Jordan's King Abdullah II accepted the resignations of two Cabinet ministers on Sunday, days after the outbreak of a nonfatal parasite in northern Jordan, according to AP. The official Petra agency said King Abdullah issued a royal decree endorsing the resignations of Water Minister Mohammed Thafer al-Alem and Health Minister Saad al-Kharabsheh. Petra did not disclose the reason for the resignations. But they came days after a government commissioned probe found that a nonfatal parasite had infected more than 700 villagers near the northern town of Mafraq. It was not immediately clear when the ministers would be replaced. Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit has scheduled a press conference to discuss the resignations. Following the outbreak of the cryptosporidium parasite on July 20, the health minister had said the problem was likely caused by a water pipe that became contaminated with animal dung. He said many citizens were admitted to local hospitals suffering from fever and diarrhea, but that they had been discharged following brief treatment.
