Fiji,officially the Republic of Fiji,is an island country in Melanesia,part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,100 nautical miles north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets,amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres (7,100 sq mi). The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population of 924,610 live on the two major islands,Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts:either in the capital city of Suva;or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi—where tourism is the major local industry;or in Lautoka,where the sugar-cane industry is dominant. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between countries and territories of Oceania,including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF),and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum",so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries,including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst party,which he founded in 2014,he began his career as an officer in the Fijian navy and commander of the Fijian military. He has been serving as the opposition leader since 24 December 2022.
Alexander Mattheus Michel is an American businessman,producer,and television personality. He was The Bachelor during its premiere season on ABC in 2002.
Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi is a Fijian former rugby union football player and coach,and is a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Serevi is renowned for his achievements in rugby sevens,while also enjoying a long career in fifteen-a-side rugby at both club and national team levels. Nicknamed "The Wizard" by commentators,he is widely considered to be the greatest rugby sevens player in the history of the game. A biography of Serevi titled Waisale Serevi:King of Sevens by Nick Darvenzi was published in 2018.
William Henry Vanderbilt III was Governor of Rhode Island and a member of the wealthy and socially prominent Vanderbilt family.
Charles Robert Schwab Sr. is an American investor and financial executive. He is the founder and chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation. He pioneered discount sales of equity securities starting in 1975. His company became by far the largest discount securities dealer in the United States. He semi-retired from the company in 2008 when he stepped down as CEO,but he remains chairman and is the largest shareholder to this day.
Michael Joseph Madigan is an American politician who is the former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. He was the longest-serving leader of any state or federal legislative body in the history of the United States,having held the position for all but two years from 1983 to 2021. He served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He represented the 27th District from 1971 to 1983,the 30th district from 1983 to 1993,and the 22nd district from 1993 to 2021. This made him the body's longest-serving member and the only remaining legislator to have been elected before the Cutback Amendment.
John P. Daley is the 11th Ward Democratic Committeeman in Chicago,Illinois,a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners,and the Chair of the Cook County Board Audit and Finance Committee. He has previously served in both the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives,as well as being employed as a school teacher. He is the son of former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and brother of former Mayor Richard M. Daley,as well as William M. Daley,former White House Chief of Staff under President Obama and United States Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton. Unlike his brothers,he continues to live in the neighborhood the family was raised in.
Jiko Fatafehi Luveni was a Fijian politician and Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji. She was a member of the FijiFirst party before resigning her party membership in order to take up the position of Speaker. This was because the Fijian Speaker is not a Member of Parliament and cannot be a member of a political party pursuant to section 77(1)(a) and section 77(7)(b)(ii) of the Fijian Constitution.
Nelson Peltz is an American billionaire businessman and investor. He is a founding partner,together with Peter W. May and Edward P. Garden,of Trian Fund Management,an alternative investment management fund based in New York. He is non-executive chairman of Wendy's Company,Sysco,and The Madison Square Garden Company. He is a former director of H.J. Heinz Company,Mondelēz International,and Ingersoll Rand and a former CEO of Triangle Industries.
Don Michael Crites is an American politician and member of the Republican Party and former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. He was a candidate for Ohio Attorney General in 2008. He currently resides in Powell,Ohio.
Joseph "Joe" Berrios is a Democratic politician who was the Assessor and Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party of Cook County,Illinois,as well as a registered Illinois state government lobbyist. He was the first Hispanic American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly and the first and only Hispanic American to chair the Cook County Democratic Party. He was also a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review,a property tax assessment appeal panel.
The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is a Fijian political party. The party was formed in January 2013 after the dissolution of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua. The party currently has no party leader.
Captain Cook Cruises is an Australian cruise operator. As of January 2018,the company operated 21 vessels on Sydney Harbour,providing a range of Government contracted and non-contracted Ferry services,Sightseeing,Dining and Charter Cruises.
Colonel Timoci Lesikivatukoula Natuva is a former Fijian politician and Member of the Parliament of Fiji. He has previously served as Minister for Immigration,National Security and Defence.
Dr. Mahendra Reddy is a Fijian politician and Member of the Parliament of Fiji. He served as the Minister for Agriculture,Waterways and Environment from 2017 to 2022.
Trevor Haworth was an Australian entrepreneur who co-founded,with his wife Geraldine,Captain Cook Cruises in Australia in 1970 and was instrumental in developing the tourism industry in Australia. Born in England,Haworth immigrated to Australia in 1954.
Alexander Nuttall is a Canadian politician who is the current Mayor of Barrie. He served on Barrie City Council from 2006 until 2014,and as the Member of Parliament for the federal electoral district of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte from 2015 to 2019. He has two children and is employed as the Vice President of sales,marketing and customer service for the telecommunications company,North Frontenac Telephone Company (NFTC). Nuttall won the 2022 Barrie municipal election and he is now serving as Barrie's 47th mayor.
