Jordan: Thousands Protests, Call for PM to Resign

Thousands of protesters gathered in Jordan on Friday for a third day of protests.  Islamist groups, trade unions, and other leftist groups joined the protests calling for Prime Minister Samir Rifai to step down.  Political Development Minister Musa Maayta said that Jordanians have the right to express their opinion without fear of reprisal in response to a Human Rights Watch accusation that the government was stifling dissent.  King Abdullah II had urged Jordanian MPs on Thursday to speed up reform efforts in order to restore faith in government institutions.