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Spain's banking system is officially marking the end of its reliance on bailout loans from Europe — only the second eurozone country to do so. Although the banking system may be on surer footing, the overall economy — with youth unemployment pushing 60 percent — still has a long way to go.

Britain's Conservative-led government has unveiled proposals to change the social benefits system, moving ever closer to workfare. One measure under the plan requires the long-term jobless to do community work. Another plan would ax automatic housing and other benefits for unemployed Brits under 25.

Here Comes the Troika is a satirical card game where players can stash away savings in Swiss bank accounts or fund useless airports or high-speed trains to nowhere. The winner is the one who can hide the most money in offshore accounts, win elections — and avoid the dreaded troika card.

A hopeful-sounding GDP report led to headlines declaring that Europe's economy is over. But much more evidence is needed before that conclusion can be reached, say the experts who study economies' ups and downs.

The factory in northern Greece once produced glue for ceramic tiles. But when the country's economy collapsed and workers lost their jobs, they took it over to make environmentally friendly laundry products. Workers do everything from accounting to driving. Their effort is a hit with left-wing groups, but it's not showing up in workers' paychecks.

Anti-austerity protesters throw Molotov cocktails in Greece and blockade parliament in Spain. The Portuguese are a bit more mellow. Ana Maria Pinto shot to fame for drowning out the country's president in song. She's now a regular at street protests, leading choirs of ordinary people venting their anger.

Thanks to a long history of migration, many Portuguese speak many different languages, and that's a big draw for European call centers. It's one of the few bright spots in Portugal's bleak economy.

More than 40,000 scientists in Spain have signed a petition calling on their government to freeze budget cuts blamed for an exodus of the country's best and brightest researchers. As the Spanish government struggles to avoid a bailout, it has cut the number of university jobs and research grants.

The Greek government abruptly shut down ERT and fired its staff in an effort to downsize the public sector, which has been criticized as a bastion of corruption and bloat. But many Greeks see the rushed closure as a dictatorial move that will compromise the country's troubled media.

In a report, the International Monetary Fund said Greece's recession and unemployment problems were more severe than anticipated. But the report added that the overall bailout was a success because it prevented the country's economic troubles from spilling over to the rest of Europe.