Upbeat feminist news from Saudi :)

 Two items of news that I’m happy about. First off a first Saudi female astraounut has emerged. Her name is Lama Al Hazeen and get this; she had her photo in Al Hayat newspaper, no hijab and free-floating with a group of men and women including Steven Hawking. According to Al Hayat, Lama is looking for a sponsor to pay for her trip into space. Here is the picture.

Another thing is that on the ground level there’s a lot of buzz about women being allowed to drive. Even the ultra-conservative have a somewhat air of acquiescence. The telegraph reported that a source from Riyadh informed one of their reporters that it would happen by the end of the year. And to mark Women’s Day, March 8th, Wajeha Al-Huwaider got her sister in law to video-tape her driving while making a little speech requesting the authorities to allow women to drive. She then posted the video on You Tube. For more info click here.