DUBAI, UAE-Two companies from South Africa and one from Kuwait sign an agreement to develop billion dollar resorts in Dubai, Zanzibar and South Africa.

MEMPHIS, TN-The Paris-based manufacturer and distributor of DVDs, CDs and videocassettes adds a $50-million facility to its North American distribution center here, bringing its total presence to 10 buildings and 4.3 million sf.

SEATTLE-Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center leases space on second, fourth and fifth floors of the 165,000-sf building, which was acquired last year by publicly traded Alexandria Real Estate Equities for $34.7 million.

BEAVERTON, OR-The developer of shared data clustering software for Linux- and Microsoft Windows-based data centers signs on for another two years at its 25,000-sf space at the Birtcher-owned business park.

SEATTLE-Overall vacancy in the Puget Sound region ticked up slightly in the first quarter, but vacancy Downtown fell four-tenths of a percent thanks to a promising spike in positive net absorption, according to an early tally by the local office of CB Richard Ellis.

SAN JUAN, PR-Garfield Traub Development of Texas and the locally based Interlink Group will develop a 500-room Headquarters Hotel on government-owned land here as part of a $1.3-billion convention center project.

SEATTLE-After an eight-month hiatus, the former general manager of Dragonfish, Wasabi Bistro and Hiram's at the Locks gets back into the business by purchasing a well-reviewed Madrona-neighborhood establishment that first opened in February 2001.

LONDON-Prudential Real Estate Investors agrees to a management-led buyout of its London-based fund manager Pricoa Property Investment Management Ltd. A Q2 close is expected.