Jordanian king accepts resignations of two ministers

Jordanian King Abdullah accepted the resignations of the ministers of health and justice following a controversy over the travel of a businessman accused of corruption, Jordanian news agency Petra said. Health Minister Yassine Al Hasban and Justice Minister Hussain Al Majali resigned on May 26 "over a controversy involving the travel of a business tycoon accused in a corruption scandal", the official news agency said, citing a royal decree. Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Wajih Owais was named acting health minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Adinat as acting justice minister, Petra said, citing another royal decree. Islamist-led opposition groups staged protests earlier this year to demand more freedoms and democratic reforms. The protests were inspired by pro-democracy revolts that ousted the longstanding rulers of Tunisia and Egypt, and spread across several other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The protesters in Jordan did not demand regime change. The Jordanian monarch responded by changing the government in February and asking the new Cabinet to bring in political and economic reforms. The regime's promises for reform in the kingdom "are a waste of time for the people," the Islamic Action Front, the largest opposition group in Jordan, said in a statement on its website Monday. From Gulf News