Middle East Travel and Tourism Music and Arts Show in Jordan;s ancient Surroundings. Hashmite kingdom to host major annual festival set in ancient surroundings of spectacular scenery and historical sight Showtime springs into summer with hot new movies in June Dubai, UAE, May 23, 2004 - Showtime is kicking off the first weekend in June with some hot new movie premieres. Viewers will be laughing, crying, falling in love and sitting on the edge of their seats watching an array of films that include Frida, Dark Waters, The Four Feathers, Kiss the Girls, D-TOX, White Oleander and Wakin' Up in Reno. And that's just the first weekend! As well, on Home Cinema don't miss Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle, Underworld, Anger Management and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, voiced by Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer. There's also a special double bill this month featuring Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English and Bean. Why not use the convenience of SMS to order the Home Cinema movie you want to watch? Showtime viewers can have some family fun with favourites such as Atlantis; George of the Jungle; Honey, I Blew Up the Kid; Spy Kids 2, and Eddie's $1M Cook-Off. The MTV Movie Awards, exclusively on MTV and only on Showtime, will be broadcast June 10. Awards presenters include Oscar-winning Halle Berry, Kate Hudson, Scarlett Johannson and Snoop Dogg, with confirmed performances by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, D12 and the Beastie Boys. Find out who viewers have voted for in this star-studded ceremony. Live and exclusive on Showtime Sport, watch the quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals of the Stella Artois Tennis Championship. In the run-up to Wimbledon, the biggest grass tennis tournament of the year, the world's top-seeded players will be fighting it out for the Stella Artois trophy. Don't miss three days of thrilling play from Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13. A brand new season of Xena: Warrior Princess starts on the first of the month. TV's top-rated heroine - a once-frightening outlaw who now travels the countryside trying to right wrongs and make up for her past - returns for her third season and promptly loses her mind! Don't miss the season finale of Strong Medicine on June 20 and be sure to tune in for new episodes of C.S.I. and 24. Don't forget to check out two brand new series on TV Land - Dragnet and La Femme Nikita. RIKAZ SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH POLYSTAR TO MANAGE CITY FANAR DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS DUBAI -19/5/04 Leading Saudi Arabian property development company RIKAZ has appointed Property Development and Management Company, PolyStar Incorporated, to manage its flagship City Fanar project - a unique water front 'Future City' destination, built around a 300,000 square metres manmade lagoon in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. PolyStar Incorporated will take responsibility for project management, services, design and construction co-ordination of phase 1 of the City Fanar's infrastructure. "We are delighted to have PolyStar on board with us for the development and management of the City Fanar Project," said Sheikh Khalid Al Gahtani, President & CEO, RIKAZ developers. "Unlike other projects, resulting from a frenzy driven real estate market, City Fanar presents investors with a reliable opportunity to take part in a project that will influence the future of the region and bring returns on investment. "PolyStar's reputation for successfully managing large scale projects precedes them and we look forward to a long and successful partnership together."PolyStar, which has over 25 years combined experience in the sector through its merger of complimentary partnerships, manages over $US 3 billion worth of construction in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. "PolyStar is committed to developing strategies for managing risks and selecting the appropriate method of financing to ensure we maximise return on investment for City Fanar," said Imad Abulaban, CEO and President, PolyStar Incorporated. "We will bring with us our experience in the management of large and complex projects, including the ability to control budgets, scheduling and facilitation design and construction, all in a successful, cost efficient manner which is beneficial for all parties involved in this landmark project." Located on the Al-Khobar-Dammam Corniche, the 3.4 million square metres City Fanar will provide a mixed use environment, offering world-class residential, commercial and leisure facilities, including an unrivalled blend of shopping, entertainment, dining, waterfront activities and hotels. An important part of the master plan is the Eastern Province's first and longest pedestrian walkway that will connect City Farnar's piazza, a 20 square metre architectural marvel situated in the heart of the commercial area, to the 115,000 square metres main mall - one of the largest in theEastern province. The walkway will also act as a main artery, facilitating movement throughout the city. RIKAZ, a subsidiary of the well-respected HAK Group, is a real estate development company passionately dedicated to the progress of the Saudi Arabian economy. Since its inception, RIKAZ has become the Kingdom's leading developer of urban and industrial projects with a wide network of global partners and associate companies. Established in 1997, in the wake of the rising demand for real estate development, RIKAZ has focused its core activities in the purchase, development, leasing, management, construction and acquisition of, and investment in real estate assets. The company has earned its leading status the in real estate sector with the development, construction and marketing of some of the biggest property development projects in Saudi Arabia, including the Amwaj Resort and Marina Project; Tala Beach Resort; Al Rehab Township; Al Khozama Township; Mecca Towers; Rikaz Industrial Project; Al Khobar Industrial Project; Al Forsan Palaces; Sairafi Mall; Jawaharat Al Huda Residential Project; Jawaharat Al Aziziah Residential Project and Dar Al Marwa Project . Jordan's National Arab Motors (KIA) Boosts Customer Support with CRM Amman, Jordan, 20 May 2004 National Arab Motors, KIA Motors dealer in Jordan today announced that its customers in Jordan will soon be able to have seamless access to any of its service centres in Amman, Wahadat and Al Bayader. The announcement comes after the company decided to install a customer relationship management system that links its service centres