace Museum first lost their exhibited art pieces and then their face because of wrong spelling in their thank-you banner to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. To defend one's country has turned into to shake one's country as a result...
China: Must-see websites for learning Chinese
Charlie from Chengdu Living introduces 5 must-see websites for readers to advance their Chinese language ability.
Guatemala: Brutality and Impunity: Over 28 Decapitated in Petén
This weekend in Guatemala was the bloodiest of 2011. Citizens in the northernmost state of El Petén, are in the middle of one of the worst armed encounters between the Army and one of the most dangerous drug cartels: the Zetas. Not only were at least 28 peasants brutally killed, but also a school, a police station and other public places were bombed.
