ABDULLAH II

AMMAN, Jordan — (AP) — Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in Jordan on Tuesday as part of the first royal tour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Charles and his wife were greeted on the tarmac by a Jordanian color guard. The British Embassy said last month that the visit was aimed at shoring up “strong bilateral relations” on the centenary of relations between Amman and London. The royal visit will be putting particular emphasis on combating climate change in the wake of the Glasgow conference, and interfaith tolerance. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have arrived in Jordan as part of the first royal tour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates has met with Syria’s once widely shunned president in Damascus, sending the strongest signal yet that the Arab world is willing to re-engage with strongman Bashar Assad.

The Jordanian Royal Palace said in a statement that Abdullah and United Arab List lawmaker Mansour Abbas discussed “the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and ways to advance the peace process.” Abbas’s office confirmed that he met with the Jordanian leader in Amman, but provided no additional details.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Economy Minister Orna Barbivai and her Jordanian counterpart, Yousef Alshamali, signed an agreement to increase caps on Jordan exports to the Palestinian Authority. The meeting was aimed at “enhancing civilian ties between Israel and Jordan, strengthening neighborly relations, and promoting cooperation between the two countries," the ministry said. Israel and Jordan made peace in 1994 and have close security ties. Since the inauguration of Israel's new government in June, however, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has prioritized mending fences with Jordan. The countries have signed trade and water deals, and in September, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met King Abdullah II in the Jordanian capital, Amman, less than two months after Bennett met Abdullah in secret.

He broke racial barriers under four Presidents and called America “the last best hope of earth,” but also admitted to failing his country in selling the Iraq War.

Jordan Downward Slide FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2021 file photo, Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a meeting with tribal leader in Al-Qasta, south of Amman, Jordan. Recent revelations that King Abdullah II secretly amassed more than $106 million in luxury properties abroad have further undermined public trust. Recent revelations that King Abdullah II secretly amassed more than $106 million in luxury properties abroad have further undermined public trust. Anger at this trifecta of increased repression, a worsening economy and perceived corruption is bubbling just under the surface, several activists said. In 2021, it appropriated $1.7 billion, including $845 million in direct budget support.

Jordan has long presented itself as a reliable U.S. ally in a turbulent Middle East, as a monarchy embracing liberal Western values.

AMMAN, Jordan — (AP) — Jordan’s King Abdullah II received Lebanon's prime minister in Amman Sunday, saying his country will stand by the small nation and its people during its worst-ever economic crisis. The visit to Jordan by Prime Minister Najib Mikati is his first to an Arab country since he formed his Cabinet last month. On Wednesday, Jordan agreed to supply Lebanon with electricity through Syria and work is underway for a timetable. Egypt has also agreed to supply Lebanon with natural gas to its power plants through Jordan and Syria. Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh visited Lebanon late last month, and said there are efforts to provide Lebanon with some electricity from Jordan.

The financial leaks showed Prime Minister Andrej Babis allegedly linked to shell companies in French chateau deal.

Jordan Pandora Papers Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a meeting with tribal leader in Al-Qasta, south of Amman, Jordan, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. Advisers to the king “spared no effort to conceal his real estate holdings,” the report alleged. This may have been, in part, because of the contrast between his luxury real estate holdings and Jordan's heavy dependence on international aid and the nation's continued economic crisis. In the wake of the royal court statement Monday, Amman Net had a new story, other outlets published some details and commentary, and there was limited discussion on social media. Safadi, a former journalist, denied the story had been suppressed, citing the detailed court statement.

Jordan’s foreign minister has pushed back against a report that the country's monarch went out of his way to hide the purchase of more than a dozen luxury homes worth over $106 million.

The British government is facing calls to tighten up defenses against “dirty money” after a leak of offshore data showed how London, in particular, is the venue of choice for some of the world’s richest and most powerful people to conceal their cash.

Jordan Pandora Papers Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a meeting with tribal leader in Al-Qasta, south of Amman, Jordan, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. The investigation, dubbed the Pandora Papers, was published Sunday and involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. The Pandora Papers are a follow-up to a similar project released in 2016 called the “Panama Papers" compiled by the same journalistic group. The document trove reveals how powerful people are able to deploy anonymous shell companies, trusts and other artifices to conceal the true owners of corrupt or illicit assets. And while the plan would cover huge multinational corporations, it would not include the shell companies and other entities behind the schemes described in the Pandora Papers.

