Euro-zone leaders aim to get control of debt crisis

Amid protests throughout the continent against strict austerity measures, European leaders are working on plans to save the euro.

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May 31, 2012

A sign on the the Esperia Palace Hotel in Athens reads ''Closed for ever.'' More than 20 hotels have been forced to close over the past two years in the Greek capital as a result of the acute financial crisis.

Thanassis Stavrakis / AP

May 31, 2012

People gather in Pamplona, Spain, to protest against the federal government's cutback plans.

Alvaro Barrientos / AP

May 31, 2012

Fearing job losses, miners gather from around Spain for a protest in Madrid. Spain is moving closer to the financial tipping-point that could force it to ask for a bailout as the country's borrowing costs near unsustainable levels.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza / AP

May 31, 2012

Miners demonstrate against government cuts at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. Their banner reads, "For the employment, For the future of local coal, and reactivation of miner regions."

Daniel Ochoa de Olza / AP

May 31, 2012

People protest in Pamplona, Spain, inside a bank as a police officer stands guard.

Alvaro Barrientos / AP

May 30, 2012

Firefighters employed on short-term contracts demand longer contracts during a protest in front of the Athens Academy.

Thanassis Stavrakis / AP

May 28, 2012

A broker stands near the main display at the Stock Exchange in Madrid. Shares in Spanish bank Bankia, one of the banks hardest hit by Spain's real estate collapse over the past four years, fell 28 percent on opening in Madrid on Monday, the bank's first day back on the stock exchange after its announcement Friday that it would need a $23.8 billion bailout to bolster its defenses.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza / AP

May 23, 2012

French President Francois Hollande talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the start of an E.U. summit in Brussels. The leaders of the 27 countries that make up the European Union were meeting to try to find a way to keep the debt crisis in Europe from spiraling out of control.

Yves Logghe / AP

May 22, 2012

Job seekers line up outside an employment center in Sintra, Portugal. The country's jobless rate rose to a new euro-era record in the three months through March as its economy contracted for a sixth quarter.

Mario Proenca / Bloomberg

May 22, 2012

University students protest education cuts in Barcelona. Spain’s teachers are on strike to protest spending cuts enacted as part of an austerity drive.

Manu Fernandez / AP

May 22, 2012

Students take to the streets of Barcelona to protest education cuts.

Manu Fernandez / AP

May 22, 2012

Protesters in Barcelona shout slogans against education cuts. The cuts translate into fewer teachers, more students per class, fewer extracurricular activities and higher university tuition fees.

Manu Fernandez / AP

May 22, 2012

A Spanish teenager wears a sticker on her forehead to protest cutback plans for public schools in Pamplona.

Alvaro Barrientos / AP

May 15, 2012

Francois Hollande, France's president, right, and Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, walk past the honor guard in the courtyard of the German Chancellery ahead of the Franco-German summit in Berlin. Hollande spent his first hours as French president huddled in meetings today with Merkel, underscoring rising concern that Greece is headed out of the euro.

Michele Tantussi / Bloomberg

May 14, 2012

Greek Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos, center, leaves the presidential palace after a meeting with President Karolos Papoulias in Athens. The critical meeting between the heads of three Greek political parties and the country's president to broker a deal on forming a coalition government ended late Monday with no agreement.

Petros Giannakouris / AP

May 14, 2012

A man begs for alms in Madrid. The country got caught up in the uncertainty surrounding the euro zone and the electoral stalemate in Greece on Monday, with its borrowing costs rise and stock prices fall at alarming rates. The man’s banner reads in Spanish: "I am a 54-year-old Spanish man, I don't get any help from the government, I don't have any job, I need help please. I am looking for a job."

Emilio Morenatti / AP

May 17, 2012

A woman uses an ATM at a branch of the Bankia bank in Madrid. The recently nationalized Spanish bank's shares plummeted Thursday after a newspaper said depositors were rushing to withdraw money.

