Armenian diaspora in the Middle East

The Armenian diaspora in the Middle East is mostly concentrated in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran, although well established communities exist in Iraq, Egypt, and other countries of the area. The Armenians of the Middle East speak the western dialect of the Armenian language (except those of Iran) and the majority are adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, with smaller Catholic and Protestant minorities. There is a sizable Armenian population in the thousands in Israel and the Palestinian territories, especially the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem with a history that goes back 2,000 years. Armenians in Lebanon have the most freedoms, compared to other regions in the area that have large number of Armenians.
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[edit] History
Armenians have always kept a certain political, social, and economic contact with the Middle East.
The Armenian royalty had always kept close contact with neigbhouring Persia. In the 1st century B.C., Tigranes the Great, the King of Kings of the Armenian Empire, ruled over a significant part of the region.
During the Middle Ages, Armenians established a new kingdom in Cilicia, which despite its strong European influence, not unlike Cyprus, was often considered as being part of the Levant, thus in the Middle East. There were Armenian communities (in the form of well-established quarters in major cities) in the Edessa region, Northern Syria, Jerusalem, Egypt, and have played a direct role in many key events, such as the Crusades.
Armenians also had a presence in northern Persia/Iran. However their presence strengthened in 1604-1605, when Shah Abbas of the Safavid Empire deported 250,000-300,000 Armenians to Persia. The Armenians, notably those of Iran, were recognized as being astute businessmen and were renowned throughout the World.
During the Ottoman period, the Levantine Armenian communities had diminished in number because of previous conflicts, such as the Mamluk invasion of Cilicia, Tamerlane's invasion of Syria, and so on.
Most Armenians forcefully came to the Levant and Mesopotamia(Known today as Iraq) during the Armenian genocide, during which 1.5 million Armenians perished. They've lived through and were forced to participate in many conflicts, such as the Arab-Israeli Wars, the Lebanese Civil War, and under Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s and the first Gulf War of 1990-91.
Because of political turmoil and tension in the region (such as the Lebanese Civil War and the Islamic Revolution), many Middle Eastern Armenians have emigrated to the Western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and the Persian Gulf states. Although a good quantity have left the region, they never have lost their foothold in the Orient.

[edit] Armenian Diaspora Pages related to the Middle East
Wikipedia already has quite developed pages on Armenian communities in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Kuwait and more elementary pages on the relatively newly-established Armenian communities in the Persian Gulf, like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. You are welcome to edit and add more information on any of these pages.
The present pages on Armenians of the Middle East and the Arab World

Economy of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong government control over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC.
Saudi Arabia's economy is a centrally planned economy. Private enterprises do exist, they are however regulated by the Saudi government.
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Economic overview
The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 45% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly five and a half million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. The government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. The government has begun to permit private sector and foreign investor participation in the power generation and telecom sectors. As part of its effort to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy, Saudi Arabia acceded to the WTO in 2005 after many years of negotiations. With high oil revenues enabling the government to post large budget surpluses, Riyadh has been able to substantially boost spending on job training and education, infrastructure development, and government salaries.

Macro-economic trend
Current GDP per capita of Saudi Arabia soared by a world record-breaking 1,858% in the Seventies riding on the back of the global oil boom. However, this bubble was unsustainable and consequently the GDP per capita shrank by 58% in the Eighties. However successful diversification efforts helped register a growth of 20% in the Nineties.
This is a chart of trend of gross domestic product of Saudi Arabia at market prices estimated by the International Monetary Fund with figures in millions of Saudi Arabian Riyals.

