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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Domestic tourism has been strong in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, but sites in more impoverished, insecure areas tend to be visited less. A few Iraqi tourism companies are trying to change that. -
Many Iraqis — Christian and Muslim — say they are excited about the first papal visit to the country, raising hopes of religious tolerance in the face of extremist violence. -
"Iraq's economic situation can probably best be described as being dire," says an International Energy Agency expert. Government revenues have plummeted and its currency has been devalued. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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." -
"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." -
Turkey and Russia agreed to the cease-fire after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Thursday in Moscow.