Paul White / AP

May 7, 2012

Newspapers outside a street kiosk follow the parliamentary elections in Athens. As voters across Europe rebel against austerity measures imposed to stamp out the debt crisis, Citigroup said today that the risk of Greece leaving the euro by the end of 2013 has risen as high as 75 percent.

Simon Dawson / Bloomberg

May 1, 2012

A man takes pictures as thousands of people protest on May Day in Madrid. May Day demonstrators poured into streets across Europe, swept up in a wave of anti-austerity anger that threatens to topple leaders in Paris and Athens. From the eye of the euro-zone debt storm in Madrid to the streets of Paris and Athens, where tottering governments face elections, marchers spoke of job losses, spending cuts and hard times.

Dani Pozo / AFP/Getty Images

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Homeowner David Firth tries to beat back a brush fire heading towards his home at Bettas Road and Low Drive as wildfire burns Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 in Cle Elum, Wash. The fire jumped the line they were trying to make but still stands after being sprayed with water trucks and further efforts to beat it back with the help of several neighbors volunteering. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Bettina Hansen) SEATTLE OUT, USA TODAY OUT, MAGAZINES OUT, TELEVISION OUT, NO SALES . MANDATORY CREDIT TO: BETTINA HANSEN/THE SEATTLE TIMES.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 16: Protesters gather outside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks is staying on August 16, 2012 in London, England. Mr Assange has been living inside Ecuador's London embassy since June 19, 2012 after requesting political asylum whilst facing extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Julian Assange granted political asylum by Ecuador

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted asylum on Thursday by Ecuador, raising the possibility of a diplomatic showdown between British...

Chase Culp of Houston checks his clown makeup before the performance of Circus Smirkus on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 in Montpelier, Vt. Circus Smirkus, based in Greensboro, Vt., is an award-winning international youth circus founded to promote the skills, culture and traditions of the traveling circus.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

India Independence Day, Syrian air strikes, Western wildfires, plastination and more in the day in photos

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Cast member Charisma Carpenter poses at the premiere of 'The Expendables 2' at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California August 15, 2012. The movie opens in the U.S. on August 17. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)

Eye on entertainment

Charisma Carpenter, Chuck Norris, Lionel Richie, Joe Jonas, Nelly, Alice Cooper and other celebrities.

US President Barack Obama drinks a Guinness beer at The Dubliner pub on March 17, 2012 in Washington. Obama went to the bar to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Hoppy days are here again

President Obama is making clear his love for beer on the campaign trail as he attempts to ferment a coalition of the swilling.

Scanned from Post archive. Washington Senators baseball players Goose Goslin, Manush, Kukel. 9/21/1933. No other info. TWP Photo.

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The Nationals have had the best record in baseball in August, starting to erase memories hardened by decades of mediocrity. Here are clues to...

Montreal Washington, of Kansas City, pets the dog she adopted, Friday, Aug. 10, during 'Tackle Pet Homelessness' at the Kansas City animal shelter in Kansas City, Mo.. Washington plans on naming the pit bull, Alexandra. The shelter is at capacity and is offering a $25 adoption special for all dogs 25 pounds or more. For the month of August, all cats are 'name your own price' and kitten adoptions are $50. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Allison Long)

Homeless and adopted dogs, sand kittens, snow leopards and more in animal views.

Amazing creatures from around the world.

LEWISBURG, WV - AUGUST 11: ( EDITORS NOTE: Image was created using the iPhone 4s with Snapseed's vintage filter) Two young boys sip a drink at the West Virginia State fair on August 11, 2012 in Lewisburg, West Virginia. People from across the region travel to the fair, which is celebrating its 88th year, and hosts various events including equestrian and livestock demonstrations along with a full compliment of carnival rides. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

iPhone snapshots at the West Virginia State Fair

An iPhone captures the fun at the West Virginia State Fair, in its 88th year. All images were created using the Snapseed photo-editing app&rsquo...

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