together via a virtual private network, allowing KIA engineers and customer support staff to access a centralized database via the Internet. The project, awarded to United Business Applications, an ACCPAC Business Partner & Solutions Provider in Jordan, will be implemented with the newly released ACCPAC CRM 5.5 software. Nihad Zacharia, NAM General Manager said: "With a web based customer relationship management software, our sales, marketing, client care including our service personnel will all have access to customers and potential clients files anytime, anywhere." He continues:"With an expanding client base across Jordan, we need such tools to ensure that KIA clients receive the best customer care available." Hatem Salah, UBA's General Manager said that although CRM applications are relatively new to the market, Jordan's small to medium businesses are being relatively quick in adopting this technology. He comments: "Jordan based businesses understand the value of customer support and satisfaction and are keen to invest in technologies that help them deliver on their promises." He adds: "KIA motors quickly realized the value that CRM technologies bring to its customers and its level of service and support." According to NAM, ACCPAC CRM will deliver customer service, contact management and sales cycle modules. The customer service module in CRM supports service-centered strategies such as preventive maintenance, along with seamless access to existing customers files, and hence the ability to extend service support to any KIA customer visiting any of its showrooms or service centres. "Our customer support staff will receive alerts triggered from specific customer files to signal immediate car maintenance needs relevant to each customer." He continues that the contact management and sales cycle modules in ACCPAC CRM ensure that existing and potential KIA clients receive efficient and timely follow-ups from NAM's marketing and sales staff. The modules also allow NAM to communicate quickly and easily with its clients on any marketing promotions being launched. Marc Van der Ven, regional manager for ACCPAC Middle East, ends: "Despite its recent entry to the Jordanian market, customer relationship management technologies are gaining fast and prominent acceptance among Jordanian businesses. This signals the eagerness of Jordanian businesses to build their competitiveness on customer-centric strategies, a competitive advantage that other and more developed countries are striving to achieve." SEATRADE 2004 TO FEATURE MID EAST'S FIRST COMMODITIES CONFERENCE REGION's COMMODITIES MARKET WORTH US $200 BILLION, SAYS DMCC DIRECTOR DUBAI - 17.05.04 The Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre (DMCC) will hold its first commodities conference during this year's Seatrade Middle East Maritime (SMEM), a leading exhibition and conference for the region's shipping and associated industries. This will include a stand-alone session on the second day of SMEM devoted to a commodities overview, the state of the market, the region's economic outlook, the warehouse receipt system and the impact of freight rates on commodity trading.There will be other sessions addressing dry bulk cargoes, energy demand and tanker transportation. David Rutledge, DMCC's Executive Director, said: "The commodities market in the Middle East is experiencing extremely rapid expansion as a result of the speed of development in the region. "The market is estimated to be worth around $200 billion in the region and it is critical not only for the economy but as an important factor in determining freight rates and the demand for ship transportation. "We are extremely pleased to be associated with Seatrade in bringing the first commodities conference to this prestigious event for the shipping industry." Seatrade, which will feature an industry exhibition and a double-streamed conference focusing on general shipping and the potential of the region's cruise industry, runs from December 6 - 8 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.To date, exhibitors from 13 countries have signed up for the event, which Seatrade Managing Director, Christopher Hayman, says will treble in size this year. "The event remains innovative and is introducing new features like the commodities conference to meet the demands in this industry which is currently going through a period of rapid expansion," said Hayman.Seatrade Middle East Maritime is being held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister. Organizations supporting the event include: Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; the Dubai Shipping Agents Association; the National Association of Freight Logistics UAE Branch; the Indian National Shipowners' Association; the Nautical Institute UAE Branch and the UAE National Ship Suppliers' Association. The event is sponsored by Dubai Maritime City, Dubai Port Authority, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Government of Dubai and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL). Other sponsors include: Aalborg Industries A/S (Dubai branch); the Aqua Group; British Airways; Castrol Marine; Clyde & Co; Dubai Metals & Commodities Centre; HSBC; Instone International; Lloyd's Register; Maritime London; Net Cruises; Norton Rose; Scan-Trans Chartering LLC; Sharaf Shipping Agency LLC and Nico International. Caption: DMCC Executive Director David Rutledge RADISSON SAS RESORT SUPPORTS SPORTING EVENTS IN SHARJAH FOR HUMANITARIAN SERVICES Caption: A marathon performance from the Radisson SAS Resort Sharjah. DUBAI - : 23 May 2004. The 300-room beachside Radisson SAS Resort Sharjah, part of the fast-growing Rezidor SAS Hospitality Group, recently sponsored a month-long campaign of sporting and leisure events for people with special needs. The campaign was staged in conjunction with Humanitarian Services- a voluntary organization supporting the physically & mentally challenged.The campaign featured a popular bowling competition and a marathon, which drew over 200 participants. Guy Chidiac, the hotel's General Manager, said: "Being confined to a wheelchair does not diminish a person's wanderlust or the need to get around. At Radisson SAS we take our responsibility towards the community we serve extremely seriously and events such as these reflect this approach." The hotel, a family resort, is situated on beautiful white sandy beach, within a 20-minute drive from Sharjah or Dubai airports. It is also close to the 'local souks' and Dubai's premier shopping malls.Rezidor SAS Hospitality at present operates 13 properties in the Middle East, including the recently opened Dariush Grand on Iran's Kish Island.