Cheesecake Factory to reopen after fire

The Cheesecake Factory at Royal Hawaiian Center will reopen Monday after a three-week closure due to a kitchen fire.

It will resume regular business hours at 11 a.m. with a grand reopening that will be preceded by a traditional Hawaiian blessing of the restaurant. The Cheesecake Factory has continued to pay its staff their regular wages throughout the closure.

The restaurant praised the efforts of the Hono­lulu Fire Department for quickly extinguishing the fire. Damage to the kitchen, exhaust ducts and neighboring businesses was estimated at $2.5 million, a Fire Department spokes­man said.

Some Tesoro gas might be contaminated

Tesoro Hawaii said it has been alerted to a possible contamination of the premium 92 octane gasoline sold at its Hale­iwa station.

"We are aware that some customers’ vehicles have been impacted by this fuel and we are committed to addressing this issue," Tesoro said in a statement Friday. "As a precaution, our store operators shut down the premium and mid-grade gasoline pumps at that station. We believe this is an isolated incident, but a full investigation is under way to determine the exact cause."

Tesoro said all fuel manufactured at its Kapolei refinery undergoes rigorous testing before being distributed.

"We have received no reports of fuel issues at our other retail gasoline locations in the state," Tesoro said.

Tesoro is asking customers whose vehicles have been affected by this incident to call 877-876-5383 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

HTA taps foundation to manage programs

The Hawaii Tourism Authority has selected the Hawaii Community Foundation to manage its Product Enrichment Program’s Community-Based Natural Resources and Kukulu Ola: Living Hawaiian Culture programs.

HCF will be responsible for managing the two grant programs, helping to publicize grant opportunities to the broader community, and assisting with strategic planning to ensure the programs continue to benefit local communities.

Eurozone economy forecast to shrink again

BRUSSELS » The European Union predicted Friday that the economy of the 17 member countries that use the euro will shrink again in 2013 even though it will see its fortunes improve in the second half of the year.

The EU Commission said the eurozone is likely to shrink a further 0.3 percent this year, in contrast to November’s prediction of 0.1 percent growth. The debt crisis and the associated belt-tightening are weighing on activity — official figures showed the eurozone contracted 0.6 percent in the final quarter of 2012 from the previous three-month period. The eurozone has been in recession since the second quarter of 2012.

FDA OKs new targeted breast cancer drug

WASHINGTON » The Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-of-a-kind breast cancer medication that targets tumor cells while sparing healthy ones.

The drug Kadcyla from Roche combines the established drug Herceptin with a powerful chemotherapy drug and a third chemical linking the medicines together. The chemical keeps the cocktail intact until it binds to a cancer cell, delivering a potent dose of anti-tumor poison.

Cancer researchers say the drug is an important step forward because it delivers more medication while reducing the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy.

Foreigners get mobile Internet in N. Korea

PYONGYANG, North Korea » North Korea will soon allow foreigners to tweet, Skype and surf the Internet from their cellphones, iPads and other mobile devices in its second relaxation of controls on communications in recent weeks. However, North Korean citizens will not have access to the mobile Internet service to be offered by provider Koryolink within the next week.

The announcement comes just weeks after North Korea began allowing foreigners to bring their own cellphones into the country to use with Koryolink SIM cards, reversing a long-standing rule requiring most visitors to relinquish their phones at customs and leaving many without easy means of communication with the outside world.

Squished Singapore seeks room to grow

SINGAPORE » Already one of the most densely populated countries in the world, tiny, land-scarce Singapore is projecting its population to swell by a third over the next two decades.

To accommodate the influx, its planners envision expanding upward, outward and below ground.

The population target of 6.9 million people, an increase of 1.3 million from the present, is contentious in a country where rapid immigration has already strained services such as public transport and contributed to surging home prices and a widening wealth gap.

It sparked a rare protest last week, with some 3,000 people gathering in a park that’s the only approved area for demonstrations.

Singaporeans, whose forebears mostly hailed from southern China, fear their falling birthrates combined with the relentless immigration will reduce them to a minority in their own country.

Adding a new dimension to their complaints is the idea that planners want underground living to leap off their drawing boards and become a solution to overcrowding.

On the Move

Big Island Biodiesel has announced John G. Griffith as plant operations manager for the biodiesel processing facility in Keaau, Hawaii. He has 18 years’ experience in plant operations and managerial work.

Punahou Fitness Center has announced TJ Ahloo as its general manager. His responsibilities include being responsible for new member sales as well as improving employee and client satisfaction. Ahloo was previously a personal trainer at Max Fitness Hawaii.

The Public Health Fund of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii has awarded $10,000 to Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health. The grant will be used to support its Master Facilities Plan to address the physical plant life cycle and its capital improvement goals, which will cover a five-year time frame. Every year, Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health helps provide treatment and specialized care for 1,200 to 1,500 children, adolescent and adults who become patients of the psychiatric hospital. Individuals may be admitted due to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, psychotic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.