Ruth Sherlock
Ruth Sherlock is an International Correspondent with National Public Radio. She's based in Beirut and reports on Syria and other countries around the Middle East. She was previously the United States Editor for the Daily Telegraph, covering the 2016 US election. Before moving to the US in the spring of 2015, she was the Telegraph's Middle East correspondent.
Sherlock reported from almost every revolution and war of the Arab Spring. She lived in Libya for the duration of the conflict, reporting from opposition front lines. In late 2011 she travelled to Syria, going undercover in regime held areas to document the arrest and torture of antigovernment demonstrators. As the war began in earnest, she hired smugglers to cross into rebel held parts of Syria from Turkey and Lebanon. She also developed contacts on the regime side of the conflict, and was given rare access in government held areas.
Her Libya coverage won her the Young Journalist of the Year prize at British Press Awards. In 2014, she was shortlisted at the British Journalism Awards for her investigation into the Syrian regime's continued use of chemical weapons. She has twice been a finalist for the Gaby Rado Award with Amnesty International for reporting with a focus on human rights. With NPR, in 2020, her reporting for the Embedded podcast was shortlisted for the prestigious Livingston Award.
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Libya's plans to hold national elections are in doubt as the country breaks down into regions controlled by local faction leaders — including the son of the former dictator.
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After years of war, Ramadi has come back to be one of the safer parts of the country and a magnet for investment. Two new hospitals have been built and two new universities are being developed.
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Drought and extreme heat that scientists link to climate change are altering the UNESCO-protected marshlands. Iraq's average annual temperatures are increasing at nearly double the rate of Earth's. -
Drought in Iraq means the country is only able to grow less than half its usual produce and is forcing mass migration from rural communities.
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As the results of the Iraq election are compiled, its clear that turnout was much lower than expected, with many Iraqis disillusioned about the prospects for political reform.
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Most Iraqis don't expect Sunday's parliamentary elections will bring much change to a leaderships blamed for corruption and mismanagement, but some voters still thought it was important to be counted.
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Two activist friends talk about their efforts to protest for reform in Iraq — despite intimidation and attacks from powerful parties that will likely come out on top in Sunday's elections.
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With the current parties in power expected to dominate results again, many Iraqis say they see no reason to vote.
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The current parties in power — many backed by militias involved in deadly attacks on protesters — are poised to dominate parliamentary elections scheduled to take place Sunday. Here's what to know. -
While some new voices have emerged in the campaigning, it looks like the usual parties will win. One underdog candidate got some voters on her side when she resolved a sewer problem in a Baghdad slum.