Jordan Pandora Papers Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a meeting with tribal leader in Al-Qasta, south of Amman, Jordan, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. He said even a perception of misspending could lead to calls for greater oversight of future American assistance to Jordan. Even independent Jordanian media outlets engage in self-censorship, avoiding criticism of the royal family and security forces. According to the World Bank, Jordan’s economy contracted slightly last year, while unemployment spiked to 25%. Abdullah, who took power in 1999 after the death of his father, King Hussein, has sought to straddle these worlds by portraying himself as father figure.

A global investigation has revealed how the rich and powerful have being hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century.

A global investigation has revealed how the rich and powerful have being hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century. Collectively these assets are worth trillions of dollars. The investigation, dubbed the Pandora Papers, was published late Sunday and involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries.

Pandora Papers FILE - Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a media conference prior to a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels, in this Wednesday, May 5, 2021, file photo. Jordan's King Abdullah II is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. Even independent Jordanian media outlets engage in self-censorship, avoiding criticism of the king, the royal family and the security forces. Abdullah denied there was anything untoward in the purchases, saying security required him to keep the transactions quiet. “Business as usual, it will not be the same as long as this information is floating worldwide.”___Federman reported from Jerusalem.

Hundreds of world leaders, past and present, and business moguls slammed for dodging tax laws: "This is where our missing hospitals are," says one charity.

Pandora Papers FILE - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is shown ahead of a meeting at the EU Charlemagne building in Brussels, in this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, file photo. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. The report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. Many of the accounts were designed to evade taxes and conceal assets for other shady reasons, according to the report. Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Pandora Papers FILE - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is shown ahead of a meeting at the EU Charlemagne building in Brussels, in this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, file photo. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. The report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. The more than 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts include Jordan’s King Abdullah II, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, and associates of both Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, is not accused of any wrongdoing.

AMMAN, Jordan — (AP) — Jordan’s King Abdullah II has denied any impropriety in his multi-million-dollar purchases of luxury homes abroad, citing security needs for keeping the transactions quiet and saying no public funds were used. Monday’s comment by the Royal Palace comes a day after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reported that the monarch had secretly bought $106 million in luxury homes over the past decade by using offshore transactions. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Calls are growing for an end to the financial secrecy and shell companies that have allowed many of the world’s richest and most powerful people to hide their wealth from tax collectors.

Newly leaked documents showing that Jordan's King Abdullah II quietly amassed luxury real estate properties risk hurting the longtime monarch at home and abroad.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II was meeting with the World Bank president, asking for more financial support for his country’s battered economy, just around the time the news broke: A trove of leaked documents revealed the king had secretly bought more than a dozen luxury homes in the U.S. and Britain for over $100 million in the past decade. Abdullah was one of scores of public figures identified as holders of hidden offshore accounts. “Nobody’s going to turn a blind eye to this,” said Dave Harden, a former senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development who is now running for Congress as a Democrat in Maryland.

Hundreds of world leaders, past and present, and business moguls slammed for dodging tax laws: "This is where our missing hospitals are," says one charity.

The global investigation sheds new light on how the world's wealthy use a network of lawyers and financial institutions to obscure their finances from authorities, their creditors and the public.

Jordan's King Abdullah II is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. The report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in117 countries. Many of the accounts were designed to evade taxes and conceal assets for other shady reasons, according to the report. The records date back to the 1970s, but most of the files span from 1996 to 2020. Buying the company shares instead of the building saved the Blairs more than $400,000 in property taxes, the investigation found.

Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century.

Alexander Natruskin/AFP via Getty ImagesFinancial records and tax documents reviewed by the Washington Post and other media outlets reveal that a former cleaner who is alleged to be the onetime mistress of Russian President Vladimir Putin—and the mother of his supposed 18-year-old daughter—bought a lavish $4 million apartment in Monaco through an offshore shell company in the British Virgin Islands, created just weeks after she gave birth to the girl. The multi-million outlay in 2003 by Svetlana

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has received a call from Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Racism, the climate crisis and the world’s worsening divisions will take center stage at the U_N_ meeting of world leaders, a day after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a grim warning that “we are on the edge of an abyss.”.

The United Nations chief is warning global leaders at the opening of the U_N_'s foremost gathering that the world has never been more threatened and divided and “we face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetime.”.

King Abdullah II of Jordan is meeting in Athens with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus as part of regular high-level contacts launched between the three Mediterranean countries in 2018.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. military’s combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year.

