Qatar's ruler appoints 2nd woman as minister in Cabinet reshuffle

Qatar's ruler on Tuesday appointed the second woman ever to the conservative Muslim country's Cabinet, an official news agency said. Sheika Ghalia bint Mohammed bin Hammad Al Thani, a member of Qatar's ruling family who has served as the head of the country's National Health Authority, will serve as health minister, the report said. Her appointment was part of a Cabinet reshuffle that also included the creation of several new ministries, among them a Ministry of Justice and a Ministry of Business and Commerce, the report continued. Ghalia and Education Minister Sheikha Ahmad al-Mahmoud are the only two women ever to serve in Qatar's 20-member Cabinet. Mahmoud was appointed in 2003.