King's cancer treated

KING HUSSEIN of Jordan completed a bone marrow transplant in the United States yesterday to treat a relapse of cancer, but will be monitored closely for two weeks, said Jordan's envoy to the US, Marwan Muashe, last night.

Mr Muashe said the 63-year-old monarch was "holding up very well" after two bone marrow infusions at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he was admitted for urgent treatment last week.

Doctors were keeping "an extremely close watch on the king", a heavy smoker fighting his second bout of cancer in seven years. "He'll be under close monitoring in case of complications," Mr Muashe said.