Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 13 July 2017

Tiny Qatar living large despite monthlong siege 19 killed in Boko
Haram attacks

By MAGGIE HYDE but they were quickly re- life under the blockade. around. in Nigeria city:
AYA BATRAWY stocked. One post showed a fully Qatar has some $340 bil-
Associated Press If the Arab nations in- stocked hotel buffet and lion in reserves. Around AP
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — It’s tended to bring about a said: “Breadlines have be- $40 billion of that is in cash By HARUNA UMAR
been more than a month change in government, gun. Personally saw sev- plus gold, and $300 billion Associated Press
since four Arab nations cut MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP)
land, sea and air routes — Four Boko Haram suicide
to Qatar, but in the gas- bombers killed 19 people
rich Gulf nation’s glimmer- in a series of attacks that
ing malls and luxury hotels targeted a civilian self-
there is little sign of hard- defense force and the
ship. High-end clothing people who gathered to
stores hawk the latest sum- mourn their deaths, police
mer trends. Grocery stores in Nigeria said Wednesday.
are brimming with meats It was the deadliest attack
and cheeses from Europe in months in the northeast-
and Turkey, and just last ern city of Maiduguri, the
month the country’s main birthplace of Boko Haram’s
port received 4,300 cars eight-year insurgency.
and sheep from Australia. Borno state police com-
Luxury hotels like the W and missioner Damian Chukwu
St. Regis serve lavish meals said 23 others were wound-
around the clock and alco- ed in Tuesday night’s at-
hol flows for visitors. Famous tacks. The police commis-
Barcelona soccer players sioner said 12 of the dead
Gerard Pique, Sergio Bus- were members of a civilian
quets and Jordi Alba met self-defense force and the
with fans last week at a other seven people had
mall in the capital, Doha, been mourning them.
which will host the 2022 At least one of the suicide
World Cup tournament. bombers was female, said
“We don’t feel any differ- a spokesman for the self-
ence. It’s a celebration defense force, Danbatta
everywhere,” Qatari Badr Bello.
Jeran said as he shopped The bombers specifically
at the mall. In this July 9, 2017 photo, men wait for a bus in front of a building with the poster of Qatari Emir targeted his colleagues
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It’s been more than a month since four Arab nations cut land,
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the sea and air routes to Qatar, but in the gas-rich Gulf nation’s glimmering malls and luxury hotels while they were on duty,
United Arab Emirates and there is little sign of hardship. he said.
Egypt moved to isolate (AP Photo/Maggie Hyde) “A teenage female suicide
Qatar in early June, sev- bomber actually crept to
ering diplomatic ties and those hopes appear to eral middle-aged men at is in reserves with the Qa- the sandbag post of our
closing off their air space have been dashed by breakfast scuffling over the tar Investment Authority, boys at Molai and before
and shipping lanes over an outpouring of popular last baguette.” according to central bank they could realize what was
Doha’s support for Islamist support for Sheikh Tamim The tongue-in-cheek posts governor Sheikh Abdullah happening she detonated
groups across the region, bin Hamad Al Thani, the point to the fact that Qatar Bin Saoud Al Thani. Qatar’s herself and killed three of
many of which are viewed 37-year-old emir. Signs on is fantastically wealthy. It is sovereign wealth fund has our boys,” Bello said. “That
as terror groups by its rivals. cars and billboards read one of the world’s richest invested strategically over happened simultaneously
Qatar denies supporting “We are all Tamim. We are nations per capita, mak- the years in international with the one that occurred
extremism and has con- all Qatar”. ing its citizens on average luxury brands and real es- at the tea vendor’s, where
demned the closures as an Here’s a look at how Qatar wealthier than even those tate in major cities like New seven of our members who
attack on its sovereignty. has weathered the crisis: in neighboring Gulf states. York and London. took their time off to eat
Worried residents rushed to Qatar has a population of their dinner were killed,” he
grocery stores, emptying MONEY — LOTS OF IT around 2 million, but only a ENERGY said.
shelves of dairy products Shortly after the crisis be- little more than a quarter- Qatar’s main source of Boko Haram has increas-
and other food imports gan, a Twitter account million are citizens, mean- revenue is its natural gas, ingly used girls and young
after Saudi Arabia sealed called DohaUnderSiege ing the government has a which continues to flow un- women to carry out attacks
Qatar’s only land border, began documenting lot of wealth it can spread interrupted. q on marketplaces, check-
points and other targets.
UN food agency gains greater access near Raqqa Some young women who
escaped extremist group
have said girls are drugged
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N. said lowed the World Food Pro- flee areas under IS control food every month to near- and forced to carry out sui-
Wednesday it is using newly gram to deliver food to ru- and cross to territory seized ly 200,000 people in eight cide missions.
opened land routes in Syria ral areas north of the city for by the U.S.-backed fighting hard-to-reach locations An Associated Press re-
to expand food deliveries the first time in three years. force known as the Syrian inside Raqqa province as porter at the scene saw
to areas around the north- More than 190,000 people Democratic Forces, ac- well as other areas in a mourning residents pre-
ern city of Raqqa, where have been displaced from cording to the Syrian Ob- neighboring province. paring the bodies of the
U.S.-backed forces are and within Raqqa province servatory for Human Rights. Prior to the re-opening of victims for burial. Nigeria’s
battling Islamic State mili- since April 1, according to As the map of control the road linking Aleppo in government late last year
tants in their self-declared the U.N. refugee agency. In changes, the west to Hasakeh in the declared that Boko Haram
capital. the past 48 hours, hundreds so is the access and WFP east, the WFP relied on air- had been “crushed” but
The new access has al- of civilians managed to said it is now delivering lifts. q deadly attacks continue.q