An American teacher, deputy director of a Swedish language centre, is shot dead by gunmen in Yemen’s second city of Taiz, officials say. from (author unknown) via http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-17420106

Coptic Christians left feeling vulnerable by loss of their leader of 40 years as Muslim parties gain power after Mubarak’s fall Pope Shenouda III, the patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, has died aged 88 after 40 years spent leading Egypt’s Christian minority during a time of increasing tensions with…

Officials say Abdullah Senussi, detained in Mauritania on Saturday, should stand trial in Libya. from (author unknown) via http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/20123185162842242.html

Nine candidates in running for leadership of instability-prone West African nation, after president’s death mid-term. from (author unknown) via http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/201231844554576763.html

UN in Baghdad confirms it has taken custody of man believed to be US citizen held by Sadrist fighters for nine months. from (author unknown) via http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/03/201231720396332809.html

A major Indian trade delegation to Iran has pronounced the trip a success. The development underscores how difficult it will be for the Obama administration and the European Union to impose ‘crippling’ sanctions on Iran. India imports $11 billion a year in petroleum from Iran, its second-largest supplier. The Indian…

Clashes and arrests in Zuccotti Park as ‘Occupy’ activists mark six months since birth of anti-corporate greed movement. from (author unknown) via http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/03/201231844237839283.html

The Palestinian middle class has seized on mortgages and consumer loans as a route to upward mobility. But with the credit increase comes soaring personal debt. Ayman and Rahma abu Hussein can’t help but feel they are moving up in the world. from By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times via…

Donors have given money to aid the Syria rebels, but the needed arms are getting harder to find, merchants in Lebanon say. At a small table in a hotel restaurant where elderly men drank coffee and played speed chess, Abu Ismail’s phone rang. from By Los Angeles Times Staff via…

The patriarch guided Egypt’s Christians as they felt increasingly isolated and threatened after Mubarak’s ouster. He led the church for four decades and was dogged in protecting Coptic interests.   from By Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times via http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-me-pope-shenouda-20120318,0,1967225.story?track=rss