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[ HAWAII INC. ]

New jobs

>> MW Group Ltd. has hired Bradley M. Wilson as construction manager. He previously worked in Sydney, Australia, for more than seven years, managing projects in the commercial and retail sectors. MW Group develops and manages properties in Hawaii.

>> KMH LLP, formerly known as Karns Murakami & Hanashiro LLP, has hired Stuart Leong as manager of its solutions division. His background is in operational planning, policy and budget formation and program management, most recently as program evaluation analyst for the state Department of Transportation. KMH LLP acquired the Arthur Andersen Honolulu practice in August 2002.

>> David Soong has been named assistant manager of the real estate investments department of Pacific Guardian Life. He handles all aspects of commercial mortgage loan underwriting and servicing. Soong has more than 10 years of commercial real estate and banking experience.

>> Hawaii Public Radio has hired Al Hulsen as local host for "All Things Considered." He will include his "Pacific Island News" and "The Asia Report" in local news during that program. Hulsen is a past general manager of HPR and a founder of National Public Radio. Also at HPR, Noe Tanigawa, who has been reporting on the state legislative session, has been named arts and culture reporter. Tanigawa has served as news director and news anchor at KINE and KCCN.

Promotions

>> CB Richard Ellis Hawaii Inc. has promoted C. Kalani Schrader to senior vice president of the office properties division, where he is responsible for designing and implementing specific marketing and leasing programs for office building owners. He has 14 years of experience at CBRE Hawaii. James C. Shipman has been promoted to senior vice president of corporate advisory services in the office properties division. His primary responsibility is managing the CB Richard Ellis corporate advisory team. Shipman joined the company in 1989. And Ash Tawfik has been promoted to senior associate of the retail properties division. He is responsible for the sales and leasing of various retail properties in the Honolulu area. Tawfik joined the firm in 2000.

>> Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort has promoted Jeff Tyler from banquet manager to restaurant and banquet services director and hired Courtney Hajkus as associate event manager. Tyler's primary responsibilities are to oversee the hotel's restaurants, room service, lounge and banquet operations. Hajkus will coordinate and manage all aspects of catered events for group functions and meetings at the resort. She was most recently a Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel catering administrative assistant in California.

Recognition

>> The American Judicature Society has honored Hawaii attorney Lawrence Okinaga with its 2003 Justice Award. Okinaga is a partner at Carlsmith Ball. He has been chairman of the state Judicial Selection Commission, organized the 1989 and 1993 Citizens Conference on Judicial Selection, and guided the Hawaii Judicial Foresight Conference. The Justice Award recognizes a lifetime of dedication to the improvement of justice administration nationwide. It is the society's highest distinction

>> The Rotary Club of Kapolei has named Grace Pacific Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Wilkinson Employer of the Year. The asphalt-paving contractor was recognized for supporting its employees and the communities in which they live. Grace Pacific has 300 workers throughout the state.

>> Sonitrol of Hawaii Inc. Vice President of Administration Lisa Hamada has been named the Top Sonitrol Administrative Person in the nation. The award recognizes her facilitation skills in the daily operations of the franchise and contributions to the community through the Hawaii Joint Police Association and the Honolulu Police Department. She was given an all-expenses paid trip to the annual Sonitrol Convention at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Palm Springs, Fla., and a $500 gift certificate. Sonitrol is an international company providing integrated security alarm services.

>> Allyson Stebbins, a realtor associate at Caron B Realty, has received her Graduate Realtor Institute designation. She completed 90 hours of training in pursuit of the award.

>> Chelsey Kobatake has earned her Hawaii real estate license and is a new member of the Honolulu Board of Realtors. She will be working with Kobatake, Clyde Realty, where she has been a marketing and public relations consultant for the past seven months.

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New Zealand annual trade gap widens

Wellington, New Zealand >> New Zealand's annual trade gap was the widest in about 2 1/2 years last month because a 26 percent gain by the local dollar and weaker world markets crimped exports.

The merchandise trade deficit was NZ$1.85 billion ($1.03 billion) in the 12 months to March, Statistics New Zealand said. That's wider than NZ$1.7 billion in the year to February and the biggest annual gap since November 2000. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News expected a NZ$2.04 billion gap.

Japan's industrial production falls 0.2%

Tokyo >> Japan's industrial production fell unexpectedly in March as the war in Iraq curbed demand for exports. Manufacturers said they are concerned a deadly virus in Asia will further hurt orders.

Industrial production fell a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent from February, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. That compares with a 1.5 percent median gain forecast by 28 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Inventories fell 0.7 percent in March to a record.

With domestic growth slowing, manufacturers have been looking to China and other Asian nations, which buy two-fifths of Japan's exports, as a source of new orders. Their strategy may be thwarted by SARS.

French unemployment at 31-month high

Paris >> France's unemployment rate rose to a 31-month high in March as companies such as Alcatel SA, the world's largest maker of broadband equipment, sought to cut costs.

The number of jobseekers climbed by 16,000 from February to 2.505 million, the Labor Ministry said. Economists had expected an increase of 17,500. The jobless rate was 9.3 percent, up from 9.2 percent in February.

German retail sales fall on unemployment

Wiesbaden, Germany >> German retail sales fell the most in 3 1/2 years in March as rising unemployment and the Iraq war damped spending in Europe's largest economy.

Sales fell 3 percent from February, the biggest decline since September 1999, the Federal Statistics Office said. Analysts had expected a drop of 0.7 percent. From a year ago, retail sales dropped 4 percent.

S. Korean overseas investments fall

Seoul >> Overseas investment by South Korean companies shrank by more than a tenth in the first three months of this year because of the global economic slowdown, a government report showed.

Direct investment by Korean companies fell 11.1 percent to $960 million in the first quarter, the Finance and Economy Ministry said. While the total amount invested overseas fell, the number of individual investments grew 3.9 percent from a year earlier.

Still, Korean investments in China, Asia's fastest-growing economy, rose 67.9 percent to $470 million. That may slow in coming months after a deadly virus crimps demand in China.