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Republican Frank Blas, Jr. to challenge Bordallo

By Brett Kelman HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Jan. 5, 2012) - Sen. Frank Blas Jr. confirmed yesterday that he will run for Guam delegate in November, making him the first Republican to run for Guam's lone congressional seat in years.

Blas Jr., who is the minority leader of the Guam Legislature, said he planned an official announcement for February but confirmed his campaign intentions when he was interviewed yesterday.

Blas Jr. will campaign against Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo, who is serving her fifth term after running unopposed in 2010. Blas Jr. may also have to campaign against former Democratic Gov. Carl Gutierrez, who has said he is seriously considering a bid for delegate.

Gutierrez was narrowly defeated in the gubernatorial election last year, but he returned to political prominence in December when he was elected Democratic Party chairman.

Since Gutierrez and Bordallo are both...

Invited both countries to establish diplomatic relations

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Jan. 4, 2012) – Samoa’s prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has revealed that Samoa invited both China and Taiwan at the same time to establish diplomatic relations and then waited to see which country was first to take the opportunity.

Tuilaepa has told the Samoa Observer newspaper when other countries were looking down on China, Samoa’s then Prime Minister Tupua Tamasese Lealofi invited the Chinese to build an embassy in Apia.

The PM says China was the first to react and opened an embassy in Vailima while Taiwan never bothered.

Tuilaepa said China can never forget how Samoa helped at the time, and that it is why it will always help, such as in 2005, when it forgave a multi-million dollar debt.

According to Tuilaepa, Samoa is asking China for help to construct buildings and for sports because other donors cannot fund these...

Gold Ridge employees not notified of stop work action

By Douglas Marau HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, Jan. 4, 2012) – In the Solomons, there was confusion amongst employees at the Gold Ridge Mining Limited (GRML) yesterday following the strike action taken by local workers.

The Solomon Star visited the Gold Ridge Mining site yesterday morning and spoke with several workers who claimed that they were confused as to who authorized the strike.

GRML Liaison officer, Ruth Liloqula told the Solomon Star yesterday that some workers were confused and were not informed of the strike.

"Some of us were not informed until today (yesterday)," she said.

This she said has caused confusion amongst workers with most turning up for work whilst others did not.

But whilst at the site, the Solomon Star witnessed disgruntled workers gathering in numbers on site shouting and voicing out their disagreements....

Feature

SAMOA’S LONG STANDING PM DECLARED ‘PERSON OF THE DECADE’

By Savea Sano Malifa and Mata’afa Keni Lesa APIA, Samoa (Samoa Observer, Jan. 3, 2012) - One thing you have to understand right from the start about Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi is that he believes he’s always right, never wrong. So that as far as he’s concerned anyone who questions him is either insanely wrong or an unforgivable idiot.

He feels this way because he believes he is chosen to do anything he thinks is right to move Samoa forward economically, never mind what anyone else thinks.

And that’s Tuilaepa, 66, Lepa-born and raised, happily married to Gillian Meredith, sired eight children, 12 grandchildren, devoutly religious, sometimes obnoxiously arrogant. However, deep down he’s alright. Below the tough veneer is a great, resourceful man.

Which follows that if today he wants to pass a law to change the way God thinks, that law will be passed without...