President Joe Biden praised King Abdullah II of Jordan as a stalwart ally in a “tough neighborhood” as the two leaders huddled at the White House, a meeting that came at a pivotal moment for both leaders in the Middle East.

Israel’s newly inaugurated president spoke Monday with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a sign of a possible thaw after years of frosty relations between the two former allies. President Isaac Herzog’s office said in a statement that the two leaders emphasized “that Israel-Turkey relations are of great significance for security and stability in the eastern Mediterranean” and that cooperation had great potential for both countries. Israel and Turkey were once close regional partners, but relations between the two countries soured in the the past decade.

The royal family says it resolved the dispute with Hamzah, whose exact status is unknown but was never formally charged. The court denied requests by Jordanian defense lawyers to call witnesses and prosecutors only shared purported transcripts, but not audio, from surveillance of the alleged plotters. The prosecutor’s office at the state security court denied the trial was unfair, saying Awadallah was given due process in line with Jordanian law and was not mistreated in any way. Awadallah, who also holds Jordanian and Saudi citizenship, served as head of the royal court and government minister in Jordan. The Awadallah family urged the Biden administration to call for his release.

A Jordanian state security court has sentenced two former officials to 15 years in prison over an alleged plot against the Western-allied monarchy.

A Jordanian state security court on Monday sentenced two former officials to serve 15 years in prison over an alleged plot against the Western-allied monarchy involving the half-brother of King Abdullah II. Bassem Awadallah, who has U.S. citizenship and once served as a top aide to King Abdullah II, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, were found guilty of sedition and incitement charges.

A U.S. lawyer says an American citizen and former top aide to Jordan’s King Abdullah II has alleged he was tortured in Jordanian detention and fears for his life.

A U.S. citizen and former top aide to Jordan's King Abdullah II alleged he was tortured in Jordanian detention and fears for his life, his U.S.-based lawyer said Sunday, on the eve of a verdict in the high-profile sedition trial linked to a rare public rift in the kingdom's ruling family. Along with the mistreatment allegations, the closed-door trial before Jordan's state security court “has been completely unfair,” Michael Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor hired by defendant Bassem Awadallah's U.S.-based family, told The Associated Press.

Biden Jordan FILE - In this May 26, 2021, file photo, Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at Bayt Al Urdon in Amman, Jordan. President Joe Biden will host Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House on July 19, months after the detention of his half-brother amid a rare moment of palace intrigue for the close American ally. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool, File) (Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House on July 19, just months after the detention of his half-brother amid a rare moment of palace intrigue for the close American ally. Prince Hamzah has been silenced, and his purported co-conspirators are on trial behind closed doors in a rare moment of turmoil for one of the strongest Western allies in the region. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

President Joe Biden will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on July 19.

President Joe Biden will host Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House on July 19, just months after the detention of his half-brother amid a rare moment of palace intrigue for the close American ally. The White House says Abdullah, Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein will visit with the Bidens to “highlight the enduring and strategic partnership between the United States and Jordan.”

Jordan has drawn a curtain of secrecy on the unprecedented public rift within its royal family.

Jordan Royal Trial FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2020 file photo released by the Royal Hashemite Court, Jordan's King Abdullah II gives a speech to parliament, in Amman Jordan. A relative of King Abdullah II and a former chief of the royal court will be ushered into the defendants’ cage at the state security court to face sedition charges. They are accused of conspiring with Prince Hamzah, a half-brother of the king, to foment unrest against the monarch. Awadallah, who has Jordanian, U.S. and Saudi citizenship, held senior posts in Jordan, including head of the royal court and planning minister. They are the most senior establishment figures to appear before the security court, which typically goes after drug offenders or suspected militants.

Jordan Royal Trial FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2020 file photo released by the Royal Hashemite Court, Jordan's King Abdullah II gives a speech to parliament, in Amman Jordan. Jordan's version of a trial of the century gets under way as early as Monday, June 21, 2021. A relative of King Abdullah II and a former chief of the royal court will be ushered into the defendants’ cage at the state security court to face sedition charges. Awadallah, who has Jordanian, U.S. and Saudi citizenship, held senior posts in Jordan, including head of the royal court and planning minister. They are the most senior establishment figures to appear before the security court, which typically goes after drug offenders or suspected militants.

A former top adviser to Jordan's King Abdullah II and a relative of the monarch have pleaded not guilty to sedition and incitement charges.

