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TMCNet: Corporate News

[November 19, 2009]

Corporate News

Nov 20, 2009 (Arab News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- MOTOR SHOW Automotive sales in Saudi Arabia remain exceptionally strong, buoyed by the country's growing population and a positive economic growth forecast wherein GDP is expected to expand by 2.1 percent. Recent studies have revealed that automotive sales in the Kingdom will reach 880,000 units by 2013, representing a 50 percent increase from 2008 levels, subsequently expanding the business opportunities of related industries such as automotive parts and services. Riyadh Motor Show 2009 and Saudi Autoshop 2009, two of the biggest auto industry events in the Middle East, will be held concurrently from Dec. 12 to 16 at the Riyadh Exhibitions Centre, opening new gateways for regional and international investors to capitalize on the rapidly growing auto market of Saudi Arabia. Automotive sales in Saudi Arabia are expected to reach 610,000 units this year with passenger car sales up 2.4 percent and sales of commercial vehicles increasing by 7.9 per cent, said Kamil Al Jawhari, project manager of Riyadh Motor Show at Riyadh Exhibitions Company.


NOKIA The shipments of the Nokia N900, Nokia's latest mobile computer based on open source Maemo 5 software, have now started. The Nokia N900 will be available in retail stores across the Kingdom end of November. "The Nokia N900 has generated a lot of interest since its public launch in August, which has been reflected in the device preorders," says Jose-Luis Martinez, VP, Nseries, Nokia. "What's exciting is the Maemo software, which takes its cues from the desktop computer and offers a full browsing experience like no other handset. We believe the Nokia N900 will be a very compelling device for people who are passionate about technology." At the heart of the Nokia N900 is its powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor and up to 1GB of total application memory. Users can browse the Internet the way they would on any computer and keep dozens of application windows open simultaneously on the dashboard. The panoramic desktops in the Nokia N900 can be personalized with widgets, contacts and shortcuts.

MODON Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) and Petro Rabigh Company have signed an agreement. Accordingly, MODON will undertake the supervision of Rabigh Industrial City spread over a total area amounting approximately to 2,400,000 square meters, where MODON will oversee the leasing of lands to tenants at incentive rental fee for the establishment of their industrial, commercial, service or residential investments. Tawfig bin Fawzan Alrabiah, director general of MODON, and Ziad Allaban, president, CEO and chairman of the board, signed the deal. Both Saudi Aramco and Rabigh Administrative Services Company are the developers who developed the infrastructure of the city. Both Saudi Aramco and the Japanese Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. have agreed with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to develop the industrial zone located in Rabigh to serve the tenants working in the manufacturing/conversion industries of petrochemical products and other industries.

I.ZONE Alireza Holding Company gave away the prizes at i.zone Tahlia street branch in Jeddah, in the presence of Mishaal Fahd Alireza, i.zone MD, Najib Dagher, COO, Alireza Holding Company, and Eugene Cilliers, national brand manager of Al Ghassan Motors for the big promotion that i.zone and Tokyo games stores had in Ramadan. The raffle draw took place a couple of weeks after Eid Al-Fitr in the presence of Omar Al- Hibshi, a representative from the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where Rasmi Tahan, operation manager of Alireza Holding Company, picked out 16 lucky winners that were awarded prizes. Mohamed Hasan Swefi was awarded the grand prize, which was a Ducati Motorbike. In second place came Mohamed Moustafa Sabri, who was awarded a 13-inch mac book. Third place went to Nayef Moh Kan, who won an Xbox 360 elite. In fourth place came Mohamed Emad Hasheem, who won a video camera from Panasonic. Loei Kaiyat and Samer Hamed Batran won a Nintendo DSI console and iPod touch, respectively. There were 10 other winners who received gift vouchers.

SCTDA/WTM The emirate of Sharjah has concluded its sixth participation at the World Travel Market (WTM) exhibition, which was held in London earlier in November. The emirate's stand attracted much attention among exhibition visitors and participating parties, including managers from top travel and tourism companies, ambassadors, businessmen, celebrities. The 205 square meter stand's distinctive design combined modernism with heritage to reflect the emirate's diverse tourism identity. A variety of promotional publications, such as 'Discover Sharjah', 'Sharjah's Destination', 'Invest in Sharjah', etc., were available at the stand in English. The British media in particular focused their attention on the activities that took place at the Sharjah stand, shedding light on the emirate's tourism attractions. The Sharjah delegation was headed by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), and Saeed Obaid Al Jarwan, SCTDA deputy chairman.

QATAR AIRWAYS Qatar Airways was named World's Leading Airline -- Business Class for the second year running at 16th World Travel Awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London earlier this week. The World Travel Awards aims to encourage excellence, high standards, innovation and quality in every aspect of the customer experience. "With recognition for all elements of Qatar Airways' service in the sky, as well as on the ground -- from the airline's exclusive Premium Terminal in Doha for First and Business Class passengers to its highly rated cabin crew and in-flight entertainment -- Qatar Airways has once again exceeded passengers' expectations," said Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker. "To be named as having once again the best business class in the world at the biggest travel event of the year by the most prestigious industry awards body, proves that Qatar Airways is seen by the travel industry as the preferred airline for frequent corporate travelers -- not only in the Middle East, but worldwide.

NETJETS Aviation Link Saudi Arabia has signed an exclusive contract with NetJets Middle East Program for the management of Aviation Link new Gulfstream 550 -- the first G550 in the Middle East region to be available on a Part 135 certificate for charter. The aircraft will be delivered during the first quarter of 2010. Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, president, National Air Services, and Abdulaziz A. Al-Rowaished, CEO, Aviation Link Saudi Arabia, signed the deal. The arrival of the G550 provides customers of both NetJets Middle East Program and Aviation Link with the ability to fly, non-stop, to the United States. The G550 large cabin, high-speed cruise and the ultra long-range capabilities will redefine and enhance the in-flight experience of our highly demanding customers. "Following considerable research and undertaking extensive market studies, we chose the best aircraft in its category and naturally associated with NetJets Middle East as the best service provider in the region for its operation," said Abdulaziz Al-Rowaished, CEO, Aviation Link Saudi Arabia.

UAE COURTS Dubai Courts has issued an imprisonment ruling against six foreign nationals convicted of engaging in 'parallel imports' -- importing a non-counterfeit (grey) product from another country without the permission of the intellectual property owner. This landmark ruling marks the first-ever imprisonment due to parallel imports in the Middle East. The ruling followed a raid by authorities against a major parallel importer in Dubai, which led to the confiscation of thousands of DVDs containing banned titles. Six persons including the shop manager were arrested, with the manager sentenced to two months in prison, a fine of AED20,000 and deportation. Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, GM, the UAE Ministry of Economy, said: "Our overriding objective is to improve the competitiveness of the UAE market while ensuring that the interests of the intellectual property rights owners are protected. While this landmark court ruling has underlined the UAE's position as the safest business hub in the Middle East, it also reflects the country's stringent stance on piracy." To see more of the Arab News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.arabnews.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Arab News, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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