Burger King plans big expansion in China

NEW YORK » Burger King is setting its sights on China.

The world’s second-largest hamburger chain says it will open 1,000 restaurants in the country over the next five to seven years. It’s the largest multi-unit development deal in Burger King’s history. There are currently just 63 Burger King restaurants in China. By comparison, McDonald’s Corp. has more than 1,400 restaurants in the country.

Burger King, which has more than 12,500 restaurants worldwide, said Friday its China expansion is a joint venture with the Kurdoglu family, which runs 450 Burger King restaurants in Turkey, and private equity firm Cartesian Capital Group.

Shared $4 million grant will aid diabetics

A partnership between AlohaCare, a nonprofit health plan started in 1994 by Hawaii’s community health centers, and FirstVitals Health and Wellness Inc. of California has been awarded a three-year, $4 million federal grant to combine telemedicine, specialized care coordination and social media to help 600 low-income diabetic people in Hawaii improve their health. The project is also expected to save nearly $5 million in health care costs over the life of the grant.

"This grant will directly enhance the quality of health care for these patients, as well as provide key research for the nation’s health care system about how to use technology and focused care management in a way that works," AlohaCare CEO John McComas said. "It combines high-tech and high-touch technology and personal service to provide better care, better health and lower costs."

The program, entitled "Improving the Health and Care of Low-Income Diabetics at Reduced Costs," will be administered to 600 select AlohaCare QUEST members with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

AlohaCare and FirstVitals will identify eligible patients using AlohaCare’s new care management analytics program called "Guiding Care," which can use claims and other data to identify patients who might benefit most from additional help. The patients who agree to participate will be given new blood-sugar monitors that will wirelessly transmit the results of their daily tests to care coordinators hired specifically for the project.

Hawaii coffee to be featured at DFS Galleria

The only coffee grown in the United States and the farmers who cultivate it will be highlighted in a weeklong event this summer.

Kona Coffee and Tea, Javaloha and Coffees of Hawaii are among the companies participating in the second Art of Hawaiian Coffee event scheduled Aug. 21-26 at DFS Galleria Waikiki.

Visitors will be offered free samplings, children’s activities, an exhibition about Hawaii coffee, a latte art competition, and an attempt at the Guinness record for coffee mosaic art.

The event is free and will be open to the public.

Former Goldman Sachs director convicted

NEW YORK » Rajat K. Gupta, retired head of the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and a former Goldman Sachs board member, was found guilty Friday of conspiracy and securities fraud.

After a monthlong trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, a jury found Gupta guilty of leaking confidential information about Goldman to his former friend and business associate, fallen hedge-fund titan Raj Rajaratnam, on three occasions in 2008. He was also convicted on a conspiracy charge. Gupta was found not guilty of two instances of tipping Rajaratnam.

Gupta’s sentencing is set for Oct. 18. He faces a maximum 25 years’ imprisonment but will likely serve less than that.

18 states saw higher jobless rates in May

WASHINGTON » Unemployment rates rose in 18 states in May, the most in nine months. Increasing unemployment in more than a third of U.S. states is the latest evidence of a weaker job market.

The Labor Department said that unemployment rates fell in 14 states. That’s fewer than the previous month, when rates fell in 37 states. Rates were unchanged in 18 states, including Hawaii, which reported Thursday that its jobless rate was 6.3 percent for the second straight month.

Nationally, the jobless rate rose to 8.2 percent in May from 8.1 percent in April, the first increase in almost a year. Employers added only 69,000 jobs, the fewest in 12 months.

Facebook suggests Nasdaq aided decline

NEW YORK » Facebook is suggesting that trading problems at the Nasdaq Stock Market contributed to a sharp drop in the company’s stock price after its initial public offering.

In laying out a defense against dozens of lawsuits from disgruntled shareholders, Facebook and the banks overseeing the IPO also insist that nothing about its IPO process was illegal or even out of the ordinary.

The defense came in a court filing in which Facebook and the banks, led by Morgan Stanley, are seeking to combine the more than 40 federal and state lawsuits around the country into one federal case in New York.

The highly anticipated IPO was marred by technical glitches that delayed trading when Facebook went public on May 18. Facebook said those glitches at Nasdaq hurt its stock for days. Seven of the lawsuits claim that Nasdaq errors created market uncertainty and caused shareholders to lose money. Nasdaq has admitted there were technical problems.

The bulk of the shareholder lawsuits — 28 — center on Facebook’s May 9 disclosure that the number of mobile users it has was growing faster than revenue. The lawsuits claim that analysts at those banks had discussions with Facebook after May 9 and had lowered their forecasts as a result, but disclosed the changes only to a handful of preferred clients.

ON THE MOVE

» The Hawaii Affiliate of Susan G. Komen has announced that Paula Akana is the 2012 honorary chairwoman for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Akana anchors KITV4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and also produces special reports on a regular basis.

» PBS Hawaii has named Ben Nishimoto to director of business support. He was previously a manager of annual giving at the Hawaiian Humane Society as well as a grants coordinator at EARN, a San Francisco-based microsavings nonprofit.

» Windward Mall has hired:

— Clyde Hirata as an accounting manager. He has been a property management accountant for Resort Management Co., senior accountant for Castle & Cooke Hawaii and senior accountant for Prudential Locations LLC.

— Michael Taniguchi as operations manager. His experience includes project site coordinator for Nextel Partners Hawaii, operations manager at Waikele Premium Outlets and chief building engineer for the Pan Am building.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: