News stories by Joan Erakit

NEW YORK, May 24 (IPS) - On a busy Friday afternoon, the number 1 subway train heading north through Manhattan's Westside comes out of a dark tunnel --and if one takes a minute to release oneself from communication devices—one can catch sight of the approaching 125th street in the distance, the crosswalk buzzing with yellow cabs.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 04 (IPS) - The Programme of Action adopted at the landmark 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) included chapters that defined concrete actions covering some 44 dimensions of population and development, including the need to provide for women and girls during times of conflict, the urgency of investments in young people's capabilities, and the importance of women's political participation and representation.

BANDE, Niger, Sep 11 (IPS) - It is a long, 14-hour drive from Niger's capital city Niamey to the village of Bande. And the ride is a dreary one as the roadside is bare. The occasional, lone goat herder is spotted every few kilometres and the sightings become a cause of both confusion and excitement since there aren't any trees, or watering holes in sight.

MATTRU JONG, Sierra Leone, Aug 26 (IPS) - Emmanuel is a male midwife.

At the age of 26, he lives and works on one of eight islands off the southwest peninsular of Sierra Leone, an hour by speedboat from Mattru Jong, the capital of Bonthe District.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 29 (IPS) - As violence rips through South Sudan and ongoing conflict plagues the Central African Republic and Syria, developing countries stand at a difficult crossroads – struggling to grow economically and politically, yet fielding deep inequalities within their own borders.

NEW YORK, Sep 30 (IPS) - One of the fastest-growing Asian immigrant groups in the United States, Filipinos are perceived as the most likely to assimilate with ease.  That is, of course, if you're looking from the outside in.

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 18 (IPS) - Bridging the gap between Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance has been a top priority for the African Union (AU).

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 (IPS) - On Thursday, the international community recognises World Population Day, a time of assessment, discussion and projections for the future that necessarily gives great weight to the rights of women and girls and particularly their sexual and reproductive health.

UNITED NATIONS, May 09 (IPS) - The Maasai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania has long been a beacon of traditional culture to many Africans - and for Westerners on safari through Maasai Mara, Samburu or Amboseli, a familiar face.

UNITED NATIONS, May 08 (IPS) - The story goes like this: a young mother lies quietly in a dimly lit room having just given birth to her baby. For the next seven days she watches over the child with caution, nursing and swaddling it patiently. Fearful that the infant will not survive past a few days, she refuses to give it a name.