Fiji

SUVA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Pacific Collective on Nuclear Issues has denounced once again the dumping of radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear powerplant into the Pacific Ocean, calling on Pacific leaders to suspend Japan's status as a Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) dialogue partner.

The Collective, composed of civil society groups, non-governmental organizations and movements in the Pacific, issued a statement this week, during which the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting was held in the Cook Islands.

SUVA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19 Fijian students were awarded the 2023 Chinese Government Scholarship on Tuesday by the Chinese Embassy in Fiji.

Of the recipients, three have been admitted in PhD program, three in Master's program and 13 in Bachelor's program, covering a wide range of domains, including clinical medicine, physical training, international finance, software engineering, and civil engineering.

SUVA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Civil society organizations in Fiji are urging Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to reevaluate his position regarding Japan's planned discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Rabuka recently expressed contentment with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s report on Japan's radioactive wastewater discharge plan, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday.

SUVA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A scholar on Tuesday slammed Japan's planned discharge of radioactive wastewater from its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

"The contamination will affect the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty areas as well when it eventually flows there," said Kalinga Seneviratne, a visiting lecturer at the University of the South Pacific, in an interview with Xinhua in Suva, capital of Fiji.

"Also, since fish stocks are migratory, contaminated fish could be caught within the treaty area," Seneviratne added.

SUVA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on Friday reaffirmed the importance of science and data to guide Japan's decision on the discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater.

"On the matter of the planned release by the government of Japan on the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water, forum leaders reaffirmed the importance of science and data to guide political decisions on the proposed discharge," outgoing PIF Chair and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said after the conclusion of the PIF special leaders' meeting.

SUVA, Feb 1 (NNN-XINHUA) – A submarine volcano erupted today, in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, which is in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

According to Radio New Zealand today, the active underwater volcano, which is six km east of Vanuatu’s Epi island, started to erupt this morning, shooting plumes of ash into the sky.

SUVA, Dec 24 (NNN-PIN) – Sitiveni Rabuka, leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) party, was elected prime minister of Fiji’s new coalition government, for the next four years, after the first sitting of parliament here today.

According to the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, the 74-year-old Rabuka received 28 votes, while the FijiFirst party (FFP) leader, Voreqe Bainimarama, gained 27 votes.

Meanwhile, Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has been elected the new speaker of parliament.

SUVA, Aug 16 (NNN-PIN) – Fiji is expected to receive at least 500,000 foreign tourists this year, said a Fijian official today.

The figures on tourism are looking comfortable, and half a million tourists are expected to visit the island nation this year, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Tourism, Shaheen Ali, was quoted as saying by the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC).

SUVA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on Thursday launched the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent (2050 Strategy), which sets the vision and direction for the region and provides a framework for all development partners to align their cooperation with the island countries.

SUVA, Fiji (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris assured Pacific island leaders of more U.S. engagement after acknowledging Wednesday the United States may not have previously provided the diplomatic attention the region deserved.

Harris’ virtual address to the Pacific Islands Forum, meeting in the Fijian capital Suva, comes as China vies for more influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

She proposed new embassies in Tonga and in Kiribati, a Micronesian state that split this week from the 18-nation forum in a major blow to regional harmony.