Shonal Chand (second from left), 16, has dropped out of school to sell fruit six days a week. Photo: Shailendra Singh/IPS

Pacific Scoop:
By Shailendra Singh in Suva

Shonal Chand, 16, has ditched school to work full time to assist his financially struggling family. He sells pineapples, watermelons and other local seasonal fruit by the roadside six days a week.

Today he runs a stall at Laucala Beach Estate, a busy hub about 12 kilometres from the capital of Suva.

Chatting away while expertly skinning and slicing succulent pineapples with a dangerously sharp-looking knife, Chand said he has been doing this work since he was 14. Read more »

Co-editors Shailendra Singh (left) and Professor Biman Prasad at the media book launch. Photo: Sophie Ralulu/Fiji Sun

Pacific.Scoop
By Pacific Media Centre newsdesk

A leading Fiji economist has called on the military backed regime to lift the tough censorship curbs on news media or risk growing corruption and a major financial institution collapse.

Professor Biman Prasad of the University of the South Pacific directed his appeal to the Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, saying while many people appreciated and understood his desire to create a “new Fiji”, his efforts would be thwarted without a free media.
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Pacific.Scoop
By Pacific Media Watch

Fiji Islanders have a “palpable dissatisfaction” with media standards but this is overridden by a public desire to have a free press, says a new book about Fiji journalism and democracy.

The book calls for more self-reflective scrutiny of the media and its role in the nation’s development.
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Professor Biman Prasad ... speech to Fiji's business leaders. Photo: USP

Pacific.Scoop
Opinion – By Biman Prasad in Suva

The global economic crisis has affected most countries and in most regions.

While the making of this crisis can be blamed on the practices of large companies and banks in developed economics, developing countries are also affected, some more than the others.
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