Photo Gallery The Arab Spring Loses Momentum
Firemen douse a fire at a Coptic Christian church surrounded by a crowd of angry Muslims in Cairo's Imbaba neighbourhood on May 7, 2011. Twelve people reportedly died in violence between the two groups. The sectarian violence flared up there again on May 15, when clashes between the two sides left at least 55 injured.
Syrian President Bashar Assad, shown here placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier in Damascus on May, has launched a violent crackdown on protesters. Hundreds have been killed.
Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh waves to supporters at a rally on May 6. He has been coolly riding out a revolt seething for four months and defies all attempts by his neighbors to convince him to make an honorable exit. He occasionally suggests the possibility of stepping down, and occasionally he makes threats, as he did last week, when he said: "We will counter every challenge with our own challenge."
A Syrian man living in Egypt takes part in a protest, holding a photo of an alleged victim of the Syrian government's crackdown on the uprising there.
