SYDNEY: Female passengers on 10 planes flying out of Doha were forced to endure invasive physical examinations, Australia’s foreign minister said Wednesday, greatly expanding the number of women previously thought affected.
It was revealed on Sunday that women were removed from a Sydney-bound Qatar Airways flight in Doha earlier this month and forced to undergo vaginal inspections after a newborn baby was found abandoned in an airport bathroom.
Qatar apologized Wednesday but offered no immediate explanation of how officials decided to perform invasive vaginal examinations on the women.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne told a Senate hearing Wednesday that women on “10 aircraft in total” had been subject to the searches she has described as “grossly disturbing” and “offensive.”
“We became aware of that yesterday through advice from our post in Doha,” she said.
She said 18 Australian women on the October 2 flight to Sydney were affected, along with “other foreign nationals.” AFP understands one French woman on the flight was among them.
Payne did not detail the destinations of the other flights.
The incident has sparked a diplomatic row between Australia and Qatar, with Canberra lodging protests with the Middle East nation over the treatment of its citizens.
Officials said Australia was also working with other countries to jointly raise concerns with Doha but refused to name those countries, citing privacy concerns.
Payne admitted she had not spoken directly to her Qatari counterpart, saying she was “waiting to see the report” on the incident, which she expected to receive this week.
Doha’s Hamad International airport previously confirmed a broad outline of events, without providing details of the procedures, or the number of women and flights involved.
It also launched an appeal Sunday for the child’s mother to come forward, saying the baby remains unidentified but is “safe under the professional care of medical and social workers.”
Women on 10 flights from Qatar invasively examined: Australia
https://arab.news/6yjwd
Women on 10 flights from Qatar invasively examined: Australia
- Women were forced to undergo vaginal inspections
- Australian FM called the searches “grossly disturbing” and “offensive”
World Government Summit 2026 set to be largest ever
- 35 world leaders confirmed, says WGS’ Mohammad Al-Gergawi
- ‘Because the challenges of the future cannot be tackled alone’
DUBAI: This year’s World Government Summit will be the largest in the event’s history, said Mohammad Al-Gergawi, the WGS foundation’s chairman, on Friday.
Speaking at an event at the Museum of the Future, Al-Gergawi said 35 heads of state and government officials have confirmed their attendance, including Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin.
The WGS is an annual event held in Dubai which explores governance, and focuses on harnessing innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity.
Al-Gergawi said 24 side events would take place during the summit including forums on artificial intelligence, education, and sustainability.
Over 35 ministerial meetings are on the program including the Ministerial Roundtable with Arab Youth Ministers, Future of Tourism Roundtable, and Sustainable Development Goals Global Council Launch.
Al-Gergawi said four honors would be awarded during the summit, for best minister, most reformed government, sustainability, and best teacher.
He added that the world’s largest global gathering of Nobel laureates would take place during the summit.
“The World Laureate Summit aims to host a platform for laureates to present scientific solutions for problems governments are facing and will invite 50 laureates from various disciplines,” he explained.
Al-Gergawi said the WGS aims to play a key role in boosting collaboration between the private and public sectors.
“The success of the summit depends on the presence of governments, international organizations and the sector that shapes the future, the private sector,” he said.
“The success of the summit is directly linked to partnerships. Each partnership and initiative launched contributes to overcoming challenges in the future,” he added.
“The World Government Summit gathers everyone because the challenges of the future cannot be tackled alone,” Al-Gergawi said.
The summit takes place at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah from Feb. 3 to 5.
