I think there is a view here, that the kingdom and its people are so alien, it's almost as if we come from another planet, with our customs and traditions and religion and our practices. So part of this exercise is to make people here aware that we are as human as they are. The eighth son of the late King Faisal was appointed ambassador to the UK 18 months ago. In the opulent surroundings of the Saudi embassy in Mayfair, he now laments the "distorted" and "ignorant" perceptions he believes we in Britain have of the kingdom.So he wants to change these misconceptions. And in a few weeks, Syon Park, the 200-acre estate of the Duke of Northumberland south-west of London, will provide the setting for a festival called Arabian Days - A Summer Celebration.Would it have been wiser to call off the festival in light of recent events? "Absolutely not," Prince Turki al Faisal says emphatically. Could this be the world's most ill-timed, if not ill-advised, public relations exercise? Even as Westerners in Saudi Arabia pack up and flee their compounds, terrorised by a spate of attacks including the murder of a BBC cameraman in a Riyadh street, and the beheading of an American businessman, the House of Saud wants to promote the jewels of its art, culture, dance and archaeology to the British people. They have recovered to 16.75p, their best level in two years, after the stock market rebound for technology shares lifted the value of its quoted investments.Alberto Vilar, the multimillionaire Royal Opera House donor, and Mike Sandifer, launching their charm offensive this week, are set now to talk up the prospects for Amerindo's diverse portfolio of unquoted technology investments.

Everypath, a software company enabling more computer applications to be used on handheld devices, and Force 10 Networks, a telecoms switches business, top the list of exciting US investments which could float this year.Mr Sandifer said: "The real anomaly is that the publics have done so very well, up maybe 200 per cent since the bottom of the market, but valuations for funding rounds on the private side do not yet reflect that uplift."If valuations in the private sector follow the historical pattern of catching up with the public markets, and if the imminent Google flotation enables a flurry of further tech sector flotations, then Amerindo looks set to recover a lot of lost ground. But first its managers need to ensure that there are not so many investors wanting to cash out that it has to sell more than ­ but they would consider taking it over London Asia said no thanks.. The managers are hoping to persuade enough people to stay on that the trust can continue as a viable vehicle. Millennium Partners, the aggressive New York hedge fund, launched its revolt after Amerindo shares collapsed from their April 2000 float price of 100p, hitting a low of 7.75p. The managers of the Amerindo internet fund fly into the UK this week in their latest attempt to prevent the dot era investment trust being wound up.Amerindo narrowly fought off one such attempt in April by a hedge fund which has snapped up 29 per cent of the shares, but its future is again in the balance as it gives investors the opportunity to cash out of the fund. It fears Matalan will face growing competition, particularly from supermarkets, which will put off any potential buyer. As will the group's tiny freehold estate, which stands at just £4m, Arbuthnot says.Results: Full year ­ Birse Group; Debt Free Direct; Inter Link Foods Planit Holdings Interims ­ Kensington Group Trading statements ­ Matalan.Friday: Results ­ None..

Trading statements ­ Urbium; Game Group.Thursday: Investors can expect a first-quarter trading update from Matalan and brokers expect it to be a positive affair. Arbuthnot Securities is expecting the discount retailer to boast like-for-like sales growth of about 4 per cent but warnsthat this is already factored into the share price. Long-term, it views Matalan as an unattractive proposition and warns that those expecting a bid for the group at its current valuation will be disappointed. Reg Vardy shares enjoy a healthy premium to the rest of the sector and this is likely to continue as long as it is viewed as a major industry consolidator.

Results: Full year ­ Bespak; DTZ Holdings; Kleeneze; Reg Vardy Interims ­ Low Bonar. Numis estimates that every 1 per cent fall in like-for-like sales in the second half could cost Game more than £1m at the pre-tax profits level. Going forward, the company will face growing competition, the broker argues. A week ago HMV said it aims to grow market share in games software in the run-up to Christmas, and Woolworths, Tesco and other non-specialists in this field appear to be making similar moves. Full-year results from Reg Vardy, the car dealer, should show that the group continues to grow its profits at a healthy rate. Brokers tip pre-tax profits for the year to jump to about £40m, up from £35m a year ago.