World

A Dictator Clings On While Dozens Die

YEMEN

Antigovernment tribesmen fought with troops in gun battles that killed at least 44 in the capital, Sana'a. On May 25, rebel fighters belonging to the powerful Hashid tribe seized a number of key public buildings as clashes precipitated a desperate exodus of civilians from the city. Protesters have clamored for months for the ouster of autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled over the Arab world's most impoverished country for more than three decades. Saleh has resisted pressure from other Arab states and the U.S. to step down, but his power base has been eroded by the defections of prominent generals and tribal power brokers. The conflict risks intensifying into civil war.

World by the Numbers

[The following text appears within a map. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual map.]

$43 million

U.S.

Money set aside as tax rebates in the state of Kentucky to build a Noah's Ark theme park

$211 million

IRELAND

Predicted value to the Irish economy of the publicity generated by the visits of President Obama and Queen Elizabeth II.

EGYPT

Lost pyramids spotted by a satellite survey seeking hidden traces of Egyptian antiquities

12.5%

JAPAN

Drop in exports in April, following March's devastating earthquake and tsunami

$2.83 billion

U.K.

Combined worth of soccer giants FC Barcelona and Manchester United; the two face off in the May 28 Champions League final

Militants Strike Key Naval Base

PAKISTAN

Gunmen from the Pakistani Taliban infiltrated a naval base in the coastal megacity of Karachi, killing 10 security personnel and injuring 20 others. The militants, who numbered between four and six, destroyed two U.S.-built surveillance aircraft and held out for some 17 hours before being killed or captured by commandos. The daring raid illustrates the confidence of extremist groups on Pakistani soil and led to suspicions that the assault on Mehran naval base was aided by agents within Pakistan's military. Dozens of navy personnel in Karachi were injured in two separate bomb attacks in April.

Turning the Screw

LIBYA

NATO aircraft pounded the capital, Tripoli, in the heaviest round of attacks yet on the besieged regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Libyan officials claimed that 19 civilians were killed by the bombs of these "colonial crusaders." The offensive comes at what may be a tipping point in the war against Gaddafi's rule, with rebel forces making considerable gains across the country. The U.K. and France said they would deploy attack helicopters like the Tigre (above), a move that escalates the NATO war effort.

Tehran Working on a Nuke Trigger

IRAN