US Says Fully Supports Jordan’s King Abdullah

Jordan's King Abdullah II. (AFP)
Jordan's King Abdullah II. (AFP)
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US Says Fully Supports Jordan’s King Abdullah

Jordan's King Abdullah II. (AFP)
Jordan's King Abdullah II. (AFP)

The US State Department said on Saturday that Jordan’s King Abdullah II is a “key partner of the United States and he has our full support.”

The monarch’s half-brother and former Crown Prince Hamza bin Hussein was told to halt actions used to target the country's "security and stability", the military said on Saturday.

In a statement published by the state news agency, it said the action was part of a broader security investigation in which a former minister, a member of the royal family and some other unidentified individuals were detained.

Army chief Yusef Huneity said investigations are ongoing and their results will be revealed in full transparency.

He stressed that all measures were taken within the law, adding that no one was above the law and that there was no comprising the security and stability of Jordan.



Iraq Reports 19 Congo Fever Deaths Already This Year

A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
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Iraq Reports 19 Congo Fever Deaths Already This Year

A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file photo)

Iraq said Thursday it has recorded 19 deaths from Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever already this year and urged farmers and abattoir workers to step up precautions when handling livestock.

A total of 123 cases have been recorded nationwide, health ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said in a statement, adding that 36 of them were reported in the poor southern province of Dhi Qar, which is heavily dependent on livestock farming.

Congo fever is a viral disease which is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during or immediately after slaughter, according to the World Health Organization, AFP reported.

It has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent, and most cases have been reported in the livestock industry.

A previous surge in infections in Iraq in 2022 saw at least 27 deaths, compared with just six cases for the two decades from 1989 to 2009.

The WHO attributed that flare-up to a rise in the tick population resulting from the failure to carry out pesticide spraying campaigns in 2020 and 2021.