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AMMAN — After a successful battle against cancer, Suzan Murad decided to establish an association to support and advise cancer patients and help improve their daily life.

Murad founded Al Wa’ad Society for Cancer Advocacy & Survivorship in 2011 after she survived cancer, in order to help people who suffer from this disease and guide them through their illness, she told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“Supporting a patient means that you show them that you understand their suffering, and that you managed to survive,” Murad said.

“When the society was established, we used to support patients and their families financially, but we later found out that someone related to the patient was a smoker and was spending the money on cigarettes,” she recalled. 

“We then became more reasonable and started offering ‘emotional’ support, such as giving wigs to female cancer patients, and providing maintenance to the homes of patients,” Murad continued.

She added that the society provides entertaining activities to the children suffering from cancer,   as well as local trips to shopping malls and restaurants since these children tend to stay at home with their mothers when they are sick.

“We also provide support for the patients’ husbands, because we noticed that a lot of divorces happened in such cases, because of a social stigma on the family,” Murad explained, adding “our job here is also to help remove this stigma for patients to retrieve normal lives.”

“I have been through cancer twice, and I’ve had chemotherapy, surgeries and radiation. My husband was very supportive and that really helped me a lot. Until now, we have long talks with patients’ husbands to guide them and help them through this difficult process,” she said.

Murad stressed that her experience in dealing with the illness helped her to establish the society.

Al Wa’ad Society targets cancer patients in hospitals like Al Basheer, King Hussein Medical Centre and University of Jordan Hospital, where patients do not get the same level of treatment as the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC), she stressed.

“I remember once we invited 60 ladies from Zarqa to a restaurant in Amman to celebrate Mother’s Day. One lady came to me crying saying that three of her sons had gotten married, but she had never been as happy as this day,” Murad recalled.

The society also provides training courses to college students and follows up with them later to see if they have any innovative ideas to help people with cancer.

“We are planning to extend our work outside of Amman, because we have now achieved the best level of services here,” she noted.

The society on Sunday implemented an initiative called “Sah Badanak” (“Make your body healthier”) to encourage discussion among participants about cancer rehabilitation.

“If we found only one or two ideas through this whole initiative and delivered the message to decision makers, I would consider the whole event successful,” she stressed.

Nawal, a cancer patient who participated in one of the society’s activities, said: “Without Suzan’s help, I wouldn’t feel this way about life. I was hopeless and she really helped me and supported me through everything.”

She voiced her appreciation, saying: “She takes us to activities to have fun, and on the other hand she sits and talks with us to get things out of our chests.”

AMMAN — In the run-up to the launch of its annual edition that will take place on Friday, Amman Design Week (ADW) has launched a video campaign showcasing various designers, design activists, and craftspeople in Jordan, an ADW statement said.

Launched through the ADW website and its social media platforms, the first video mini-series, consisting of several one-minute-long episodes, aims to raise awareness on the use of design as a tool for community development. 

Traveling across Jordan to document talent and innovation in all forms, the mini-series aims to demonstrate the “remarkable power of design to affect measurable and lasting social and developmental change”, the statement said.

Featured design activists include Ahmad Sabbagh, who developed a comprehensive, data-based Amman bus map with MaanNasel; Mohamad Zakaria, who revitalised a public park by transforming it into a skate park; Amal Madanat, whose initiative educates children on waste resource management; and Alaa Ziyadeh, who recycles trash into useful products.

ADW’s second video mini-series will focus on the creative craftspeople who will be present throughout ADW 2017 as part of its “Craft of Making” programme taking place in the pop-up Crafts District at Al Hussein Cultural Centre, the statement read.

The mini-series, which will premiere throughout October, features craftspeople including a glassblower, arabesque artisan, and dagger maker sharing their passion, not only as a mode of self-expression, but also as a means for economic empowerment, the statement continued.

ADW 2017 will begin on Friday with a series of exhibitions, demonstration booths, and pop-up shops, as well as varied and innovative programme of workshops, talks, and events.  

The nine-day national event aims to “unveil the inherent potential of Jordan’s design landscape” and to “create an open platform for exploring the strong and often imperceptible impact design has on life”, according to the statement.