Jobs In Australia

The Job Network is an Australian Government-funded network of organisations (private and community, and originally also government) that is contracted by the Australian Government, through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), to deliver employment services to unemployed job seekers on Government income support payments and employers.
Job Network providers are initially selected for the network and allocated business through a competitive public tender process, with contract periods running for varying lengths of time determined by the Australian Government. There are over 1000 sites across Australia delivering Job Network services. These sites are managed by DEEWR.
To be eligible for support, people need to be in receipt of eligible income support payments, such as Newstart Allowance, Youth Allowance, the Disability Support Pension or Parenting Payment.
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History
Job Network began in 1998 after the disolution of the Commonwealth Employment Service (CES). In 1996/7 legislation was introduced into the Australian Federal Parliament to combine the functions of the CES and the Department of Social Security. As a result Centrelink was created to provide monetary welfare support to people across Australia. The delivery of employment services was tendered out to Job Network organisations whose primary responsibility is to assist people into work.
Job Network is a competitive industry with organiations competing for contracts through tenders. Job Network is currently in its 4th contract period:
Services
The services provided by Job Network differ according to the length of unemployment of the job seeker, their age, circumstances or the allowance they are receiving from Centrelink. Services include:
Job Search Support (0-3 months unemployed): Job Networks assist in creating an online resume for the purpose of applying for jobs through DEEWR's online Australian JobSearch (AJS) website , and automatically matching the job seeker's knowledge, skills and experience to new jobs that are available.
Intensive Support (3+ months of unemployment): This part of the employment services continuum includes Job Search Training (JST), where job seekers receive training to develop their skills in resume development, application writing, cold canvassing, goal setting, career planning and interview techniques.
Intensive Support Mutual obligation (at 6, 18, 30, 42, 54 etc months of unemployment): Job seekers are required to participate for 6 months in a mutual obligation activity such as Work for the Dole, Training or Community Work. Mutual obligation is a way of demanding job seekers to "give something back" to their community. While receiving unemployment benefits, all job seekers with a participation requirement are to participate in a mutual obligation activity in a charitable or community-based organisation for 6 months out of every 12. For job seekers with a full time participation requirement, this equates to 390 hours of activity or 15 hours per week.
Intensive Support Customised Assistance (at 12 and 24 months): Job seekers are provided with one-on-one case management to address their barriers to employment and provide intensive support to assist them into employment.
Very Long Term Unemployed Review (at 30 months): Job seekers are assessed as to how genuine they are in their job seeking and their Job Network Agency may recommend referral to Full Time Work For The Dole. Full-time Work for the Dole is an option when the job seeker in question has demonstrated a pattern of work avoidance, such as declining jobs, not attending interviews, or intentionally sabotaging their job prospects.

Online Money

Making money with the Internet can be a very efficient way to earn money from home and there are many great opportunities for businesses and jobs, whether it's real estate investing, selling by classified ads, stock market investing, internet affiliate marketing, money making systems or something else.

Over the past few years, a variety of money making methods have been passed on through the internet and millions of people have been taking advantage of this incredible wave of knowledge which was enabled ordinary people just like you to make thousands and sometimes even millions online.


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Canada Jobs

2008 marked another year of economic growth in one of the longest and most stable expansions in the world.
The Canadian dollar continues to grow in value, and the free flow of trade and investment back and forth across Canada's borders is contributing to a remarkable level of job creation. In 2006 the unemployment rate in Canada reached 6.3%, the lowest level in over 30 years.
It has never been easier to find a job in Canada!
40% of Canada's workforce is composed of persons occupying management, health, sales, and service occupations. Recent immigrants tend to be employed more than their Canadian-born peers in sales, services, manufacturing, and hospitality.
Canada needs immigrants to grow!
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has found that recent immigrants are more likely than Canadian-born persons to be of prime working age. Almost one-half of recent immigrants (48%) are 25 to 44 years of age, while Canada's domestic working-age population makes up only one third of the total (32%). As such, Canada relies on newcomers to grow.
This section contains valuable employment advice for migrants interested in working in Canada.

Sama Dubai

Sama Dubai (Arabic: سما دبي‎) is a member company and subsidiary of Dubai Holding, a holding company set up by the government of Dubai. Sama Dubai was created as a company with wider responsibility and mandate than its previous predecessor (Dubai International Properties).Sama Dubai is practically the international property arm of Dubai Holding. It develop real estates and properties in numerous countries, globally.
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Portfolio
Sama Dubai develop real estate and property megaprojects in various countries, such as:
Dubai Towers - A series of supertall, mixed-use skyscrapers being developed in three countries that will contain residential, business, office and entertainment sections.
Dubai Towers Casablanca in Casablanca, Morocco
Dubai Towers Doha in Doha, Qatar
Dubai Towers Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkey
Dubai Towers Dubai in Dubai, UAE
Salam Resort & Spas - A new resort & spa hospitality chain launched by Sama Dubai.
Salam Yiti - in Yiti, Oman. A AED3 billion project consisting of 2.6 million square meter resort with 18-hole golf course, luxury hotel, marina and eco centre.
Salam Bahrain - in Bahrain
The Lagoons - A luxurious real estate development in Dubai's Dubai Creek district with retail, residential and business sections. Featuring an Opera House
Amwaj - Another real estate development in Rabat, Morocco to create a waterfront city in 100 hectares featuring buildings in classical Mediterranean and Moorish architecture.
Century City & Mediterrenean Gate - A huge luxury real estate investment on the Lac du Sud of the Tunisian capital Tunis. This project covers an area of 830 hectares and will comprise the construction of an ultra-modern new city with many skyscrapers, hotels, residential complexes, cultural and leisure complexes, a marina and many shopping malls. As for Tunisia, this will be the most important investment and project in its history. The costs for this project are estimated at $14bn. The construction works have already commenced in August 2007, the completion of the project will take about 15 years. The first phase will be ready by 2012. This new city will be home to up to 500.000 people and will create 130.000 new jobs for young Tunisians.
Much of this portfolio is now thought to be on hold.

