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ASG FILES ADDITIONAL CHARGES AGAINST POLICE OFFICER

The Attorney General’s office has filed an additional misdemeanor charge against Police officer Iapani Jr Tiumalu who was arrested last week for disturbing the public peace in Fagatogo and Utulei.

The officer, who works for the Patrol Division at the Central Police Station, appeared before District Court Judge Elvis Patea earlier this week. In addition to the Public Peace Disturbance the defendant is now facing escaping from confinement.

Samoa’s re-elected head of state for the second five year term, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, has been sworn in at a ceremony at parliament house.

He was sworn in by the chief justice, Patu Tiava’asu’e Falefatu Sapolu, before members of parliament and hundreds of invited guests, families, friends and well-wishers.

In his address, Tui Atua thanked the prime minister and the ruling HRPP party as well as the opposition for the unanimous nomination of himself in a motion put forward in parliament last week.

The US Geological Survey says a strong 6-point-5 magnitude earthquake hit Solomon Islands.

The tremor late on Wednesday, which was just 22 kilometres deep, had its epicentre on the south coast of the island of Guadalcanal, 39 kilometres southwest of the capital Honiara.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an information statement saying, based on all available data a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected.

In 2007 a tsunami following an 8.1-magnitude earthquake killed at least 52 people in the Solomons and left thousands homeless.

Former Member of Parliament for A’ana Aofi No 2, Amiatu Sauvao Sio Va’auli, has passed away. He was 66.

Amiatu died of cancer at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Moto’otua, on Thursday.

His death was confirmed by his widow, Seiafi Va’auli. “He was one of a kind, one in a million,” Mrs Va’auli said about her late husband.

“It’s hard to come to terms with what has happened and the realization that he’s actually gone.” Mrs Va’auli said Amiatu was only ill “a few days ago.” “Me and my family are devastated. It was so sudden, but I prefer that he’s now resting from the pain.”

Two National Park Employees, one Coral Reef Advisory Group CRAG employee and two interns with CRAG were in a National Park boat that capsized near Fatu ma Futi yesterday morning. According to ASPA employees who were in the area, the boat was too close to the where the wave breaks and that’s why the boat capsized.

Samoa News arrived at Fatu ma Futi while the two female interns were swimming to shore, and the other three men were still in the water collecting their equipment that was scattered in the water.

Food security and the availability of locally grown produce will be the focus of this week’s Farm Fair hosted by the Department of Agriculture with support from the local business community, including the Chamber of Commerce and the American Samoa Power Authority.

Registration for the fair begins today at 12noon, and ends at 6 p.m. at the Fagatogo Market Place, which is the home of tomorrow’s Fair.

Currently a highly specialized training is being conducted on island which aims to put  storm  water management in a Pacific context. Conducted by the Horsley Whitten Group from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, it is being done in collaboration with the Center for Watershed Protection.

 Government and private sector engineers as well as members of the community are participating.

Samoa News spoke with Anne Kitchell, who is here to conduct the training for the Horsley Whitten Group.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Apple Inc. released its new operating system for Mac computers on Wednesday, with features borrowed from mobile devices and a tighter integration with online file storage.

Dubbed Mountain Lion, the new software narrows the gap between the PC and phone software packages, making Mac personal computers work more like iPhones and iPads.

It's similar to what Microsoft Corp. is doing with its forthcoming Windows 8 system. That system, to be released Oct. 26, will bring the look and user interface of Windows Phone to PCs.

NEW YORK (AP) -- In 1976, as a 24-year-old grad student, Samira Beckwith was diagnosed with the thing people still whispered about: cancer.

She was in and out of the hospital, had five surgeries and endured round after round of chemotherapy and radiation as she battled Hodgkin's lymphoma. Beyond a few professors and close friends, she didn't routinely tell people of her bleak diagnosis as she focused on staying alive.

E ui o lea ua sauni le to’atele o le aufai faatoaga mo le latou faaaliga tele (Farm Fair) i le taeao nei ma le aso a taeao, peitai ua i ai nisi ua faaalia lo latou faanoanoa ona o le leai o ni faailoga tupe ua tapena i ai le Ofisa o Faatoaga mo i latou, sei vagana ai mea faigaluega ia ua faamoemoe e fai ma faailoga o lenei faamoemoe tele.