An annual immersive experience in design supported by Her Majesty Queen Rania, ADW was launched in 2016 to support local designers, offer them international recognition, and put Jordan on the map of design and innovation worldwide, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — The 2017 regulations for the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) that were published in the recent issue of the Official Gazette removed the word “fail” in the exam result, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The new regulations describe the results of the exam with phrases such as “disqualified due to insufficient school grades” for regular students who fail at school in courses they register at a certain session.

Phrases include “disqualified due to absence” if a student was registered absent in all school courses he or she was meant to sit in for a session, “disqualified for violating exam regulations” if a student was banned from sitting for at least one session.

The regulations also insert the phrase “Tawjihi absent” if a student was absent in all courses he or she registered for at the general exam.

Under the new regulations, the regular students’ grades will be calculated out of 1,400 as of the current academic year for university admission purposes.

The regulations also allowed new regular students and irregular students to sit for the exam with an open number of sessions without losing their right to sit for the exam, as of the 2017/2018 scholastic year.

Tawjihi students who have not yet succeeded in the exam can now sit for up to four sessions, providing that the period does not exceed three years starting from the first time they sat for the exam.

Those who have not succeeded and applied for the exam in the 2016/2017 academic year can now sit again for Tawjihi as of the 2017/2018 winter session, providing that they succeed as late as the summer session of 2019.

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has overturned a May Criminal Court verdict sentencing a 23-year-old nurse to death for murdering a Syrian national over a debt in Mafraq in March 2015.

The court declared the defendant guilty of the stabbing death of the 22-year-old victim in a secluded area in Mafraq, some 80km from Amman, on March 1 and handed him the harshest punishment.

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court “did not take the lawyer’s argument into account according to which there was no date, time or place of arrest for his client”.

 “We decided to overturn the verdict and return the case to the Criminal Court to investigate the violations in the investigation procedures and issue a new ruling,” the higher court stated.

The Criminal Court papers said that the victim, a Syrian national, arrived in Jordan with his family in 2012 and was residing in Mafraq.

The defendant and the victim knew each other and enjoyed “a good relationship”, the court added.

Seven months before the incident, the court maintained, the defendant asked the victim to lend him JD4,500 to settle some personal debts.

 “The victim gave him the money and, a few months later, asked the defendant to give it back but he kept staling,” according to court documents.

On the day of the murder, the court maintained, “the defendant decided to kill the victim because he could not pay him back and lured him to a deserted area”.

 “The defendant drew a knife and stabbed the victim in the back and, when he attempted to escape, he stabbed him repeatedly on different parts of his body,” the court added.

The defendant then grabbed a rock “and struck the victim’s head with it repeatedly to ensure he was dead”, the court stated.

The young man then contacted one of his friends and informed him that he had killed a Syrian man. He asked for his help to get rid of the body, the court added.

The friend, who recorded the conversation, “headed to police and informed the authorities of the conversation with the defendant who was later arrested”, the court added.

The defendant had contested the court ruling claiming that there were contradictory statements by the witnesses and that “he never plotted the murder because he enjoyed a good and brotherly relationship with the victim.”

 “The defendant, who works as a nurse at the Ministry of Health, became a criminal by coincident. The sentence is harsh and he deserves a second chance since he did not have a criminal record,” the defendant’s lawyer argued in his appeal.

The Cassation Court comprised of judges Basil Abu Anzeh, Naji Zubi, Mohammad Ibrahim, Bassim Mubeidin and Mohammad Ersheidat.

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Hani Al Mulki on Monday met with the Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Akira Kondoh and an accompanying delegation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The prime minister affirmed the Kingdom’s appreciation of Japan’s support and developmental aid.

He also discussed possible opportunities offered by the bank to attract investments for the reconstruction of regional countries. Mulki listened to a briefing on the bank’s activities that finance public and private partnership projects. JBIC previously financed a number of energy projects in Jordan, according to Petra.

AMMAN — An Egyptian military delegation, headed by Colonel Haitham Mohammad, on Monday visited the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) Moral Guidance Department, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The delegation listened to a briefing by the director of moral guidance about the department’s roles, duties and responsibilities.

The delegation’s visit included a tour of the department’s various divisions, and had a look at the development and modernisation the department went through. The visit comes under as part of communication and expertise exchanges between the two country’s armies, according to Petra.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday said that the government will not reduce the income exemptions to individuals or families, and will not raise sales tax.

