The latest draft of the new traffic law has been given urgent status in the Lower House, and will likely be put up for discussion but seeking an endorsement after the recess. Running a red light will now cost you 250JDs, that’s twice the average monthly minimum wage, which the average Jordanian earns. If you’re […]

Folks, I know that those of us who are still sane have been massively affected by the “Messenger of Allah Unites Us” campaign in Jordan that is boycotting Danish products. Suddenly, Lurpak, our favorite butter is no longer sold in stores, and I know, I know, we were all shocked to our core when we […]

As most people know by now, there is a massive shortage of bread in Egypt these days with reports of actual deaths as many Egyptians line up in long bread queues. Mubarak has even declared a sort of martial law on subsidized bread, by ordering the army to increase production and aid in the distribution […]

This issue regarding the Danish cartoons is like a monkey on the nation’s back: it just won’t go away! The redundant quality to it has rendered it even more absurd than the first time around, which by now feels like ages ago! It’s like beating a dead dog with a stick.
On the front page […]

With the approved budget expanding by leaps and bounds this year, the deficit is on the rise. The lifting subsidies may end up helping the government save a decent amount of money (close to $1.5 billion according to officials) but then the likely question becomes: what good is all that money if it’s outmatched by […]

Here is a selection of my delicious picks: a few interesting articles/links from across the Net.
- Robert Fisk recalls his first meeting with assassinated Hizballah commander, Imad Mougnieh, in 1991.
- Arab information ministers have met in Cairo to endorse an Arab League charter, which allows host countries to annul or suspend the licence of any […]

After a lengthy discussion with friends last night about the craziness of prices in the country, courtesy of recent oil subsidy disappearances, we decided there was a need to do something inexpensive just to feel that the world still made sense. Hence we drove down to the balad in search of qasab sukar (sugar cane […]

The snow is on its way out so I thought I’d shift gears here on the Black Iris. Transitioning back to reality isn’t easy when snow is still the talk of the town, so here’s a selection of my delicious picks these past few days you might find interesting. Only the first two are about […]

So apparently it’s supposedly cold. I’ve had the house to myself these past couple of days and anyone that comes over thinks I live in a freezer. Years of living in Canada have rendered me adaptable; cold blooded, so to speak. I am seriously thinking of wearing some shorts and a t-shirt this week, just […]

“We already cannot cope with daily increases in prices.” - Hossam Atrash, a member of the Armed Forces. Consumers already burdened by rising prices expressed dismay over an expected 17 per cent increase in the price of imported infant formula this year. The father of three wondered whether the decision was a message to encourage […]

Energy, or lack thereof, was a big issue in 2007. Prices have gone higher than ever before, affecting everything from heating to being able to afford bread. So to commemorate both the New Year and the wonderful announcement of the lifting of oil subsidies in 2008, coupled with the expected new price for a natural […]

A special commission will be in charge of monitoring and setting prices of fuel derivatives on monthly basis after oil subsidies are lifted next year, officials said…The government plans to lift oil subsidies totally in 2008. The exact date of the measure has not yet been decided, but the 2008 state budget allocates no funds […]

Here’s another round of my del.icio.us links for this past week. The fact that most of the links are Islamic-related is pure coincidence.
- A 16 year-old girl in Toronto is murdered by her father for refusing to wear the hijab and being “too westernized”. I don’t what to say about this story other than the […]

Many argue that today, Jordan’s middle class is much larger than it was a few year back. However, since I came back to the country I feel the opposite has been true. This is in line with many economists who observe the growing disparity between the wealthy and the poor. Swallowed in the gulf is […]

The topic this week was surprisingly about prices and energy. I say surprisingly because the Jordan Business team has just finished a major cover story on inflation in the country, which essentially questions the government’s statements on the topic, and the measures they’ve taken (or lack thereof) to curb it. I have to admit that […]

Intellectual property: it may be one of the most unsexy topics in economics, but the strange market that is Jordan always makes even the most boring of topics, quite interesting. In these past 5 years, two entwining phenomena have arisen. The first being Jordan’s discovery that in order to enhance an investor environment as well […]