Alice Fordham
Alice Fordham is an NPR International Correspondent based in Beirut, Lebanon.
In this role, she reports on Lebanon, Syria and many of the countries throughout the Middle East.
Before joining NPR in 2014, Fordham covered the Middle East for five years, reporting for The Washington Post, the Economist, The Times and other publications. She has worked in wars and political turmoil but also amid beauty, resilience and fun.
In 2011, Fordham was a Stern Fellow at the Washington Post. That same year she won the Next Century Foundation's Breakaway award, in part for an investigation into Iraqi prisons.
Fordham graduated from Cambridge University with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics.
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Local media reported rockets fell in several areas in and around the city, and multiple people were being treated for injuries in hospital. The identity of the attackers was not immediately clear.
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In Iraq, a huge share of the country relies on government salaries. But the government relies on oil revenues which have been falling. The purchasing power of average Iraqis has dropped.
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Twin suicide bombings at a Baghdad market — unheard of in recent years — are raising security concerns as the Biden administration looks at the U.S. troops still in the country.
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Suicide bombings have been rare in the Iraqi capital since the country's military largely defeated the Islamic State group in 2017. But ISIS has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.
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The pandemic has "had a particularly heartbreaking impact on refugees — in the sense that it's cut off their ability to travel, and trapped them in precarious situations," says an immigration lawyer.
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Although people fleeing war or humanitarian crises know about the dangers of COVID-19, many are also worried about being persecuted if the disease spreads in their communities.
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"If one person gets sick then everyone will get sick," says a Syrian refugee in a Greek camp. Officials worry the rapidly spreading virus could overwhelm nearby communities soon after ravaging a camp.
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St. Charbel is revered for his healing miracles. "He gives us faith and strength, especially in this time of sickness," says a pilgrim visiting his tomb. "He is the only cure, in my opinion."
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"We're scared of coronavirus and we don't know what God has written for us," says an aid worker. "The precautions being taken here are very little and very weak."
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Turkey and Russia agreed to the cease-fire after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Thursday in Moscow.