They are accused of conspiring with Prince Hamzah, a half-brother of the king, to foment unrest against the monarch. The palace drama erupted into the open in early April, when Hamzah was placed under house arrest. The case exposed rivalries in Jordan's traditionally discreet Hashemite dynasty and spawned unprecedented public criticism of the monarch. The royal court has declined comment when asked if Hamzah can leave his Amman palace or communicate with others. In Jordan, Awadallah has been widely blamed for economic policies seen as mainly benefiting the rich and has been dogged by corruption suspicions.

Jordan's version of a trial of the century gets under way this week.

The prosecutor of Jordan’s state security court has filed sedition and incitement charges against two confidants of King Abdullah II’s half-brother Hamzah.

Jordan has referred the cases of two former senior officials accused of taking part in a foreign plot linked to the half-brother of King Abdullah II to a national security court, the official Petra news agency reported Tuesday. Bassem Awadallah, a former Cabinet minister and one-time head of the royal court, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, were swept up in a wave of arrests in April. Prince Hamzah, a former crown prince, was placed under a form of house arrest.

Over 48 hours, Biden's secretary of State held meetings with four very different leaders who had contradictory ties with former President Trump.

Blinken has vowed to “rally international support” to rebuild hard-hit Gaza while promising to make sure that none of the aid reaches Hamas. In a boost to those efforts, the energy-rich Gulf country of Qatar pledged $500 million to postwar reconstruction in Gaza. His main goals have been to help rebuild Gaza and lower the tensions in contested Jerusalem that helped fuel the war. “We want to support Israel but we also want the Palestinians to find a track towards an enduring peace,” he said. In a gesture to the Palestinians, Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen a diplomatic office in Jerusalem that oversees outreach to the Palestinians.

Belgium EU Jordan European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen removes her protective face mask prior to meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II at EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP) (Yves Herman)BRUSSELS — (AP) — European Union leaders said Thursday that in the wake of the U.S. backing patent waivers for COVID-19 vaccine technology, the 27-nation bloc immediately will start discussing whether they should join such a move. The leaders' first opportunity to mold a common view will come as soon as a two-day summit in Porto, Portugal, that starts Friday. While the EU did not echo the U.S. position, it generally welcomed President Joe Biden's move. But EU nations pointed out other problems even if vaccine restrictions were lifted.

European Union leaders say that in the wake of the U.S. backing patent waivers for COVID-19 vaccine technology, the 27-nation bloc immediately will start discussing whether they should join such a move.

Jordan has released 16 people detained earlier this month over an alleged foreign-backed conspiracy linked to a former crown prince.

Jordan’s Prince Hamzah has made his first public appearance since he was placed under house arrest last week.

The Biden administration says it has resumed U.S. assistance to the Palestinians, including to the U.N. agency that deals with Palestinian refugees.

Jordan’s king has addressed the public feud with his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, portraying it as an attempted “sedition” that caused him shock, anger and pain.

Jordan has imposed a sweeping gag order on details of its palace feud.

Jordan's Prince Hamzah signed a statement saying he was loyal to his half brother.

Jordan's palace and a confidant of a senior royal say mediation has successfully resolved an unprecedented public feud in the royal family.

Jordan accused the prince of colluding with outside parties in a plot aimed at the country's stability, a day after placing him under house arrest.

Jordanian authorities say they have foiled a “malicious plot” by a former crown prince to destabilize the kingdom with foreign support.

A member of Jordan's royal family and a government official are said to be held for 'security' reasons, reportedly along with the former crown prince.

The half-brother of Jordan’s King Abdullah II says he has been placed under house arrest.

She has lived freely in Jordan since Israel released her in a 2011 prisoner swap with the militant group Hamas. Jordanian authorities have rebuffed U.S. requests to turn her over, despite an extradition treaty. The United States has multiple options and different types of leverage to secure Ahlam Aref Ahmad Al-Tamimis extradition, Wooster wrote. We will continue to engage Jordanian officials at all levels not only on this issue, but also on the extradition treaty more broadly. In 2017, Jordans high court ruled she could not be extradited, reportedly saying the 1995 extradition treaty had not been ratified.

4/19: Dr. Deborah Birx, Gov. Charlie Baker, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Suzanne Clark, King Abdullah II This week on "Face The Nation", there's a new dilemma dividing the country — is it worth risking the health — and potentially the lives — of Americans in order to jump start our paralyzed economy?