He stressed that the government is committed to His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to protect the middle- and low-income segments of Jordanians.

During his meeting with Senate President Faisal Fayez and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, Mulki stressed that the amendments on the Income Tax Law will not affect single individuals or families whose income is below JD12,000 and JD24,000 respectively.

He said that the amendments are introduced to improve the efficiency of tax collection and harshen penalties for tax evasion. 

It also aims to ensure that all individuals whose yearly income exceeds JD12,000 and families with income more than JD24,000 are registered as tax payers.

The premiere stressed that “it’s not acceptable that non-Jordanians benefit from tax exemptions. This harms Jordanian economy and citizens, given that one third of the Kingdom’s population are non-Jordanians”.

He also said that the ceiling of the sales tax will not exceed 16 per cent, refuting all rumours about plans to raise the tax to 22 per cent.

AMMAN — Jordan on Monday rejected as baseless claims by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) that the country has been “summarily deporting Syrian refugees — including collective expulsions of large families”.

Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said the country categorically rejects the allegations in the report, released Monday, claiming that the “Syrians are not being given a meaningful chance to challenge their removal and Jordan has not assessed their need for international protection”.

“Jordan is abiding by the international law in this regard…The return of the Syrian refugees is voluntary and in such cases the return is to areas where there is no threat or danger to their lives,” Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, said in remarks to the Jordan Times.

In its 27-page report the HRW said it documented that during the first five months of 2017, Jordanian authorities deported about 400 registered Syrian refugees each month. 

In addition, approximately 300 registered refugees each month returned to Syria during that time under circumstances that appeared to be voluntary. Another estimated 500 refugees each month allegedly returned to Syria under circumstances that are unclear, the HRW report posted on its website indicated.

In the report, Bill Frelick, refugee rights director at Human Rights Watch, was quoted as saying: “ Jordan shouldn’t be sending people back to Syria without making sure they wouldn’t face a real risk of torture or serious harm and unless they have had a fair opportunity to plead their case for protection.”

Calling for accuracy when issuing reports, Momani said: “We wish that organisations be accurate with regard to such issues of sovereignty and to appreciate Jordan’s key humanitarian role in this regard.”

These NGOs, he said, are required, instead, to demand that the international community support refugee hosting countries and place pressure on other countries to absorb more refugees.

“The security of Jordan and its citizens is above all considerations,” stressed the minister.

Jordan is home to some 1.3 million Syrian refugees of whom more than 600,000 are registered with the UNHCR.

A protection case manager who works with international relief organisation in Zaatari camp told The Jordan Times Monday that there were few cases of deportation in 2012 and 2013 “for valid reasons, as the people involved violated laws”. 

Commenting on the report, the relief worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity,  said: “We have not heard of any cases of deportation from the camp and services are provided as usual whether to the Syrian refugees at the camp or even those stranded at the no-man’s land makeshift camp [Rukban] between Jordan and Syria.” 

AMMAN — Jordan on Monday issued a $1- billion Eurobond on international markets at 7.375 per cent interest rate, maturing after 30 years.

Subscription has exceeded $4.3 billion, four-fold the value of the issuance, a Finance Ministry statement said.

More than 240 investment funds, including international ones in the US, the UK and Europe, have subscribed, the ministry said.

The Eurobond issuance is part of the government’s plan in handling cash flow and public debt, the statement said, adding that the volume of the issuance and the maturity date reflect the trust of international investors and funds in the ability of Jordan’s economy to grow.

Finance Minister Omar Malhas said that the issuance came as a result of His Majesty King Abdullah’s tireless efforts to enhance the international community’s confidence in Jordan’s policies and financial reform efforts.

Malhas noted that Jordan has indulged in a financial reform programme in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund to reduce the public debt ratio to GDP from 95 per cent to 77 per cent by 2022.

Finance Ministry Secretary General Izzeddin Kanakryah said that the bonds will be used to finance the needs of the Treasury including settling domestic bonds that will be due at the end of this year.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday sent a cable of condolences to US President Donald Trump over the death of dozens of citizens after a shooting that took place in Las Vegas, a Royal Court statement said. 

In the cable, King Abdullah expressed his sympathies to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.