Human rights in Dubai

Human rights in Dubai are based on a legal framework that provides for the equitable treatment of people, regardless of race, nationality or social status, per Article 25 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates. However, many of the 250,000 foreign laborers in the city live in conditions described by Human Rights Watch as being "less than human."


[edit] Critical reports
NPR reports that workers "typically live eight to a room, sending home a portion of their salary to their families, whom they don't see for years at a time." The BBC has reported that "local newspapers often carry stories of construction workers allegedly not being paid for months on end. They are not allowed to move jobs and if they leave the country to go home they will almost certainly lose the money they say they are owed." Additionally, most of the workers are forced to give up their passports upon entering Dubai, making it very difficult to return home. In September 2005, the Minister of Labour ordered one company to pay unpaid salaries within 24 hours after workers protested, and published the name of the offending company.
In December 2005, the Indian consulate in Dubai submitted a report to the Government of India detailing labor problems faced by Indian expatriates in the emirate. The report highlighted delayed payment of wages, substitution of employment contracts, premature termination of services and excessive working hours as being some of the challenges faced by Indian workers in the city. On 21 March 2006, workers at the construction site of Burj Dubai, upset over bus timings and working conditions, rioted: damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction tools.
The city's discriminatory legal system and unequal treatment of foreigners has been brought to light by its alleged attempts to cover up information on the rape of Alexandre Robert, a 15 year old French-Swiss national, by three locals, one of whose HIV-positive status was hidden by the authorities for several months and by the recent mass imprisonment of migrant laborers, most of whom were from India, on account of their protests against poor wages and living conditions
The alleged labour injustices in Dubai have attracted the attention of various Human Rights groups, which have tried to persuade the government to become a signatory to two of the International Labour Organization's 7 core conventions, which allows for the formation of labour unions. The Dubai government has denied any kind of labour injustices and has stated that the watchdog's (Human Rights Watch) accusations were misguided . Towards the end of March 2006, the government announced steps to allow construction unions. UAE labour minister Ali al-Kaabi said: "Labourers will be allowed to form unions."
Prostitution, though illegal by law, is conspicuously present in the emirate because of an economy that is largely based on tourism and trade. Research conducted by the American Center for International Policy Studies (AMCIPS) found that women from the former USSR and Ethiopian women are the most common prostitutes, as well as women from some African countries, while Indian prostitutes are part of a well organized trans-Oceanic prostitution network.[13] A 2007 PBS documentary entitled Dubai: Night Secrets reported that prostitution in clubs is tolerated by authorities and many foreign women work there without being coerced, attracted by the money.

edit Zero tolerance drug policy
Drugs found in urine or blood testing count as "possession" under UAE law. BBC DJ Grooverider (real name: Raymond Bingham) was sentenced to four years in prison after a pair of jeans in his luggage was found to contain just over 2 grams of marijuana. The Dubai authorities have been known to stop tourists on layovers the airport and are now using extremely sensitive electronic detection equipment, including urine and blood screening, to search for traces of illegal substances. Keith Brown, a British national and father of three, was arrested on September 17, 2007 after authorities claim to have discovered a speck of cannabis on the bottom of one of his shoes. According to an article in the Daily Mail, the alleged illegal substance was smaller than a grain of sugar - weighing approximately .003 grams. He has also been sentenced to four years in prison. Another UK citizen, Tracy Wilkinson, was arrested and accused of being a "drugs baroness" in 2005 after authorities found codeine in her blood. Wilkinson has a bad back and received an injection of codeine at a Dubai hospital. She ended up spending two months in a cell where she contracted dysentery, head lice and an infestation of fleas before she was eventually released on bail. German television producer Cat Le-Huy was arrested in January 2008 for possessing a bottle of the over-the-counter hormone sleep aid Melatonin. Authorities claimed that some dirt in Mr. Le-Huy's luggage was hashish. A Vancouver resident named Bert Tatham was arrested at Dubai International Airport returning home from Afghanistan (where he was ironically working with farmers to try and convince them not to grow poppies). The anti-narcotics officer was found to have two dead poppy bulbs and a tiny amount of hashish melted into the seams of one of his trouser pockets. After spending more than 10 months in prison, he was eventually pardoned by U.A.E. President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan