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Seven of the 13 Australian women hauled off a Qatar Airways flight last year and forced to undergo invasive examinations at Doha airport are threatening legal action after more than a year of being ignored by the wealthy gulf state. Despite attempts to mediate with Qatari authorities, the women have been met with silence and were told in a response from Qatar Airways lawyers that the case against the award-winning airline has “no merit”. The women said they were yet to receive a formal apology from Qatari authorities and were also angry at the Australian government for what they believe is a lack of advocacy and action. The saga began on October 2, 2020, when Qatari authorities grounded planes at Hamad International Airport in Doha after a baby was found abandoned in a bathroom. Armed guards then boarded planes and ordered all women of child-bearing age into ambulances for physical examinations to determine if they had recently given birth. None of the victims gave their consent. Story has more.<br/>

Cathay Pacific tightened crew restrictions after a pilot arriving in Hong Kong from Frankfurt tested positive for Covid-19, leading to a lockdown of his residential estate, the South China Morning Post reported. The airline told staff in a memo that all cabin crew who passed through the German city in November would need to quarantine at a government facility for 21 days, according to the report. Cathay Pacific will also move its crew to a different hotel in Frankfurt and suspend layovers in the city as soon as possible, it said. Hong Kong health authorities have asked other crew members currently overseas, who had close contacts with the infected people, to isolate for 21 days wherever they are. They were advised not to return to the city for 30 days if they wanted to avoid the need to quarantine after their arrival, the report said. Local crew need to get booster vaccinations and those who operate cargo flights are required to be tested daily with stricter monitoring, authorities said on Friday.<br/>